BTOOOM!


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Ryu

~ Dark Pun Master ~
Staff member
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Title: BTOOOM!
Japanese: ブトゥーム!
Date Aired: 4/10/2012 (TV series)
Genres: Action, Psychological, Romance, Survival horror, Suspense
Director: Kotono Watanabe
Written by: Yōsuke Kuroda
Studio: Madhouse
Network: Tokyo MX, AT-X, SUN, KBS, TVA, BS11
Opening Theme: "No pain, No game" by Nano
Ending Theme: "Aozora" アオゾラ) by May'n
Main Cast: Ryōta Sakamoto (坂本 竜太) voiced by Kanata Hongō
Himiko (ヒミコ) / Hemilia (ヘミリア) voiced by Suzuko Mimori
Kiyoshi Taira (平 清) voiced by Tōru Ōkawa

Main Antagonists: Kōsuke Kira (吉良 康介) voiced by Yuichi Nakamura
Nobutaka Oda (織田 信隆) voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto
Masahito Date

TV series PV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDtW4D7uLTI
Imagine-Nation review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zh5dhdsec8
Official website: http://www.btooom.com/

Synopsis: The story centers around Ryūta Sakamoto, a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) young man and a top-ranked player in the online combat game Btooom! One day, he wakes up on a tropical island without remembering how he got there. He sees a figure in the distance and asks for help. However, the figure responds by throwing something at Ryūta — a “BIM” bomb. In that moment, Ryūta comes to realize two things: one, his own life is in danger, and two, he is now in the world of Btooom!

Necropinion: more than a week ago I noticed two new raw episodes with that weird name released at the same time and it took a while to sub, I guess the fansubbers werent very interested after watching the pilot which I though it was quite unrealistic that clueless Ryuta survived so many direct explosions -.- ...also the premise is a bit cliché reminding many series like all those already mentioned in the title description but the second episode was more interesting, Himiko's traumatic perspective oO I expect it low because I'm not sure if it'll turn out better later so I'll give it a chance starting with 6/10
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I dont think ill be watching ep2, as much as i was intrigued by the premise. Sure, a survival game is tired and common, but i couldnt help but feel a "proximity mines in the facility" nostalgia. Problem is...the main character is a dumbass. Oh....its counting down numbers, I wonder what that means, lets spend 6 minutes running around like a fool getting blown up but mysteriously not dieing by shrapnel! Sooooo irritating. Then this unbearable imbecile finds a babe by the river...why god whwhwhyyyy! Ive never hated one of my gaming brethren so much in my life.

A gory story with dumbed down concepts that seem to be aimed at a 8-10 year old mental capacity, what with the ticking bomb with a timer being a huge mystery and all. Theres a cognitive dissonance between those two core principles....no bueno.
 
Im a huge fan of the manga and Im quite happy that this adaption is more or less faithful to it. Only change I could see was that in the manga the rape-scene of Himikos friends was more detailful and in the end Miho told her that she used the letter against her to make her disappear.
Well that the rapescene was cut short was obvious. To be honest Im already surprised that they showd how that one guy killed of the other one with his knife.

If they continue to adaplt this as faithful as it was then this will be one of the best shows this season (what sadly isnt difficult).

@wedora: Yes he was quite stupid back then, but I doubt many wouldve made that conclusion with the bombs from the getgo. And he was thrown on an island with no information what so ever so of course his mind is in total panic what makes it harder to think, especially for someone who always took the easy road in life.
And the reason why he doesnt know anything while others know about it is explained later.
 
I see thanks for the heads up ^^ now that the third episode shows what's going on and explains the rules of this survival game I hope it turns out as good as you said about its manga, sadly Mirai Nikki and other similar anime with strong premise lost their initial impact in the middle or just trainwreck while they ended -.- we'll see if BTOOOM! isn't the case later... or gets nuked (metaphorically) xD btw from your 6 dropped new series this season i was checking you posted not only Ixion Saga and Girls und Panzer but Oniai, Little Busters and Shin Sekai Yori too so i guess the last one could be Code:Breaker because after the first episodes all 6 didn't interest me enough to keep watching
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Okay now that we know the premise is kind of like what this thread described it best as. by that I mean a combination of Lost Bommerman and an MMO that truns out to be a real life "When your killed you die" ordeal.

With the way things are going so far I consider this one of those odd guilty pleasure series becuase of the fanservice here at times.
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Anyways now that there happens to be a plot in this series now it would seem that the only way off the island is to kill 6 other opponents and have thier gemstone. I would of added the Survivor ordeal here, but with them dropping supplies almost on a dialy basis or so tends to negate that fact quite a bit now.
 
Just watched ep 3 (Im a bit behind for a few shows thx to work) and now Im really looking forward to ep 4 and the battle against the little kid (forgot his name already). Other than that Taira was really suspicious in the anime, cant remember that he was like that in the manga. Maybe its because of him beeing voiced now so the stuff he says gets another meaning or feeling to it.

I dont know how far they want to cover the manga but if they take it quite far there could even come stuff I dont know because the manga doesnt get translated anymore becuase it got licensed in the US.

@Necro: No the sixth one is Wooser no Sono Higurashi and there are still a few who are hanging but Code Breaker isnt one of them because it actually is one of the best new shows (even though the art is sloppy sometimes).
 
indeed Wooser is a given and others new like Litchi DE Hikari Club or Uchurei are lame enough to drop too -.- only short series I'm watching are Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki and Chibi Devi!, Sakasama no Patema will continue with a movie this year... back to topic i had a feeling since the first episode that Ryouta's mom sold him just like Himiko's friends did with her in ep. 2, now that both met again and start to get along this series is turning way better than I expected ^^ hmm are those Komodo dragons they'll face next week? then I assume they're in an indonesian island o_O

also just watched an interesting program of NHK World channel, ImagineNation http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/tv/...1209200800.html about BTOOOM! & Code:Breaker- http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/tv/...1210050800.html
 
I started watching BTOOOM today and caught up to episode 9, after that I started reading the manga, I read up to Chapter 51 in English and then read Chapter 52 and 53 in Italian, understood most of it.

Judging from where the anime is, I reckon when it finishes, which is episode 12, the anime would have used all the material up to Chapter 49, which is the last chapter of Volume 8.

BTOOOM! is good and I enjoy it quite a bit and I was little surprised that its done by Madhouse. However, BTOOOM! will end with a cliffhanger, the series won't get a 2nd season any time soon, it might get an OVA episode but the material currently available isn't enough for a 2nd season.

I think I'll wait for the series to pile up the last 3 episodes and then I'll finish it in one go.
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QUOTE (JCDRANZER @ Dec 02 2012, 06:24 PM)Judging from where the anime is, I reckon when it finishes, which is episode 12, the anime would have used all the material up to Chapter 49, which is the last chapter of Volume 8.

BTOOOM! is good and I enjoy it quite a bit and I was little surprised that its done by Madhouse. However, BTOOOM! will end with a cliffhanger, the series won't get a 2nd season any time soon, it might get an OVA episode but the material currently available isn't enough for a 2nd season.

I think I'll wait for the series to pile up the last 3 episodes and then I'll finish it in one go.I only hope they don't do the same mistake like in other series to rush it with a different finale, or leave an open ending without any season planned to continue as soon as there is more manga material -.- ...they better don't ruin it like that specially after ep.10 which was still quite good, the way how all characters think to survive and its sudden twists are making it worth to watch until the end
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Episode 10 to 12, pretty much exactly how the manga was done, it used up 50 chapters but it did take away 2 key scenes (well more like one big scene that takes up about 10 pages of the chapter) such as the reappearance of the rape scene when Himiko's old friends were being raped and Himiko and Ryouta's bonding whilst playing BTOOOM!, I reckon they didn't choose to show the rape scene and tried to convey her feelings and reactions about having sex using flashbacks of when she freaked out when she was touched by the guys on the island. As for the scenes in the virutal world of BTOOOM! not appearing is probably to save time since the episode condensed 2 and a half chapters of the manga, it also didn't animate the flashback scenes with Taira's and his family in the chapter.

Overall, the anime was incredibly faithful to the manga and one of the reasons I enjoyed the series more, I tend not to like deviations from the manga material in most cases because it tends to ruin it.

My score for this series is a 9/10, well deserved with a great soundtrack, awesome fanservice provided by the busty Himiko and brilliant story that made me read the manga earlier this month.

The series will most likely not get a 2nd season unless the manga is going strong after 3 years, the first season used all of volume 8 and a chapter of volume 9. The manga serialization used to be weekly and is currently monthly for over 2 years now. I don' know if this manga will go on for another 3 years, I wouldn't mind to be honest but if it does and is still popular, I reckon the series will get a 2nd season. However, for now I reckon in a year or so, there will probably be an OVA series that covers the current story ark that's still going on.
 
QUOTE (JCDRANZER @ Dec 21 2012, 02:28 PM)Overall, the anime was incredibly faithful to the manga and one of the reasons I enjoyed the series more, I tend not to like deviations from the manga material in most cases because it tends to ruin it.

My score for this series is a 9/10, well deserved with a great soundtrack, awesome fanservice provided by the busty Himiko and brilliant story that made me read the manga earlier this month.

The series will most likely not get a 2nd season unless the manga is going strong after 3 years, the first season used all of volume 8 and a chapter of volume 9.is a shame we'll have to wait that long to see S2 but just like other great series continuing after 3 or more years (Bakemonogatari, Fate/Zero or Kaiji) will be worth to look forward to it until that happens ^^ ...telling by its final cliffhanger after the death of Taira I can expect the next arc to turn out even more interesting and gory, also as mentioned above in my initial score the first episode gave me a not so good impression but this series got better quickly so I'll give it 8/10
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From what I was told they kind fo pulled the same thing here like they did with Deadman Wonderland and Highschool of the Dead as well. Pretty much the whole thing is pretty good, but I feel as tohough they didn't have enough source material to stop it at a non-cliffhangar point if you will.

Nothing wrong with this series, but supprisingly not that much fanservice that many claim that it would turn out to be. Although we all know that'll change since Himiko was lil' miss fanservice until she actually grew a backbone. Although she's still lil' miss fanservice for this series thoguh.
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The series is only really ecchi at key points in the manga and the anime. The anime pretty much stayed faithful to the manga as I addressed before.

The key ecchi scenes are like when Date throws a bomb at Himiko and because it isn't officially his yet since Ryouta is still alive, it just bounces from her breast that's probably one of the best ecchi scenes I've seen before because it was pretty much heavily "sexualised", especially when Himiko lets out her little moan from being hit by the bomb.
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I believe the ones who were saying this is going to be incredibly ecchi were probably ones who only saw a few pictures of the series and didn't read the manga and I mean you can be easily mis-lead by it to be honest as the ecchi scenes and the Gravity Angel extras are pretty darn erotic imo.
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BTOOOM! is base off an ongoing manga that began in 2009, currently with 9 volumes. Ryota Sakamoto is the 22 year old protagonist of the show who is unemployed and plays BTOOOM! in his room all day. However, one day he awakes on a seemingly deserted tropical island. It is not long after that he realizes that he's been thrown into an actual game of BTOOOM! where he must now fight for survival against other real people. He eventually partners with Kiyoshi Taira and Himiko in an attempt to get off the island together through minimal killing. BTOOOM! premiered during the Fall 2012 anime season, was simulcasted by CrunchyRoll, and licensed by Sentai Filmworks.

BTOOOM! is one of three "characters thrown into game scenario" titles this season, the other two being Sword Art Online and Ixion Saga DT. BTOOOM! starts out with the most generic possible setup of a protagonist unwillingly trapped in a game with "no memory." The game itself is like the classic Bomberman, i.e. kill others before they can kill you. So are there any redeeming qualities in this show? Well first off it's not overhyped like Sword Art Online so this one went immediately under the radar. Secondly, the psychological development of the characters is what drives this show. Granted some of the personality switches are not completely realistic, the overall growth and adaptability of the characters to the life and death environment is what was interesting to watch. In terms of actual story, the plot advances only a little bit. I haven't read the manga but considering the group needs 21 (later 14) additional chips and they haven't even gotten enough to get one person off the island, it's difficult to say any real progress was made (though only a few days had passed in the game itself). It's also hard to believe that no one in society realized that so many people were abducted and went missing in the span of one night. Conclusion was rather anti-climatic but also expected.

Art is actually quite good for this show. Characters are drawn Death Note style, which Madhouse also animated 5-6 years ago. Backgrounds are very nice and detailed to match a true tropic jungle setting. Animation, as said earlier, is by Madhouse, which is quite good for this title. From bomb special effects to overall character movements, Madhouse hit the nail on the forehead and continues their trend of good quality works since Chihayafuru last year.

OP is by nano, which is not as good as "Now or Never" from Phi Brain 2, but still a solid song. ED is by May'n and probably the slowest song from her since Aimo or Yousei from Macross Frontier several years ago. It's a fairly decent song as well. Background music is okay but fitting with the title as are sound effects. Seiyuu wise, Suzuko Mimori is Himiko and is her first major role outside of a moe title. Quite the voice if you ask me so I look forward to seeing her do more roles of the sort. Kanata Hongo is Ryouta and is his debut seiyuu role. Hongo had primarily done live-action works (Ryoma in Prince of Tennis Live Action, Joichiro in Gantz Live Action, Shin in NANA 2 Live Action) so he is by no means new to the entertainment world. As Ryouta, Hongo left a satisfactory to mediocre impression on me. Nothing outstanding but maybe it's because of how Ryouta's character is designed to be rather than Hongo's experience.

Enjoyment? BTOOOM! is one of those shows that start off bad but progressively gets better. It is by no means a masterpiece and not to mention it's also incomplete to begin with. The action becomes effectively nonstop once the ball starts rolling but if there is one problem with this show, it's the repetitive flashbacks. Showing once or twice is okay but beyond that it simply gets annoying. Recommendations wise, unless they finish the show's content, it won't have much value long-term. I'd recommend watching Mirai Nikki, Fate/Zero, Fate/Stay Night, or Bokurano for the similar "battle royale" type series.

Overall, BTOOOM!, is a relatively interesting show. It's not unique but a fair time waster, especially when a lot of shows this season are already mediocre. There are better battle royale series as mentioned above if you're looking for something of the sort though.

Preliminary Score: 5/10
Final Score: 6/10
 
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