Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai! 00 – Prologue

What am I getting myself into?

 I Don’t Have Many Friends

Episode 0

When I asked Jeremiah if I could return to Two Over One, I honestly had no idea what was in store for anime in the fall 2011 season. He provided me a list, I reviewed my choices, and settled on three anime.

1. Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon
2. Fate/zero
3. Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai

I think Mr. Hopper said it better himself when “one of these things just doesn’t belong here.” Now, I give credit where credit is due, BokuTomo (as I’m lazily calling it) definitely manned up in their preview episode by exploiting the cliches of standard slice-of-life, attire anime and implementing it in a not-sure-if-serious, but nonetheless hilarious she-bang.

You could see the main character, Hasegawa Kodoka, having all sorts of fun with his club members with activities like karaoke, relaxing on the beach, and playing online games together. What started as what seemed to be a nudge to partner company AIC ASTA, soon turned into a full-blown assault to partner company AIC ASTA. And trust me, it’s going to take this entire post to tell you why.

As evident in all of the scenarios, there were brief glimpse of hot-pots.

Like so.

Well, it just so happens these hot-pots are all symbolic of what’s happening in the real world.

No, please don't. I was having so much fun cringing over that karaoke scene.

That’s right. All of what you just watched was merely a dream. Which can be a good thing if you’re as critical as I am where you ache at the thought of the character gathering around and singing filler ’til we realize we have to cover this god-forsaken waste of breath (i.e. Infinite Stratos).

Though, what’s going on in the real world ain’t peaches and cream. Our protagonist isn’t waking up in bed as an anti-social teen, I’m afraid. He’s waking up — after being apparently knocked out — on a dinner table as one of the character, Rika Shigumi, is holding a FUCKING TASER towards him.

Furthermore, it seems that there is a rivalry at our hands between the two heroines. The co-founder of the “Neighbors’ Club,” Yozora, and its first member besides Kodoka, Sena. We can already guess it’s a duel!

The intensity is mind-numbingly standard!

But…

It's over this shit.

The two dig in and we’re treating to some — rather uncomfortable — comic relief in this suddenly baffling kick-off that is Boku was Tomodachi ga Sukunai’s prologue. We’re also treated to some well-deserved flashbacks explaining what the Hell we’re even watching and why anyone in their right mind is eating that. Then again, I’d like to take a moment to say, and sing it with me:

♫ THIS IS JUST ANIME ~ ♫

So, with that in mind, the Neighbors’ Club, in the classic Lucky Star fashion, feel the need to experiment with a certain subject they suck at or have never done before: hot-pot parties.

If there's any Persona 4 taught me, it's that these situations don't end well.

Segue back to the present, and we find ourselves reaquainted with Higurashi no Naku Koro ni.

Kidding! Just kidding! It's just Maria Takayama!

We’re introduced to two (1) (2) other characters that we can suspect are set apart by, and probably only, the honorifics between them and our protagonist. Aniki, onii-chan, senpai; you know how that goes. It seems this anime is truly trying to introduce the character is such a gruesome way just to be quirky.

BUT NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

At this point, I had no fucking clue where this series was headed.

YOU EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE IT, YOU CHEEKY BASTARD.

It wasn’t long after that I realized where this series was going, though.

What’s a pleasant surprise, though. In all serious, this looks like the kind of show that I’ve been waiting for. I’m not big on comedy and this episode was a mixed bag of textbook confusion and out-right laughter, but that’s what’s so great about it. It’s chaotic and the main protagonist isn’t useless, from what I’ve seen. It’s an honest anime and from the studio that brought us OreImo, I would hope something great comes out of this series.

It’s an excellent combination of classic and modern anime aesthetics, combining new stories in each episode and the clubs that seem to be so popular in anime these days. It knows what it is and takes it into full swing in an eccentric, macabre, but cute roller-coaster ride. Granted, I’m regretting that burrito I ate a good half-an-hour ago (and there isn’t much likability for the characters outside of Kodoka so far), what a surprisingly great preview. I expect a lot of fun to be had out of this series!

I would also like to add that despite its similar setup to Toradora, it feels nothing like it.