Bokurano: Ours, Vol. 1: Saving the world is hard. Saving yourself is even harder.

There have been many different variations on the common theme of kids piloting huge robots in manga, anime and other media, but few have tried to take a realistic look at what happens when you give kids a devastatingly powerful machine and with it, the responsibility to save their world.The story begins when 15 students of a nature school, most of whom are from different schools and different walks of life, meet a strange man named Kokkopelli in an island cave, and are recruited to take part in what is ostensibly a game of piloting a large robot against the enemies. If you've heard of the series, you'll likely know that it's not at all what it seems, but the twist is executed well, so I won't spoil it here.The characters are quite well-developed, although at this point, not all of them have focus yet. For example, Waku, the first pilot, seems like a hotheaded and not especially bright young athlete at first glance, but when his thoughts are shown, he turns out to be surprisingly thoughtful, as well as willing to save the world even if no one views him as a hero.The robot battles are done well, and feature a broad range of abilities for each combatant, resulting in some matches being slugfests and others becoming contests in which each side tries to outmaneuver the other. They're also shown quite realistically, as the collateral damage results in thousands of deaths, almost immeasurable property damage and the people being as afraid of our heroes' robot as they are of their enemies.The art is high quality, and fairly realistic. The characters have fairly distinct designs, as do the robots and various pieces of military hardware.All in all, if you're interested in a dark, novel twist on the humongous mecha genre, Bokurano is the perfect place to start

Stop me if you've heard this one before: a group of kids with conflicting personalities must work together to pilot a giant robot and save humanity from extinction. Not exactly the most original set-up, I know. However, Mohiro Kitoh, author of "Shadow Star" (which I've heard is excellent, but have not seen for myself), takes this established manga/anime trope and steers it in a bold new direction, the likes of which I haven't seen since Hideaki Anno decided that all of the "Evangelion" pilots should have emotional complexes.It's not often that I compare a mecha-oriented manga or anime to "Evangelion", but "Bokurano: Ours" is just THAT good. Taking the stereotypes anime fans have come to expect from this sort of thing and turning them right on their head, "Bokurano: Ours" proves near the end of the first volume that this isn't going to be what you thought it was. If you're looking for a black-and-white, triumphant tale of children overcoming their differences in order to fight evil... well, you'd better go pick up the latest big-name shonen manga, because that ain't what's going down here.What IS going down, though, is a brutal examination of the human condition, told through the always-reliable medium of children. Using his characters' simplistic thoughts to serve a greater purpose, Kitoh weaves a tale both light-hearted and bleak, simultaneously uplifting and terrifying... and this is just in the first volume. I have no idea as to what direction the plot will take next, but you can be sure that I'll be following it with bated breath.The focal point here is the plot, but that doesn't by any means mean that the art is half-hearted. Kitoh's art is no frills; no extraneous little details, no lavish backgrounds. However, it's beautiful in it's execution of simplicity. There's no clutter that one would see in other mecha manga, and the characters are realistic yet stylized enough to remind you that you're reading a manga."Bokurano:Ours" is one of the best very series I've read in a while. Paced like a shonen manga but laced with the drama seen in seinen, Kitoh's parable for the cruelty of human beings is one that should not be missed by any purveyor of manga.

Mohiro Kitoh is a mangaka who began his career in 1996 with the manga “Vendemiaire no Tsubasa” and became known for his work “Shadow Star” which was released as a manga and anime (and released in the U.S.).After the completion of “Shadow Star”, Kitoh began his work on “Bokurano: Ours”, a sci-fi manga which was serialized in the monthly magazine “Ikki” from 2003 to 2009 and an anime adaptation which was released in 2007. And now, the manga series will be released in the U.S. courtesy of Viz Media.“Bokurano: Ours” begins with 14 teenage boys and girls (8 boys and 7 girls) and one fourth grader on the beach for a junior high field trip to observe nature.While walking around the area, the kids discover a cave and see computers everywhere. A man named Kokopelli comes out of nowhere and tells the kids if they want to play a game by piloting a giant robot to defeat enemies. All but the fourth grader, Kana Ushiro, agree to take part in the game by taking part of a contract.All wake up on the side of the cave which is now block, thinking maybe it was a dream but they are soon visited by a small creature known as “Koyemshi” that tries to guide them and teleports them into the huge black robot. Their goal is to defeat the white enemy robot and as all the kids think it’s all fun and games, one hears Kokopelli saying “I’m sorry”.But the kids learn that this game is actually reality and that the robot they are controlling can lead to deaths of many by having it walk on homes or cars.But to make things worse…they will soon find out that the contract they signed can be more than they bargained for.JUDGMENT CALL:“Bokurano: Ours” is probably one of the darker sci-fi mecha manga series that one will ever get to read. It’s a storyline unlike other mecha series that provide hope or happiness and to show how dark the original manga is, for the anime adaptation, director Hiroyuki Morita wrote on his blog that he dislikes the original manga story and told people that the anime version is not expanding the story and if you are fans of the manga, don’t watch the anime.So, for one who has watched the anime first, you’re probably not going to like the manga. It’s dismal…it’s the first manga series where nothing good can come out of the characters featured in the series. Even for series such as “Battle Royale” where the numbers go up in death toll, there is hope for individual(s).The first volume features 15 children who think they are playing a game to control a mecha but in truth, where an arcade game requires a coin or coins to play, in “Bokurano: Ours”, that coin is your life. The first volume features the first two children who take part in the game and the children trying to learn more about the game they are about to play.As for the manga, character and mecha designs by are good, while backgrounds are often sparse.But one who is not familiar with Mohiro Kitoh ‘s work should know that his work is more towards tragedy and focuses on the vulnerability and the different perspectives one may have towards humanity. His work tends to feature violence in children and the series is not for the faint of heart or anyone wanting something happy or searching for hope. This is a manga series that one should not expect many happy moments. So be warned!Overall, “Bokurano: Ours” is one of the darker mecha sci-fi manga series one will read. Not for a reader who is depressed, nor for one who is looking for uplifting storylines. But for those who want something different and are able to take in a storyline with not much glimmer of hope, then this manga series is for you.

Even though this story involves mecha, reminding me of Neon Genesis Evangelion in the battle set-up, it gets you involved with the group of schoolkids who have to pilot the mecha.

Seventh graders Takashi Waku, Masaru Kodaka, Maki Ano and their friends are participating in a summer nature school. One afternoon the fourteen teens, along with one boy's fourth-grade sister, discover a cave down by the beach. Going further into the cave, they stumble upon a mysterious computer lab and a man who goes by the name Kokopelli. Kokopelli offers the kids the opportunity to participate in a game. They'll use a giant robot to fight aliens who are invading the planet. The kids eagerly agree, but it is not until the "game" begins that they realize the danger they are in.Kitoh's manga starts off slowly, leading readers deeper into it as if they themselves were entering the sinister cave. Volume one is just setup for what is to come, but by the last chapter, we realize that things are not what we thought them to be. The planet is different than expected, the kids are not as simple as adults would like to believe, and the robotic war seems to cover a large scale than just one planet. These are all still hints, but they are intriguing enough to engage readers and leave them eager for volume two, which seems likely to ramp up the excitement and danger.The kids are unique main characters. Kitoh starts off by making them rather ordinary. They look and act like a lot of kids and it is easy to make the mistake of dismissing them. After the setup of the first three chapters, the last three allow two different children to stand apart. During their chapters the story is told from their point of view, allowing readers to get inside their heads. It is then that readers begin to see that each kid is starting to become the adult he or she will grow up to be, whether for good or ill. As seventh graders, the kids are old enough to recognize adult mistakes and triumphs and to decide for themselves whether or not to emulate the role models around them. It is that opportunity that offers tension and depth to this story.The art is clear and easy, but, as with the children, deeper than it first appears. There is a faint sinister atmosphere haunting the tale, hinted at by slanted, knowing eyes and toothy grins, especially on the part of a character who claims to be assisting the children. Kitoh's slightly scratchy lines shape bodies that are believably middle-school-aged, but they are equally effective at the dark, mechanical outlines of the fighting robots. Nothing is overly violent, but death is a part of this tale. That, along with the dark storyline, makes this more appropriate for and of interest to older teens and adults. Overall this is another fine addition to VIZ's Signature line.-- Snow Wildsmith

My 16 year old son loves these books

I started reading this after watching the anime . so I know what's going to happen but still it`s as serious and exciting as it was when I watched it first time!

This was given as part of a present and very well recieved