Tiger & Bunny was part of my anime lineup from spring 2011, which became one of the titles I unfortunately forgot to write about. Don't get me mistaken, though. The delayed post wasn't because it wasn't good.
On the contrary, Tiger & Bunny was one of the best anime series in a season filled with exceptional titles.
The blog was only a couple of months old at the time and I wasn't used to immediately writing about what I just watched. Partner that with my forgetfulness, and your result is a blog post six months late.
The truth was, I wasn't sure if I was going to watch Tiger & Bunny in the beginning. At the time, I still wasn't practicing my current pattern of watching every single new anime before deciding whether to continue or not. I took a chance on Tiger & Bunny because of one word. Sunrise. The animation studio known for Cowboy Bebop, Yakitate!! Japan, and the various Gundam series was well known even to someone who's not well versed with the various companies that produced anime titles.
In the end, I was glad I took the chance.
In the futuristic city of Sternbild, there are people who are called NEXT who possess superhuman abilities. A group of NEXT are featured in Hero TV, a reality program that shows the heroes capturing criminals, including other NEXT who use their powers for evil. The heroes, who work for sponsor companies, are ranked according to their achievements. Kaburagi T. Kotetsu, publicly known as Wild Tiger, is a veteran hero who somehow ends up causing destruction every time he tries to save the day and always ends up at the bottom of the ranks. When his sponsor company is bought by a larger one, Wild Tiger ends up with a partner, Barnaby Brooks, Jr. Barnaby, who Tiger calls Bunny, has the same abilities, but has a more commercial approach to his work as a hero, clashing with Tiger's more traditional beliefs of using their powers to do good.
Most of the series is told from the perspectives of Kotetsu and Barnaby. Kotetsu has to learn to deal with a new partner, the changing views on heroism and trying to bridge a growing gap between him and his daughter, Kaede, who is being raised by his mother since his wife's death. While dedicated in his duties and aiming to become a top ranked hero, Barnaby's usually pleasant demeanor masks a tragic past. He is focused on finding the man who murdered his parents, which he witnessed as a child.
The two are reluctant to be partnered with each other, but slowly find their groove as heroes in tandem. Their professional partnership, and eventual friendship, is tested time and again throughout the series. Their relationship becomes the foundation of the series, with Kotetsu's stubbornly steadfast beliefs and cheerful personality eventually getting through Barnaby's equally stubborn shell.
Although the series's focus is on Kotetsu and Barnaby, the audience had a chance to know more about the other heroes Blue Rose (Karina Lyle), Sky High (Keith Goodman), Fire Emblem (Nathan Seymour), Dragon Kid (Huang Pao-Lin), Rock Bison (Antonio Lopez) and Origami Cyclone (Ivan Karelin). There were various story lines that featured the different heroes, with each one struggling with various challenges, such as balancing one's hero and real lives, understanding what it means to be a hero, or finding one's confidence.
The series didn't just stop at showcasing action sequences that featured humans with inhuman abilities. Each character had one or more conflicts that they had to deal with, whether with themselves, the people they work with or the villains that appeared in every major arc. The series also subtly, yet effectively, tackled the discrimination experienced by those who have NEXT powers. Even if the citizens of Sternbild celebrated the heroes they watched on their TV, the truth is that they were actually scared and would shun a neighbor or family neighbor who suddenly started exhibiting powers.
The end result was an anime series that struck a great balance of action, comedy, drama and an understanding of human nature. The series also featured great villains, who I won't discuss at length for those who have yet to watch the series. These villains tie in to great plot points and twists that I think every audience member should witness for themselves. Imagine all of these great elements in awesome animation.
So, if you haven't watched Tiger & Bunny... you should.
You really, really should.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Action, Anime, Comedy, Drama, Must-Watch, Sci-fi, Tiger and Bunny, TV
