Disguising themselves as humans, homunculi inhabit the world to prey on the unsuspecting population. Created long ago by alchemists from Europe, homunculi are difficult to eliminate without weapons known as Kurogane. Each Kurogane is uniquely shaped according to its wielder's instincts, taking the form of special abilities called Busou Renkin.
While walking home from school one day, Kazuki Mutou spots a defenseless girl under attack by a homunculus. But as he attempts to intervene, the girl ends up saving Kazuki’s life instead, shattering his ignorant worldview. The girl introduces herself as Tokiko Tsumura, and Kazuki soon learns that she has accidentally implanted a Kurogane inside of him. Now unintentionally dragged into the fight against homunculi, Kazuki must forgo his former life of leisure in order to protect the ones he holds dear.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
burntlettuce
We all have those series. Which for some unknown reason we can't help to love. We know we shouldn't, we know it's not good. But we can't help but watch the series and be totally entranced by it. Buso Renkin is that anime for me. It's a totally predictable, cliche, crony shonen anime. It's nothing new, it literally brings nothing new to the table, but I just can't help but love this series. Buso Renkin is your typically shonen experience. It's got a main character who is given a power by another and mysteriously keeps powering up and doesn't ever seem tolose any of the battles he is in. This literally sums up Buso Renkin, it's fight after fight, power up after power up, but Kazuki doesn't ever seem to lose. Each episode for the most part does have some pretty humorous comedy in it. Just random outbursts by the characters ect...but it helps keep the action somewhat fresh. It's got some nice romance that develops along the way(I am a sucker for anything love related). One thing that was a let down was the action in this show. I have never been one to enjoy shonen's were it is just power ups and beat downs. There is one really amazing fight, where I can only imagine most of this anime's budget was spent. But the action isn't that good in my opinion.
Despite this the show is still incredibly enjoyable. If I had to attribute why this show is so enjoyable, I would have to say it's the chemistry. Everything comes together so well, and I would have to say this show's main success is the pacing. It lays everything down in front of the viewer in a very logical coherent path. Nothing is ever rushed. Despite Kazuki gaining as many power ups as he does, it never feels overwhelming. It never feels like he is always meant to win, or that he is over powered. It feels like he is just growing. The show allows time for comedy, but it never forces it. It doesn't add comedy in dramatic moments for the effect of comedy, it simple puts comedy in places where it belongs. Even the relationship that starts to develop between Kazuki and Tokiko isn't forced. You really get to see the chemistry between these two characters grow and you get the see the feelings manifest, something of which I did not expect to see in this anime.
The show's characters(Mainly Tokiko) also made me fall in love with this shows. While Kazuki isn't anything new in terms of characters, he certainly isn't bad. He is just a typical shonen good-guy. He wants to do what ever it takes to protect everyone around him, even if it means scarfing himself. However Tokiko is the real star of this show. She starts out, cold, brash, and filled with hatred. But by the end of the series she is, open, shy, and full of love to give. She truly goes through amazing development through the series. Most of it comes from being around Kazuki, and beginning to learn what it is to like to love and want to protect things dear to you. Now what made Tokiko so awesome in my eyes, to be blunt, was the fact that she was a badass. Screaming "I will rip out your guys" killing all the Homunculus in her sight, and to be honest, not to many people can sport a scar as hers and remain that sexy. Her personality and development just made her a truly enjoyable character.
At the end of the day, nothing changes with Buso Renkin though. It is still your predictable, cliche shonen series were the good guy always wins. This series brings nothing new to the table, but at the end of the day it's enjoyable. And that is all that really matters. So if you are looking for a good action anime(That mixes several anime concepts), with some very awesome characters, and a good mix of comedy and romance. Then I suggest you try Buso Renkin.
VK11
Busou Renkin is a story that takes many of its elements from other anime. You'll see elements of Fullmetal Alchemist, Ruroui Kenshin, Shakugan no Shana, Fate/Stay Night, and probably a bunch more. Though Busou Renkin was developed by the creator of Rurouni Kenshin, Nobuhiro Watsuki, it is not as epic as the story of Kenshin was. However, despite some of the obvious points of this series, Busou Renkin manages to uphold fairly well and be a relatively enjoying series. Busou Renkin means Arms Alchemy. In this story, there are homunculi that are running about the land and its up to alchemic warriors,using these Arms Alchemy devices (which spring forth a weapon based on the users personality) to vanquish the homunculi. This does sound a little bit familiar but Busou Renkin does manage to throw in its own elements and enough plot twists to keep it original. Deep down, however, its still your run of the mill "regular kid rising up out of nowhere to save the world" theme.
The animation is up to par with todays standards, but in some episodes however, you'll see it lacking. Or rather, in some places and characters. Otherwise, there isn't too much to complain of about the art.
The music and such in Busou Renkin isn't all that bad, but its also nothing spectacular. The opening theme song is pretty catchy and the music scores during battles do raise your tension a bit, but what I found missing from this particular anime was that one, catchy song, piece of music that reels you in no matter what was happening in the anime. And thus, at some points, I found myself losing concentration a different points in the show.
Nobuhiro Watsuki must have some kind of fetish with scars, because as with Kenshin, the main female protagonist here has a defining scar too (though the scar is not as important to the plotline as Kenshin's was). Anyway, back to the characters. Kazuki, the main male lead, is your typical hero who I found to be a little too perfect. Without giving too much away, you can say it was hard to go against him in battles. However, Kazuki was your only typical character. Nobuhiro Watsuki has created a plethora of unique (and some rather a little *too* unique if you ask me) characters which is a nice change of pace from the norm.
All in all, a lot of Busou Renkin is pretty cliche and obvious as to what may happen. The ending, in my taste, was a little too premature, in other words, it seemed as if it was put together forcefully to have that particular ending. The pace of the story starts off rather quickly, immersing you immediately without giving all the details, but soon starts to slow back down to a reasonable pace.
If you're looking for a series that's 26 episodes long that's rather enjoyable to watch, but nothing "eye-popping," as well as something with romance, Busou Renkin is something you definitely should check out.
Obediah
EDIT: There is one thing i have to say. Watch the first three (or four) episodes, consisting of Papillon. If you enjoy them, continue watching. If you don't, stop watching. It's as simple as that. The first three episodes is like the mini-arc going into the main arc, setting the scene, and making the expression known. If you do not enjoy the style (art, characters, all around) then you won't enjoy the rest. I'm not saying that it's all exactly like that, but it is enough to tell if you will like it or not. This was a generally good anime. Though some of the aspects ofthe anime are stereotypical (Boy with strong convictions, girl who doesn't understand, fall in love when they understand eachother, etc.) there are some atypical points to it. And watching it along side by side with Shakugan No Shana has made it very interesting.
STORY: 7
First off; the Story is relatively good. Not great, but good. The plot goes along the lines of "Hidden Monsters inside the City that we have to eliminate". Very stereotypical. They eat humans to survive, and they must prevent this. But, there's an added danger. Humans can become these homunculus creatures. Albeit they never actually take advantage of this added conflict, there is a point where it is used. I would've liked to have seen more of this aspect, to diverge itself from the other anime. If i could give this story an "Average" score, i would, because it's definitely an average story.
ART: 9
The art was very impressive, and very flashy. The combat scenes were definitely Shounen, along with the other "relaxing" scenes, from the vibrant display of femininity in certain characters, all the way to the flashy display of masculine grittiness. I enjoyed the art sometimes more than the story, because a lot of the time they'd have pretty pictures to go along with the flashbacks that usually distracted me.
SOUND: 7
The opening was fairly good, but nothing that inspired inspiration for me to watch it again, like Bleach or even Erementar Gerad. The ED sequences were fairly interesting, though by that time you're usually just wanting to go on to the next show (whether to see what happens, or in my case to get it over with).
CHARACTERS: 7 (10 for Tokiko)
The two main characters were interesting enough, but my favorite characters were the captain and tokiko. I enjoyed the captain because he strayed away from the typical "I will do the right thing, in my own opinion", and went with "I will do the right thing whether it hurts me or not". And, i enjoyed Tokiko because she went out of the stereotypical beautiful female lead, and was more masculine and gritty rather than perfectly manicured fingernails while weilding a sword. That was my favorite aspect of the characters, was that she was animated and voiced perfectly for the role she was in. I didn't like the submissiveness of the other characters, because it seemed like it was too convenient for the Writers. I give the general cast a 7, and Tokiko a 10.
ENJOYMENT: 8
Overall, it's fun to watch. To see how everything turns out. But that's why you watch them after episode 1, yes? There are plenty of good love scenes, mainly battle scenes, in all its purest Shounen. This was a great anime to watch on a sick day. It definitely makes you happier and in some cases it'll make you angry with "The Man". So if you like action sequences and Dragon Ball Z style "Levelling up because i am inspired" sort of deal, then this is the Anime for you.
OVERALL: 8
I enjoyed this Anime, for its atypical points more than not, but frowned upon the easy plotline. This isn't as epic as Rurouni Kenshin, or as deep as some of the other anime developed by these people. Though, if you start watching this show past the third or fourth episode, you might start to enjoy it! Be warned! It is enjoyable as a whole, but not really much unique value. The best part, i will say, of this series is past episode 18. You think that after the first three episodes that the plotline is over (Which it could've been), then new circumstances arrive.
I'll just leave you with this. Watch the first three episodes, if you like them, continue. If you don't. Stop.
vault2049
Busou Renkin is an anime for those who are looking forward to see lots of action, great battles and a great variety of weapons and characters. So if you are a Naruto/Bleach fan you should watch this one, it will be for sure of your liking and probably (in some aspects) may be considered better than the previously named animes. The story in this anime is pretty much straight forward, those of you who are familiar with Bleach plot will find the storyline very tentative and it will be very likely of your interest, being similar to Bleach's. A boy wakes up from a nighmare, inthis nightmare he protected a girl from a monster, but he was murdered in the process. Later on he realizes that he really died and that, what keeps him alive, is a alchemic artifact known as "Kakugane". Tokiko-san (the girl who saved him) explains that this artifact materializes it's warrior's battle instict into the form of a weapon, an arm, Arms Alchemy: Busou Renkin. The enemies here are called "Humunculus" (is this similar to Full Metal Alchemist by any chance?) and do have "another type" of alchemy power. This monsters have a strong appetite for humans because of the unconscious desire they have to recover the humanity they've losed. Then there are other more powerful enemies like Human-Humunculus (Humunculus with Busou Renkin powers), Alchemic warriors made into something similar to humunculus, you get the point. Similar indeed to Bleach's concept of Vizards, Hollows and Arrancars.
Also the story has a very common sequence, used in most action-shounen animes: you first got a treat to eliminate, you eliminate the enemies in episode one then another more powerful enemy comes in episode 2 and another and then another, the usual. But this sequence asures that the anime has a very wide range of characters which makes the story more interesting and worthwhile. It got it's twists, almost all being around the main character (Kazuki). This twists are what really will make you keep watching the anime to the end, because you will feel very attached to Kazuki, but not to any other character really.
The artistic design is in a very high level. The locations look very good, even when thay get destroyed, and believe me, this happens a lot. But on the other hand the character's design is a bit... gay. Characters like Papillon and Moonface really look like taken out from fairytales. If you have watched animes like Speed Grapher you will find the appereance of the characters (enemies specifically) very similar and probably like it, if not and you are planning on watching this then get used to it, but don't worry you will learn that this characters really are scary (excluding Poke-Moonface Mooooooooon! Definitely one of the most stupid character's I've seen.)
Continuing on let's talk about the sound. I have to say that this anime's soundtrack rocks. The opening is superb and almost all sountracks are just the perfect match for the Busou Renkin concept. Without the appropiate music the battles really would have been boring but, actually, the strength of this anime lies here: the battle soundtracks are stunning, they do give the battles more drama and spice and definitely makes them feel really sort of heroic, far from being boring. The ambience themes are also perfectly inputted and give the peaceful / critical feeling depending the situation.
Characters are as various as episodes are in the anime. We've got personalities from idiotic and childish to sorrowful and really evil. Most of the characaters, as mentioned before, have a staraflarious look that doesn't escape from being stupid. But even so the personalities are not reflected by the looks. Take Papillon for instance: he may look like a butterfly, and some times act really gay but when he get's serious he really does look scary as hell. Every character has a different power (at least those who posses a Kakuganes). These powers are really original and different, are mainly represented as weapons. But actually each weapon have a different property, this properties go from high speed regeneration to gravity control, so really a wide difference between weapons.
Regarding the personalities itself I have to say it's impossible not to take notice Kazuki's stubborn and "I wat to save everyone" behavior. At some times the way he acts is really annoying but you will get used to it and, at the end, really love this character. Also these guy get's trashed really bad and, supposedly, killed many times (I counted 4). But somehow he manages to stand up and win the fights, so we've got a hero that always wins and never gives up, even if he is supposed to be dead. A pretty often used model of character in modern Shounen animes to create sympathy around the main lead. The character development, again, only centres around Kazuki. He goes from having no powers to become the most powerful warrior in the Alchemic Society, and that progress does take time but still it gives a good amount of anxiety to go on watching it. Also note he always learns new techniques and, at some point, he unleases his real powers.
This is a pretty good example for an anime that is good, not perfect, has factors similar to other animes, and can still manage to deliver great fun and satisfaction. I really enjoyed watching Busou Renkin. It ended good and there was not need for more content after it's conclusion. I recommend it to anyone, it doesn't matter if you don't watch this kind of animes, because really it's just the same formula that other animes, like Bleach, use. But Bleach is popular isn't it? So that means the formula works, it worked for me at least.
ArtRodriguez
This is as good as neo shonen get. It's not too long, but not too short. Fuck Ichigo and Ed, Kazuki has his Kakugane on lock down. "I'LL SPLATTER...YOUR GUTS!" This is an IIP- "Impossible is possible" anime. The story revolves around alchemy and although it is SUPER played out this anime does well of lacking straying from any comparisons to FMA Quite frankly the only good plot in ALL of Shonen Jump's manga turned anime. The art is pretty great. What would you expect from Nobuhiro Watsuki? I'm amazed that Xebec ACTUALLY did great designs. The fight scenes are quick, but leave you wanting more.The final fight between two epic characters is so brilliantly colored and shaded that it leaft nothing to be desired. The only problem I have is that some characters look plain. Mahiro looks so stereotypical... But Papillon is such a fresh character that he makes up for it.
The BGM in this anime is a bit bad. It goes in at the moments when not needed. (Romantic music AFTER Kazuki talks to Tokiko about his feelings) The dubs for both the Japanese and English are great, but my complaint is Tokiko. Her mouth flaps at the weiderst times in both dubs. She's not even talking at some points. It IS Viz after all.
All the characters are here. The pervert, the fat guy, the tranvestite, the love sick loser, the ditz, the tsundere, etc. They aren't really original, but they do their job. Plus, this is the only anime where I was pairing up characters.
I did enjoy this anime and well worth the 60 bucks on both sets. I highly recommend it.
Pros:
- Great plot that moves fast and doesn't leave you hanging.
- Papillon is the most vibrant character in history.
Cons:
- The characters are a bit stereotypical.
This anime is out now by Viz Media.
Gobind
Story: Great! The story isn't CRAZY original but how they portray it is really good so it makes up for it. One of the things that the story packs in a lot into each episode BUT it really flows. The plot twists are pretty good and there aren't many spots were things just seem too convenient, which a lot of anime tend to have. One thing that this story has that I really like is that the story has dark moments but also has good humor that lighten things somewhat. I try not to give away spoilers in reviews but This story is good soWATCH IT!!!
Art: Great animation in my opinion even though there isn't really anything that sticks out here the fight scenes are well done and character design is really good.
Sound: They did really well on choosing voice actors!!! Everyone does well on voice acting which is suprising because usually there is usually at least one person that just drives you nuts with their voice but Busou Renkin does a good job of not having that.
Character: Characters are great in this anime! While the two main characters have similarities to Shakugan no Shana's two main character these two aren't nearly as annoying. Both characters are genuine and make since while the supporting characters are interesting and not worthless.
The only problem I had with the characters was that the supporting characters had more air time BUT with the air time they did have its awesome so its very minor just it would've been nice to have a lil more character development on them
Enjoyment: I really thought this anime was awesome because there wasn't any issues that really stuck out. There weren't any "too convenient" parts that were just out of no where. Also, due to the voice acting being good, you didn't have to deal with annoying voices that drew you away from the anime. The fights were interesting as well plus some of the parts of the series have you smiling from hwo things work out.
Overall: GREAT SERIES!!!! I just wish it would get more recognition because this is far better than shakugan no shana, which it is similar too.
I def recommend this to anyone looking for a truly enjoyable anime.
Minamino_K
Everyone make way. Nobuhiro Watsuki has made another hit anime series and I'm telling you, if you thought Rurouni Kenshin was good then you'll love Buso Renkin. To think I just learned about this today!!!! That made this one so extremely happy. Besides getting a crap load of books and movies this weekend I also get to watch Buso Renkin, sweet sweet hunny. (GRINS) I can't wait to watch it later on this afternoon. This tale with Kazuki will leave an impression!!
GodlyKorean
This isn't my favorite genre of anime with all it's magic action, but because this was like the anime that made me watch anime (I think it's called a bridge anime?) I thought I'd write a short review on it. I may be biased since it brings back memories of when I first started anime, but Busou Renkin was really enjoyable for me, and I think others should give it a try. Busou Renkin is actually a show more fit for kids - teens, not so much mature adults. Story: In the world that Busou Renkin takes place, there are monsters called homonculus, and thepower of alchemy. The protagonist, Mutou Kazuki is a normal high school student whose life changes forever one night when he died (stabbed in the heart) while trying to save a mysterious girl, Tokiko from a monster (a homonculus). Feeling guilty for his death, Tokiko saves Kazuki by replacing his heart with a kakugame, an item that contains the power of alchemy. It's revealed that Tokiko is an alchemist warrior that works for an alchemy organization that fights off homonculus's in order to protect the human race. Kazuki then joins the organization as an inexperienced rookie warrior filled with potential (but sort of rejects his role), and later as he goes through suffering and lots of crazy twists, Kazumi finally accepts who he is and his destiny (He gets a lot stronger). There are lots of action scenes, but in addition to that, there's normal school life, lots of funny comedy, and tragic mysteries that unravel beneath the surface of everything that goes on. The story isn't all that great or original, it's just your average shounen anime, but I really did enjoy it.
Art: The art isn't fantastic, but it's still good. I really really liked the portrayals of all the character, especially one of my favorite characters ever: Captain Bravo! The kakugane and the weapons that the alchemy forms were well drawn up. Art is so hard to grade...
Sound: The opening song for Busou Renkin was really energetic & exiting and it really set the mood before every episode. There were lots of great soundtracks during action, and sad scenes that elevated my sense of emotion. For example, "Hoshi Akari". One of my favorite anime soundtracks ever, made me tear up when it played. The voicing for each character was really nice, Captain Bravo had a deep voice~! ♥
Character: Probably the best part of the anime was the diversity of a lot of highly enjoyable and likable characters. There were so many villains, but there really was no real bad guys. All the bad guys had a reason for their actions, they almost all have a tragic past, and there's just no character you can hate. I guess the main antagonist would have to be "Koushaku Chouno" who is one of the funniest, most-likeable villains ever. He honestly isn't all that evil. In fact, for most of the series he helps the main character because he doesn't want anyone else to defeat him; he wants to defeat Kazuki himself in a fair fight (they have a friendship developing beneath all the hatred). The good guys were all so likeably! Captain Bravo!! ♥ Tokikok's character development was unbelievable as well as Kazumi's. Honestly nothing to dislike about the character's except for maybe Chouno's very disturbing cloth and nature.
Enjoyable: A very solid anime. I'm going to have to re-watch it again to refresh my memory of it but I remember enjoying it so much that I decided to watch other anime. But there's no scary, psychological, or "deep" side to the anime, it's just pure enjoyment and comedy/action. The characters are all soooo likeable!
sylvanelite
The first thing to mention, is that Busou Renkin uses terms like "alchemy" and "homunculus". I want to make this clear, Busou Renkin is not a full metal alchemist rip-off. (because that's what I thought it was when I read the plot summary... boy was I wrong.) Story: Busou Renkin's story is fairly simple "us" vs "them" goodies vs baddies. But it's the way it's executed that makes the story great. Although there are not many actual plot twists as such (there are a few good ones, though) the plot manages to keep the viewer guessing. What's going to happen? Who is the main villain? How willthey defeat them? All these questions are asked, and depending on which episode your at, they have totally different answers. You might be able to guess where the series is going, but it'll jump in leaps and bounds. What might take another series 10 episodes to do, Busou Renkin does in 3. This is a good thing, because it means there is little filler in Busou Renkin, all the battles and every episode serves to progress the plot/characters. It's a well-lengthed series, that really ramps up at around episode 7.
Art:
One thing to say on this. It's "magnificent". The battles are great, the CGI is well used, but more prominently are the character costumes. This anime has some of (if not the most) memorable characters ever... (although, those that have seen the series, sometimes wish they were not so memorable...)
Sound:
The intro theme in particular is one of the most catchy, hot-blooded and awesome pieces of music in anime. The in-series sound effects are good, and likewise the voice acting. I couldn't fault the sound at all.
Character:
This is where the series shines. The characters are ... well. Words simply can't describe them without plunging into spoilers. Let's just say, the characters make the series. The are unique (which is a hard thing to do in modern anime) and there are enough of them for everyone to find at least 1 character to love or hate.
Enjoyment:
Busou Renkin is a thoroughly enjoyable series. I could liken it to the comedic-yet-serious nature of Trigun or Kenshin, and I say it's one of the best.
Overall:
It's not for everyone, if you want a serious, dramatic anime, your out of luck here. But if you want a good, enjoyable, action packed, but believable anime, Busou Renkin is for you. It really must be watched, and then you can come to your own conclusions. But probably the biggest stand-out feature is how unique it is.
LTKevin
When I first started watching this anime I thought that it was going to be an other superpower cliché ' I fight , I almost die , I find a new power , I win ' setting and it was almost true . However I found myself enjoying the fights and the cliché moments as if it was the first time I ever saw them . The story realy succeeds in capturing your attention and really makes you think about the story . When you have watched 5 episodes , your sold , it doesn't mather annymore that you can sometimes forsee whats going tohappen , it makes it even more fun . I even felt really sad after watching the last episode so that makes it a good anime for me .
rondoblend
Busou renkin follows the standart formula of a shounen anime. it doesn't offer nothing new whatsoever. Anyone who has a good iQ and has been watching anime for at least a few months will know what to expect. So i won't bother you with a lengthy review, just remember one or two shounen animes that you have watched , and do a deduction (generalization). and you get a grip of Busuo renkin. But for inexperied anime lovers this anime is good enough
Bishounen_Hunter
Buso Renkin is a fun show to watch. It does have a lot of the typical shonen elements that's to be expected: like the main character wanting to fight fight fight all so he can fulfill the glorious role as the noble “protector” also there are those battles where they spend most of the time explaining how great each other's powers are and then of course pull that one “miracle move” out of their ass. I never understood the point of all that fighting and explaining. Either way Buso Renkin has a lot of this and yet nonetheless I found it enjoyable perhaps mainlybecause it could all be interpreted as making fun of itself as well as the entire Battle/Adventure genre. At times it is so damn tacky it's magnificent!
~ Art
A little above standard as far as post millennial anime goes and as with most of these type of multi-fighter battle adventure anime you will see plenty of weapons and super-powers that provide some incredible special f/x. With this show in particular the fights seem to be on a much larger scale with powers being a little too grand. That's why personally I prefer fighting shows where they have swords or use martial arts because the movements are smaller and more intricate and when animated properly, they can be ten times more amazing than this shit...i.e., Cowboy Bebop, Kenshin and Samurai Champloo just to name a few. But some of the f/x in this show I was pretty impressed with, like most of the pyro f/x and also that one scene where like a million missiles were launched at the same time.
~ Sound
Honestly? Not impressed. Right off the bat I'll tell you I had an issue with the English voice cast on this one. While they sound cool they do not emotionally match up with the character's expressions. You can pick up on this instantly from episode 1, the dude gets stabbed thru the heart and yet he sounds like he's surfing on a boogie board? Dude! you just got stabbed thru the [effin] heart by a giant [bleeeeep] tentacle! you should be SCREAMING like bloody murder and sputtering and choking on blood, guts and shit...not go "whooooooaaaaa" like you're Keanu Reeves! And she, the heroine Tokiko, at this point calmly and coolly says “This wasn't supposed to happen...” WTF reacts that way, seriously? Don't get me wrong the VA for Tokiko has a nice smooth voice but it's a total miscast for her to play this role. Though sophisticated it is a little too mature for a teenage voice....and I just think her emotional range is rather limited. Same for most of the other casting, they're good but they lack a certain amount of that genuineness or intensity as a particular scene may have required.
The OP song is this totally sped up rubbish pop-wannabe-rock music stereotypical of shonen anime; couple this with the visuals of seeing that guy, whatshisface Kazuki, running around all amped up like some crack-head doofus with all this pseudo-aggression on his face was enough for me to skip the intro altogether. Both ED songs were decent but not enough to make you want to get the soundtrack or anything.
~ Story
Buso Renkin has a pretty straightforward story: guy gets imbued with super-powers, guy meets nemesis, fights nemesis, of course saves the world [which is always in peril these days] and finally [...inevitably] gets the girl, the end. Typical fare for shonen-type anime which is usually a thinly veiled excuse to get all violent and fight and demonstrate superpowers. And of course there are the beach scenes and the fan-service, but the show is also very funny...I'll give it that.
~ Characters
This show has a pretty large cast of characters, and they are drawn in standard anime fashion. My favorite character hands-down is the Butterfly Dude [Papillon] he is a freak! But there are many many more for you to choose from.
~ The Verdict
It's cute, and it has it's funny moments. Nothing epic but a great way to pass the time if you have nothing better to do. I would only buy this if it were on sale, otherwise Youtube or Crunchyroll.
animegurl09
I thought Busou Renkin wasn't something I wanted to watch just by reading the description. But since I like Bleach, I said "why not give this a shot". I did and I was very pleased with this anime. It can relate to Bleach and Shakugan no Shana in several ways. In Busou Renkin, you have this boy (Mutou Kazuki) who has died trying to save this girl (Tokiko) who saved him by giving him the power of this kakugane. As I predicted, he wants to save everyone with this new power and protect the ones he loves. Of course he struggles and gets stubborn at sometimes but he grows stronger, not only his powers but his character too.
The story stays interesting and it has a couple of plot twists but it is worth watching. It has lots of action, some comedy, and romance. The characters are really cool. I liked Chouno the best because he has that dark, humorous side but can be caring when he wants.
I gave this anime a 9 overall because the storyline is quite good, the characters are cool, I like the special abilities of the villians and they seem kinda cool too, the bonds the characters have with each other (mainly Tokiko and Kazuki and Kazuki and Chouno), and the action and comedy. Great series overall.
BobSamurai
I regret watching this, and I'm here to save you time. I watched this because the source material comes from the creator of Rurouni Kenshin and it's a far cry from what I was expecting. Having not read the manga, I still can't help but feel this was an attempt to cash in on the alchemy craze of the early 2000s thanks to FMA. The protagonist is randomly killed and given a magical alchemical power in the first episode. He uses this power to fight enemies who want to steal more of these Buso Renkins. I've basically just spoiled the entire story for you. Ifind little relevance in this story that would require it to revolve around alchemy. Sure there's "alchemy" and "homunculus", but wheres the actual transforming of one object to another? they're all just empty jargons that could have been easily replaced with any other word. It all boils down to a medallion that repeatedly transforms into a specific weapon. What about the actual fights, this is what people come for right? I felt like the fights left much to be desired as well due to not being able to take the villains seriously. It feels as if comedy was of much greater importance than writing a good story or animating exciting action scenes. See the guy on the cover with the butterfly mask and the black lace skin-tight leotard? He is the main antagonist and he is just as obnoxious as he appears. In my opinion, the best fights were between the main characters and this incest duo who pretended to be married. That's what we're dealing with here.
The best thing I have to say about this anime is that I've seen much worse. It was forgettable in every aspect which I originally tuned in for, and its only memorable qualities are its obnoxious villains. Additionally, the director was lucky to direct a series scoring above a 6 on MAL. He's had a lot of work, but none of it was any good.
This isn't a good review, but if I wanted to think any harder about it, then I may as well just write a better story.
MistyBlue
Intro to the Review: (skip 2 paragraphs to get into the review) After reading some of the reviews for this anime, I am somewhat surprised that many express the same thoughts: "this anime was generic as heck, but I still love the darn anime and give it an 8 or higher!" For me, this anime should not receive anything higher than a 6 because it does not bring anything new to the table of overused concepts and cliches. Most, if not all anime, share some of the same concepts, but exceptionally good ones bring a twist to them that make it enjoyable. For this anime, notso much. However, I think those who like the anime might be due to the guy in the butterfly mask (in the anime cover picture), known as Papillon or Chouno in the anime. For more info on that, gloss over to my Character and Art portion. In the review below, I'll explain why this anime is "mediocre" and not "very good".
Story:
It's pretty much like Bleach. Mysterious girl meets boy who saves her...girl gives guy immense power and later you get to meet the organization that she works for. What's different in this anime is that the organization is not as established as the one in Bleach. Instead of meeting a few of them little by little, you meet chunks of them in an episode, giving you time to barely care about them. You barely know about it and the rest of its members until more than halfway through the anime. And then there's the Kakugane (what every alchemist warrior in this show has) that has the ability to transform into a powerful weapon. What is so annoying about this is how the kakugane makes so much BS in the show and yet it is given the least explanation and care about it. But of course, how is our main protagonist going to power up if we can't add some random superpowers along the way? The comedy was stale, the fight scenes were somewhat boring, and there was less and less suspense as the show progressed.
Sound:
The first ED was the main reason why I wanted to watch this series. The song had a beautiful and sad melody to it and it felt poignant to me. This music didn't fit in with 95% of the anime, which was mainly filled with corny jokes, generic fight scenes, and nakama moments. The second ED and OP were cheesy, so it went with the anime. The OST in the anime is pretty much your typical shounen fight scene music.
Art:
The animation was consistent throughout the show; not noteworthy, but not poorly done a majority of the time. The setting in the beginning of the anime is in a generic school scene. What does make this anime memorable to most who have seen this anime would be the character design, most notably Papillon. Shown in the poster of this page, he is not your typical antagonist (at least in the fashion sense). His flamboyant attire is the only thing he's got going in terms of "uniqueness" and it overshadows the rest of the characters.
Character:
Speaking of characters, let's start off with Papillion since that's what the show ever cares about (he even has the entire second ED to himself). At first, I thought he'd have a major impact in the story, but he's just there ...to be there in all of his bizarre glory. I swear that whoever made this story up made a character as flamboyant as he was just to hide the fact that the story is lackluster and offers nothing new in the shounen category. If you have seen HxH, he might remind you of Hisoka, an antagonist of a story whom several anime watchers might like because of his eccentric attitude, attire, personality, and strength. To me, Papillon gave me the feeling of, "Oh, it's you again" (kinda like Team Rocket) every time he appeared on the screen. I just feel like he is more like a moth than a butterfly...always flying over your head, making sure you don't forget about him. His personality and reason for going against the MC is so lame that sometimes you think the author just threw on a butterfly suit on him just to make him more appealing as a villain. If you pay attention enough, he'll say hypocrite whenever he appears.
All you need to know about the MC, Muto, is that he is the perfect mold of a shounen character: he's got the hair, the "I gotta save the world without getting anyone killed" catchphrase, the power to overpower anyone that overpowered him before in less than a month, and the ability to easily overcome life and death situations every time. You can't hate this guy as the MC, right? Right? One thing I do like about him is that he doesn't have a sad past like the common shounen character.
Then there's Tokiko, the blue-haired girl with a scar across her face. She's a stern and serious girl, but she's also very caring inside. I do give her credit though for being able to hold up in most of the fights she's been in, despite the fact that Muto has been doing the heavy lifting a majority of the anime. That's pretty much it about her. The rest of the characters felt so generic, forgettable, and disposable, that you get expected responses from Tokiko and Muto and you probably won't remember their names while watching the show. Like I said before, a chunk of characters get shoved in one episode and over a span of some episodes, making you go "meh" every time they show up on the screen. There's really nothing exciting about the characters.
Enjoyment:
What was there to enjoy in this anime? The characters were boring and annoying, the comedy was cheesy and short-lived, and the battle animation was sub par. Just because it adhered to the typical shounen genre with the flashy battle scenes and added in some weird characters that didn't really belong in this show, I didn't enjoy it at all. It didn't excite me enough to want to continue to the next episode.
Overall, the story, it's characters, and the art didn't captivate me. Things that annoyed me the most were the lack of good storytelling, disposable side characters who waste precious screentime and an ordinary MC who preaches the same thing, and convenient power ups that feel like a cheat to a game.
blackline
My first review ^_____^ I have no idea on what to expect on this anime before I watched it since I don't really know this title. Now I'm glad I watched this. The story is typical with the action genre, putting emphasis on battle scenes rather than the plot of the story.The action scenes are good, but not that extraordinary. Just what you would expect of an action-genre anime. But what I think that makes this anime unique is the absurd comedy scenes. I just can't stop laughing while watching this.What also makes it unique is how the idea of alchemy is applied in this anime. Onethat will watch this will surely enjoy it and I hope that they will enjoy it as much as I did.
Mutou Kazuki and Tokiko Tsumura are good progtagonists. Mutou Kazuki symbolizes a common protagonist, someone that is weak at first and then an incident changes his life that causes him to have powers. Tokiko is also a typical heroine, someone that will eventually fall for the main character.I also liked Chouno Koushaku(my favorite character), one of the antagonists of the story. I really like how he transformed from one that is just trying to survive to being one of the best antagonist I have seen in a while (though I'm not a fan of his mask and clothes :P)
Overall, the story is good. I have no problem with the plot. I also have no problem with the characters of this anime.I also liked the comedic scenes in this anime.
Overall I gave it a score of 8 out of 10. If you're looking for something to watch, definitely watch this one. It's more than worth it!
SSJR2
Man This is definitely in my list of Top 20 favorite shonen Anime. I mean I get how some newer viewers can have a jaded opinion about this anime cause they have seen a ton of similar shonen anime but if they give this a true chance they will find a great anime that had a lot of potential. This was definitely great for its time. Story: The story is pretty straight forward at first but takes an even more dangerous turn later on that really surprised me and helped me enjoy this more. It's not a hugely amazing story in the beginning but its one ofthe better stories in shonen. My only real issue with this is that i saw SO much more potential with this series if it expanded beyond just 26 eps but oh well.
Characters:
Man, there were a good amount funny, charismatic and overall interesting characters for a 26 ep series. Ill focus on the two leads though. First, the male lead Kazuki has one of my favorite Male MC personality. I love how hes a really driven, determined and yet really funny MC. I know it sounds like there are a ton of him but its actually pretty rare to see an MC that has his type of charisma that pretty much influences all others. Also for Tokiko the female MC, i just like her tough personality but i liked even more how she started to become a "defrosting ice queen" so to speak cause of the MC. They matched each other well and are pretty much one of my favorite "Battle couple" teams ( im using anime "tropes" incase your confused).
Other:
Anyway, the art and animation were pretty good for its time and the action was great in many areas and overall i enjoyed this a lot. If your pretty biased against shonen manga cause you seen so much then skip this but if you enjoy older anime and can give every new series its own individual chance then id recommend this
H4Z3
After i watched it, i really want to talk about Busou Renkin. The show is generally deemed as a thing "Similar to FMA", and i can't for the love of my god understand why. The only thing that they have in common is the fact that alchemy exist, but they handle it in very different ways. Story: 8 Not too generic, not outstanding. As far as shonen standards go, the plot is good enough to keep you watching. Art: 8 Considering its time, it's preety good. I don't remember particular scenes where they fked up or did something outstanding, but it keeps up with the time. Don't like Papillonartstyle doh.
Sound: 10
Ok, maybe i like the OP a lil' bit too much. Anyways, OST was preety good, even if it wasn't too large.
Character: 7
Probably the worst part of the show, basically no one receives an in depth arc for them, since the show is divided in a 3 ep mini-arc, and the main arc. Papillon sometimes is annoying, and secondary characters exist just for the sake of getting beaten.
Enjoyment: 10
Even doh it has its flaws, i really liked Busou Renkin for what it was, a funny shonen that isn't neither bad or outstanding.
Overall: 9
-ShadowClaw-
It was corny, a stereotypical shounen as one would expect from the early 00s and had plot holes. Yet i loved every living shit out of it :) Well this will give u a basic summary of the plot and there is defintly more to tell that i wont spoil:The narrative of Buso Renkin follows Kazuki Muto, who saves Tokiko Tsumura and is killed by an alchemical monster known as a homunculus. Tokiko, an alchemist warrior, feels responsible and revives him by replacing his destroyed heart with a kakugane (核鉄). The kakugane is an alchemical device which, when activated, takes a weapon form based on its user'spersonality, forming a buso renkin—the only thing that can destroy a homunculus. Kazuki creates his own buso renkin and joins Tokiko in the fight against the homunculi and their master, Koushaku Chouno. Chouno, who has renamed himself "Papillon".
Sometime you don't need a well written story just an entertaining show to fill your time and have fun with it.
I especially like the main pair with Kazuki and Tokiko, they might have just become one of my fav couples ever :)
The story itself is rather interesting, the fights were done well for its time, although it can feel like it is a little outdated by today's standard but anyone who grew up watching similar shows from that time should find it easy enough to watch.
This was also written by the same mangaka that wrote Rurouni Kenshin, so you can tell that it uses quite a few similiar features as that series but is different enough that it is not carbon copy either
From what i researched, this actually got prematurely cancelled later down the road and that is why it feels kind of like it skipped a few things and plot holes but they still managed to wrap things up quite nicely. It actually developed the romance side of things smoothly unlike say naruto or most other shounen titles
I recommend it for anyone who wants just a simple story with action and comedy and a happy ending.
