Black Bullet Review

    
       Black Bullet is one of the newest shows to hit the anime scene, and it’s definitely leaving its mark. With a huge following and an ever growing fan base, it’s definitely living up to the hype. It’s a fun Sci-Fi Action Drama revolving around the lives of two young characters. One is Rentaro Satomi, a high school student and Promoter for Tendō Civil Security, and Enju Aihara, an incredibly bright young girl and Rentaro’s Initiator.  They are colorful, entertaining, and unique characters. They are the only thing standing between the vicious monsters known as Gastrea that have flooded our world, and what’s left of the population.

       In the near future, a virus hit the human race. It caused mutations in the human body and ended with the raging Gastrea bursting from within their human cocoons. These monsters are very dangerous and are immune to many of our current weapons. The human race now has only two weapons that work against them; Black Bullets and Initiators. The Initiators are young girls who have been infected with the Gastrea virus, but have it kept dormant using newly developed antidotes. The virus gives them special abilities such as super strength, speed, and many more. The black bullets are made from a special mineral known as Varanium that repels the Gastrea and prevents their powerful healing process. These bullets are carried by the Promoters, the young fighters who watch over and fight alongside the Initiators. It’s their job to protect the initiators, and to make sure the virus doesn’t go into full effect.

       The story opens up on Rentaro years before when he was a small child during the beginning of the outbreak. He’s among a large group of people setting up tents inside of a sports stadium of some kind. The sky above is black and red with lightning cracking every which way. Two fighter jets suddenly sail over head towards one particular cloud formation. After a few seconds they emerge again, but they are chasing a massive flying Gastrea. Rentaro looks on in horror as the jets and Gastrea do battle in midair. This scene is incredibly powerful, and does a great job of getting you hooked into the world of these two characters, and it really shows off the fantastic artistic style of this anime.

 

       Our two protagonists in this story are Rentaro and Enju. Rentaro is your typical hero. He’s determined and courageous in battle, and cheerful and lighthearted in life. He trains constantly to be the best for Enju, and she does the same for him. Enju is also very colorful, and your typical young girl. Her special power is her ability to channel her strength into precise hits from her lethal kicks. Just one kick has the power to destroy most Gastrea. Enju is also madly in love with Rentaro, and makes it apparent as often as possible. This leads to some very funny and endearing moments between the two. Their chemistry and personalities really make the story shine, and you look forward to their moments together.

       The antagonist in this story, Kagetane Hiruko, is just as unique as the heroes. He has a strangely different design, and he looks distinct from all the other characters in the anime. It’s unknown as to how, but his body has been implanted with the same mineral found in the black bullets, which gives him incredible strength and lightning fast reflexes. He also demonstrates extreme intelligence, and brutal nature about him.

       On the outside he appears as your typical terrorists, but he seems to display a hidden agenda through his actions. Nobody quite knows what he’s after, but they know he’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants. Hiruko also happens to be an extremely skilled Promoter, and his Initiator is incredibly powerful as well.  She is also his only young daughter.

              All in all, Black Bullet is a must watch. The fantastic art style of the characters and environment, amazing visuals during fight scenes, and interesting storyline will leave you checking in for every episode update. And trust me; there are plenty more amazing characters and stories to see. It’s currently on its eleventh episode, and if you want to continue the story more quickly the manga is available online. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am... :)