I love classic science fiction, especially when it involves time travel and epic adventure. T・P BON embodies the spirit of classic sci-fi adventure like almost no other recent anime has. Based on the 1978-1986 manga series by Doremon co-creator Fujiko F. Fujio, this incredibly shiny modern adaptation from studio BONES and director Masahiro Andō (Hana-Saku Iroha, Sword of the Stranger, O Maidens in Your Savage Season) retains the simple yet distinctive round-eyed character design of the original while depicting a range of historical eras with a glossy new digital paint job. This is a beautiful, fascinating blast from (and into) the past.
While the flamboyant aesthetic, childish characters, and episodic structure all suggest this could be a throwaway children's show, nothing could be further from the truth. There's a reason Netflix rated this movie for audiences 15 and up, and it's nowhere more evident than in the sudden, brutal, and bloody death of Bon's friend Tetsuo when he falls from a balcony. descends several floors from the balcony to the street below. While Doremon is certainly more kid-friendly, with characters rarely suffering lasting harm, Bon and his new Time Patrol Agent partner he Ream, each of whom suffered violent deaths on more than one occasion. Even the frequent use of convenient time-reversing powers doesn't erase the shock value of seeing these lovable characters meet gruesome ends.
In each episode, Ream and Bon's mission is to travel to a number of predetermined locations. in the distant past to save the lives of unfortunate people whose deaths were not important to history. Their invisible masters (perhaps somewhere in the future) monitor all of history and provide a scanning device to determine whether an individual human or animal has a significant influence on the future. if their fate changes or not. Although the Time Patrol's mission is humanitarian, they cannot blatantly save anyone because that would cause a butterfly effect similar to the Sound of Thunder on human history.
This means the duo's mission must be kept secret through the use of a Men in Black-style “forget device” to erase memory witness information, plus their rescue objective is virtually are always “little people” of insignificant historical significance. Saving JFK in 1963 was not an option. These strict rules evoke constant emotional tension, most notably during a major battle when Ream suffers because she cannot save everyone who has died. Being a Time Agent is an emotionally devastating job, and I'm not entirely sure why the Time Agency would hire two fourteen-year-olds to do such taxing work…
The Time Agency's recruitment methods aren't the only thing that requires such suspension of disbelief from viewers. T・P BON is clearly a product of its time, and as such, the stories themselves seem overly simplistic, with plot twists often resolved in contrived ways. The Time Patrol's technology might as well be magical, and the internal logic involved in using it seems extremely fluid. It's been used as a get-out-of-jail-free card too many times.
Bon, as a character, seems purposefully designed to be inserted by the audience themselves. Even some of the Japanese characters that make up his full name mean “mediocre,” “ordinary,” or “average.” He can be stupid – but not too stupid, sometimes smart – but not too smart. Often making wrong decisions or acting carelessly, half the trouble he gets into is his fault. In comparison, the Ream is generally more capable. While the first animated adaptation of this story (the 1989 film) at least had a bit of a romantic spark between them, that's mostly kept to a minimum in this version. There are even scenes where they change their underwear in front of each other without any of the rote embarrassment or lingering blushing seen in other anime. Ream is a capable, thoughtful, professional girl and I'm pretty sure that if this movie had been made decades ago, 14-year-old me would have worshiped her.
Structurally, T・P BON is very similar to Quantum Leap (one of my favorite shows of the 90s), in which Bon and Ream travel to the past to right what once went wrong, often disguise themselves as natives of the period—even changing hair, eye, and skin color, while sometimes using minimal information to determine how to save their target. The central male-female duo and their relationship evoke similar vibes to the Japanese/French animated co-production Time Jam: Valerian and Laureline (has anyone else seen this movie except me yet?) Each episode features our heroes exploring a new and exciting period, from prehistoric times when dinosaurs walked the Earth to building the first pyramids in ancient Egypt, Survive the Salem witch hunts, gunfights in the Wild West, and battle the Minotaur in Crete. One episode even takes place in a disturbing post-apocalyptic far-future Earth.
Although the aforementioned bloody violence is quite frequent (after all, history is often a bloody and violent place), the series has a lot to entertain younger history buffs with healthy stomachs. than. Each stage is contextualized with centralized information dumps, usually from Ream, which aren't too intrusive and can be quite interesting and relevant to the plot. It's not quite as didactic as dedicated edutainment shows, but for those of us who enjoy learning alongside explosions and decapitations, this is a good time.
T・P BON's intentionally retro style and structure may turn off many modern anime viewers, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. BONES did a great job of making it shiny and attractive with a great soundtrack. While the opener is upbeat with funky guitars and soaring strings, the more melancholy closer combines sad, pounding lyrics with warm piano and soothing bass. Both are songs that will stay with me for a long time.
This twelve-episode stretch only covers the first half of Bon's adventures, with dozens more to come in July 2024. July can't come soon enough, because I need to know what happens after the the silent destruction of the cliff.
