BTOOOM!

This is more of a review of the manga so I'll try to keep spoilers out of it. However in order to explain the plot there will be two or so spoilers probably shown in the first episode.

I'm just going to say it, the concept of this anime is astounding, I mean really who thinks of this kind of thing? It's a simple enough story, but at the same time it has a lot of substance behind it. I'll explain the base story and just talk about some other things that make this anime a watch.

Btooom is a story about Sakamoto Ryuuta he's an unemployed 22-year-old who lives with his mother. In the real world, he's very average to say the least. But online, he's one of the world's top players of the combat game "BTOOOM." One day, he wakes up on what appears to be an abandoned tropical island, he has no memory of how he got there and must find a way off the island. (Spoiler incoming.) Thankfully he finds someone and calls out for help. That's when the stranger throws a bomb at him. Realizing he's been trapped in a real life version of his favourite game, Ryuuta is caught in a game to the death. Will he survive long enough to find out why he is here and how to escape?

Really someone needs to give the author a medal, and while some of you may say 'This is just a rip off of the hunger games with more explosions' I would say 'Oh hell no' true they have the similar concept of a fight for survival. But this anime is so much more than that, It's psychologically intimidating, action packed and well written. What more could you ask for?

Oh but here's a warning, stay away from it if you can't handle too much gore.

Edit: Turns out how I thought it would unfortunately... The ending just sort of... ended.
This was of course due to there not being enough source material to go off of, so hopefully when there is more manga, there will in turn be more anime.

Enjoy

Ask yourself, What would you do if you woke up one day on a deserted island with nothing but your clothes, a pouch with eight Bombs in it, a weird green gem attached to your hand and now you are expected fight for your life to get off this island. This sums up the basic story of BTOOOM!
The art in this is excellent. The island is vibrant and teeming with life. The various buildings and backdrops have well done and look fairly realistic. I also like the fact that they don't make the explosions or gore over the top and ridiculous.
The music is okay. It's not bad, but it's not good either.
Btooom certainly has more good qualities than bad. The story is solid with a lot of strong elements and the major characters are really well handled. Now, you probably won't like it if you're sick of the premise or if you're going to be offset by the more disturbing content. However, if you think that the premise has merit when done well and you can handle some disturbing content, I think you'll find it an enjoyable experience. Personally, I'm going to give it an 4.5/5. While it has some flaws, there's nothing that drags it down too much.

Brutal, gritty and energetic. Every second of this anime kept me on the edge of my seat, it's like watching a Jigsaw game crossed with Battle Royal and I sure as hell loved every minute of it. When an anime has a rather uncomfortable atmosphere, like the things they pull off in Ju-On or Ringu, then you know you're in for a treat, seriously those scenes regarding Sakamoto's past feels like a live action horror film.

The art is masterful and stays consistent throughout, the animation is quite nice to look at and the characters feel way more realistic than other anime of this genre. When you compare this to something like Sword Art Online, you'll realize just how fake those characters feel in contrast.

The anime starts out with a bang, literally, Ryota Sakamoto is just an avid gamer, a NEET if you will. He then gets nominated to participate in the madness fueled real life BTOOM! game in a deserted island. The game of BTOOM! consist of player trying to outmaneuver and outsmart their opponents with only bombs, every bomb has their different qualities so you won't see characters doing the same things over and over. Ryota Sakamoto is not a thumb-sucking, crying piece of waste like many anime protagonist are. While many anime let the male lead cry in the corner and have the cast, especially the heroine, figure everything out, you will be relieved that BTOOM! doesn't fall on that category. Having said that, don't think for a minute that you're in for a shallow anime, every character has their personal inner problems that they struggle with feelings of anxiety, abandonment and depression; however, the characters are never stooped by it and decide to face it head on.

BTOOM! is excellent, just the kind of anime you're looking for if you're a fan of other masterfully done anime such as Death Note, Deadman Wonderland, Sword Art Online, Neon Genesis Evangelion and even Code Geass. Great direction, story, music and characters should grant it a watch and I'm definitely looking forward to getting more.

First and foremost, I felt like it was a nice change of pace to watch this particular anime. Personally it just felt nice to have a main character who was a little older than me again, one of the hardest things for me as an anime fan is the realization that I am outgrowing my teenage anime heroes and such. Since most anime target 14-17 year olds it was refreshing to have a 22 year old main character with plenty of character flaws to keep it interesting hehe. This series follows Ryouta, a 22 year old jobless shut in, who plays nothing but a popular online game called Btooom! That favors bombs and team strategy play as apposed to rpg or shooter elements. He is a top player and well known within the respective community and friends. He is troubled and treats his mother terribly wishing to be left alone, his only goal is to try and get a job at his favorite gaming company. Since that is not biting fast enough and he does not work or go to school in the meantime it causes friction with his mother. He soon finds himself fighting for survival on a distant island controlled by the very people who created his favorite game. He is thrown into a live version of Btooom! Where he must fight against other live people in order to get off the island. This begins to manifest a change in his morality and person and he becomes someone who is rather admirable. The series itself is enticing and you learn about the characters through backstory and actions and has very interesting combat scenarios and was very entertaining from beginning to end personally. I believe that anyone who enjoys character conflict and unique action will enjoy this show. I read the manga some time ago and although it was good I found it hard to get into it so much, I feel like this particular anime was an even better take on the story than the manga itself, the animation complimented the action and emotions way more fluidly, and it offered an enjoyable take on the romance in the series. I think that this anime was fantastic, but I don't see an end or second season to it anytime soon because of how slowly the manga updates, regardless I think anyone who enjoys a good romance and video game themed action will thoroughly enjoy this anime. It was a very wonderful take on a good idea in the manga. If I can say one thing about the series is it was a refreshing take on a not particularly original style story, the way that it was done made it unique in its own way.

this anime normally falls into a category of a anime that I tend to not watch,
but on a night where my connection was bad and I could only get the first episodes of a few anime.....I decided on a whim to give this a shot. And boy am I glad I did!
this anime had me chewing on my nails waiting so I could get the rest of the episodes that night. never have I been so eager to see what happens next!
the plot was easy to follow but a little slow at first, and the fact the only the first season was turned into anime made my blood boil.....but despite the cliffhanger until you read the mange, this anime will satisfy almost any anime needs.
action, drama, sci fi, romance.....all of these rolled into one for one of the top anime's of its time.
if you have'nt seen this yet...then you should start it today.
All in all I give this anime a 9 out of 10 bims.

This anime is astonishing. They're so many cliffhangers that make you want to know more! The anime somewhat resembles Sword Art Online. The characters throughout the anime all kinda show the insanity of mankind. But overall this anime is amazing I'm hoping for another season... However there are low chances atm... But this is a must watch if you like video games, action, bombs, heros, and a hint of romance.