Manga creator team Fujiko Fujio, consisting of artists Hiroshi Fujimoto and Motoo Abiko, created some of the most well-known series of all time, viz. Doraemon. Time Patrol Bon is another series of its kind, a manga hit that ran from 1978 to 1986. While there was an anime special that premiered in 1989, Time Patrol Bon It never had its own anime adaptation until now. Studio Bones took on the challenge in this original net animation (ONA) for Netflix, which follows a teenager named Bon Namihira (Griffin Burns) as he becomes a member of a team of time-traveling agents working to protect the timestream. of evil guys, because it’s too relevant in the annals of time to “disappear” from existence.
TP BON: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Initial shot: Bon is lying on top of a tree that has recently been cut down, reflecting on how it died and was then removed. His friends, other students in his class, join him and discuss how old the tree must have been, guessing that it could be over 800 years old and born in the mid-13th century.
The essence: T・P BON Follow Bon as he lives his ordinary existence. The truth is that he likes to have a normal and ordinary life. And he would prefer that he stay that way, even though he gets low test scores, he’s not the most popular student and he doesn’t have much to do. That is, until one fateful day he experiences something strange while studying at home. It seems that day and night blend together, making Bon think that he simply studied too much as his parents asked him to.
When a shocked Bon leaves his house to walk outside to see what exactly happened, he runs into a young woman in a strange outfit. It’s not until he goes to his friend Tetsuo’s (Ben Diskin) house that something is wrong. When Tetsuo chases his exam through the open window of his balcony while the couple hangs out, he falls to his death, leaving Bon losing his mind watching his friend die.
It is then that he comes face to face with a pair of “time patrol” agents: Ream Stream (Erica Lindbeck) and his partner, who inform him that they need to clean up a mess in which Bon and his friend are now involved. Ream is able to “redo” Tetsuo’s death, but ends up with even bigger trouble when she and her partner have to inform Bon that they have to remove him from existence completely to prevent him from remembering that he met the time patrol agent: this can’t happen, or it could set off a chain of events that will irreparably change the world.
As Bon insists that he will not be erased, he, Ream, and his partner are thrown into chaos as they are sent to a prehistoric period. He manages to get them back to the modern era, but word comes through Ream’s partner: Bon is a relevant person in the story, so he can’t be harmed. As a result, since he has seen too much, he has to become a member of the Time Patrol much to his surprise and dismay.
What shows will it remind you of? While it’s obviously not a direct comparison, newbie fans of 2000s anime may see a bit of Flint the time detective in T・P BON, specifically in its exploration of the “time police,” but in many ways the shows are day and night. In terms of animation, however, Doraemon It’s an obvious comparison. Furthermore, given the way it gravitates towards the rules of time and how things can or cannot be changed, fans of Erased either Tokyo Avengers You might find something you like here.
Our opinion: T・P BON is a surprisingly fun but action-packed series that isn’t afraid to throw out a death in the first episode and keep things moving. Its simplistic animation hides a surprisingly fun story that we can see echoes of in more recent series. Although some of the story beats are predictable in the sense that you probably already know that some rules of time cannot be changed or compromised, there are many interesting points where the series deviates from the norm and gives you something more.
It’s hard to say what Bon’s claim to fame will end up being and the reason why the Time Patrol members couldn’t get rid of him completely. Why is it important to the story? It’s a great question and something that will no doubt be fun to figure out as the series progresses, but as of now, it’s a question: what does this somewhat cowardly kid have to do with the story?
Bones also did a particularly good job of bringing the cartoonish style of the manga to the animation stage, effortlessly translating a classic-looking art style into the modern day with the necessary updates while still retaining the original design of each character. There’s also a great opening and ending in English, no less, that get stuck in your head (we’re still singing the opening as we write this).
Sex and skin: None were found.
Parting Shot: Bon returns to his time, but his mother disappears before his eyes. When the Time Patrol revisits his house, he is informed that he is actually a relevant person in regards to the story, so they cannot kill him. He will have to join the Time Patrol, the team informs him since his mother is still missing. Bon gapes at Ream, the other agent, as the screen fades to black and he ponders the situation in disbelief.
Sleeping star: Buyoyon, played by David Errigo Jr., is a small yellow mass who travels with Ream through time to save people. He is always ready with a sarcastic joke as he floats in the air and gets in everyone’s faces often: Errigo Jr.’s grumpy manner makes him endearing when he could easily start to irritate.
Most pilot line: “I will not be erased!” Bon screams when he discovers the Time Patrol agents’ plan to erase him from existence. “I will help you if you promise not to delete me!” he adds when he and Ream find themselves in prehistoric times facing off against dinosaurs and other beasts. Now that he and Ream are inexorably linked, it’s clear that they will continue to travel together, even if it seems there are other plans for him.
Our call: TRANSMIT IT. T・P BON It may seem like a simple children’s show, but it is much more nuanced than that. The first episode is an exciting start to what will no doubt be an exciting update to the previous manga series, and we can’t wait to see what the anime adaptation has in store for us, especially with such a strong first episode.
Brittany Vincent (@MolotovCupcake) has been covering video games and technology for over a decade for publications including G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot and more. When he’s not writing or gaming, he collects consoles and retro technology..
