It is the year NC 1978.
45 years have passed since the emergence of superpowered individuals
known as Noted Entities with eXtraordinary Talents, or NEXT. The most popular heroes of the city work with
sponsor companies to bolster their image and seek the crown title of “King of
Heroes” in a popular live televised event known as Hero TV. This season, one company is trying something
new: a team up. Long time hero Kotetsu
T. Kaburai aka Wild Tiger is being paired up with a new rookie, Barnaby Brooks
Jr., a hero with no name. Both come from
very different ages of heroes so theyre bound to butt heads. But with state of the art new gear and the
will to do what’s best for the people, these two might end up being the best
thing to ever happen to one another. It’s
going to be an exciting season of Hero TV that’s for sure.
When you hear a title like “Tiger and Bunny” is the first
thing that comes to your mind a series about superheroes competing for ratings,
adoration of fans and the overall spotlight?
If your answer is “no”, im not shocked.
It wasnt until I was maybe towards the end of the first episode when I
saw this at Katsucon that I realized, “Oh this is Tiger and Bunny isn’t
it?” That’s partly my fault for coming
in late (and not seeing an intro sequence) and partly the con not having the
Sunday screening schedule up. In any
case, this was a surprise to check out and in a world where superhero Anime are
proving to be better superhero stories than anything we churn out stateside,
why has Tiger and Bunny fallen by the wayside when it seems to have basically
paved the way for My Hero Academia and One Punch Man?
The first couple of episodes of TnB are a really fun ride
all throughout. The dynamic between
idealistic veteran Tiger and the up and coming, by the books Bunny (who only
gets that nickname because of the ears on his suits helmet), is classic buddy
cop. In fact the tag line from Lethal
Weapon applies right here, “If these two can stand each other, the bad guys
don’t stand a chance.” Kotetsu is easily
my favorite of the two heroes because he isn’t as much of a tight ass as Barnaby
and I like that he still believes in what it means to be a hero beyond the
glory that comes with it. In fact, Kotetsu’s
actions throughout might make him seem like a bit of a goofball. But we do get some background as to why he
does what he does, equal parts inspiration and tragedy. He could very well be
what Deku ends up being at some point in Hero Aca…just not as clumsy and wayyyy
more powerful. The points and ratings system
is fascinating. A hero can gain or lose
points (or opportunities to gain them) at various stages of fighting crime,
from saving lives to last second interventions, and of course the ultimate
criminal capture. There’s also a small
number of heroes fighting for the crown of Top Hero and all of them are
likeable, with their own quirks and unique personalities and abiltiies. That and they all seem to get along quite
well despite competing constantly with one another. My favorite stand out is the incredibly cute
Blue Rose, who’s basically a female Captain Cold with way more powerful freeze
guns. Should also point out the
animation style. There’s a lot of 3D CG
effects in this series, especially when it comes to Tiger and Bunny’s mecha
uniforms they receive right after they team up.
I have to say, the combo of 2D and 3D animation isn’t as bad as other
shows ive seen in recent years. Wont say
it’s flawless but I don’t have anything negative to say about its presentation
either.
As far as intro episodes go, Tiger and Bunny is exciting,
funny and just as inspiring as My Hero Academia and One Punch Man, which again
is interesting since this came out a few years before either appeared. I guess it just wasn’t at the right time when
we really needed a huge dose of heroic inspiration in Anime? Whatever the case, I think I could continue
on with Tiger and Bunny to enjoy a trifecta of really good hero themed Anime,
again a genre Japan seems to excel at more than America sometimes. The dynamic between Kotetsu and Barnaby is
entertaining without feeling cliché, the cast is diverse and likeable, the
action is flashy and a ton of fun, and there’s just as much good dramatic
timing as laugh out loud humor. I really
need to finish this one so I can see why it isn’t on a lot of radars like it’s
fellow Heroic Anime brethren.
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