Oh, it’s so great to see you guys again…
TIGER & BUNNY has handled the start-and-stop of a serial rather well. The show did end with a plot thread or two left dangling: but it
still tied up its major arcs so that you, the viewer, were left in that sweet
spot of wanting more without feeling gipped. Maybe that sounds like faint
praise, but it really isn’t - - not when you recall how many other shows fumble
on minding these P’s and Q’s. Honestly, since THE RISING’s release is so soon
after muddled series continuations like EVA 3.0 and MADOKA MAGICA: REBELLION, it
comes out looking far better for pulling off the basic s.
More importantly, the characters in this series are just plain fun to
be around. Barnaby and Kotetsu in their titular tag team. The colorful sextet making
up the rest of the HERO TV. Even the wannabes in the superhero B-league. Watching these big personalities bump heads is
always delightful.
Picking up some time after the end of the show, THE RISING sees the
eternally put-upon ‘old timer’ Wild Tiger falling out of public favor, yet
again. He gets demoted, while pretty boy Barnaby Brooks Jr’s contract is bought
up by a showy tycoon who wants to partner him with the flashy flavor of the
week, Golden Ryan. This brusque reassignment coincides with the emergence of a
new team of super-villains who all hold a mysterious vendetta against Barnaby’s
new boss. And, of course, Stern Build’s most ruthless vigilante, Lunatic, looms
in the shadows as the futuristic city nears what could either be a celebration
of its founding… or the arrival its prophesized Apocalypse!
This tangle of A-plots and B-plots is woven together briskly - - only
threatening to overstuff at a couple points - - and work pretty much exactly
like a short arc in the show. Sure, THE
RISING is another anime feature that’s more ‘bonus’ than ‘standalone,’ but that
shouldn’t be a problem for anybody. The show’s always been uncommonly accessible,
with a parade of homages to American superheroes offering plenty of
familiarities for even the greenest novice to grab on to.
The weakest link in this chain is the golden one, though. Much like Mari in the EVA rebuilds, Ryan unavoidably seems like an afterthought; shoehorned
into an already-crowded cast with the unsubtle agenda of selling more
figurines. The friction between him and Barnaby isn’t played up enough, his
power’s a little confusing (even when it helps save the day), and he
never seems like more of a credible threat to the titular bromance than, say, an
uneven promotion might’ve been.
Then again, all the heroes have run around with Bandai, Pepsi and
Amazon ads on their super-suits since frame one. If Golden Ryan was wedged into this just to
push merch, it’s not like the series hasn’t always had a self-aware and
facetious attitude about product placement, in all its forms.
With an overall message of team building - - where concise character
arcs see Origami Cyclone learning better sneak attacks and Fire Emblem coming
to accept himself in a psychic prison - - this all plays like a classic adventure
the Avengers, X-Men or Teen Titans might’ve gone on. TIGER & BUNNY has never been about
reinventing the wheel so much as just oiling its spokes and giving it a new
spin.
And again, after watching so much anime fall short in flailing grabs for questions
too big for their britches, it’s a relief to see a show competently resolve the
conflicts it sets up and evolve its characters (however incrementally). Indeed,
THE RISING offers a vision, not only of what I wish more anime were like, but
of what I wish more US superhero cartoons could be.
A shame about the title, though. There’s always been tremendous
potential for TIGER & BUNNY to reach the Comic Con crowd in addition to the
Anime Expo crowd… were it not for the goofy logo. For a series that’s
always been about brand savy, you’d think they’d find a title that didn’t scare
‘outside audiences away with the threat of a funny animal toon
But please bring me more. A second season. Another movie. After being reacquainted, I desperately want to hang out with these characters again.
About the Author
 | Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk |
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