First Glance: Bucchigiri?!
Anime original by Mappa
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Premise
Arajin Tomoshibi enrolls in a new high school, dominated by punks and delinquents of every stripe. A naturally timid kid, he’s struggling with his new surroundings. To make things even more hectic, a genie by the name of Senya decides to take up residence in his head.
Gee’s verdict: Simply in Awe it Exists
The most interesting thing about watching Bucchigiri?! was discovering a 1987 manga by the same name, being utterly confounded by this, and then eventually discovering that the term “bucchigiri” means “to tear violently” or “leave in the dust.” This term is apparently fairly common in the parlance of delinquent and gangster media in Japan and so it wasn’t a case of copyright infringement, merely a generic term that’s been deployed a handful of times in the history of the media.
As for the anime itself, it’s inoffensive, if not exactly my preferred flavor of delinquent story. The vaguely Arabic/South Asian aesthetic theming is kind of interesting and lends the show a distinct look. Utterly fascinating that something channeling such strong early 00s energy is getting made in 2024 though. An anime original by Mappa no less. I’m not curious enough to follow along to figure out why they decided to throw themselves behind this one though.
Iro’s verdict: Like Walking Into A Time Warp
Rather than actually enjoying anything that was happening in Bucchigiri?! (the show is fine, just not my speed), I spent most of the episode stunned at just how precisely it imitates the exact tenor of a semi-popular mid-00s school fighting manga. From the premise to the characters to the wacky little mascot guy, everything about this feels like a peer to the likes of Tenjho Tenge or History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi… except it’s an anime original, made in 2024. An absolutely fascinating 24 minutes.
Artemis’ verdict: #NotMyDelinquentAnime
I made the mistake of assuming this was a comedy and/or parody anime and therefore expected something along the lines of Cromartie High, albeit with more action scenes and a major fantasy element. Bucchigiri, however, while harkening back to old-school tropes with its sometimes outlandish character designs and musclehead personalities, doesn’t really lean into any specific jokes or sketch segments and, while lighthearted, has a more serious side to it despite its ridiculous nature. Is it a bad show? No, not at all. But it’s also just not my kind of show, so I’ll be politely passing on this one.
