BTooom! episodes 1-12 (2012)

Let the games begin! 

Hey gang! I am excited to bring you all another anime review and it hasn't even been a month. Somebody has actually had a bit of free time lately and I have filled it with some pretty awesome anime titles.

This anime title is another in the fine line of titles brought to us by Sentai and Madhouse studios. Which, by the way, has put out some of my favorite titles hands down. "Btooom!" is yet another adaptation from a manga series which is kind of like American comic books, meaning that there is basically an endless supply of stories to pull from and I am totally fine with it.  So here it is, my review of "BTooom!"

Story- After waking up dangling from a tree strapped in a parachute our lead character Ryouta Sakamoto quickly realizes he ain't in Kansas anymore. Upon freeing himself he learns that he is on a tropical island and all the other inhabitants are trying to kill him. Within the first battle Sakamoto starts piecing together that this life or death game is oddly similar to a mega popular video game he was playing back home. "BTooom!" which is played by throwing bombs at your opponent. Last one standing wins sort of thing. Through a series of flashback scenes we learn how and why these people were chosen for this game.

Review- Do you like an action packed anime series plus have a soft spot for all things video games? Well then "BTooom!" is the one for you. This series was one helluva good time. From non stop bomb exploding action, to the coming together of teams, to figuring out you just can't let your guard down. No one is to be trusted. The plot really isn't anything new or original but if you think it is anything like "SAO" or "Hack/" you would be mistaken. Yes, there are similar elements with the whole battle in the video game/virtual reality thing but this is different. They bring the video game to real life and when you die you die . Of course you have several players that are very familiar from the VG version which help to aid them in real fights. The aforementioned Sakamoto is the #1 Japanese player and 10th best in the world. However it isn't just gamers that are stranded on this fantasy island of death, it is low lifes and even a member of high society looking to win this game and get back to their old lives. Visually, the whole series looks great. Lots of cool action shots and explosion scenes that really pop (no pun intended). The music for this series really set the mood for me too. Fast pace rock themes really played into the style of the series. Overall I enjoyed this series. I only real complaint is it ended so abruptly, I feel it could use a second season just to really wrap up the story holes.

So I will end with this. "BTooom!" has great action, a bit of romance mixed with violence and gore. The plot/story is solid not great. For my entertainment buck "BTooom!" brought it all. My rating is a healthy...

Written By John Price

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