Reviewed on July 29, 2021 – October 14, 2021
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- Episode Review
- Ep. 1: The Island at the Far End of Summer
- Ep. 2: Aliens
- Ep. 3: The Cat Who Wore Sandals
- Ep. 4: The Great Monkey Baseball
- Ep. 5: Leaping Classrooms
- Ep. 6: The Long Goodbye
- Ep. 7: Road Book
- Ep. 8: Laughing Dog
- Ep. 9: This Salmon Chazuke is Missing Its Salmon Nya
- Ep. 10: Summer and the Demon
- Ep. 11: The Young Man and the Sea
- Ep. 12: A Two-Year Recess
- Verdict
BEYOND THIS POINT: HEAVY SPOILERS
There will be examination of major story elements, such as a focused analysis on certain events nearing the middle or end of the work-
Episode Review
Ep. 1: The Island at the Far End of Summer
Reviewed on July 29, 2021
Quite obviously, a single episode is too little to determine the merit of a series, but so far, I can see this show has potential. It’s probably going to be quite trippy and confusing, but if it manages to explain itself until the very end, I think we can have an incredibly great series.
There’s a lot that is unknown, which I think is the selling point; I’d like to believe there hasn’t been a series that felt like this in this modern era of anime. The smooth animation yet lowkey character designs and style is something that harkens back to the 90s or even early 2000s. Sure, the episode itself isn’t entirely pretty or appealing, but the approaches to the surrealism in the world and the student’s powers has my interest. Of course, the series can fall flat the next episode, midway, or the very end, so I’ll keep my eyes open.
The spacious, emptiness of this episode is disturbing. Everything and everyone is either still, and when there is motion, it’s usually endless and repetitive. Looping and looping, as if it’s really not moving. Not progressing. With that, the concept of a school disappearing, in which its students have “drifted away” in a state of limbo—it sounds pretty crazy. The supernatural aspects will definitely show themselves later in the series, though I don’t know if we’ll see any action or hard science fiction.
To me, the series is taking a more abstract, surreal approach to its action and dialogue. The blue-shirted girl always receives these cat-like, glaring eyes, as if she is seeing something that nobody else understands. In that regard, the star-faced boy is equally scary, aside from his foresight abilities, since it seems he understands the constructs of this world more than anyone else. I’m not sure what his intent is so far, but certainly the two characters I mentioned are the ones people should be looking out for. The main character is, more or less, a lens to this weird predicament though the series is alluding to some development of his character.
As for how this series could end, I don’t think it will end well. If the students had already started bloody conflict, I imagine that future episodes will be disturbing and bloody. Perhaps not to the degree of Battle Royale, or a horror movie, but genuine disgust because the deaths that will unfold have nothing to do with their powers, but simply conflicts between universal desires such as love, acceptance, and status. This predicament the students find themselves in is essentially a utopia, but it seems they will be the ones to turn it into an oppressive dystopia.
As a final note, I’m getting some vibes from Satoshi Kon. While this episode hasn’t done any mind-boggling cuts or sequences for now, the kind of abstractness this series has takes me back to his movies. Perhaps this director could be the one to complete Kon’s incomplete movie? Who knows, we’ll see.
Ep. 2: Aliens
Reviewed on August 5, 2021
Compared to the unsettling first episode, this one was more chill and laidback. But the potential to which the students’ predicament can severely escalate is what scares me the most. I’m expecting that one episode will suddenly turn this into a Battle Royale experience; that said, since nobody died so far, it’s safe to assume that this series won’t end in total bloodshed. Certainly, people could die, but it would be interesting if this “astray” experience simply changes the students into better people.
The first notable aspect is the lack of an opening or ending. Once again, I’m not complaining, but it sure does hinder the marketability of this series. Given this is an original scenario, there’s really nothing to get people to watch. No amazing, animated piece to get people hyped or at least show people what the series is about.
Then again, the absence of this expectation is what also makes it difficult to predict what Sonny Boy will be about. Is it science fiction? Fantasy? Survival? Slice of Life? We have no basis for what we should anticipate and thus, tension is always present every time you watch an episode. Aside from this benefit, no opening technically lends itself to more time to develop the scenario and slow things down. I think this is why the series already feels full of content and mystery.
From a stylistic choice, the series tends to move between the past and present, though it isn’t as disorientating as expected, even though the students are wearing the same clothes. What I do like is that this world and our understanding of the characters are slowly unraveling like the capabilities of their powers. Even when episodes can feel often as empty as this one, I continue to believe that Sonny Boy is making small, intricate steps towards something even more intriguing. In fact, I’m not really enjoying the series as much as I am intrigued by it.
Going forward, I hope I can figure out a theme, pattern, or structure to this series. So far, I’m suspecting that each episode revolves around a single character, all the while progressing our understanding of the world; the first episode was Nozomi, this episode was Mizuho. Not that every student is going to get an episode, but certainly the ones that are in the forefront of our minds (Student Council, Nagara, Rajdhani, and Asakaze). Unfortunately, I also suspect that we’ll never see the bigger picture of these character’s pasts; those short snippets are all you’re going to get about Mizuko and the student council incident, for instance. Kind of a bummer, but this episode already does a good job delving into Mizuho’s character. There’s really nothing much to say after 2 episodes; I’m content with how the series is approaching its scenarios, though I expect something to happen eventually.
Ep. 3: The Cat Who Wore Sandals
Reviewed on August 10, 2021
Episode 3 is even more passive with its storyline and scenario. It lacks the character-centric conflict and clear-cut resolution that empowered the previous episode, and yet, I can’t say this episode was mindlessly empty or a waste of time.
This episode finally reveals this series is progressive, in which characters introduced beforehand continue to show up, and the basis for episode comes from the scenario that unfolds (rather than a focus on a single character). Each episode has a mystery that the students have to uncover, all the while adding to the many more mysteries of This World. And even with the involvement of supernatural powers, the high stakes of this series comes from the conflicts between characters. While I am certainly interested in the mystery of This World, I am equally intrigued by the relationships between the students.
Even though the argument between Mizuho and Nagara resolved itself quite sloppily, this series always has a sense of wonderment and movement that keeps you at unease. Indeed, nothing bad has happened (save for the first episode); no bloodshed or deep grudges to kill for. I’m glad the creators didn’t opt for a mindless killing game, and I’m starting to see that the true beauty of this series is seeing characters, like Nagara or Mizuho, become more amiable to their peers. Those characters are the ones you can root for and understand; ambiguous characters like Hoshi and Nozomi, who always appear to know more about This World and see within other students, keep you watching.
I think this episode was the first instance of nice music integration and dynamic animation; for a series that is relatively silent, the creators seem to know when to use music and how it should sound. I’ve heard that Shinichiro Watanabe oversees the music, so I’m not surprised there. Of course, Watanabe’s name is being used as advertisement for Sonny Boy, but I suppose he can connect to the series being a completely original idea and the difficulties of selling that to the public. Even so, I won’t deny that Watanabe has a passion for music.
For what this series is showing, there should be reason to question the constructs of the character’s powers and the absurd setting. Yet, I still don’t think the series is overly confusing or contrived. There’s something admirable in the silent moments and weird display of This World. The discovery phase of this series has not left me, and that results in a watching experience that refreshes the mind even when the episode itself technically shouldn’t be “fun” to watch.
Of course, the series can easily fall flat if it loses that sense of discovery, or if it fails to uncover and dismantle the discovery by the end. Because certainly, the loose ends of this series are piling up: Mizuho already had her “Nyamazon” powers before the drift away, but only in school; Hoshi is seemingly communicating with a voice in his head, who knows about This World; Nagara seemingly has the power to open up new worlds; the end of the episode alludes to a curtain that shifts world and an odd eclipse door. There’s only so much information a person can retain before becoming lost.
(That aside, what the heck do these titles mean? I really don’t see the relation to the title and the contents of the episodes. Are they referencing old shows? Movies? Folktales?)
Ep. 4: The Great Monkey Baseball
Reviewed on August 17, 2021
With the lack of dire stakes or tension, this episode is mostly pleasant to watch. I wouldn’t say engaging as the previous episodes, but it still progresses in the odd way that this series is pretty good at doing by now.
However, I will admit that the oral storytelling of the Blue Monkey and the Umpire was too overbearing to a fault. Anyone who isn’t entirely familiar with baseball will see a large chunk of this episode as nonsensical and boring. Even though the story may parallel the students, it’s unclear on who exactly is the Umpire (though I’m sure the Blue Monkey is Ace… wait, the Umpire is Nagara). Perhaps it’s alluding to future events, though I don’t see how baseball has to do anything with the plot; certainly, the topics regarding the death of the Umpire and baseball, the breaking of rules by Blue Monkey, and the rioting crowd may come back eventually.
This episode primarily focuses on the character of Nagara, more so than the previous episodes. As a person, I think he’s often relatable; as a character, I will admit he is somewhat boring. I’m not sure if we’ll exactly see him become a stronger, determined person, but I’m sure that he will change by the end of the series.
That aside, if you strip away the baseball story, you get an episode that lacks the heightened tension and progression that the first two episodes achieved. Even so, I’m still excited for what this series could be. We are still learning about reoccurring characters, we are still unraveling loose details of the relationships between students, we are still having interesting choices of music and scenes.
I suppose the only redeeming factor of this episode is its final scene, which supposedly marks the entrance of a new arc. While the episode is not itself spectacular, it did open up a whole lot of speculation. What exactly is no more “fun and games”? Why did a teacher come at a time like this, when Nagara finally “unlocked” his powers? Was this power unaccounted for in this experiment? What experiment is This World exactly?
I can imagine that the next episode is going to shift the tone: perhaps the first four episodes establishes a light-hearted setting and the star players; the next four episodes marks a survival situation, akin to Battle Royale; then the final four episodes represents the aftermath of those lethal games and an eventual rebellion to it.
I am worried with how the series is unfolding, but I think the arrival of the teacher is a welcome surprise. Unlike the first three episodes, this one had nothing sinister going for it, aside from the story of the Baseball Monkeys. I’m not saying I want total bloodshed, but there certainly needs to be a clearer direction to this series.
Ep. 5: Leaping Classrooms
Reviewed on August 24, 2021
A necessary episode in this series that confirms that there’s still a lot of discovery to uncover; Sonny Boy has not normalized for me, in which I still don’t know what will happen or what to expect in each episode. “Leaping Classrooms” is a tense episode that moves more substantially than the previous episode, marking a breaking point in the established norms of the student structure and rules.
I’m starting to see that Asakaze is changing in character and somewhat setting up to become Nagara’s foil. Both characters never got along, but were mutually helpful to each other, to say the least. But no matter how similar they really are—both outcasts, misunderstood, and having incredible powers—Ms. Eri’s manipulation seems to be drifting Asakaze, along with the student body, apart from Nagara. As it stands now, it seems that Asakaze is the “savior” of the general student body, while the Student Council (Hoshi, Cap, Pony) have seemingly been set aside, providing any support to the Investigators (Nagara, Nozomi, Mizuho, Rajdhani).
I’m not sure what is Ms. Eri’s reason for appearing or trying to pit everyone against Nagara, but I do know that this voice of “God” is certainly stirring up a lot of conflict in his guidance. Once again, it’s hard to tell the true intent of this series, and whether the creators really know what they’re doing, but this overwhelming suspense is certainly intriguing to see unfold.
This episode, however, seems to rely less on structure or a full-fledged scenario, which the previous episodes have been doing (think the burning item predicament from Ep. 2, the blackened people from Ep. 3, or the baseball game from Ep. 4). Ep. 5 seems to be a continuation of the previous episode, which isn’t a bad approach—in fact, this means the series is focusing more on the plot and the development of these characters. Still, that doesn’t excuse the feeling that watching this episode felt like a mishmash of random events.
Sonny Boy benefits from and relies on this great mystery behind This Worlds, though the substantial bits—such as the continuous inspection of Nagara’s character and society—are often spread out thin. Anyone who has been spoiled to the series’ secrets will have little reason to watch the show; the greatest appeal of this series is being just as clueless as the students on the island, and sharing this feeling is quite special. I can’t say this is a series everyone should watch, but certainly one I would encourage hopping on board as it goes on.
Ep. 6: The Long Goodbye
Reviewed on August 31, 2021
This episode hits all the marks: the most confusing, the most plot-revealing, the most ambitious, the most abstract the series has gone so far. From a story standpoint, this is the biggest revelation we’ve been waiting for. The entirety of this episode focuses heavily on the theater world and their attempt to “insert” themselves back into their original world through Nagara. We see all these characters reconcile and attempt to bring themselves together again, for this single chance. The music plays a hopeful tune as the Ark cube flies into the sky, and we begin to see them in their dark graduation outfits. They’re back, and everything feels so final. But then the screen cuts to black.
“You’re not needed in this world anymore,” the voice of God says. And then everything crashes down. Turns out their “spirits” have seemingly drifted away from the real world by the roll of God’s dice. Despair once more as they realize they probably can’t go back anymore. And yet, Hoshi and the rest of student body do not blame Nagara. If this is their reaction to a major setback like this, I’d like to believe that there won’t be bloodshed by the end of the series; I’m hopeful that these characters can manage to get back and learn a few things about themselves as well.
Even though it would have made a shoddy, abrupt conclusion, the build-up of this episode seriously made me think this series had only 6 episodes. The sense of finality is what makes this episode great, but it’s far from perfect.
When we talk about how all this information was conveyed, “The Long Goodbye” is quite messy and experimental, even beyond what has been established within the series. The series is already known to ramble a bit too long, but coupled with cuts to present and past, as well as setting shifts here and there, it gets quite disorientating to watch. Even with an extended runtime (due to a lack of an opening), there isn’t enough time to truly take in the atmosphere of the show, the words spoken by the students. Include the meta-elements of the movie theater, and the viewer barely has any time to breathe (the only time I’m thanking ad-breaks…). Surely, Sonny Boy is more abstract than most anime, but I can’t say it embraced itself as surreal until now.
Binging this series may be preferable than watching weekly and is much better than taking long breaks between episodes. Little details sprinkled within each episode often reappear in later episodes, and I’m starting to see potential parallels of the actions taking place in This World and reality.
This episode manages to clarify a few revelations, but leaves out enough details to bring about even more questions: Why has a past student become a 5000-year dog, a spirit roaming mindlessly in This World? How did Nozomi die in the real world, by the time their graduation started? Is Ms. Eri also a student, trapped in This World for a long time? What is going to happen to them if they stay in This World for more than a year, when their real selves have already left their school life?
The viewer who will really enjoy Sonny Boy are those who are willing to listen to the characters, believe in (and question) the construct of the world, discuss the events unfolding in each episode, and speculate the direction the series is headed. This isn’t a show that can or will obtain mass appeal, but it still stands out from its contemporaries for its visual style that harkens back to the 90s and early 2000s anime, its abstract storytelling, and its sense of overwhelming mystery.
Though, I think the ending could ultimately determine my opinion of the show; Sonny Boy is entertaining because we don’t necessarily understand the intriguing world and predicament the characters are in. We will ourselves to be confused, perplexed by the events unfolding in the show, because we expect that the creators will explain them in a way that is both sensical to the mind and fulfilling to the story. If the ending is unsatisfying or disappointing, leaving many aspects unexplained or contrived, then the build-up of the mystery topples upon itself, like a strange tower being demolished before the viewer can even reach the top. But like the students still hoping for a way back home, I believe in the competency of Sonny Boy.
Ep. 7: Road Book
Reviewed on September 7, 2021
This is the first episode where I was more confused than intrigued. Instead of a straightforward continuation of the Nagara’s developing powers, this episode opted instead for the use of another world, essentially another “isekai” to navigate through.
This episode tackled a This World reminiscent of Babylon and the eternal, fruitless struggle to reach heaven. Unfortunately, this world is comprised of an endless spiral and conflicting designs; couple that with Nagara (mostly) alone and quiet, the scenario at hand was not engaging to watch. It felt like a Saturday cartoon, in which Nagara just found himself in another world for the sake of making another episode. That is not to say the scenario does not hit on certain themes—hopelessness, faith, and determination—but the general progression was riddled with unclear motivations and lack of explanations.
I question why Nagara would suddenly play around with the swing (or why it even exists in the Island world), or why there was such a focus on ant farms and the tower of Babylon (although it ultimately created a thematic parallel), or why Umbrella would suddenly turn the Beatnik council upside down. I’m just more skeptical now with how this series is approaching its scenarios; it’s starting to feel like the creators are pulling things out of their butts.
That said, there is still movement in this episode, but that progression is mostly overshadowed by the Babylon scenario; the departure of Rajdhani and the student body has little impact to the viewer, even though those developments will fundamentally change the atmosphere of the episodes following. Heck, I still don’t know what will become of these students, This World, and whether they can find a happy ending.
The lack of a definitive atmosphere for the series, save for its often-overwhelming barrenness, is what contributes to this air of mystery. But my perspective is starting to change; what was initially abstract is now disorganized, what was meticulously spacious is now wandering and confused, what was seemingly competent is now concerning.
If this is the seventh episode out of twelve, I hope that the series begins to find a stable footing and explain the events that have unfolded in This World. But knowing how concise and quick-to-the-point the series is with character arcs (for instance, episode 3 is all you’ll get with Mizuho’s character), I don’t think the creator will appease the crowd with a straightforward answer.
Ep. 8: Laughing Dog
Reviewed on September 14, 2021
Even though the contents and conflict in this episode is, at most, filler, the serene yet uneasy atmosphere keeps you intrigued. This viewing only strengthens the depiction of this world and its characters, and perhaps alludes to certain characters that could return in later episodes.
The episode primarily relies on Yamabiko’s oral narrative of his past and his encounter with Kodama, a female student with “God-like” powers that couldn’t cure a peculiar epidemic. Even when the story can get a bit boring, the constant flow of ambient music, along with the abstract jumps between time, keeps yourself relaxed yet at unease. Ep. 8 has similar presentation to Ep. 4, “The Great Monkey Baseball”, though uses oral story concept much better.
When Cap was a bit too enthusiastic, quick, and grating to the ears, Yamabiko’s gentle voice proved to be more powerful. When the subject of the Monkey Baseball was often too complicated for its own good, this story of a dying world is well-aligned with the barren, silent landscapes that Nagara and Mizuho are wandering about in present time. To the say the least, the episode is thematic.
There is certainly a lot of parallels made to Nagara and Nozomi, though the episode is still hard to grasp with its logic. I don’t understand Yamabiko’s powers and how that affected Kodama’s This World. I don’t understand how Yamabiko could have created This World and yet have people inhabit it before him. I don’t understand why “War” exists and what the burning tree has to do with the scenario.
What I do understand is that this story is a warning to Nagara: if he doesn’t want to end up fruitless like Yamabiko, he ought to believe in himself. This parallel only gives me hope that the present-day group of students will succeed: they will “kill God” or find a way back to the real world, Nagara will no longer rely on Nozomi for confidence and yet, find a way to make sure Nozomi is saved from her seemingly hopeless predicament.
Ep. 9: This Salmon Chazuke is Missing Its Salmon Nya
Reviewed on September 25, 2021
After a two-week hiatus, I have returned to find disappointment. Ep. 9 may be the worst viewing experience I’ve had with the series, and this feeling concerns me for the next episodes.
While the first half of episodes relied on the overwhelming mystery and discovery, the second half of episodes are a lot less confident and mesmerizing. Abstract, abrupt cuts and shifts in time are less effective as it is jarring. Dialogue is relentless and gives no time for the viewer to breathe. What had begun as the viewer joining the students in uncovering the constructs of This World, is now a disjointed, mindless wandering of This Worlds and nothing else.
For being 24 minutes, a lot of the episode lacks coherency. The episode’s conflict between the two twins (well, two copies) is outlandish to get anyone sympathizing for their problem, or at least to a Western audience. Even when it’s hard to pin down what exactly is the theme of the two twins’ showdown, the tiny details succeed in sticking in your mind: you’d think it’s absurd for two twins to fight over an extra hair strand… until you see it determines the victory of a sumo match; the clean twin (the one without the bear coat) disintegrates, almost as if to declare that he was a copy.
When it comes to the overall plot and understanding of characters, the episode manages to drop a little more for the viewer, even if it overtakes the episode’s conflict. I didn’t expect to see Mizuho’s past again, especially the realization that the cats are equally conscious as Yamabiko. I didn’t realize until now that Asakaze’s jealousy spurs from Nozomi rejecting him in favor for Nagara. I didn’t realize until now that Nagara & Nozomi swapped places in terms of their levels of motivation and confidence.
And yet, even with the number of details I have stated, every episode is still a single step towards the staircase of understanding. Especially with Ep. 9, the weight of the most recent episodes has been so small. The previous episode was an unnecessary, albeit engaging, trip to the past; this episode, however, was a trip of inaction and dull amusement. At this pace, it’s hard to tell whether the series can reach a satisfying, all-fulfilling conclusion.
And I’m not even going to try to determine the significance of the episode’s title. The episode names in this series are quite boggling to decipher.
Ep. 10: Summer and the Demon
Reviewed on October 1, 2021
Echoing much of the feelings I had with Ep. 6, this one crosses a fine line in between engaging and straight-out confusing as hell. But unlike “The Long Goodbye”, this episode kept me spellbound to the screen, even if I didn’t exactly know what was happening.
“Summer and the Demon” (once again, no idea what this title supposed to mean) is a contender for one of the best episodes in the latter half of the series, not because of how abstract it is, but how direct it is with portraying character relationships.
I suppose it’s cheating for one of the students to have the power to mindread, but this revelation is quite informative given that every character has this air of mystery surrounding them. Just by the approach of this episode, I can finally see Asakaze as a living, breathing person who happens to be ordained a godly role but simply wants an ordinary desire (love, that is, with Nozomi). Of course, this lens is not omnipotent, since viewers are often greeted by shots of characters (from previous scenes) without any insight to their thoughts.
In general, Ep. 10 is structured weirdly. Nearly half of the scenario revolves around the perspective of the mind-reading girl; however, unlike Ep. 8 or Ep. 9, whose focus feels overly detached from the series, this episode manages to bring back the characters we care about—Nagara, Nozomi, Mizuho—into the spotlight.
The final minutes of this episode is worth dismantling. First, it seems that “War” has been eternally “falling”, as if he had given up his violent conquest. Instead of the expectations of this valiant yet ominous figure a thousand years ago, we’re instead greeted by this ordinary student, seemingly void of life and hope.
Second, before Nozomi seemingly falls to her death, she twitches; it’s as if she knew it was going to happen. The mind-reading girl was talking about how “War” never existed, so I’m left to wonder if Nozomi was the “War” that needed to be slain? But the most surprising moment is that upon her death, a compass is dropped, as if she was simply another This World to be conquered.
Third, there was the Godfather, who seemingly shoots the same revolver that Asakaze was holding. The screen cuts to black, and all of the sudden, Asakaze can’t use his power to save Nozomi. The Godfather speaks once more about “spontaneous powers”. Isn’t this the same conditions that caused Nagara’s power to “fail” during “The Long Goodbye”? Can this Godfather negate the powers of the students according to his will? If so, why prevent Asakaze from saving Nozomi?
Fourth, Nagara seems to get a duplicate of a live chicken, and almost taking the role of Rajdhani, conducts a bloody experiment. From what I understand, when Nagara killed the real chicken, the copied chicken also died in the same manner. And yet, a few seconds later, the copied chicken got resurrected?
Everything I said is speculation, but if there is a proper conclusion to be had, I believe the series needs to address the questions that Ep. 10 introduced. What I do know, however, is that death has become a prevalent idea. It’s always been here but now we’re seeing, directly in our faces, bloody chickens and falling students. If there are only two episodes left, I can’t say this series will end happily.
Once again, I am not saying this is a great episode. What I admire is how willing this episode is to delve deep into its characters, and present a dire scenario that involves them—and end with real consequences.
Side note: whenever a song starts playing, it usually signifies the coming of an important scene. I’m amazed by how the series made silence so comfortable, and music so apprehensive.
Ep. 11: The Young Man and the Sea
Reviewed on October 7, 2021
Even when this episode is doing the same exact things previous episodes have done—Rajdhani’s oral narrative about the creation of death, the construct and inception of This World; the opening sequence of no dialogue, but emotion through music-led shots and expressions; cutting back and forth between time, such as Nagara’s first reaction of Nozomi’s death and his last promise to her—there is a sense of true, meaningful growth. We’ve been connected with these characters for more than 10 episodes, and now as we approach the final viewings, there’s a feeling of finality and letting go. There’s a feeling that these characters have matured, even when their bodies are in limbo. Even when I honestly have no precise idea of what is going on, I felt sentimental upon watching these characters interact one last time.
For some reason, Ep. 11 felt visually different. There’s something about the movement of these characters being intricately detailed and envisioned; there’s something about how shadows are so well-defined and contrasting against an otherwise bright sky. Has the series always looked like this? Sonny Boy has always been stylistically thin with its lines and minimal with its animation (instead, using abstract cuts to signify movement), often resulting in a jagged, rough experience. This one, however, felt well-produced. I’ve never seen the series so fluent until now—another factor as to why I’m not incredibly bothered by this episode’s nonsensical dialogue.
However, one point is clear: Sonny Boy has no intentions to explain its constructs, its characters, its dialogue, and its lessons. I might never understand Rajdhani’s anecdote about the student who invented “Death” in This World, how Mizuho and Nagara managed to find a way out of This World, or why other students have given up on returning to the real world and instead want to live in This World. A rewatch or some time for discussion, speculation, or thinking is necessary. Because without genuine thought or effort, you won’t understand a single thing (well, enough for you to feel satisfied). Arguably, this should be at the fault of the show; I don’t think creators or directors should ever intend for the audience to not understand. Sometimes, Sonny Boy refuses to hold your hand through this weird journey. For many viewers, being left alone to your own thoughts and confusion will produce much frustration.
Having seen where much of this series has gone, I question why so many episodes are random, mindless romps across This Worlds. Why does this series refuse to find a proper footing or style? At first, it began as a Battle Royale survival game; and then, it became a Cowboy Bebop episode with fully open-close scenarios; and then, it became an incredibly convoluted mess of ideas, side-stories, and worlds that don’t matter by the time Ep. 11 comes around. Sometimes, I wish Sonny Boy simply focused on the current cast of students—Nagara, Nozomi, Mizuho, Rajdhani, Asakaze—and not the past or side characters like Yamabiko or the sumo twins (I wouldn’t be surprised if the episodes I liked the most revolved around the former than the latter). I wish the series could simply say the important details rather than hiding tiny bits of them throughout the episodes.
That said, ever since Ep. 10, I’ve been feeling rejuvenated and excited for the series. Much like the allure of mystery from the first three episodes, the final three episodes have the allure of finality. I can at least say I’m not completely zoned out of Sonny Boy just yet.
Ep. 12: A Two-Year Recess
Reviewed on October 14, 2021
There’s a sour taste in my mouth. In my honest opinion, I enjoyed watching this episode. Objectively, this episode wasn’t abhorrent. But with how things are, especially being placed in such a position of great importance, Ep. 12 is an unfortunate letdown, symbolic of the series as a whole.
Let me gush out what I love about this episode. The selection of silent scenes and music is amazing; I’ve never seen an animated show pay so much attention to silence. The complete lack of music throughout most episodes only makes moments like this episode’s opening even more impactful.
Likewise, the hopeful yet somberful portrayal of Nagara’s return to the real world is honestly the best ending there could be: Nozomi not remembering, Rajdhani and the others having stayed in This World, Nagara equally lonely in a reality that seems unchanged. If the show ended too happily, then I would be skeptical; if it ended too horribly, then I would be unhappy. In each of these cases, everything that Nagara went through would be for nothing. So as much as I would want Nozomi to remember Nagara, or Nagara to be best friends with Mizuho, the drab portrayal of reality is exactly the kind of theme and atmosphere Sonny Boy has been approaching throughout the series.
Granted, not everything is dull and fruitless—there are fulfilling bits of happiness scattered throughout the episode: the true Yamabiko and Kodama still alive and talking to each other, Nozomi also alive and well with Asakaze, Mizuho more confident without her cats, Nagara looking forward to his future. This final episode basically reveals this series is the most twisted, and abstract coming-of-age story you’ll ever experience. Still, it breaks my hearts that none of these students will likely interact with each other again.
Now, let me throw up what I dislike about the ending.
Everything is mostly unexplained—the wheelchair Godfather, how exactly the students went adrift, the reappearance of Nozomi in the real world, Ms. Eri’s total existence (like seriously, what the hell was her reason for screwing everybody up?). All of it isn’t explained adequately enough. Sure, every important detail to understand this series is there; however, each one is so spaced out that sometimes you don’t realize that the plot point had already been resolved (remember War?).
Everything is mostly unfulfilling. For what it is, only two characters completed their objective—returning to the real world. Everyone else, characters we thought would be prevalent in the series, faded from relevance and the viewer’s world. It’s such a weird approach to include characters that are genuinely interesting, only to shut them out by the halfway point of the series. Like, what happened to Hoshi, Cap, or Poni? Or the tension with Ace and Electric Girl? There’s so many relationships that could have been explored, and while I would have agreed to keep most of the screentime for Nagara, Nozomi, and Mizuho, I feel the creators were unable to conclude these conflicts despite seemingly intending to develop them.
(However, I have to reiterate that the ending itself is not unfulfilling. Yes, this episode is mostly void of This World magic or spectacles, and we see Nagara working a day-night job just like any other person—normal, dull activities. But I think that’s the point being made. Sonny Boy was never meant to be a large-scale fantasy epic; at its core, it was truly a story about Nagara’s growth as a character. And by the very last shot and line of dialogue, we do see that change in Nagara.)
Everything is mostly passing. Did I really need to watch this series? Despite the crazy, confusing approaches the show is willing to pull off, I can’t say any character, concept, or scenario pulled me in. Yes, there’s always fascination but rarely was there engagement, save for a few episodes. And 12 episodes is plenty for the series to say all it needs, but so much is spent on off-topic scenarios and side stories. From my point of view, it seems the creators reached a quota and then pulled the plug; something about the series isn’t entirely focused as it could have been.
And this feeling sucks. Sonny Boy’s intriguing yet mind-boggling world encourages so much thinking, discussion, and appreciation for the tiny details. But for the casual viewer, who stops by looking for something to watch? I feel watching this series requires too much effort and commitment to overcome the constant confusion each episode presents.
In hindsight, this should be a show watched all at once. Sonny Boy has an overwhelming number of small details that transfer between episodes; seeing everything in one go may make the most coherent sense out of this nonsense. Sure, as a weekly viewing, suspending yourself in the mystery was quite an experience. But knowing how this series had progressed, weekly viewings only cause expectations to become unrealistically high.
I’m entering territory that would be best fit for a general review, but even if this episode passes on a creative and technical standpoint, it’s tough for me to be happy for where it is placed—the end.
Verdict
EYE KINDA LIKE
CRITICAL RATING: 7/10
BOY, IS THIS WORLD PRETTY WILD:
Despite its retro artstyle, intriguing world, and great moments of silence and sound, Sonny Boy mostly missteps with its scenarios, abstract storytelling, and conclusion. The show is an experimental and complex experience that won’t please everybody –
Episode Breakdown
| 5 (A) | 4 (B) | 3 (C) | 2 (D) | 1 (F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 2 5 6 8 11 | 3 4 7 12 | 9 |
| Total Score | 43 / 60 = 71.7% (5-point benchmark) 43 / 48 = 89.6% (4-point benchmark) |
CRITICAL EYE 