Not as perfect as it seemed.
Bucchigiri?! spoilers ahead!
Summary:
- The first episodes of Bucchigiri?! were very impressive, especially the plot and the animation.
- Arajin is not a typical protagonist — he is not so kind and acts according to his own wishes.
- Although Matakara tries to befriend Arajin, he remains cold towards him.
MAPPA's new project created a lot of hype even before its release — everyone was eager to see what the anime from the acclaimed studio that brought us many famous titles (Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, Dorohedoro) would look like.
The first episodes did not disappoint the fans and turned out to be very impressive, especially the plot and the animation. However, some people still found a reason to criticize this anime — fans didn't like Bucchigiri?!'s main character, Arajin.
Appropriate enough
Plot-wise, Bucchigiri?! is reminiscent of many shonen — a loser gets into trouble, but gains an incredible power that helps him overcome adversity. It has many components of the genre: a mentor figure, a weak main character at the beginning, a love interest for the hero, and a desirable goal.
However, Bucchigiri?! is a comedic anime and resembles some of the choices of Chainsaw Man in its level of absurdity. Like Denji, Arajin has no noble goal — his purpose is to lose his virginity. Although Chainsaw Man is still a serious and even dark anime, this choice comes from an initial desire to break many shonen stereotypes.
Nowadays, protagonists get a lot of attention — the audience is bored with ordinary characters who gradually move towards a noble goal and keep the good in their hearts despite all the difficulties.
Arajin is not a typical protagonist — he is not very kind, does what he wants and is sometimes very rude. Despite his rather controversial character traits, Arajin fits well into the Bucchigiri?! concept.
Annoying and rude
Despite a good enough match, many viewers are disappointed with Arajin, mainly because of his personality and lack of growth.
Whether it's fair to talk about character development at the beginning of the story is debatable, but perhaps many people expected at least some change in the protagonist after he gained power. It is quite an important event — it should significantly affect the character.
The most obvious flaw is Arajin's character — he is very rude and selfish. This can be seen in his interactions with his childhood friend Matakara. Although Matakara tries to befriend the main character, he remains cold towards him.
Arajin declines an offer to join his group, but easily agrees to become a member of a rival faction at the first call of a girl he likes. Many have criticized Denji for similar traits, but MAPPA seems to love such naive and selfish characters.