Review: Bokurano: Ours V.01

Title: Bokurano: Ours
Volume: 1 (of 11)
Creator: Mohiro Kitoh
Format: Right-To-Left
Original Publisher: Shogakukan
US Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: 2/16/2010
Pages: 200
ISBN: 978-1421533612
MSRP: $12.99
Genre: VIZ Signature
Rated: T+

Description: SAVING THE WORLD IS HARD.
SAVING YOURSELF IS EVEN HARDER.

One Summer, fifteen kids innocently wander into a nearby seaside cave. There they meet a strange man who invites them to play an exciting new video game. This game, he explains, pits a lone giant robot against a horde of alien invaders. To play the game all they have to do is sign a simple contract. The game stops being fun when the kids find out the true purpose of their pact.

Contains Chapters 1-6:
-Chapter 1: Kokopelli 1
-Chapter 2: Kokopelli 2
-Chapter 3: Kokopelli 3
-Chapter 4: Takashi Waku 1
-Chapter 5: Takashi Waku 2
-Chapter 6: Masaru Kodaka

Cover Art: The main artwork for this volume features a wrap around cover that has three of our kids standing in front of the Zearth robot. The remaining kids are in the background, looking over the ocean of the summer camp they are currently going to in the first few chapters. The back cover has one of the fighter jets that the military summoned to try and take down Zearth as it was fighting the alien. The title logo and the volume number are presented in a way that is very eye catching; not at all distracting from the beautiful water color style artwork.

Artwork: The artwork of this series is very simple, but it isn't something to be disappointed with. The majority of this volume centered around the summer camp, while the last chapter dealt mainly with the kids back at home. There was a bit of action, but the majority of the first volume was a set up of the things to come in the future, so the action sequences were detailed, but there was not a whole lot of actual action to really shed light on the beauty of destruction in this series (which from the looks of it there will be tons).

Extras: We get a Character Data Sheet which shows the 15 kids that will be the center of the series.

Content (Warning - May Contain Spoilers): The series is basically set into arcs. Each arc is centered primarily around a single character, but it involves everyone. Our story begins with the 15 kids finding a cave where they want to explore the inside to see what they can find. When they reach the back they find a brightly lit room filled with computers. A strange man named Kokopelli enters and tells the kids about this new game that he is making and that he needs testers, 15 to be exact. All the kids agree to play the game, but Jun tells his younger sister that she can not participate, so 14 of them decided to give it a try. They must make a pact to play it though, and when they do they all black out and are left outside the cave.

Later, Kokopelli resurfaces when a giant alien appears out of nowhere and he must then pilot a huge robot to stop this being from existing. He shows the kids what to do (each kid is apparently given the chance to pilot the robot and the others must basically be present to watch the fight as well) and in the end, after killing the alien, disappears entirely leaving the kids clueless to what happens next.

A few days pass and a new alien appears. One of the 14 kids, Takashi Waku must pilot the robot, who they now name Zearth, and stop this alien before it destroys them. With a bit of a struggle, Takashi manages to defeat the alien. Right after the alien dies, Takashi does as well, and a new mystery to this mystery game surfaces.

A few weeks go by and we learn the kids were sent home from summer camp. A new alien shows up onto the scene, and its now the next child's turn, Masaru Kodaka, to pilot the robot. Masaru doesn't really care about the city that he is fighting in and thinks its all just a game, until this volume ends with Masaru accidentally killing his own father.

For the first volume of this series, it was a refreshing read. I have not read something this good in quite a while. It has the flair that Evangelion had for me when I watched it as a kid. The story was captivating and the kids all have a personality of their own, as well as our other side characters and mascots. I am very intrigued at where the next volume will take me and every volume after.

Overall: 10/10