Search - Buso Renkin Box Set 1 on DVD

The essence of alchemy

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 07/17/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"So after Nobuhiro Watsuki's megahit action series set in 19th-century Japan, just what would one expect of his next series?

Well, I don't know what was expected. But it turns out to be the lighter-hearted love child of "Bleach" and "Fullmetal Alchemist" -- "Buso Renkin," a fast-paced action-comedy with some darker moments sprinkled throughout the first half of the series. "Buso Renkin Set 1" does a good job introducing the hero to this weird new world, his new powers, and lots of vaguely cybernetic homunculoi.

Schoolboy Kazuki Muto has a nightmare about trying to rescue a mysterious girl, and being killed by a monster. The next day he thinks nothing more of it.... until he gets a text message telling him to enjoy his new life.

But then a surly teacher turns into a mechanical cobra and attacks him -- and Kazuki ends up trying to defend himself and his innocent sister. Turns out an alchemical device called a kakugane has replaced his heart, and it also gives him a megasized sword called a Buso Renkin. And the mystery girl he tried to rescue -- Tokiko Tsumura -- saves him once again, then reveals that there is a massive battle going on between the monstrous homunculi and the Alchemist warriors.

Though Tokiko orders him to stay out of her battles, Kazuki believes that his power means he must fight and protect the humans around him. But they're confronted by a mysterious masked boy, who is the master of the homunculi -- and even worse, he infects Tokiko with a homunculus embryo that will shortly turn her into a monster. Kazuki is determined to stop the Papillon Mask and get the antidote for Tokiko... but he may have to sacrifice his principles to do it.

And the war isn't over yet. Kazuki's nemesis isn't quite as dead as he expected, and a secret homunculus organization called the LXE is planning a coup -- and they've sent a pair of familiars in with Buso Renkin, to stop or kill Tokiko and Kazuki. And the LXE's ultimate weapon is unveiled in a vast battle at the school...

"Buso Renkin" is somewhat derivative from other action/fantasy anime out there (especially "Bleach" at first), but somehow that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. It's sort of one-third fantasy story, one third blood-spattered action and battles, and one third school-based romantic comedy -- and despite some dark and gruesome moments, the overall message is an uplifting one. Specifically: gain strength from friendship, and try to keep as many people as possible from being hurt.

Along the way there's lots of alchemical action scene, big powerful homunculi (who are metal, for some reason), high-intensity action scenes, usually with loads of flying blades, blood and bolts of energy. And there are some really dark, often gruesome moments sprinkled in as well, such as the story of Shusui and Ouka being trapped with a rotting corpse. But there's also plenty of comic relief sprinkled through the stories ("We have to give my lance a REALLY cool name!"), and more than a hint of romance.

One small warning: The climactic battle between the LXE forces and the Alchemist Warriors (plus Kazuki's wacky pals) takes a rather shocking twist, which definitely counts as a cliffhanger. It quite literally changes everything.

Kazuki is a particularly fun character -- he's an ordinary kid whose spacey, somewhat dramatic personality ("I'll avenge my death, dangit!") hides his true strength and courage. He's just an all-around good guy, with a pure heart. Tokiko is a bit harder to warm up to, since she's tough and fairly hard-nosed, but she's a solid girl-warrior with plenty of guts and personality -- and it's clear that Kazuki's enthusiasm is warming her up.

The supporting cast is pretty likable as well, especially the larger-than-life, hyper-trained Captain Bravo, and the masked Papillon (who turns from a sickly invalid to a campy archrival). The tragic twins Shusui and Ouka bring a darker shade, turning friendship to emnity; and the kooky trio of Kazuki's friends and his flaky younger sister provide plenty of comic relief, but they also serve as solid backup whenever something goes wrong.

"Buso Renkin Set 1" is a thoroughly solid, action-packed little anime series, with a likably sunny hero and plenty of imposing homunculi. And the story ain't over yet..."

First Class anime from the creator of Rurouni Kenshin

J. Snook | Wales | 11/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kazuki Muto is an everyday high school teenager who leads a perfectly normal life...that is until he has a strange dream in which he is killed by a creature known as a homunculus while trying to save a beautiful girls life. After waking up, Kazuki is later shocked to find out that the nightmare was in fact real and the girl he had tried to rescue was an alchemist warrior named Tokiko Tsumura. By replacing his pierced heart with a Kakugane (a supernatural alloy that transforms fighting instinct into a physical weapon called a Buso Renkin) Kazuki was revived from death and given a new life as an alchemist warrior. Alchemist warriors are all equipped with Kakugane which gives each of them a unique weapon that they use to fight against the homunculi. Kazukis' is a huge lance called Sunlight heart, and Tokiko's is a series of spider like blades attached to her thighs.

Kazuki, now aware of the existence of the power within him vows to protect his friends and his sister and join forces with the alchemist warriors in their battle against the homunculi and their creator; the sinister, yet eccentric Papillion.
This DVD set contains 3 discs which contains the first 13 episodes and what we get is a fun anime series that follows Kazuki's quest to destroys all the evil human eating homunculi, and protect the people who are close to him, while trying to harness the immense power of his Buso Renkin.
Your first instinct when watching this could be to notice the similarities between Buso Renkin and fellow shonen (boys) anime Bleach. With the spiky haired teenager recieving a supernatural power from a mysterious female, and therefore joining forces to protect the people he cares about from the bad guys. However, this series, though not incredibly original is still an entertaining and enjoyable series in it's own respect.

The action sequences were pretty impressive in this anime, with real time fight scenes accompanied by smooth animation. The artwork in this series is mainly quite bright and colourful which will definetly appease those looking for aesthetic qualities in anime. It looks particularly impressive in the fight scenes when rays of light are reflected off the weapons, this just displays how much attention to detail is on show here.
I was surprised at how much humour was in this series; pretty much every episode has something to laugh out loud about thanks to some truly excellent characters. Like Kazuki's ditsy younger sister and her hyper-active silliness, or fellow classmate Okakura who is just totally nuts (watch and you'll see why) as well as the hilariously camp Papillion who for some reason seems to spends a lot of the time prancing around in his underwear...
I've only watched the english dub for this anime and I must say that it is quite good. Some good voice actors here are Steve Staley (Heat Guy J, Naruto, Tenjho Tenge), Yuri Lowenthal (Naruto, Afro Samurai) and Kyle Herbert (DBZ, Naruto). The music is also especially good, with some genuinely catchy tunes along with one of the best opening songs I have heard for an anime.

When it comes to shonen anime, Buso Renkin ticks all the boxes. It contains plenty of action, blood, big weapons, interesting villains, great characters and loads of humour. Buso Renkin is an easy going and entertaining anime that can be enjoyed by most anime fans of all ages as well as newcomers to the genre and with a great cliffhanger at the end of this set, the second and final part of this series should be something to look out for.
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