First Impression: Bucchigiri?!

First Affect: Bucchigiri?!

Arajin Tomobishi has a habit of losing things. First, he leaves his bass guitar in the classroom on his first day at a new school, then he leaves his glasses in the hallway after some delinquents knock them off his face. Next up, his clothes disappear, thanks to some other delinquents (more nicely dressed this time—clearly from a posh school, unlike Arajin, whose new cradle of education is the most run-down disaster site of a high school I’ve yet seen in anime). Then, after the poor boy runs through town in his pink boxers, posh bullies hot on his heels, he manages to lose even his life. And then Robin Williams a genie shows up. In this dire state, what is Arajin’s one wish? To lose his virginity. Priorities. You see, there’s a super cute girl amid the sea of delinquents whose name is Mahoro Jin, meaning that if the two of them were to get married, Arajin’s name would become a palindrome!!! Jin Arajin!!! How cool would that be?!?! Plus, did I mention she’s super cute? The reason why she’s still single though becomes brutally apparent when, during their first date-o, Mahoro’s big bro shows up. Turns out he’s the head of a fearsome band of delinquents. Oops. Now, where’s that genie gotten to?!

Ha! That was a lot of fun. This is an original anime series from MAPPA—possibly their inaugural original?—and so far, it’s looking pretty good. The animation is on point, full of energy and silliness of the kind that makes time fly by as the chuckles carry you from scene to scene. Think Tokyo Revengers meets Scott Pilgrim with a side of Aladdin. (Also, fabulous color design!) Is there anything more here than a lot of punching, ruined date gags, and reassertions of Arajin’s particular goal in life though? Maybe. One of the other toughs, who is actually a really nice dude, is Arajin’s childhood friend, and used to look up to the guy who’s now a bit of a wimp, so maybe there’s some mileage to be had there. There is a hint also that the genie has an agenda of his own, and possibly a tragic backstory just waiting until about episode 5 or 6 to be revealed. Meanwhile, there is a fair bit of Chinese imagery threading through the episode, and Arajin himself dresses in a Chinese style beneath his uniform, which is unusual in Japan-set anime. So perhaps this lark of a premiere does have somewhere to go, assuming the series explores some of these layers rather than just leaning hard on the gags. But even if it doesn’t, it’s a pretty fun romp, and sometimes, when they’re as well animated as this, even clichés and thin plots can be pretty entertaining. I’ll be tuning in again to see whether this is simply cotton candy for the eyes or offers up a more substantial meal as things progress. (But to be honest, I might watch it regardless!) MAPPA, you have my attention.  

This is the best character entrance I’ve ever seen in anime if not all of television. Where can I get me an alpaca scooter?!


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