The Great Kanto Desert, a sweltering wasteland of nothing but ruins and sand, is all that remains of post-apocalyptic Japan. The once fair population has been left to cling to the inhospitable dunes for survival. At least, that is the case for normal people. For those who have spent a little too long in the Kanto sun, the desert offers a wondrous opportunity to make a name for themselves.
One such person is the masked handyman "Sunabouzu," or Desert Punk, who has forged a legendary reputation for always finishing his jobs, no matter the nature or cost. Cunning and ruthless, he has become a force of crude destruction to the other desert people. However, the "Vixen of the Desert," Junko Asagiri, discovers that Sunabouzu is not without his weaknesses—he is easily swayed by his insatiable lust for large-breasted desert babes.
Following their chaotic adventures through the Kanto Desert, Sunabouzu features a bizarre cast of personalities who entertain themselves with senseless violence and perversion in a world long destroyed by their forefathers. And just like them, they have not learned a damn thing.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Xinil
First, let me point out the fact that if you don't like crude humor, don't bother watching Suna Bouzu (Desert Punk). This anime is filled with perverted, ecchi, and all around hilariously funny jokes (which may or may not offend some people). Don't let the comedy be the deciding factor though, as this show has some great action scenes. Kanta seems like an original Joe Blow, and quite the idiot at times, but when the going gets tough, he pulls through with some miraculous skills and finesse. The story lacks a little somewhat through the middle of the series, but picks up a lot towards theend. Animation isn't top notch but it's plenty good to enjoy. The music is fun and suits the action sequences well (though it isn't anything memorable).
The characters are by far the biggest attraction to Suna Bouzu. Kanta is the most perverted guy on the planet and it's rolling on the floor funny. Kosuna (his apprentice girl) has quite a few great moments too.
For the most part, this is a happy "feel good" series. You'll enjoy the time you spend with it, and you'll enjoy the laughter it brings you. Giving this series a 9 is without a doubt warranted on my part.
So, in conclusion, if you're not put off by insanely crude humor and ecchi jokes/scenes (the scenes aren't too terrible, nothing more than underwear at times), definitely give Desert Punk a try. The Japanese voice cast is amazing, so don't settle for English dubbed.
Benduski
This is my first review maybe you will agree with me, but everybody has their own opinions, i always wanted to make a review but i end up forgetting to do it everytime i watch an Anime. Here is my review about this flawed greatness. Story I liked the story because it reminded me of our society, people taking advantage of others, people helping others and end up being betrayed by them. The story was about this selfish, pervert, bad person Mizuno Kanta and you may or may not like him because of how he is, but he followed his own desicions, he is a mercenary thatonly helped if there was money involved, if not he could let a kid die in the desert without feeling guilty, is not the typical white knigth MC he is ''Sunabouzu'' and there is more to the story than that, it was outstanding.
Art & Animation
Even if i saw this anime back in 2005 i would think that they could have done a better job with the art style, and a lot of character looks the same like all the girls had the same face but they just changed the hair style and that confused me thinking they were the same but the animation was good.
Sound
At first i didn't like the OP but after listening to it in each episode i was liking it more and more, it was goofy and different, same with the ending but i didn't like that much the 2nd OP and ED, the OST was great in every scene.
Character
Kanta or ''Sunabouzu'' is remarkable, he is a pervert, selfis prick, immoral douche, but he is following his ideals, he hates people that wants to help other people or the world change for the good, he wants it to stay like it is, because he thinks that way is balanced, he doesn't change a bit, like the typical guy that is tough outside but good on the inside, he stays like he is, but goes further more to follow his ideals, he can't say no to Junko because boobs, you will like him, hete him, despise him, like him again, maybe cry for him.
-Asagiri Junko is a big breasted woman that always use Kanta to do her job, she always betrays him after he does her job, you may like her or hate her.
-Amagumo this guy was always funny, everytime he appeared was funny and make you laugh, he was unique.
-Taiko is someone i liked since her first appearence for some reason, and i tought she was going to be a good part of the anime, and i was correct and even bigger than i expected at the end, you will see why.
There's a lot of good character like the Kagamuchi Brothers, Natsuko and why she followed the life she has and whose fault it is, outstanding characters.
Enjoyment
I enjoyed how funny this was, the adventure they had, the contracts he tooked, the characters, and how it makes you feel that there is not bad guys vs good guys at the end so for me the enjoyment was outstanding.
ktulu007
Sunabouzu is an ongoing manga started in the late 90s and written by Masatoshi Usune. In 2004 it was adapted into an anime by Gonzo, a Studio we've looked at quite a bit with series like Bakuretsu Tenshi, Basilisk, Gantz, Brave Story &, most recently, Strike Witches. Let's look at Sunabouzu and see how well it compares. Story: In a post apocalyptic future the vestiges of civilisation subsist in various cities throughout a great desert. It's relatively lawless with might and money deciding things. In that desert, there's a group of handymen who take mercenary jobs and our protagonist, the titular Sunabouzu, is considered oneof the greatest of them. The series follows him as he takes a variety of jobs and shenanigans ensue.
What little story there is is beyond weak. It's cliched, full of contrivances and ends on a really stupid note. It's a lot like a Michael Bay film, with over the top action sequences replacing anything of substance. But, this is largely a comedy. So, we can forgive the terrible over-arcing story if it's funny, right? So, let's examine the humour a bit, shall we? The “comedy” of this series hits pretty much every single lowest, most base, mean-spirited point it possibly can. It uses a lot of rape jokes, usually with our protagonist threatening someone with rape and the joke being his pursuit of her and how she tries to escape. It also has a few gay jokes, because every horrible comedy feels that it's hilarious to point out that gay people exist. Those jokes that aren't horrible are just supposed to be funny because the characters are acting like idiots or because something over the top happens. If there's a single “joke” that works in this, then the sheer stupidity of the series must have caused me to drone it out because I didn't notice. I watched through all twenty four episodes without so much as a brief smile.
Characters:
The characters aren't so much one-dimensional stereotypes as they are over the top presentations of one-dimensional stereotypes. Because making characters who are just one-dimensional stereotypes is too subtle for this series. So it decided to make them more annoying. The only character who even develops in some small way is Taiko, who has a pretty typical character arc of going from a student to standing on her own. It isn't much and her personality stays pretty stagnant throughout, but it's more than anyone else gets.
Art:
The art is the best part of the series. It's not good, it would be pretty mediocre if not for the rather poorly done action sequences and the ridiculous boob physics that even Team Ninja would consider excessive.
Sound:
The actors give performances that are absurdly over the top to the point of being really obnoxious. Saito Chiwa is normally very skilled, but she's one of the worst offenders and that ridiculous, overly squeaky laugh she does is just ear-bleedingly painful to listen to. The music is over the top as well, but not quite as bad.
Ho-yay:
There's a gay side character who shows up in one episode and in some flashbacks later, because the series wanted to do some gay jokes. They just thought it was very important for building this bland post-apocalyptic world with its single type of terrain. Clearly, the whole thing would have just fallen apart if they hadn't made fun of gay people for daring to exist.
Final Thoughts:
Sunabouzu is one of the worst comedies I've ever seen. It's a bunch of overblown, loud, flashy spectacle with a sense of humour that ranges from downright nasty to just unfunny, poorly done action sequences and nothing passable in terms of either story or characters. It's tripe that tries to appeal on the grounds of being flashy and exaggerated. My final rating for it is a well deserved 1/10. My next requested review is Glass no Kamen, but it's going to be a while before I can finish it. So, next week I'll look at the second series of Yuru Yuri.
Emilio_Rodo
Ahh, Desert Punk, this show is all about the nice surprises:) It is something you definitely shouldn't miss out on, despite the fact that it's kinda hard to get into at first. First of all, let me tell you that I almost dropped this series.I watched the first 5-6 episodes and I stopped, because quite frankly I didn't think I could handle any more boob jokes.However, the other day,having nothing to do, I decided to finish the series.Much to my surprise, despite that the boob jokes did not diminish in numbers, the show started to grow on me, mostly because of the wonderful character development. Also,it is a very light-hearted show ( for the most part, more on this below ), and it's quite funny.My personal favorite among the supporting characters remains Amagumo, this guy makes me chuckle every time he pops up on screen :)
However, what got me completely by surprise is the fact that a series that started in such a simplistic way presented me with one of the most profound and satisfying endings I've seen in anime.Without spoiling it, I can just say that it is about freedom: not necessarily the freedom of making the RIGHT choice, but the freedom of making A choice.Your choice and no one else's.And have the strength to face the consequences of that choice without lying to yourself.For Sunabozu is not presented as an ideal, but as a real person, with real strengths and flaws, who till the very end remains true to himself. This is more than can be said about many of the other characters, which throughout the series seem to have indisputable moral superiority over Kanta.Desert Punk is also one of the few animes where there is no distinction WHATSOEVER between good guys and bad guys.It's all about different groups of people in the middle of the desert, fending for themselves.I felt very realistic.
That's pretty much all I'd like to say about the show.I won't comment on the technical aspects , I think you'll get a better idea of them by simply watching 5 mins of an episode.So, to wrap it up, give this show a chance, you won't be disappointed.
KingOfRoll
OK, so here it is. My latest review. Just recently I finished watching Suna Bouzu, and I really have to say that I have some mixed feelings about it. I think the show had a great deal of potential which remained unused for the most part, due to a few unfortunate lapses in the show. Story: 6 The story was for the most part decent, if a little unoriginal. The setting is a post - apocalyptic desert where people must use whatever they can to survive the harsh conditions (Road Warrior, anyone?) However, the structure of the show is slightly odd, in that it is very episodic rightup until about episode 15 or 16, then it switches to have an overall story arc, where there was really nothing tying the previous episodes together before. Like I said though, the story is fairly unorginal - a conspiracy laden government....mysterious ruins from the past containing legendary super - weapons. You get the picture.
Art: 7
The art is pretty good, if a little dated and undetailed. The character design is quite good, as all the characters have their own distinct look and personality to go with that look. Sadly, the setting does not lend itself to panoramic vistas (jt's a boring desert) so the background suffers at times, looking far to bland. Other than that, the art is very standard.
Sound: 7
I can't say I noticed the music for the most part, except for the first opening theme, which is a jazz - inspired piece over live action clips of a guy dressed as the eponymous Sunabouzu. It's a fun introduction to the show which sets up the tone of the show quite well. Other than that though, I'm assuming that the music is pretty standard fare is it was so unnoticeable. In terms of voice acting there was some solid talent up there, with some good voices for each character, however dislikeable they may be. I did appreciate Wakamoto Norio (AAAAMMMEEN!) as 'the Repo Man of Souls'
Character: 5
The characters are the biggest stumbling block that there are in this show, at least to my mind. The lead, Kanta (the Sunabouzu) is just a terrible person. He's stupid, greedy, arrogant, incredibly perverted...you name it, he's got it. I would say he's one part Vash the Stampede, and a about nine parts Borat. Ordinarly these traits in a character just provide a bit of variety, but Kanta displays them to such an extent that it detracts from the rest of the show. Many of the other characters are quite difficult to like as well...Asagiri Junko, one of the major characters is manipulative where Kanta is stupid to the extent where she is no longer possible to empathize with. Kosuna, the main character's sidekick, is not an unlikeable character, but her voice and squeaky laughter pretty much achieve the same thing. That said, some characters are great, but sadly most of these are the supporting cast, such as the Repo Man of Souls I mentioned earlier, who is positively hilarious and pretty much saved the show for me.
Enjoyment: 6
Now that's a tough one. The problem I had with this show, apart from the characters, was the inconsitancy of it, in the quality of the episodes, no less. Essentially, it's like every other episode must be rolling on the floor funny, or cringe - inducingly painful. There's one scene in the second episode which still makes me laugh (I won't give away any details) but on the other hand I've had to block Kanta's behaviour from my mind.
Overall: 6
This show is packed with Ecchi. The title of the first episode (The Demon and the Double Ds) pretty much says it all. If you think you'll be offended by it or the huge amount of pervertedness that accompanies it than please do not watch this.
I would reccomend watching this only if you like mindless humor and pantsu, or if you really need a break from a string of dark, psychological shows (as I did). To sum up - occasionally very funny, highly offensive and very inconsistant.
AMVP
On the surface, there's not much to get about Desert Punk. The potential for fanservice and action is apparent from the get-go. What might not be as evident is the depth of the characters: in particular that of Punk's sidekick, Kosuna. She proves the perfect foil to both Punk and Junko (the show's primary source of /e/). Another character perk is the show's superb english dub and localization, which I'd actually recommend over the origional Japanese audio. For all the show's other shortcomings (underwhelming animation at times/ derivative plot tangents), the interplay between characters is enough to watch it to the end; which is, Imust say, one of the most appropriate and satisfying endings to any anime I've ever seen.
Godhand11
Desert Punk is the most realistic reputation of human behavior (In parts) and realistic decisions people would make in a given circumstance. A lot of people will not past the ecchiness and downright jerkass main character, those people are missing out on an incredible anime. Watch the DUB, believe me the dub brings out the fullest of this anime, all the characters are voiced to perfection. The first about 6-8 episodes are a build up of the story, not to much action and there is some ridiculous aspects to it; however after that the story gets rolling and every episode is absolutely awesome.The story is about a post apocalyptic Japan where everything is Desert and water in some parts are scarce and hard to come by. The series which has a lot of ecchiness to it has a very serious and well developed plot, it posses a lot of complex questions and decisions (for example the main characters run into a couple of orphans in the desert and have to make a tough decision on whether to take the orphans with them or not). The series is one the funniest that i have watched, and not that guy slips and pulls down a girls skirt highschool comedy/drama nonsense. The main character Kanta is an absolute riot, he is guarantee to make you laugh.
Speaking of characters this show has them in droves. The main character in my opinion is one the best an most realistic characters in anime history. KANTA is the real deal, no bullshit, no lets make this a nice guy nonsense. Kanta is a jerk and makes no qualms about it, he wants to bang Junko (even though she never lets him....TEASE) and he even makes a deal with 14yr-old Koizumi that if he trains her she will be his when she is of age. Kanta makes rational and cold decisions he doesn't any job unless there is a profit to be had. One the only series I can think of where the majority of people who come in contact with the main character hate him.
The bottom line is that Desert Punk (Again watch the dub it's way better) Is an Anime that has a great story, and if your looking for an Anime that progresses and stays true to the characters till the end then you have to watch this. This anime is one the rare animes that keeps on getting better as it goes on; One of GONZO's best works in my opinion.
mrlolman
I found Desert Punk to be a wonderful combination of somewhat perverse comedy and deep, compelling morals. Kanta starts out as a desert handyman: not completely honest but not heartless as he appears at the end of the series. Conversely, Kasuna starts out as more of a heartless fighter (albeit a bit weak, and with no training to speak of), but becomes more of a kind hearted individual as the story progresses. The divide between herself and Kanta widens as he becomes more concerned with his own successes and less for her wellbeing or the wellbeing of others, and this is what strikes me asthe major underlying moral throughout the story. To him, others are there to be cheated and robbed, and become less and less of actual people to him. In the end, he becomes hated by his childhood friends (the machine gun brothers, who, in actuality, didn't like him from the beginning but did not hate him), and his own apprentice chooses to leave him behind just like he had left them behind.
literaturenerd
Time for another episode of banned review theater! I fully admit I wrote some short and shitty reviews when I was first starting out. I was at a very busy point in my life and could usually only spare 30 minutes to write a review. This was one those I wrote to vent stress when I was in medical school. I'm bringing this one back because it holds perhaps my favorite reason for being removed. It was too mean spirited and hurt the feelings of the Desert Punk fandom. There is just SO much wrong with this. Firstly, the Desert Punk "fandom" is about 5people. Even if you found Desert Punk amusing, nobody considers this a masterpiece or should feel personally insulted that some random guy didn't find it funny. Highly rated reviews that insult popular anime far more brutally and directly insult fans are allowed to stay. For the love of God, the lead review mod for 4 years was our beloved Veronin, who is usually a tad more harsh and condescending than I am. Oh well, the past is the past. It's now time for a bad review to return! Gird your fee fees Desert Punk fandom!
Story: 1/10
The story is about a mercenary called the Desert Punk, who is a legend in the post apocalyptic wasteland of the future. The Punk goes on many random adventures and adopts an obnoxious little brat because he hopes that one day she will become a hot chick that he can bang! It is essentially a brainless, screwball comedy meets an echii ero series.
Charactes: 1/10
The only real character with development is the eponymous Desert Punk and he gets really old, really fast. He is like having Carrot Top as the main hero of an anime! One of the most annoying characters I have ever seen. period.
Art: 3/10
The art is sort of decent for 2004, but not that great. I guess its better than anything else in this painful to watch piece of shit!
Sound: 4/10
The soundtrack is meh. At least it isn't as bad as the story and characters.
Enjoyment: 1/10
Desert Punk is an obscure series for VERY good reason. It's a comedy that isn't funny. It's not even remotely funny at any point! It isn't erotic, so you should be bitch slapped for even trying to jack it to Desert Punk! It isn't exciting, moving, let alone thought provoking. It simply doesn't have any merit whatsoever. The only thing this series accomplishes with gusto is how god damned annoying it is!
Overall: 2/10
I've seen a LOT of bad anime, but Desert Punk is way up there on my shit list. No wonder ADV films went bankrupt. They picked a few good series to adapt, but then they also picked the worst shit in existence like Najika Blitz Tactics, Jungle de Ikou, and Desert Punk! If you ever see a copy of Desert Punk for 3$ in a bargain bin, RUN! You run your ass off! Or, if you are a man or woman of great courage, destroy it. I personally recommend dousing it with kerosene and setting it on fire!
NoSurrender
Desert Punk is an anime perverted, naughty and funny people would love. I fell inlove with it after the first pair of juggs I saw in it. It basiclly has no story line til the second half of the series but you'd wouldnt really give a crap if it didn't have a story line, you'll be wishing for the character to get himself into more trouble and pair of Juggs. The art and sound were amazing and the characters are very likeable.
Creator_Kun
Yeah, I get it. Sunabozu is supposed to be a very funny, action-y and very sexually humorous anime and it’s pretty well known; a lot of people like this one. For goodness’s sakes, I don’t get it. This anime is nothing more than a crappy, unwatchable snooze fest. Part of me wishes I never picked this up. Part of me HATES me for being curious and deciding to buy this anime for keeps. I was actually looking forward to an enjoyable comedy anime, but unfortunately, this wasn’t what I thought it would be. Not much can be said about the story of Sunabozu, at firstglance anyways. It’s a standard one-season anime series with episodic structure, but with few if any, plot holes relevant enough to make a difference. But this story is also a poor man’s version of an anime-style manzai comedy show. For the most part it seemed like this anime was going out of its way to not be funny. I don’t get that. Most other comedies try hard to make you feel for the gags. I mean, look no further than BoBoBo, but honestly, at least Sunabozu has some sort of a plot—a dreadful, stupid and uninteresting one to me, but a plot nonetheless.
So you have a weird, perverted desert rat acting completely self-centered and doing whatever he can to fulfill his own needs and survive his bounty hunter duties on the side, and a woman, with breasts that probably make it into the top tier of list of the largest breasts in anime, who tries to foil every scheme he comes up with, seemingly for no other reason than because she can. Numerous random plots follow suit, and every episode usually involves the Sunabozu forming a plan to complete his objective- whether it be retrieve a treasure or protect an annoying spoiled rich bratty girl. Then that plan is rendered completely useless midway through his mission, leaving the Sunabozu to rely on clever (not that clever, really) tricks in order to escape/take out/mostly run from a random group of desert thugs. Many episodes were almost dreadful to watch, and handfuls were painful to watch, because nothing really happened that wowed me. The first few episodes really suck, because they do nothing but repeat the above formula and add in a bunch of crude, sexual humor that is either unfunny or out of place for the scene. Now, it’s not that I don’t appreciate somewhat dark, crude sexual humor, but who’d say that they do appreciate such things proudly? Sickos. Then again, I tolerated Panty and Stocking, and then I grew to love it. Therefore, I’m with you sickos after all. But the anime Sunabozu is where I draw the line between my sicko self and you other sickos. This anime could never be any good. None of the jokes are clever, at all, and that’s a BIG problem, since this is supposed to be… a freaking comedy. Or at least that’s what I expected. I know I’m starting to beat a dead horse here, but I’ll say this much: for a comedy anime, I rarely found myself chuckling at any situation involving the boob jokes, or any of the other off-color jokes that plague his horrendous snooze fest. Yes, that’s another problem with this anime. It’s boring. It’s fracking boring! I don’t care if it is somewhat original, it is unfunny and unappealing and boring. I’m starting to sound redundant myself just mentioning how bad the flow of this anime is. I can only take watching the main characters walking through the desert for so long. I’d rather watch the DESERT ITSELF MOVE SAND PARTICLES AT ONE HALF A MILE AN HOUR than pick up this series ever again.
I should’ve said this outright. I don’t rate anime on what other people think, or how popular it is, I rate anime based on my views about what the show gives me, and every anime has to start from the ground up and earn a number rating. Right now, Sunabozu’s characters aren’t giving me much to work with.
Looking at the characters, they are all generic. All the desert thugs and groups are the same; they want money, women, and water and want Sunabozu dead and out of the picture. Yes, I’ll admit the kid really does have a knack for pulling out the stops on some really stupid criminals. He also has a crowning moment of awesomeness in the first few episodes, and the guy is pretty resourceful, but then he turns into a ridiculous perv. I dislike him from then on. Sunabozu himself is just a bad, unfunny and estranged character. Period. The only characters that stand out are the two female characters (shocking isn’t it), Kosuna the brat and Junko the sexy, tall, large chested one. Unfortunately, I don’t see women like Junko, fall in love with her body, (I’m sorry, other guys will call it “character” and give this anime or nine or ten). Seriously, I will give this show one thing: they made the personality of the secondary character more interesting and cooler than the main character. It was hard to keep watching this anime but Junko’s antics were clever. It was interesting to see how she’d screw with the punk kid over the course of the more episodic…uh, episodes in the storyline. But that’s it. Unless they have big boobs, characters are piss-poor and unappealing in this anime, apparently.
To my dismay, there is nothing to complain about when it comes to the animation. The art style is fine here, well to be specific, it’s not bad but it’s not special or perfect, either. It suits the anime well and looks decent. Decent is a very forgiving word to use when talking about this anime series anyway.
The sound is fine. The background music is… just background music. The opening is great, and the first ending theme is actually super-catchy. I wash my mouth out with soap when I catch myself singing those songs, due to the fact that this anime IS bad, not its music.
Now then, if you don’t understand why I don’t like the Sunabozu already, I’ll simplify it for you:
This anime was one of the biggest disappointments in my anime viewing history. I cringe at some episodes, close my eyes, and cover my ears at many scenes and most of the moments where others who like this thing would fine humorous and fun to watch. I find it hard to watch. Episode 12 is quite possibly my most hated anime episode of all time. Just watch it to find out. I initially dropped this anime after 12 episodes, but picked it back up a while ago, AND watched it again all the way through in a week just to review it. I forced myself to watch this and I regret doing so.
Creator-kun’s Score:
Story: Once again, I dissect the innards of an anime just to see what the story truly has to offer. This story offers a good nap, because this show isn’t funny and bores me with its story—which is rife with unfunny ecchi humor. The story of Sunabozu didn’t appeal to me. (3)
Art: Just fine, actually. (6)
Sound: Fine again. Great theme songs and a decent but far from outstanding soundtrack. However, The English dub is where I start to cringe at the poorly delivered and crude jokes. This came as a surprise to me, because FUNimation dubbed this and it is average at best, and they take a few liberties with swearing as well. (6)
Characters: Dreadful (2)
Enjoyment: You’re kidding, right? (2)
OVERALL: 3- Very Bad. This is all I have left to say: Sunabozu isn’t for everyone, and if you agree with me, it ain’t for you either. Gosh, it disappoints, it fails to impress, it sucks hard, I don’t recommend it to those who like good storylines and decent humor, it’s pathetic, it’s despairing… And I don’t like it. I seriously say try something else. And yes, I just panned Desert Punk! All joking and harshness aside now, I’m not criticizing anyone or anybody’s personal preferences. But I’m being straight with you all when I say that if something is screwed up, it’s screwed up. .. If you really like this kind of humor and fanservice and uninteresting storytelling, Sunabozu is right up your alley. I prefer it stay out of mine. I’m still gonna say this: Please people, go find a good action anime, and please go watch a better ecchi-like comedy (and no, I don’t mean Futari Ecchi).
13lueH0ur
They're in the desert. With rumors of a fearsome demon roaming the sands. Turns out he's just a punk. Just some sex-depraved, control-hungry punk. Did I mention they're in the desert? Because that's what all the commotion is about; a desert formerly known as Japan and the enigmatic titular character who is anything but. It's shallow, hedonistic, and immature. But in doing so, subtly reflects how low people can go in the most casual way possible. STORY - 8 Japan, once a sprawling mecca of quirky culture and steadfast ethics, has been reduced to the Kantou desert; an unforgiving wasteland of extreme temperature changes, scarce resources, and roamingguns-for-hire. Resulting from years of deterioration after a presumed nuclear holocaust, only scattered villages, a government stronghold and buried ruins of yesterday's civilization remain. Pre-war technology is steadily recovered and reverse engineered as the current standard for firearms and armor. All the more for mercenaries and marauders, who don special environmental suits with built-in air conditioning units and targeting systems to combat both the intense heat and competition.
Starting to sound familiar? The premise falls so close to the Fallout series with the inclusion of mutants, splinter factions, and mercenary companies offering jobs from simple waste disposal to high-priority escort missions. The only thing missing is a Pip-Boy. And along the lines of an open-world survival, anything can go wrong for anyone. Guns jam, equipment fails, water is a godsend, terrain is unpredictable, and everyone is racking up on karma.
Story-wise, Desert Punk is episodic with the main plot centered on the various jobs of the punk and his companions. Oftentimes, the show pulls off a schmuck-ton of bitching and bickering, which it exercises to great effect to create an accessibly immoral atmosphere. With a show dealing with acts from human trade, arson, and mass murder to masturbation, crap-slinging, and bare bottom stripping, I appreciate Desert Punk for being so playful in its delivery. Combined with an obnoxious sense of high-school and toilet humor, the show's execution proves that the post-apocalypse isn't necessarily filled with hardened badasses. In fact, most of them are garden-variety thugs and scroungers with enough experience invested in endurance, charisma, and especially luck.
When they aren't shoving sh*t, piss, and boobs down our senses, sparse interludes of action and sci-fi intrigue get our minds out of the gutter and back into the fray. When the plot gets down to it, there is no great mastermind to face. No big adventure awaits. Nothing but the monotonous desert and its effects on the populace are explored until it comes full circle on how life pretty much sucks yet goes on in a dog-eat-dog world.
ART - 7
Character designs are honestly nothing special. The punk's unmasked face is reminiscent of your typical delinquent's and the same goes for 80% of the cast. Everyone is a plain jane, save for Kosuna and Stryker who look more like main characters than the punk himself. Kosuna's all-out moe cuteness and Stryker's heart-of-gold shounen persona contrasts the desert pigsty in such a way that they feel like they starred in the wrong show; adding to the humor.
But if there's one thing the design team should be proud of, it's the environmental suits that draw influences from oriental, Middle Eastern, and military apparel. The famous getup of the punk consists of an Asian conical flap hat, a fatigue jacket with matching cargo pants, combat boots, a tan cape and a gasmask-like apparatus for speaking and breathing.
Since most people are in their suits or masks, that lessens the burden for mouth movement. Add a hefty amount of panning shots and the result is animation you can get away with. I don't mind because the detail and consistency compensates. Action is smooth and clear where it needs to be. Smart placement of motion blurs as well as mirage effects are a plus. Even the set pieces are always changing to achieve a sense of world despite how desolate the premise appears on paper. The occasional towns and weathered rock formations have a lot of texture going on and the same can be said with the drab indoor scenes. Attention to shadows also follow suit with the amount of lighting the desert sun poses. Neither exemplary, nor pitiful, just being one of Gonzo's more consistent releases in animation quality is a cause for celebration.
SOUND - 7
The music, like the show, doesn’t take itself seriously. Openings and endings are intentionally tacky and cliche superhero themes sounding completely indifferent to the premise. The BGM is varied but for the purpose of fitting the mood, all right. The voice acting though…
I was recommended the dub. And now I recommend it to you because of the more tangible sense of immature vulgarity and the Westernized approach to the series despite its Japanese setting. The script is dirty and cheap, yet liberal and fun. It's nuckin' futs. And at rare moments, even manages to grip you, especially the punk's monologues about desert survival. Then the narrator reminds you time and time again how pathetic everyone is for your entertainment.
While everybody is appropriately casted, I cannot properly express my love for Eric Vale and Luci Christian breathing crazy life to the show's main duo. You just know the voice actors had a hell of a time with their roles and Vale's script.
That's right, Desert Punk (Eric Vale) wrote the script for his own anime. So you see, HE IS THE BALLS.
CHARACTERS - 8
Who knew the biggest, baddest demon of the now-called Kanto desert was just some punk? Nevertheless, the iconic shrimp in the desert suit wielding an array of traps and an outdated buckshot handed down by his old man is an unexpected core to the show.
He's the guy everyone loves to hate and for good reasons. Being annoying, reckless, rude, selfish, manipulative, and ridiculously horny, even his own friends are willing to gun him down should he get out of line. But underneath that stereotypically chauvinist exterior, lies a seasoned, persistent, and down-to-earth byproduct of the fallout who knows how to get real; doing anything to turn a situation to his favor despite the repercussions (even if it means killing himself just to do the deed).
His apprentice, Kosuna, serves as an excellent foil with her cheerful and spunky disposition. Under the tutelage of the punk (regardless of his perverse ulterior motives), she receives the most development; starting from a stubborn idealist to an independent realist who is every bit as capable as her peers. The chemistry the unlikely pair share shines in their hilarious back-and-forth, unorthodox teamwork, and deep-seated respect they have for one another.
The recurring characters that join the arid frenzy are mostly supplementary but nonetheless memorable just by getting screwed up in the punk's plans. The highlights are Junko as the fickle femme fatale, Rain Spider as the seemingly menacing yet cowardly troll, the Machine Gun brothers as the rowdy comic relief, and Stryker as the token paragon of justice who, in a cruel twist of fate, was even sold to a homosexual at some point just because the show can.
ENJOYMENT - 9
Desert Punk is a self-indulgent but self-aware sci-fi gag with hints of the human condition presented in a toony light. In an action-filled premise, we'd feel excited because the anime would show something flashy or fast-paced to suck us in. Desert Punk presents itself as crude and banal because survival isn't anything new and desirable in the show's perspective. Desperation devoids man of rationality and ethics so survival actually brings more contempt than relief. The light execution is just the show making the best out of a worst case scenario because even a mushroom cloud can have a sliver of silver somewhere.
Neither overglorifying violence nor downplaying morals, the series plays like a messed up Saturday morning cartoon that makes the profane watchable to portray that there is no good or evil; only people choosing the side that pays more.
You can also see it as a crass course of blatant fun where the joke is on the hopeless bunch stranded in the Kantou desert. Watch it for the sh*ts and giggles. And maybe you might feel something oddly real about it as you go on.
OVERALL - 8
Whimsical animation and music come together with an unrestrained dub and bipolar plot to make a show that wallows in mediocrity to give us a f*cking good time and to prove a good point.
“It’s a vicious cycle but… oh well. That’s the way it goes, I guess. And these people sure aren’t changing. Dumbasses…” - Narrator
angelsreview
This has got to be the strangest anime I have seen. It’s full if rather adult content and jokes. The storyline is really good, starting at the first point of Desert Punk’s downfall from being the most awesome for higher man to being almost comical. It makes the story hilarious as he pretty much fails each and every mission he takes, or ends up fully injured. From the start, its hilarious with rather old man jokes or perverted images going so far as to show the privet parts of men although blurred slightly. Basically, you can tell if you may like the show from thefirst episode as long as the comical part is concerned.
On the other side of the spectrum is the story line. Most of the story is a job of the week version where you don’t normally have to worry about if you miss one or two of the episodes though you may miss a fun reacquiring character like Rain Spider who is one of the best characters and delivered a wonderful line that has been used very often.
I actually really like Kanta’s personality, he actually is not afraid to admit once in a while that he’s a complete pervert and shows that he actually really does care about some people. Sadly though, sometimes that takes a back seat to him getting his job done.
Junko and Rain Spider are the perfect rivals for Kanta. Junko throwing her breasts around seems to get Kanta into a mess of trouble, normally by distracting him. Rain Spider is rather the same mindset as Kanta though his tactics aren’t really what I would call nice. He uses a lot of ‘sexual bondage’ items to scare his enemies. I don’t really care much for Kosuna. She just sounds like a wimpy little crybaby most of the time and sadly, Luci Christian makes her a bit… well, a bit too childish and whiny then I like.
The artwork feels a lot like Saiyuki or Trigun, the background is rather nicely blurred and makes it look perfect with the heat of the Desert. It has a nice vintage feel and really adds to the feeling of post-apocalyptic world that he lives in. Buildings are either broken up or sandstone cut though I don’t understand why the older buildings are like that as well. Some of the action seems to be the same images over and over again, with some action lines but it captures some of the action nicely. I have to smile at the opening though where they decided to add a live-action opening to it and they did rather nice making it fit with the cartoon version. Sadly, the character that plays Kanta does not have the right height and so some of that joke is lost. It’s really surprising that Gonzo made this because they were really good to this and makes me want them to do more of this more often. I think they really shined here. Unfortunately, the second opening and ending is much to be desired.
Now music… it is something to be desired. There is a lot of ‘soft porn’ music pretty much everywhere and not much of the fun action music until right up to the point where he decides to actually go bad ass. The second opening is much worse then the first, same for the ending. Not really sure why they changed it up like that. Most of the main cast has rather nice sounding in English, while the others are just placed around in bad taste but its fine because they didn’t stay for long. As I said before, Kosuna, played by Luci Christian seems way too childish and whinny. On the other side, I freaken love Rain Spider played by Kenny Green. His voice is perfect for a rather bad ass character and yet when he is funny, it doesn’t feel out of character.
HybridMedia
When first knowing about this anime and reading/watching other reviews of the series, it’s a space western that much akin to Trigun and there are some major comparisons to that show, which we’ll get into later and believe it as looking into Desert Punk, you’ll recognize some similarities to it. In the future, Japan is a wasteland. In the Great Kanto Desert, scattered humans eke out a living in the hot sand. Among them, a short-statured man they call "Sunabozu (Japanese version)" or “Desert Punk (English Version)” – real name being Kanta Mizuno makes a living as a bounty hunter. Like a demon of thesand, he seems unbeatable. Yet, like all men, he has a particular weakness for the opposite sex.
For characters, Kanta is a selfish, arrogant, sex-addicting, boob-obsessed, crude short perverted asshole…….and that’s what I like about him. Yeah, most of the traits I sometimes loathe in most characters, whether in animation or live-action form within my heart and he’s the protagonist but at least he’s being straightforward with his intentions. He isn’t trying to be the hero of the wild west of Japan. He’s doing this to survive by any means necessary although sometimes he can mess it up by being his somewhat normal self. Then there’s Kosuna – real name being Taiko Koizumi, the later apprentice of Desert Punk as he defeated her old apprentice The Shimmer Sniper and she begged him to be his apprentice and he accepted her offer……mostly after she shown him a picture of her large-breasted mother….or some woman that she claims to be her mother. Yeah, she’s whiny and seems like she can’t handle being a mercenary but as the series progresses, her character strength and motivation grows.
Speaking of big breasts, there’s Junko Asagiri, known as “The Vixen of the Desert” and the female rival and sexual desire to Desert Punk as she often uses her sex appeal to get her way and every other time, DP tries to cop a feel of her very large breasts and yes, he does get slapped and beaten for that. She does contribute the fan service part of the series but it never gets that risqué or close to a Hentai. It’s more eechi but not so annoying, you’ll get turned off. There is Rain Spider, who is equivalent to DP when it comes to combat and he is not to be fuck with when you tried to run away from him and he’s quite humorous in his scenes, especially that one particular scene. There are other supporting characters like the Machine Gun Brothers, who are childhood friends to Desert Punk but they even know that he’s an asshole and there is their sister Natsuko, who is also DP’s childhood friend and (you guess it!!) wants to fondle her breasts especially when they were young and you wonder why the Machine Gun Brothers would want to kick his ass.
Now the show’s perverted humor and okay timing has been made a staple of this series and it did a decent job of delivering on that but halfway of the show, it completely does a 180 and the tone changes in some areas, just like Trigun. However, somewhat like that aforementioned series, the execution of changing the tone did a little hit or miss. For example, the first opening theme completely fits the first half of the series much like the opening theme for Trigun fits for the first half of the show but once the serious episodes begin, that theme feels so inappropriate and out of tune. The second opening theme of Desert Punk just got out of the way with showing “Tits and ass” at first and then “Shit gets real, y’all”. The animation was done by Gonzo and this was actually done with a budget that didn’t run out of money that fast. There might be small hiccups that are hardly noticeable and has the post-apocalyptic/western clash that looks like it came out of Mad Max minus the Thunderdome. The background music plays some orchestral sounds for the action & serious dramatic moments while most of the time it plays something that sounds like it’s coming from a soft core porn but it’s passable at best. The FUNimation dub was an earlier but satisfying effort with actors like Eric Vale as the title character. Luci Christian does sound a bit whiny as Kosuna but it feels more suited within the character and Kenny Green surpasses all expectations as Rain Spider. Other actors such as Callie (or Stephanie, I don’t know which) Young, Jamie Marchi & the other FUNimation extras are very acceptable in their parts.
FINAL VERDICT: It’s rude, crude, unabashed, shameless, and yet it’s hilarious. Yeah, most of the characters (especially one in particular) you don’t know whether to like or question or loathe but it’s so unconventional that you wouldn’t really care less about it. For most people that would be fans of eechi titles, this one is something I would say to check out but I wouldn’t rush to get it just that quick.
mdude009
Once in a while you come across a show, a show that's so stupid and pointless that you can almost hear your brain cells screaming in pain as they slowly die. Desert Punk takes that idea and cranks it so high your brain will shrivel up in a matter of seconds, and that's why the show is so good! Screw deep plots! We need more high speed shotgun and tit action! Story 7/10: Desert Punk's main theme is this, a midget mercenary known as the demon of the desert (aka, "desert punk" or just "the punk") goes around the post-apocalyptic great Kanto desert doing thejobs no one else will do with a near perfect success rate (unless tit's get in the way). That however is the theme and background really since Desert Punk doesn't really have a plot, most the episodes are just random skits following those guidelines. And it works great, Desert Punk is nothing but crazy action, vulgar humour, and tit's, if you're looking for a deep show with a complex plot search elsewhere, but if you want something that will make you laugh so hard you'll cry you're in luck friend.
Art 9/10: Lets get the boring stuff out the way first, the backgrounds. The show takes place in a post-apocalyptic desert and therefore all the backgrounds won't really vary all the much from your basic brown and other shades of brown. Now that that's out of the way lets move on to the good part, the character design! Most modern anime follows a basic template for characters where they all look the same, pointy chin tiny nose pretty boys. Desert Punk takes that template, whips its ass with it, and then sends the shit stained paper back to who gave it to them. Almost all the characters in Desert Punk are (for lack of a better term) ugly, Kanta (the punk) is a short little bastard with big eyebrows, massive ears, a fat round nose, and generally sporting a massive shit eater/psychopath smile, he looks kinda like a rapist monkey at times. And it don't stop with just the punk, everyone in this show looks like they've been beaten to death with the ugly stick, and it fantastic! In a world where almost every anime character looks like the exact same pretty boy seeing characters like it is beyond refreshing.
Sound 10/10: This show has one of the most memorable soundtracks I've ever heard in anime. It's the kind of music where you hear the first half second of the song and suddenly jump up and yell "that's the Desert Punk song!" and then slowly slink back into your seat to avoid the confused glares you're getting from everyone around you. But does memorable necessarily mean good? No. Does it mean good in Desert Punk's case? Hell yes, this music is awesome. And now for the acting, good god the acting. Generally my opinion on dubs is this, the reason to watch a dub is so you don't have to read the subs and miss half the action. Is that the case with this show? Not at all. See most dubs will attempt to stay as true to the original script as possible, problem is Japanese jokes and sayings don't really translate well and as a result the dub just seems off. However the people dubbing Desert Punk decided "here's the basic gist of what they're saying, now make it sound good in English!" The finished product? A dub that might just be better then the sub (blasphemy!). Let me give you an example, in the original Japanese he says "crap, better retreat for now" and in the English dub he says "remember kids, a smart man knows when it's time to RUN LIKE A LITTLE BITCH!" Another problem is that English voice actors half ass like they aren't even being paid to do it, fandubs usually have more emotion. But with Desert Punk the actors really are giving it their all, and you can tell just from their performances that they're actually enjoying their work from once.
Character 9/10: Dear god, the characters, I don't even know where to begin. The characters in Desert Punk... Well there are no good guy characters (except one, but he gets sold into slavery to a gay guy), every character in Desert Punk is more or less, a completely asshole. Kanta, the main protagonist of the show, is a bigger dick then most villains in anime. He is overly-horny, treats everyone like shit, acts like he's the greatest person in the world, he isn't just a jerk, he is the living incarnation of the word jerk, and that's what makes him so great! This is a character you're supposed to hate, the kind of character you're supposed to look at and say "I want you to die!" but in the end you just end up loving this fucking guy. The same goes for most the other characters, the odd part is the characters you generally end up hating the most are the ones that in any other anime you would consider the good guy, like Stryker (the dude who Kanta sells to a gay guy). Characters are definitely the strong point of Desert Punk.
Enjoyment 10/10: This can really go both ways. Do you hate vulgar humour about sex, do you consider the thought of a bunch of goons getting covered in a massive trucks worth of shit and vomiting their guts out to be just plain disgusting? Then you will hate this show. But if you're like me and enjoy vulgar humour that has no real point then you will laugh to death watching this show.
Overall 9/10: Desert Punk is a show that takes every cliche in anime, eats it, shits it out on to a plate, and then forces the modern romance anime market to eat it. Watch this show, it might just end up being one of your favourites.
Volticar
For my anime reviews I am going to review the anime on the order of which you would experience while watching an episode of the anime that is being reviewed. 1.Art - Desert Punk has a post-apocalyptic, steampunk approach to it's art. This gives the show a feel that is fitting for the time period and setting of the story. By the way, did I mention that all the characters are fricken' ugly. Yeah the character models could not have been worse, but instead of leaving my opinion there I decided that the ugliness of the characters had a purpose. I believethat the ugliness of the character reflects how bad the character is which is ironic since the main character is ugly as well. I give a 7 for art because of how it projected the character's personalities to the viewer but still had very ugly characters.
2.Sound - I'm not gonna waste your time on this one, the soundtrack was horrible. You might as well watch the series subbed and leave the volume all the way down. 2, that's all I can say.
3.Character - Each of the characters in Desert Punk had a unique personality unless they were a grunt or unimportant character like that. Another fact that I would like to note is that there was a profound reoccurring theme in this anime; the theme that people are horrible. Desert Punk was always getting double crossed and never got any help and I think the characters were depicted that way as a sort of cause for the post-apocalyptic setting. I give a 9 for the characters because of how unique the depiction of them was.
4.Story - The story for Desert Punk was pretty much about Desert Punk and his apprentice going around and finishing mercenary jobs. The story was not very serious until the end of the anime and it gave a laid back feel to the show so when the story started to pick up I wasn't expecting anything special. Some people might say that the ending was bad but if you think about it, it makes since how it ended since the story was about Desert Punk and his apprentice. I give an 8 for the story because of how it was pretty good, but not the best.
5.Enjoyment - I really enjoyed this anime. The laid back feeling was nice and I never got tired of watching Desert Punk get screwed over: it was hilarious. It didn't bother me that there wasn't a heavy story for this show and it kinda felt like a breath of fresh air when I watched this anime. I give a 9 for enjoyment.
This anime is a 7.
*I will also recommend that this anime is only watched by a matured audience.
Caution:
!Keep in mind this anime has nudity.
RevengeofthePunk
Ah the anime where I got my user name for this site from. This is the first in a trinity of anime I'm talking about where the three are the story I wish I could write. Sunabouzu or Desert Punk as it's know in the west is by far my favorite Studio Gonzo anime. Normally Studio Gonzo makes animes about either a strong noble hero, or the story of two star crossed lovers trying to be together. However Desert Punk couldn't be farther from those genres. Desert Punk is the story of Kanta AKA Desert Punk, whose a mercenary in The Great Kanto Desert, andhis many wacky misadventures trying to complete the jobs he's hired for. Now here's where the comment I made about this being the story I wish I could write comes from. This anime also has the same core plot as the legendary classic Hokuto no Ken or as it's known in the West as Fist of the North Star. However unlike a blatent rip off, the creator of this series takes the formula of Fist of the North Star, and adds his own unique way of doing things. Where Fist of the North Star was about a legendary Martial Artist in a post apocalyptic world going from place to place helping those in need, Desert Punk was about a sly, sneaky, and cunning bastard in a similar setting only helping you if you have enough money, as he's not someone who's gonna help you for free. Next part I loved about this show was the humor. Again this is the kind of humor I wish I could write. While the gags in this anime center around boobs, sex jokes, and on rare occasions toilet humor, this show tells these jokes in a way we've never heard these jokes. There's also a lot of slapstick. The timing of the gags are done so well in this show, that I'm surprised Studio Gonzo of all people did this. I loved this anime. If I could ever find this on DVD you can bet I'd buy the complete series.
-CHAOS-
This is my first review, I hope people find it useful! This is a very unique anime in my opinion, it creates a crude and gritty atmosphere you'll have a hard time finding in any other anime. Set in the future where the lands have been reduced to harsh desert wastelands, we follow the adventures of Kanta the realist and his young apprentice Kosuna. This anime is definitely a must watch, it has qualities that set it apart from the rest. Kanta isn't your typical lead male character, I wouldn't even call him a "good guy", however I predict you'll find him likable none the less. Hesimply does what it takes to stay alive, without any regard for the emotions or well being of others. He is a skilled and merciless mercenary who cares only for his job and large breasts.
In fact Kanta's ability to form dynamic and adaptable strategies, to think quickly, and utilize unpredictable and confusing tactics has earned him the infamous title as "Ghost of the Desert". Whilst he may seem like a moron he's as sharp as a tack and the last mistake you'll ever make is to underestimate his ability to analyze a situation.
I would also like to note that contrary to what the present top review for this anime would have you believe, this anime is far from being "filled with perverted ecchi", it does have a little bit though. I also doubt the dark and lowbrow comedy will be appreciated by all. Kanta is devious and exploitive, his sense of humor will offend some people.
You wont find a happy land full of magical rainbows here, the Great Kantou Desert is a very harsh place where survival of the fittest comes into full play. If you let your emotions get the better of you it could very well mean your death, there's no time for mercy or forgiveness, and Kanta the self-proclaimed realist understands that reality.
Overall I give the story an 8 simply because it has no trouble keeping me entertained - it's also a lot deeper than you might first think. It is a very casual watch for the most part but really picks up near the end. It's the type of anime where they slowly build it up to form a story of substance when you least expect it, however without giving any spoilers I must say I hated the ending.
The art was average so I gave it a 7, nothing special, but nothing bad. I didn't really pay much attention to it to be honest, what more can I say. It's exactly what you would expect from a 2004 anime I guess. There is no special style or effect that sets it apart from the rest, but not many animes are set in deserts, so it was something new for me.
I gave the sound/music an 8 because I found it to be above average. Some of the music was actually very likable and it managed to set the atmosphere perfectly most of the time. They definitely did a better job than a vast amount of other anime I've seen - the music actually plays a large role in the immersion factor and without it, it just wouldn't be the same.
The characters in this anime deserve a 9 or even a 10 because they have unique personalities that differ from the common unrealistic characters we see in a lot of animes (well except for the big breasted women - what was her name again? Oh, Junko!). People like Kanta are all too willing to sell children like they're objects, and seemingly innocent children are all too willing to commit the worste of crimes.
My enjoyment factor for this anime was definitely a 9, but I only say that after watching the whole thing. Even in the slow paced episodes I didn't have to force myself to watch, it was simply enjoyable either way. However, I actually put this anime on hold after only a few episodes because it felt too casual and lacking a deep enough story. I later came back to watch the rest and within the next two days I had finished the series.
Overall I give this anime a definite 9 and others may not agree with me on that but I think this is going to be one of those classics people look back on as a unique piece of work with qualities that can only be synthetically replicated. It's the type of anime I would like to see more of, because it's a refreshing change from all the stereotypical anime.
jonnyhan
MANLINESS OVER 9000! MUST READ: "This anime is borderline hentai at times and I have seen quite a few diss this anime when it alternates from very serious moments to perverted ones. Some call these perverted moments as fanservice that disrupts flow of the show. Newsflash: Perversion and boobies are a major part of this anime. Unlike what many other reviewers say, it is not fanservice. It is the actual content of the show and reflects upon the innate nature of protagonist. Consider Fairy Tail for example, the boobies shown in that anime/manga are fanservice, because they add nothing to the events around them. Thisseries however, revolves around boobies about quarter of the time.
Despite what the name of the anime and image of protagonist wearing a weird helmet suggests, make no mistake, Sunabozu aka Desert Punk is one of the manliest anime there is. Truly it is one of the fewest masculine shows out there and when I say man, I mean an adult man, 20s and above. This is not to say that the younger ones wont appreciate it, but they wont empathize with the protagonist as much as somewhat older ones do. This is one of the manliest anime I have watched that does not include a Macho/Alpha male protagonist that powers up in the moments of distress and saves the world with his strength and idealism.
Now I am not the kind of elite reviewer who rates anime based on the animation, soundtrack, plot etc. I hate breaking things down and its just not my style, even though I have done that a couple of times in the past and failed miserably. So I will get to the point and keep things simple.
World: Desert Punk is set in a post apocalyptic world which comprises of deserts throughout the planet. Very similar to Trigun as far as the world goes. People now live with somewhat rudimentary technology and everything all the scientific breakthroughs before the apocalypse supposedly became inaccessible after the calamity. Currently there are one or several Governmental bodies who control majority of resources. Then you have the weak and poor desert folk who are scattered across the desert and barely survive. Our protagonist is a mercenary/freelancer that lives among poor desert people.
Protagonist: Protagonist is a hybrid of Vash and Gintoki from Gintama. He is extremely perverted, in fact half of his ambition revolves around boobies and women, which is why I say somewhat older males can empathize with him. He is similar to Gintoki in that he appears as stupid in general, but is very pragmatic and witty. The desert is all about survival of the fittest and the protagonist's cunning ways help him out-duel his opponents more often than not. He has pragmatic view about the world where he accepts the cruel fate of environment and weakness as it is and does his best to survive while not generally caring much about others around him. This is where I believe regular Shonen lovers will not like the protagonist as much, but such a character is closer to reality. A bunch of interesting characters are introduced as the anime goes on.
Plot: It starts out as having no plot and is episodic. The anime starts out very funny but somewhat weak in first two episodes, but becomes more and more entertaining as you progress. After 10 or so episodes you will realize that even though the anime to an extent is still episodic, there is some world building going on and greater things are about to come. The first half of the anime is different from the second half very much like Trigun where things get serious. Well in this one things do get serious, but there is still a lot of humor. Overall it has some elements of a coup at the very end which will keep the viewer very entertained.
I was able to empathize with the characters and found the story very entertaining. But it falls short of greatness because of one major reason. There is a major master-student bond formed between the protagonist and a main character, but there are no scenes that make us appreciate their bond because the protagonist almost comes off like a jerk who considers his student as a servant, but not as a protege. That emotional aspect is what makes good anime GRREAT and it was missing in this one.
I thoroughly enjoyed every second I spent on this anime, including the first few episodes as well which were inferior in comparison to rest of the series, but very entertaining in their own right. 8/10
