BBK/BRNK: The Gentle Giants of the Galaxy

LeaderTGW★ 5

Bubuki Buranki: Hoshi no Kyojin, the show nobody really asked for, but we got it anyway. Before I being I’d like to thank Richard Eisenbeis from Anime-Now for his wonderful interview (What BBK/BRNK is Really About) with the director, Komatsuda. I believe that reading his interview will also help those who plan to watch season two grasp a deeper and better understanding of Bubuki Buranki's narrative. Perhaps the most noticeable change is that production value seemed to have increased. While not particularity special, considering most studios try to improve quality of their work, this was actually a nice change of pace. With season onethe characters walking animations, body reaction and facial reactions appeared very robotic. This time I noticed that they improved it to the point where there are more “human-like” characteristics. There were times where I could see “robotic” like movements because CGI and all, but so far it seems that the animators have a better understanding of how to give their characters realistic movements. A majority of the cities and other populated areas felt complete, despite lacking life and background activities. At most you'd see a handful of people that aren't main and supporting characters walking around however, they have a limited amount of interaction. Once you see it, it's actually kind of funny. This lack of activity coupled with not so interesting dialogue from the characters ruin a majority of the beautiful scenes that the show has to offers. Honestly, it comes off as a waste of money. Finally, as far as the art and animation goes, CGI is still a work in progress. There are too many scenes that look sloppy and incomplete. Of course these minor problems can be fix via Blu-Ray however, a first impression is always important... not to mention that the sales for CGI based anime aren't that great. Moving on to the story, in season two character developments & growth appeared to be the main focus. Backstories and new developments in the plot were gradually revealed however, they didn’t seem prominent enough or featured as much throughout the story. One of the things I had been looking forward to in season 2 was an in-depth look and better explanation about who these characters are via backstories. I was just a little disappointed with the information given. (I’m trying to keep information minimal because spoilers.) The story tends to lack engagement, action, and intensity. Not to mention that the dialogue between characters feels dull. No matter what's happening in the story, the action doesn't seem to capture my attention. A huge battle could occur, and the lack of intensity or poor choice in adding comedic moments ruin particular scenes. Comic relief wasn't even a strong-point for the title. Overall the story is painfully weak and unimpressive. The Sound department wasn’t impressive either. The music composed for the series didn't leave much of an impact during the duration of the show. No particular songs stand out during battles or scenes of emotions. The sound effects for settings are lackluster. Often times it appeared as if the staff didn't even put sound effects or background noise in certain scenes. This poor choice in direction makes scenes feel bland and boring. The voice actors were pretty good. Never really had any complaints. Characters feel the same as last season; albeit with minor changes to personality due to development. Of course these aren't permanent changes that effect a characters behavior & action because they go right back to acting the same way they used to. My enjoyment for this season.. I was highly disappointed. I want to say that this series felt rushed. In fact, I'm going to assume that! With the lack of interactive environments, interesting narrative, and personality in the characters. This season just seemed to be a waste of time. Overall you can skip Bubuki Buranki: Hoshi no Kyojin. The only major difference in the series is quality, everything else just falls flat. I gave this show a rating of 5 because it could've been much better in the story department. The characters could've been less one dimensional, and finally there is just too much wasted potential of the series. It was an interesting concept but a failure overall.

NG_Chloe★ 8

Bubuki Buranki is an anime that's great to watch, but can be just short of great in its entirety. If you watched the first season then you're likely going to watch the second. If you're a newcomer whose checking the series out, then here are some basics. Plot(7)- The plot starts off a bit slow, the first 6 episodes of season 1 were OK(same with the first episode of season 2). Once you get past that is when it gets really good. The plot revolves around a group of people, four of them have special weapons called Bubuki and the fifth person has a bubuki that fusesthem all together into a giant robot(the weapons, not the people). The plot and writing need a bit of work, but we have is fine. Art(10)-The animation was my initial draw to the series, as its some of the BEST CG animation I've ever seen(when it wants to be). There are times where the animation isn't as expressive or colorful, but we still have the character designs, which are also amazing. Each design feels very unique, even if in an ordinary anime some characters(Azuma) would look like characters you've seen before. The designs and animation are part of the reason I kept watching through those first 6 episodes. Sound(10)-Another reason is the soundtrack, its amazing. The openings ad endings are really top notch. I also wouldn't have started the series if the first ED wasn't by Myth&Roid(Re:zero and Overlord). The sound design is also really cool during action scenes, which are also pretty cool. Character(6)- The characters seem to initially focus on being quirky rather than introducing us to the characters, but even the most annoying characters(kaoruko) will grow on you, most likely. At the end of it all, I'm glad I got to spend 24 episodes with these characters. The series also has pretty good antagonists as well. Some of them aren't as interesting in the second season, but the main antagonist was good, even if his motivations kind of went up and down. He had a clear reason, but he lost me at a few points. Enjoyment(7)- I enjoyed this series very much and would recommend it to anyone getting into anime, it's a shame that it hasn't been licensed yet. Overall-8