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Year: 2012
Genre: Action, Psychological, Romance
Episodes: 12
Rating: 3 out of 5
What is your favorite shooting/action video game? Is it one of the Call of Duty games? Modern Warfare was the best in the series. When it started getting futuristic, that is where the game lost me. Could it be one of the Halo games? Halo 2 was the game that I played every day during my senior year in college. The dual-wielding was excellent, the shotgun was a beast, the rocket launcher with was over the top, and the energy sword was the most over the top weapon.
Now, what would you do to play your game in real life with no consequences? Would you take the chance to duel wield a Needler and Plasma Rifle? How cool would it be to fly around in the Banshee or speed around in the Ghost? Would you use the sniper rifle in Call of Duty or call in air support?
Now let’s take it one step further. What if you could play your favorite game but are trapped on an island with several other people. You have no idea why you are there, but the only way off the island is to kill other players or you die. Would you play the game? No respawn. You’re dead.
BTOOOM! takes the concept of playing your favorite game and turning it into a nightmare. One where only a few will survive. Will you use all the skills you learned to leave the island?
Overview:
BTOOOM! is an online game developed by Tyrannos Japan for the DXBOX 720. It is a science-fiction, third-person “shooter” that involves killing your opponents with bombs, known as BIM. In the System Link for the game, up to 8 teams can fight at the same time. Players use their radars to detect and foil their opponents. BIM are randomly distrusted at the start of the battle. If a player kills another, they receive their BIM. The game has multiple maps for players to fight in.
BTOOOM! revolves around Ryouta Sakamoto. Sakamoto is an unemployed 22-year-old who lives with his mother. Sakamoto spends all of his time sitting in his room playing the video game called BTOOOM!. Sakamoto has managed to become one of the world’s top players of the game, through his countless hours of playing.
One day, Sakamoto awakens on what appears to be paradise. He notices that he has a pouch on his hip and a small, green crystal embedded in his left hand. Sakamoto quickly notices that he has no memory of how and why he is transported to the island. As he walks around, Sakamoto sees someone and calls for her. The strangers respond to Sakamoto’s request by throwing a bomb at him. Sakamoto quickly realizes that his life is in danger, and he must fight back. During the fight, he notices the weapons used are bombs like in his favorite game. After killing the stranger, Sakamoto quickly realizes that he is playing the game he loves in real life and must survive to get off the island.
Review:
BTOOOM! has a very unique and interesting storyline. The idea of playing your favorite video game on an island while having a sack of ten certain types of bombs, sets up a story of extreme survival. That is the main story of BTOOOM! a game of survival where every character has their own sins on being in the game. The story has a dark tone when it shows the many reasons why each character is on the island. No one is on this island because they were a good person. Nope, the reason people are on the island is because they pissed someone off, and they were recommended for this unique project. Just like all video game stories, a major company is behind the game and getting people to the island.
One of the best things about this anime is the interactions between characters while being placed in certain situations with each other. With it being a survival game, ideas pop into character’s heads like: who to trust and not trust, why we are here, and whether it is okay to kill someone for your own freedom. Another area I love is the type of bombs in the story. It genuinely adds to the video game dynamic and ways to take someone out.
There are some negatives to the story. The story fails as it is too short and abruptly ends. With only 12 episodes, the only thing that was accomplished was setting up some notable characters with some battles and loses. The anime leaves you wanting a little more and to see what happens.
The area that BTOOOM! excels in is the character development. The anime does a fantastic job of presenting the characters in a way that might make you feel anyway for them. Some episodes are dedicated to the backstories of the main characters while other characters, we have to learn about. The main character, Ryōta, is presented as a young man who lost his memories but doesn’t know why he is on the island. You feel sorry for him when you find out that he was a complete dick to his mother and stepfather. His mom wanted him to get a job. His dream was to work at the company of his favorite game. The main female character is Himiko. Himiko is an innocent high school girl who dislikes men. Her past is presented as one of the darker stories in the anime. Himiko’s backstory is pretty tough to take in. Other characters that are presented are Kōsuke, a 14-year-old kid who is out of his mind insane, and Nobutaka, a mysterious character that has some relations with Ryōta before the game even started.
The music was absolutely terrible in this anime. With all 12 or 13 episodes anime series, music sometimes falls to the wayside. BTOOOM! tries to make an effort with its music when showing the backstories of many of the characters. The music becomes intense and evil, as scenes are shown of what happened to the characters. The music also becomes fast and wild as the battles become more and more between the characters. I wasn’t inspired by the opening and ending themes.
BTOOOM! is a marginal anime that provides some excitement for the twelve episodes. Some of the best parts are the fighting scenes. The background of the main characters is quite dark, which might add to the overall appeal and enjoyment of the anime. Some of these characters come from messed up lives, which almost makes you want to root against them. With only twelve episodes, the anime leaves you hanging with wanting more and seeing if people can actually make it off the island with their lives.
