Summer 2011: No. 6 and Bunny Drop.

Next up, we'll take a look at summer's pair of noitaminA anime.

No. 6

No. 6 is based on a series of science fiction novels by Atsuko Asano that concluded only last month. It seems like a natural successor to a previous noitaminA series, this winter's Fractale, and I find this more than questionable considering the fact that Fractale tanked badly in both ratings and sales. 

 

No. 6 is a city, a post-apocalyptic utopia that houses one of the last remaining pockets of humanity. Our protagonist, Shion, is a prodigy studying in an elite school. One day, during a stormy night, a wounded boy stumbles into his room. Nezumi is rather threatening and seems to have escaped from a correctional facility, but he and Shion seem to hit it off nevertheless. Nezumi hints that there might be something sinister about No. 6 – as if the mention of a "Ministry of Peace" wasn't enough to tip off the viewer – and disappears by the morning.

Most of the episode deals with building the rather suggestive relationship between the two male leads. I'm dead serious here; the homoerotic undertones are hard to overlook. Shion starts off the episode acting completely disinterested in a kiss by his "unlucky childhood friend" character and ends it falling asleep while holding Nezumi's hand. The presentation is tasteful enough, but it remains to be seen whether this will be used as a carrot to keep the female audience watching or whether something will actually come of it. I couldn't help but be amused when the English subtitles had them calling each other "hot" (in the literal sense of the word). Nezumi's character, the mysterious agent interrupting an ordinary protagonist's daily life, would probably be female in most other anime. Indeed, this character was female in Fractale. 

 

The characters come across as relatively down-to-earth and believable. Shion seems rather bland in his eccentricity and vague cheeriness, and I found his not-girlfriend rather tedious as well, though largely because I fear she's going to be utterly pointless. Nezumi seems more compelling. The animation looks great, as to be expected from Studio Bones. There are some great, detailed backgrounds to be found. The major problem with the episode is that very little happens throughout it. Considering that it's an 11-episode series, that's a bit of an issue. There seems to be a time skip ahead, so perhaps this episode can be discounted as a prologue, but I still found it more boring than it should have been. It's going to take a few more episodes for me to make up my mind about No. 6, but as of right now, I'd say it's skippable.

Bunny Drop

Bunny Drop is adapted from a manga. The basic story is that Daikichi Kawachi, a thirty-year old bachelor, returns home for his grandfather's funeral and discovers that the old man had had an illegitimate child. The six-year old girl, Rin, is regarded as shameful and unwanted by the rest of the family, so Daikichi decides to take care of his young aunt himself. What follows is a heartwarming tale of parenthood and growing up...

I haven't read the manga, but I do know about its infamously ruinous ending. I'm not doing to spoil anything, but you know what? I bet you can guess exactly what that ending is based on the plot description. Yeeeesss, you suspect, don't you? Because there's pretty much only one way a story like this can go catatrophically wrong, isn't there?

Bunny Drop's troubles started after a time skip, however, and it's very probable that the anime will only cover the material leading up to it. If the series ever gets a second season though, be very, very worried – there's always the chance the producers will decide to scrap the original crap ending and create their own, but if not, this series is screwed.

The first episode's mood is melancholy and sweet, and its story mature and subtly told. It's a delight to see Daikichi's and Rin's relationship developing from their meeting. The show's art style is quite pretty – the style of the cold open is a little reminiscent of the water color-style of noitaminA's other winter 2011 entry, Wandering Son, the anime nobody watched (including me). 

 

Rin is cutesy, but not an overly caricatured moeblob either, thank the gods. If there's a problem with her, it's that she's a little too gracious, a little too intelligent, a little too mature. This is further emphasized by her contrast with Reina, a completely insufferable child in the family. It feels kind of like cheating to make sure the viewer's sympathy is definitely invested in Rin, but I suppose I should be thankful it's not the other girl Daikichi has to take care of. Not much is established about Daikichi himself; he remains limited to his interactions with Rin. 

Overall, if you like slow, atmospheric, heart-warming anime, you should probably give Bunny Drop a try – and hope for the best in regards to the future. 

Next:  Sacred Seven.