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 Sonny Boy is a 2021 original TV anime written and directed by Shingo Natsume (Space Dandy, ACCA-13, Boogiepop 2019) at Madhouse. The staff has strong crossover with his past projects, notably ACCA-13, so aside from the unpredictable nature of having an original story, you could reasonably expect something of the style and production of those series. The most common synopsis going around for this bugs me so instead, an older blurb from pr materials: Synopsis posted:The science-fiction ensemble drama centers around 36 boys and girls. On August 16, midway through a seemingly endless summer vacation, middle school third-year student Nagara, the mysterious transfer student Nozomi, and classmates such as Mizuho and Asakaze, are suddenly transported from their tranquil daily lives to a school adrift in an alternate dimension. They must survive with the superpowers that have awakened within them. Funimation is streaming the series, with new episodes Thursdays at 11:30AM...Central? The website isn't very clear on this and I'm also unsure where to find a full list of territories.  Wakanim and AnimeLab have the series in other territories.
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Jul 29, 2021 03:33
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 16:19 |
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initial impressions... it took the second episode to sell me on the show, which is mostly just to say don't judge solely off the first. the other originals this season are all playing in pretty well-explored spaces, so this is a real breath of fresh air among them and all the adaptations. there are definitely some cartoon characters in the cast currently, but i do feel like episode 2 showed some more restrained character writing chops that i really appreciated. in addition, establishing a likely recurring plot of the kids navigating through the mysterious rules of different alien dimensions they encounter will be interesting, especially as it complicates the stability of their group dynamic. and of course visually, escaping the stark black void of the premiere allowed for some absolutely striking work with colors that really complimented the unreal nature of their situation while also creating a perfect summer beach feel. superpowers like Raj's add to this, with a goofy paper cut-out style for the objects he creates. oh and there's some other stuff they were highlighting in promotion of the show, which i could've included in the OP but was unsure how much weight i'd really put on them. Shinichiro Watanabe was advertised as a music advisor on the series, a common role for him but he's not exactly pulling in the same collaborators as his prior work on Bebop etc so the series will have its own (fitting) musical vibe. the original character designs were also done by Hisashi Eguchi (Stop!! Hibari-kun!), which is a notable get, though i always feel a bit strange when animation necessarily sands away elements of original designs and they become a bit detached from the artist. the fun trivia with Eguchi's involvement on the project is that his last anime character design gig was Mujin Wakusei Survive, which also has a sci-fi survival premise, though it's more like a Swiss Family Robinson take on the idea.
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Jul 29, 2021 03:35
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It's not a busy season so I checked out the first couple of episodes. It's an interesting premise, but I'm not really sold on it building up to anything meaningful. Will stick with it for now though. Also got a chuckle out of the solution to the problem in episode 2 being Cryptocurrency
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Jul 29, 2021 03:50
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not really sure where this is gonna go with its whole premise of like, social norms manifesting as physical laws, but I really dig the first 2 episodes. love this sort of obtuse high-concept series and we get them really infrequently these days, gives me the same feeling as watching stuff like e.g. Kyousougiga or Kaiba though thats obviously setting a high bar for this to clear. also great minimalistic use of music so far, when you drop it so sparingly like this it gives those moments a lot of impact. Tales of Woe fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Jul 29, 2021 |
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Jul 29, 2021 04:46
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I'm glad people pointed out the music thing so I actually noticed it in episode 3. This is probably my favorite show of the season.
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Jul 29, 2021 20:21
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i love the aesthetics of this show. i wonder what other weird rear end worlds exist if we're already going to the black lodge 3 episodes in.
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Jul 30, 2021 07:13
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episode 3 was impressive too, this show is very good
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Jul 31, 2021 03:33
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we figured out the climax of the show you heard it from here first
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Aug 4, 2021 03:45
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nice try, but there would definitely be a lot more of guy whose finger can light up in the climax of the show
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Aug 4, 2021 15:14
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Well that was an episode I have no idea how long it's supposed to have been since they came to the island, seems like anywhere from 20 days to 20 years would make just as much sense.
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Aug 6, 2021 06:52
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I love this show because I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen. A verbal retelling of the greatest moments in monkey baseball history? Sure, why not.
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Aug 6, 2021 16:34
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Sindai posted:I love this show because I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen. A verbal retelling of the greatest moments in monkey baseball history? Sure, why not. 100% same. outside of the overtly weird episode premise, i think i was more surprised by how endearing the jock guy was this episode. i didn't expect the story to show him much sympathy after his role in the first episode, and i certainly didn't expect his redemption to come through passionate stories about monkey baseball. in conclusion, this is how i feel when i watch sonny boy: 
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Aug 6, 2021 18:29
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This show is great. I wasn't too sure about it at first, but episode 4 hit it out of the park (heh). Mizuho joining the core cast also helps, some of the best moments this episode came from her.
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Aug 6, 2021 21:16
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baseball episode didn't have as cathartic a payoff as the previous ones but still a good baseball episode
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Aug 7, 2021 00:10
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it was a good episode but i kinda wish it wasn't mostly about baseball because i have 0 knowledge or interest in baseball the fact that i managed to watch the whole episode despite that is testament to how good this show is
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Aug 7, 2021 21:02
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This team's steadfastness in using animation and the timing of cuts and dialogue and sound to convey all the weirdness is a lot of what makes it so compelling, watching is this distinctly sensual experience. Like, the way the bg blips to a different setting or state while you're focused on a character's face in the foreground or extreme closeup, and the bg noise that fills the space in a beat later, brrr. Such a striking effect.
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Aug 7, 2021 23:51
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marumaru posted:it was a good episode but i kinda wish it wasn't mostly about baseball because i have 0 knowledge or interest in baseball See, for me "The oral history of the Monkey baseball league" was a hook good enough to give the episode a go despite not having been huge on the first one, but it feels like it didn't stick the landing. The exposition was just over a flat background, when it could have been done in all kinds of interesting ways, no-one has strong desires to drive the plot forward but the situation doesn't go forward either... Sonny Boy is a show that feels like it should be my kind of thing, but it just... isn't.
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Aug 10, 2021 11:41
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chiasaur11 posted:See, for me "The oral history of the Monkey baseball league" was a hook good enough to give the episode a go despite not having been huge on the first one, but it feels like it didn't stick the landing. The exposition was just over a flat background, when it could have been done in all kinds of interesting ways, no-one has strong desires to drive the plot forward but the situation doesn't go forward either... I thought a lot of this was a deliberate attempt to suggest lost time. The endless summer vacation that never ends. You skipped the two episodes that were more plot based, if that's what you're looking out for
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Aug 11, 2021 09:57
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God, almost everyone in this show is such a dick.
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Aug 12, 2021 23:44
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The monkey baseball episode was awesome. I had no idea what 90% of the baseball lingo meant but understood it enough from context. I just loved it as a kind of self contained tangential story. And yeah people are real ducking assholes in this show
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Aug 16, 2021 22:19
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Today's episode felt like a season/series finale. I'm really excited to see where they're going with this.
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Aug 19, 2021 19:20
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Yeah that was absolutely wild. 
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Aug 19, 2021 19:46
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we're gonna have to kill god now as is customary
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Aug 19, 2021 20:01
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yep this episode was pretty good, worthwhile payoff.
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Aug 19, 2021 20:59
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I'm still completely unable to predict where the show is going It's still the most interesting and creative show I've seen in years
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Aug 27, 2021 21:53
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i like the parable-of-the-week structure. some of them have been a little heavy-handed on the writing side, like this week's one, but the visual execution still sells it every time
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Aug 27, 2021 22:51
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this episode felt like a reasonable conclusion to nagara's narrative arc, or at least a good stopping point so we can focus on nozomi's existential dread for a bit. also: i love the unexpected fantastic elements of the show, but i think it's really done a good job the last few episodes with the softer character moments (trolling mizuho with the projector, raj's gift to nagara, etc). man sonny boy is so good
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Aug 28, 2021 00:00
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i appreciate Koumori having taped pants as a very apparent practical decision made somewhere along the line from having upside-down powers for millennia, even if the umbrella is still some chuuni bs. in that regard, sock head will have some shoes to fill in the coming episodes.
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Aug 28, 2021 00:21
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got some casshern sins vibes from today's ep. really good looking one.
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Sep 3, 2021 05:58
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An episode behind, but this is a really excellent show. Haven't watched any new anime since Bebop a while back. Anything between those two shows as good (not similar, don't care about the genre, just as good quality wise)?
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Sep 4, 2021 06:26
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Open Source Idiom posted:An episode behind, but this is a really excellent show. Well, there was Odd Taxi just last season. Tatami Galaxy is a classic. Mob Psycho 100 is a first rate adaptation... Look, it's been decades, there's a fuckton of great anime you missed. We're talking a gap that skipped over FLCL, for pete's sake! (Watch FLCL. The original, I mean. I'm one of the only people who'll speak up for Prog, and even I admit it's an acquired taste, while Alt is hot garbage.) I'd want more detail as to what you're looking for to manage more specific recommendations.
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Sep 4, 2021 06:39
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i had a hard time piecing together the actual story this episode but it was gorgeous at least
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Sep 4, 2021 07:00
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Open Source Idiom posted:An episode behind, but this is a really excellent show. Space Dandy is by the same team behind Cowboy Bebop (Watanabe+Natsume), one of whom (Natsume) is behind this show, so that seems like a natural recommendation. It's very good and if dubs are your thing it's on par with Bebop. Someone mentioned Kyousougiga earlier, and I second that. Has that similar oblique, roundabout approach to storytelling in a surreal-ish environment where the mysteries reveal themselves over tims.
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Sep 4, 2021 20:30
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chiasaur11 posted:Well, there was Odd Taxi just last season. Tatami Galaxy is a classic. Mob Psycho 100 is a first rate adaptation... Whoops. I meant Boogiepop LOL, the one from like two or three years ago. I'll check out Odd Taxi though.
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Sep 5, 2021 00:12
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Open Source Idiom posted:Whoops. I meant Boogiepop LOL, the one from like two or three years ago. I'll check out Odd Taxi though. Oh, yeah, that's a bit different. For stuff that hasn't been mentioned... I'm guessing you didn't see Vinland Saga, the story of a viking seeking vengeance for his father. Goes places. I feel like the manga has declined a bit in the last act, but the opening season is rock solid. If you liked Gridman, Dynazenon is the sequel, sorta, so that's a nice time. Keep your hands off Eizouken is a Yuasa anime about making anime, so that's gorgeous. And if you want basic shonen, Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer got huge on solid execution of the classic beats. That a start? chiasaur11 fucked around with this message at 07:39 on Nov 13, 2021 |
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Sep 5, 2021 03:49
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Open Source Idiom posted:An episode behind, but this is a really excellent show. For some gnarly, brutal and sometimes violently poetic samurai stuff, check out Shigurui and Blade of Immortal
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Sep 5, 2021 13:27
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These cats are very good and I love them all.
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Sep 9, 2021 23:42
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 adrift gothic
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Sep 17, 2021 04:40
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This show is so good. It's a bit disappointing that there's only 1 episode left. Part of me wishes that they played around more with a sort of episodic "This World"-of-the-week sort of style for a bit longer, kind of like the creative showcase that Space Dandy had going on.
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Sep 23, 2021 21:03
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 16:19 |
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What was the brown lump they left Rajdhani?
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Sep 23, 2021 22:32
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