This is less of a critique on the community and more of one on myself; this is something I continually struggle with. Meaning through imagery and dialogue is indeed a driving force for analyzation, and I'm not denying such an existence, but when delving into the blurred lines of absurdity, the value of meaning grows more complex.
There's an important foundation to the themes of Sonny Boy; that the challenges we face growing up and progressing throughout society bring confusion and obstacles in finding purpose in our own lives and finding what makes us "whole". Each episode (for the most part) feels isolated in its delivery of a unique plot point or "coming of age" story, but when formed together can create a sometimes messy and jarring timeline of events and character moments in which Sonny Boy never particularly holds your hand in any regard. That's not to say there isn't focus - if anything, it allows the main characters (especially Nagara) to have their own "coming of age" arcs in a less linear or formulaic manner. So while having a basic understanding of these themes is important to solving the puzzle, there becomes a point where us, as the viewer, needs to refocus ourselves and reassess how exactly we're engaging with the material that's being presented.
And this is really where my main issue lies with discussion for this show. I'm not trying to sound pretentious and act as if I truly understood everything present, but is that really how this show is suppose to be processed?
Discussion is critical in further enjoying any piece of media, but when said discussion simply boils down to "This show is stupid because I didn't understand it", "This show is too confusing and only pretentious people like it", or "I understood everything the show was trying to tell, this show just isn't for everyone", then the importance of discussion loses all value.
I applaud the loose structure Shingo Natsume chose when formulating Sonny Boy, and I think the confusion that comes from something quite abstract is EXPECTED to happen. And when a show delves into the sci fi elements to the point of becoming borderline absurdist, than that growing confusion's importance only grows in size.
For example, the ninth episode presents us with a great rivalry that has been taking place for hundreds of years by two twins. They live in a This World that "reverses" itself at certain periods of time, in which they'll duel out in sumo style; all over because of a difference of one strand of hair. A topic for an episode like this presents itself with intriguing subtext potential, but it's impossible to sit here and explain to me why this certain situation exists beyond the point of absurdity to be understood.
And that's really what I'm trying to get at. Sonny Boy is a blend of confusion; some of it to be understood, and some of it to be taken at face value. While the intricacies of the sci-fi lore may be difficult to keep straight at times, the deeper meaning for the most part is to be taken at face value. Trying to examine too deeply into why monkeys who play baseball even exist in this world, but when you reassess your understanding and pay more attention to the story being told rather than the intricacies of the symbolism, understanding the parallels between the competitive monkey league and the the competition brewing between the classmates themselves is much easier to understand.
Anime isn't always the best at delivering intricate characters and worlds, so when a show does take the gamble at accomplishing just that, then that's all its known for. The review and forum pages are just filled to the brim with this constant arguing and disagreement over its "deepness" and it's a real damn shame. Sonny Boy's existence shouldn't be defined by the controversy surrounding its unique approach. I understand why many do just that (as explained in this review), but it does a disservice to every other compelling factor. It's still an anime and has all of the factors of any other anime, but instead of judging the quality of those things, too many people seemed to be wrapped around simply the structure of the show itself.
This "review" ended up being more of a rambling then anything, and I understand the hypocrisy in me writing this entire piece critiquing the same thing I'm shining more light on, but it just saddens me to see how this show will probably fall between the cracks (given the low rank and popularity), especially when it's a shining light for Madhouse after they've been in a rough slump for some time now. I think the last thing I want to say for anyone interesting in experiencing this show is to not be intimidated by the "confusion" everyone talks so much about. Confusion is only natural at times, and experiences like this can only help you and your understanding grow. When you pass that initial hurdle, it's not as frustrating as many on this site present it to be.
What better way to end off the piece then to explain how much I ended up enjoying Sonny Boy. It wasn't until the end that I was totally hooked on the premise, but the development from the beginning always remained fascinating, and I loved the absurd concepts presented every single episode, with some of the best production/presentation to come out of last year. Nagara's journey felt so powerful and realistic, and the long feeling of time passing helped solidify the development of every character even further. The ending itself hit all the right notes with me as well, and felt incredibly fitting for the direction the show presented itself from the beginning. Really happy I didn't end up passing this show up (which was originally my intent).
