Sonny Boy - 9/10

Sonny Boy is quite hard to describe in a few words without making any spoilers.

A group of students finds themselves in another world and gains incredible powers – an action/survival anime is to be expected. However, the story is more about its characters, their lives in the unfamiliar world, and the relationships between them.

The first big plus, to my mind, is the atmosphere, which is pretty unique. The show often focuses on the emptiness of surroundings, and the strangeness of it all.

It’s also great that long segments are dedicated to characters and their internal dialogues instead of action. This approach is pretty uncommon, and my hat goes off to the creators.

Nagara, the protagonist, is also quite a character-he is bland outside, and even more bland inside. As such, he can’t gain some muscle mass and a cool laugh in another world; instead, he has to adapt to a strange reality without knowing what exactly is going on.

I feel that it’s one of the most fascinating parts of the series. The other characters are equally interesting, especially Rajdhani and Nozomi and there’s a lot to learn from how they cope with new circumstances. All of them react in different ways to something they cannot understand - the world they’ve found themselves in. They create rules, a hierarchy, and systems similar to the ones they knew.

However, the good cannot be separated from the bad and Sonny Boy has its fair share of the latter.

The anime often goes into long, winding monologues that seem too abstract for my liking. It was hard to understand what’s going on sometimes
I had to pause and recap a lot of information. Certain characters lack a meaningful arc or development, and the pacing issue may frustrate some viewers.

These flaws, however, are the things that I remember most about the series. It is so weird and unconventional that it leaves a mark on you regardless of whether you like it or not.

The show has a unique character that cannot be likable at first glance but grows on you over time.

I would not recommend it to people who want an action-packed storyline or a more conventional hero’s journey. On the other hand, if you are into a slower, stranger experience, try to give it a chance it’s worth it.