About Bokurano

"About Bokurano"
Bokurano is the newest manga by Mohiro Kitoh. An anime adaptation directed by Hiroyuki Morita and produced by Gonzo premiered on April 8, 2007. This series slightly reminds me of Gantz.

Spoiler Warning!! [+/-] Show/Hide Synopsis...

During a summer camp, 15 children, 8 males and 7 females, find a grotto by the sea. Deep within they discover working computers and some electronic equipment, and later the owner, a man called Kokopelli. Kokopelli claimed to be a programmer working on a brand new game, in which a large robot has to defend the Earth against fifteen alien invasions. He persuades the children to test the game and sign a contract. All but one of them signs, barely a moment later they mysteriously awaken on the shore believing what happened was just a dream.

That night, two giant robots appear suddenly by the beach. A small creature, calling itself 'Dung Beetle', appears and claims to be their guide. It then teleports the children into the black robot. They find Kokopelli already inside and controlling the black robot in order to defeat the white enemy robot. During battle he gives the children a brief tutorial on how to pilot the robot as he destroys the enemy. Once he has finished he tells the children that they are on their own now and sends them back to the beach. As the children are teleported out, one child observes Kokopelli whispering "I'm sorry".

Bokurano's stories tend to focus exclusively on one character - the next pilot. It starts with some background story on the character and their underlying motivations while building up to their battle. The chapters themselves are named after the character currently being focused on.

Waku is the first pilot of the robot, which is named "Zearth" by Maki. Upon winning the fight, he is accidentally 'knocked' into the sea by Ushiro. The second pilot, Kodama, dies unceremoniously after defeating Cancer. Dung Beetle explains to the children that Zearth runs on life force, and the cost of every victory would be the life of its pilot.

The next two pilots, Daichi and Nakama, lose their lives similarly. Nakama utilises Zearth's abilities to help save a friend of hers. Before her victory death, she manages to give the others some pilot costumes that she sewed herself. Through Komo, the military finds out about the children's connection with Zearth, and they are brought together for their own protection. The next pilot, Kako, becomes too cowardly to fight. Chizu kills him, and becomes the next pilot. Before fighting the enemy robot, she exacts her revenge on the people who had abused her sexually. While attempting to kill their ringleader, she is stopped by her sister. Both her life and her baby's life were taken as Zearth's payment, revealing that there was another person besides Kana who was exempt from the contract.

Moji is the next pilot. Their enemy, Gonta, trap them, but Moji uses the spinal cord of Zearth to attack Gonta's core. It is revealed that Zearth's cockpit resembled that of their enemies. Maki, the next pilot, realizes that they are in an alternate universe when an unknown fighter jet attacks them. She pries open the enemy's core and reveals the human pilots inside. Dung Beetle explains that these battles are to weed out parallel universes.

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