araynor - 2014-10-03 02:28:56

Story

Busou Renkin starts out really well, like most anime do, but after the first few initial episodes, it gets sort of boring. It is pretty generic and the action scenes take way too long. However, things really pick up at the halfway mark, when the actual story sort of takes shape.

Busou Renkin’s story doesn’t have many flaws itself. In fact, I really enjoyed the story. The fact that it is a story about alchemy but doesn’t really touch on the topic of the Philosopher’s Stone really impressed me, making Busou Renkin at least a little bit unique.

Despite these positives though, Busou Renkin comes across as generic and average, something that people probably wouldn’t go out of their way to watch. I almost dropped it halfway through but decided to keep on watching. It isn’t slow-paced or anything, but it is sort of boring. The comedy tries a bit too hard and ends up not being funny at all, so any episodes spent on that are completely bland.

There were a few things that were never elaborated on, such as Tokiko’s past, which was sort of annoying. I really want to know where Tokiko got her scar, but nothing is ever even said about it. But guess that in the universe of anime, having an odd scar is normal so nobody ever asks about it. Sure, let’s settle on that.

But as I said before, Busou Renkin really shines near the end. The story starts to develop and become much more unique, but then it ends. At least it ends well, but it’s sad that it ends just as it gets good.

Animation

Busou Renkin had plenty of potential for good animation, as the art is pretty good, but the animation itself didn’t turn out too well. Even the action scenes aren’t that enjoyable, except for where Tokiko is concerned, because she has the best weapon of all and makes for some pretty good action scenes.

The character designs for Kazuki and his classmates are fairly standard, nothing special, and Tokiko just wears an average school uniform too.  (Even though she doesn’t go to school… that sort of bothered me). Some of the other supporting characters have laughable character designs, which distract from moments that are intended to be serious, but the villain’s designs are even worse. Pretty much all of the villains have designs that are awkward or hilarious, and oftentimes both. Papillon, the main villain / supporting protagonist (?) is funny, but his outfit made me really uncomfortable when he was on screen.

It really bothers me when characters have designs that are so goofy, because it distracts from action scenes or serious scenes and just makes everything seem somewhat stupid. But that could just be me.

Sound

There really isn’t anything to say about the music. The opening wasn’t anything special, and neither was the soundtrack. Just average stuff.

Characters

Busou Renkin is mostly a generic shonen, but there are some things about the characters that set them apart. The first thing that stands out is that they have good development, and a romance that actually leads somewhere. Second is that Kazuki doesn’t steal Tokiko’s spotlight once he gets his powers, (at least for the most part. Tokiko didn’t have nearly enough action scenes in my opinion, but it’s better than nothing).

Other than these things though, the characters were also fairly average. The supporting cast had their characters that stood out, but for the most part they were forgettable and boring. Millions of tropes are filled, such as the ‘highschool boy suddenly finds out he has a power and the first time he uses it he learns he is much stronger than anyone thought’ cliche, which made Busou Renkin much less enjoyable than it could have been.

Enjoyment

It was pretty generic and boring. I wouldn’t watch it again.

Final Conclusion: 5/10

cboyle - 2013-12-17 02:56:16

Very average show with an average story and average everything, it's basically every shonen put together in a 26 episode show. The only thing that sets it apart is for Papillion and he will keep you watching to the end. The ending was kind of bad and felt rush, like the last half of the show felt. So basicly if you want a safe shonen that you will somewhat enjoy with a memoral ani hero who takes the spotlight from the average shonen protagonist then this is the show for you.

msanford - 2013-07-07 09:22:03

Busou Renkin is in essence a typical shounen Anime, it starts with the protagonist being given a special ability and takes it upon himself to save the entire world, being shounen it is a fun show to watch that never delves too deep into any drama.Art/AnimattionThe overall look was well fitting for the series, every character was drawn well and because everyone had a different weapon their attacks had to be animated differintely, the animation was pretty good and did make use of a few still shots during a fight now and again.SoundThe music used is good but it isn't great, the opening is a decent rock song and the music used during battles helps keep things going by adding tension or excitment, the sound effects are all ok, they make good uses of the sound of walls being destroyed and the waves in the ocean. Voice actors are all well cast, now i'm talking about the English dub because i never watch the Japanese version, the one's that stood out for me were Papillon, Moonface and Captain Bravo, these three stole the spotlight when on screen with their unique voices.CharactersKazaki Mutou the main protagonist is a very bland shounen character in my opinion, at the start he is given a speical power and decides he wants to use it to save everyone with zero sacrifices and this can get annoying but you will grow to like this guy, Tokiko is our second protagonist who can go from fighting mercilessly to getting embarresed when wearing a swin suit. Papillon is a unique antagonist in that he is very camp in the way he acts and dresses, he also has a Gauron type obsession with Kazuki. All the other mini antagonist and good guys all were unique people who you can never get bored of, and the main characters friends were all fun and added a comic effect at times.OverallBusou Renkin is an enjoyable shounen action series with a little romance added in there, it's sure to keep you interested with its wide range of original characters out main guy has to defeat or work with and is sure to please any fan of the genre.

maritza27 - 2013-05-22 12:16:52

Busou Renkin: Surprisingly Different

I actually really enjoyed this even though I originally thought it would be an extremely generic good vs evil anime, but it pleasantly surprised me.

Story:

This story was centered on two main characters and many important side characters. I disliked the main character at first and expected this to be boring and something I'd wish I hadn't started. I was happily wrong, although it has the normal "hardcore training" that is always present in this kind of show, it isn't out of place and really helps the story along giving good explanations for the power he has. Later on there was plenty of beautiful twists and emotional scenes that put me through a whirl of emotions, and I can't help but recommend this to anyone who likes this type of show.

Animation:

The art felt off at first, I disliked it a bit because it was different and a little strange. Luckily, it quickly grew on me and I came to enjoy it like I did the rest of this show.

Summary:

If you are into the whole fight the bad guys with newfound power then you'll love this show. It may be an overused plot but at least its a good twist on all of it. There's parts where you might cry and many where you'll laugh, I beleive most people can enjoy this show if they give it a chance.

-Alf