Anime Column] Tokimeki☆Time Trips - Episode 1: "TIGER & BUNNY" - The bond between buddies and the drama of the story...

I still love it when I look at it now!"

Why were they so popular with the ladies?"

There is a reason for everything that is interesting!　Female anime writers take a look back at the nostalgic works that have been a hit with female anime fans.

In this first installment, we look back at "TIGER & BUNNY" (broadcast in 2011), which celebrated its 5th anniversary with commemorative events and new products.

The story takes place in Sternbild, a futuristic city surrounded by the sea. It is a hero action anime with a worldview in which eight special abilities called NEXT, who were mutationally created, compete for popularity by arresting criminals in their profession as "heroes" and relaying their actions to the citizens.

As the title suggests, the two heroes, Wild Tiger (real name: Kaburaki T. Toratoru) and Barnaby Brooks Jr. (same real name, nicknamed Bunny), who fight together as a duo, are the main characters in this buddy story.

The film also attracted attention for its new commercial development, in which the logos of the sponsors' companies were displayed on the hero suits and advertisements were placed during the film.

The boom was triggered by the "grab" at the start.

At first, it was thought that the American comic book style worldview and the characters with their floppy looks would not be popular among female fans, but it turned out to be a surprise when the show opened. It won the hearts of female fans as well as working adults, which was the original expectation, and led to a stage adaptation and even a movie adaptation.

Why is this?

As for the initial impact, the first and second episodes had a good grab. Looking back on it now, I think it was interesting.

The worldview of a TV broadcast of the exploits of heroes who use their special abilities to pursue criminals drew me in as soon as it began, with a speedy and tense development. The story is fast-paced and tense, and the abilities and personalities of the heroes are introduced at a good tempo, interspersed with catchy clichés.

The various detailed and unique settings are easy to get into your head. It is easy to understand. And comical. The witty dialogue is sure to make you laugh.

The encounter between Toratoru and Barnaby is "carrying a princess in his arms," which was also quite funny, although it was a very silly and comical scene. The uncool Wild Tiger is about to fall, and an unidentified new hero dashingly rescues him. That was Barnaby's debut.

When Toratoru was transferred to another company due to corporate restructuring, he was ordered by the company to "team up" with Barnaby, the dastardly newcomer. Toratoru is astonished when he is called "Uncle. Barnaby, on the other hand, is called lightly "bunny," which makes him cringe. I'm not a bunny. I'm Barnaby! He snarls, "I'm not a bunny. Here, the pattern of the pair's incompatibility is completed.

The story of two people who are so opposite in everything that they come to "trust" each other.

Toratoru, who is old-fashioned in his thinking, values process over results, and annoyingly tries to communicate with Barnaby, is like an old man from the Showa period. On the other hand, Barnaby, who values efficiency, results, and rationality, and tries to avoid unnecessary social interaction, is like a young man born in the Heisei era. However, both of them are single-minded in their work as "heroes. This is where they make a breakthrough in their understanding of each other.

Toratoru, who accepts Barnaby's disdain with his natural insensitivity and mature acceptance, is full of charm. On the other hand, Barnaby, who has a hard-headed attitude, is revealed to have a serious purpose in pursuing the murderer of his parents.

The two men also come from contrasting family backgrounds. Toratetsu, who has lost his wife and lives alone away from his daughter, is a caring man and an expert at making fried rice. He is well cared for and good at making fried rice. He is connected to his family, including his elderly mother and older brother who runs a liquor store, even though they are far away from home. On the other hand, Barnaby, who has lost his parents and is alone in the world, has a clean room with a bleak and lifeless appearance, giving the impression of a lack of life. Toratoru and Barnaby gradually learn about each other's circumstances and come to understand each other.

Their bond deepens with the word "trust" as the key word. Trust in one's partner, trust in one's friends, and trust in one's hero. Little by little, Barnaby's stubbornness loosens, and despite his hesitation, he learns to "trust" Toratoru, and the two develop a bond as a duo. The first half of this episode was a buildup to the second half.

After defeating a powerful enemy named Jake in the first half of the episode, the two turned around from that point and became the "ideal great duo" that understands and supports each other. This was a surprise not only to those around them but also to the audience!　The "tsun" Barnaby is now completely "dere" (derekked), and he is called "Toratoru-san" (Mr. Toratoru) instead of "Uncle-san" (Mr. Toratoru). He even allows himself to be called "bunny" and is now "dere dere.

However, since the main focus of the drama is the relationship between the two, the relationship that "clicked" in the first half of the series will be severely damaged and cracked in the second half of the series. Then, the true identity of the enemy is revealed. Can the estranged duo really fight together again, hand in hand? The drama reaches its climax through a variety of trials and tribulations, including ...... "misunderstandings," "misunderstandings," "amnesia," and more.

Buddy stories are delicious!

The charm of this work can be summed up in a single word: the appeal of the duo of Toratoru and Barnaby.

Of course, the other heroes, such as Sky High, a natural and naive young man, Origami Cyclone, a negative Japanophile, Fire Emblem, an inclusive oneeye-speaking man, and Rock Balrog, a rugged and clumsy man, are also attractive. The story of each individual is carefully depicted, and there is also an element of ensemble drama.

Nevertheless, it is Toratoru and Barnaby who form the backbone of the drama, which is why the appeal of "buddy stories," a rarity in animation, is so strong.

The two different personalities, while opposing each other, deepen their understanding of each other and join forces to achieve a common goal. This kind of "buddy story" is a familiar character structure in TV dramas and movies, but it is surprisingly rare in anime.

In the case of "Doraemon" (Doraemon and Nobita), the main characters are the title role and the two main characters who are sympathetic to the viewer, which is common in anime. When it comes to "partners," children and monsters are also ironclad. The closest we can come to a "partner" who fights together is perhaps the relationship between a pilot and a giant robot that speaks a human language. There are also works that see two people who are fated to be enemies as "double heroes.

However, buddy stories between equal humans are surprisingly rare.

And girls are weak against this kind of "relationship. They can read as much depth and moe as much as they want.

They fight, but deep down they trust each other, which is tsundere!　And the preciousness of their one and only bond and the earnestness of their irreplaceable existence is like a platonic love. The existence of the "special, one and only" makes our hearts ache with excitement.

Moreover, since the film features a buddy as the main character, there is plenty of drama. I enjoyed this dense drama.

Cute" and "Gap moe" are the best!

As the story progresses, both Toratoru and Barnaby's human side comes out more and more. In other words, their bad sides are coming out.

Toratoru, perhaps because of his age, is beginning to show some changes in his abilities, and he is unsure if he wants to continue being a hero. Furthermore, he is unable to keep his promise to his daughter Kaede, and when she shows her disbelief, he is all over the place as a father.

Barnaby's sensitive and fragile side comes out more and more as new truths about his parents' deaths emerge. He really is a wreck. Even if you're not Toratoru, you can't help but feel uneasy.

It is a characteristic of adult women to be attracted to bad men. That's why I can understand why "Taibani" was so popular with adult female fans.

At most, middle and high school students are attracted to handsome and cool male characters. When you get older, you want to love the coolness of a character for his coolness, but you also want to love the inside of a character, which is full of weaknesses. A man is more lovable when he has weaknesses and quirks. Women are courageous and men are charming.

Female fans are more attracted to men who are cute in many ways than to men who are purely good-looking. Women may have had the experience of being captured by a character who is "cute" or "charming.

We are also susceptible to the "gap moe" sensation. People love good-looking characters not because they are perfect, but because they are easy to moe the gap between "good-looking but funny" and "good-looking but has a weak point.

Toratoru and Barnaby, who are full of "weaknesses" and "skittishnesses," become necessary to each other and form a one-of-a-kind bond while engaging in comic fights. No wonder they are so interesting.

I am surprised to hear that it has already been five years since the first broadcast. There was also news of a live-action adaptation in Hollywood, but what has happened since then?

It has been a while since I watched the TV series and the movie version again for this article, but it is still very interesting. I hope to see more of the buddy characters in the new animated series.

(Text by YAMAYU)