Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week.
read more
This Week in Anime
Metallic Rouge and 25 Years of BONES
by Steve Jones & Monique Thomas,
Nicky and Steve renumerate on the history of BONES' various original anime and take a look at its 25th-year anniversary project Metallic Rouge. (There may also be an excessive amount of bone-related puns.)
Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.
Metallic Rouge, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Mob Psycho 100, Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution, Space Dandy, Concrete Revolutio, Concrete Revolutio: Last Song, My Hero Academia,
Bungo Stray Dogs, Sk8: The Infinity, Bucchigiri?!, Star Driver, and Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury are streaming on Crunchyroll. Carol & Tuesday, PLUTO, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners are streaming on Netflix. RahXephon is streaming on HIDIVE. Eureka Seven and The Vision of Escaflowne are streaming on Funimation.
Steve
Nicky, I hope you've had your recommended daily nutritional intake of calcium because today we're talking all about BONES.
Nicky
BONES! We've covered several anime studios we considered foundational but Studio Bones might be one of my favorites. Having produced several distinctive and inspired anime series over 25 years, Studio Bones is a name every anime fan should know. I'd turn into a gelatinous mess without them.
25 years isn't chump change, that's for sure. It's a cause for celebration and BONES have been doing so this season with Metallic Rouge, an original sci-fi soiree that asks big questions, such as "Do androids dream of eating fancy chocolate bars?"
Signs point to yes.
Bones has done a lot of projects in their quarter-century life-span, a lot of anime fans may recognize their memorable name for their phenomenal adaptions of big manga like Full Metal Alchemist (and their 2nd more faithful to the manga version, Brotherhood) and the sakuga-filled and heartfelt Mob Psycho 100, but this new series, Metallic Rouge is a perfect fit to represent the history of Studio Bones, as they've always been intent on making anime with original concepts and story.
Pinning down a studio "identity" is pretty much a lost cause, especially when you're dealing with one that has longevity and a massive laundry list of artists they've hired and collaborated with. Even a studio like Science Saru, which began with Masaaki Yuasa, has had its edges grow fuzzier in the past decade as it has taken on more projects with more people. That said, BONES' strength—perhaps even its identity—lies in the variety and eclecticism of its oeuvre. No matter what kind of anime fan you are, you've probably enjoyed one of their shows.
Whether you started your anime journey in the 00s as I did, or are a newcomer, BONES has maintained a strong presence in both the anime industry and fandom—achieving popularity with critics and fans alike. It's hard to find studios that are the "best of both worlds" but the story of BONES' success comes together if you examine their willingness to experiment. Back then, I was enraptured by the atmosphere crafted for originals such as Wolf's Rain and Eureka Seven, and now Bones has become a place where unique talents come together and put their signature on things.
One notable friend of the studio would be Cowboy Bebop's chief director Shinichiro Watanabe, who chose Bones as his home for the whacky collaborative creator showcase Space Dandy and later for the Netflix original musically-focused Carole and Tuesday, which Metallic Rouge's Director Motonobu Hori co-directed.
It's a relationship that makes a lot of sense considering BONES' origin as an offshoot of Sunrise (you can read a more detailed history from Kim here:). And to paraphrase Kim, that ambitious ethos behind Cowboy Bebop persisted into BONES—which is evident if you look at their early lineup of projects. Lots of bold original works. One of their first TV anime was RahXephon, one of the more delightfully strange attempts to capture Evangelion's moody mecha lightning in another bottle.
Bones' founders and early key staff were poached from Sunrise's Studio 2, after working on both Cowboy Bebop and The Vision of Escaflowne, producer Minami set off with a vision of producing anime original stories with a small group of trusted people. And who can blame them?! Those are pretty much some of the best anime in history, with lots of details dedicated to art design and setting. Even at the time, it was very rare to get anime with such dedication to immersion. Later, the Bones staff would come back to help with Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, which had a re-showing in North American Theater last month thanks to Anime Expo's "Cinema Nights" project.
BONES were going at a good clip for a long while too—putting out an average of about one new original, non-sequel anime per year in the first decade or so of their existence. These weren't the only anime they were producing, but those numbers alone prove their commitment to that concept. President Minami even joked in a 2013 interview that the early days of the studio could be "chaotic" due to all the ideas flying around. Those guys had fervor.
I totally believe it. It's not easy setting up a small studio, but now Bone's is its own powerhouse. They make several anime projects a year via multiple branch studios marked alphabetically A through E. They have teams dedicated to the production of long-running series like My Hero Academia and Bungo Stray Dogs but others are willing to take on original work. Metallic Rouge is a product of Studio E, which is the youngest and was developed for the Eureka Seven: Hi-Evolution movies. Though, as the studio has grown, they still maintain relationships with many industry veterans, known sakuga animator Yutaka Nakamura comes to mind but also a lot of designers that are harder to come by nowadays. Metallic Rouge's creator Yutaka Izubuchi is most well known for his design work for mecha and monsters—including many iterations of Gundam and Kamen Rider—which is how Metallic Rouge gained it's unmistakably tokusatsu-aesthetic (backed with a badass battle-theme to boot)
Izubuchi was also the original creator of RahXephon, as mentioned earlier—meaning he's been with the studio for a long time That's part of why I was so anticipating Rouge.
Much of the industry is a black box to us lowly consumers but if a studio can retain talent for that long, then it's probably a good indicator that they're doing something right. Another big name I'd throw out there is Takuya Igarashi, who's been with BONES since Ouran High School Host Club in 2006.
Having veterans is an important factor for making great anime because it's always welcome to have people with experience and knowledge when it comes to drawing and keeping on schedule. It's part of why we always look for names we recognize even if producing large scale projects like anime is a dangerous alchemy where nobody knows what shape the final product will look like! Even if I knew most of this information before it aired, I still had no idea what Metallic Rouge would be like until I watched it—and a couple of episodes in there's still a lot up-in-the-air about where the story will go. Let's talk a bit about our experience with this latest series vs our expectations given Bone's reputation.
I like Metallic Rouge quite a bit. Its aesthetic identity, especially its soundtrack, is a fun throwback to the cyberpunk anime heyday of the '90s (which, as we've already detailed, is the primordial soup BONES crawled out of). More than any other descriptor, I'd call it "confident." Even something small, like the typography in these title cards, exudes a commitment to a style realized by people with the know-how to do so. I also don't think Metallic Rouge has fully followed through on its pedigree of confidence and experience yet, but it is still airing, to be fair.
From the get-go, Metallic Rouge has a lot of pastiche that would be familiar to anyone who loves sci-fi stories. There are a lot of story and visual cues from Blade Runner with its sleek night-time futuristic city vibes along with the primary class conflict between humans and the androids known as the "Neans". There's a lot of anime that explores cohabitation between machine lifeforms and humans nowadays, what with the prevalence of AI technology and whatnot, but I think this also makes it difficult to stand out among all the other cyber noir stories we've been getting. It's really hard not to compare some details of the story to a masterpiece like PLUTO or Trigger's neon-flashing Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. I can see why it might be easy to write off Metallic Rouge as another bundle of cyber-clichés, yet I'd argue it's the details and atmosphere that are really what matter in these types of stories.
With that said, with all of Metallic Rouge's gritty influences and themes, watching it feels surprisingly light—and I'd attribute that firstly to the interactions between Rouge and her handler Naomi.
Their chemistry carries the story, so much so that the episode where they have a big fight is the weakest one to date. It's a lot more fun watching them goof off. They even have the kind of silent shorthand that people only develop when they spend a lot of time together. It's good stuff. I hope they smooch.
Not to mention, Naomi, in particular, has a FANTASTIC character design. It's hard to find characters who can match her personality and style. It's choices like these that give the series a modern feel akin to its sister Carole and Tuesday—which is also, at its heart, just about two girls goofing around on an urbanized Mars with the whole subtle futuristic elements of that series.
The soundtrack supports that, both OP and EDs are bangers with plenty of funky retro-synths that give the show a lot of character.
If we're comparing Metallic Rouge to those past anniversary projects, though, it feels the most obtuse, if not most undercooked. Carole & Tuesday's music industry angle was established and riffed on very early into the show. And Space Dandy still stands out as a very singular production that enlisted a huge swathe of talent from areas both inside and outside the anime industry. Space Dandy was this beautiful intersection between the low-brow and high-brow. As a celebratory project, it arguably encompassed the extent of BONES' influence and ambition much better than Metallic Rouge ever can.
Not saying we needed a Space Dandy 2 in 2024. But it is a hell of an act to follow.
If we were to compare to all the outstanding originals Bones has made it's pretty tough competition! Yet, when it comes to originals, I don't need all of them to be the best thing since sliced bread, I just enjoy rooting for them! Choosing to make something new over an established story is adventurous work. For both artists and audiences, doing something new always entails a huge amount of risk. It's much more effort to have to craft a fresh story that'll attract an audience vs relying on an existing story and fanbase, assuming that idea can even get funding.
Yet, not all anime with original stories are successful or good. Even BONES has had its share of flops. There are about a billion things that can go wrong when you're making a story.
I'd also note that their past decade of output has been much heavier on the adaptations and sequels than their first decade. Sure, they've added more subsidiary studios but those studios themselves have experienced less variety. Studio C has been tied up with My Hero Academia since 2017. Studio D has been primarily a Bungo Stray Dogs machine since 2016.
Still dunno How Studio D made time for Sk8: The Infinity between seasons of Bungo Stray Dogs but I'm grateful they did. Watching Utsumi do her thing with Bucchigiri?! reminds me of the fondness I felt for that show. Which was also certainly a daring move given the technical difficulties of drawing skateboard tricks. Yet, another good example of a stunt that paid off. Part of my affection for that show comes from my memory of watching it not knowing what was going to happen and wondering if any of it would stick the landing.
It's not like they ever stopped delivering original bangers. And I can't completely bemoan a studio's success in artfully adapting popular long-running series. But I'm also greedy. I want to see Takuya Igarashi collaborating with Yoji Enokido on stuff that isn't Bungo again. I want to see them do more weird, flawed-yet-charming riffs on Utena + robots as they did with Star Driver (which predated The Witch from Mercury by 12 years, mind you). Even the far messier Captain Earth possesses a certain shine in retrospect.
Meanwhile, I'm over here holding a candle for Concrete Revolutio, talking about a show with a weird concept and a lot of ideas (mostly involving political events of the Showa Era).
That show kicked all kinds of ass. Probably my favorite chewy and sociopolitically charged take on superheroism outside of Gatchaman Crowds.
The obtuse nature of that show likely pushed away most viewers but everyone I know who managed to stick with it agrees that it's very memorable. Last Song in particular showcases a lot of notable guest writers even if I wouldn't call the whole series perfectly executed. Goes to show that making an original appealing isn't just about doing everything flawlessly. If people can remember one or two things about your series years later, that's a form of success. I enjoy it when shows can treat ideas like cooked spaghetti and just toss things at the wall to see what sticks.
I don't remember every episode, but I do remember the one Gen Urobuchi wrote being especially mean and cynical—even for him. And that was the vibe of the whole anime. A great example of what BONES has been capable of.
That's also why I'm willing to give Metallic Rouge some good ole benefit of the doubt, It's not as experimental or weird as some of BONES' other works but that's not to say it's got nothing going on, compared to most anime it's got plenty. I have a hunch it could be keeping some aspects of the story close to the chest but it's fun to see an anime with just a bit of style and good company, regardless of where it shakes out.
It's still cooking. Even if I weren't reviewing Metallic Rouge this season, it would be one I'd be following anyway. It has a solid foundation. You might even say it has good bones. And I hope it's also a declaration of BONES' continued commitment to producing and supporting original projects. They may be riskier prospects than known and popular quantities but they're the lifeblood of the anime industry.
Besides, it's not like all the stigma towards originals is entirely on studios. One of the reasons adaptions and re-boots are believed to be so much "safer" is attributed to consumers' unwillingness to accept new things. Now, I think that's an overgeneralization of human behavior often given by cynical executives but it's the exact reason I try to promote an attitude of optimism and open-mindedness towards originals. The quality of a show doesn't matter if nobody watches it. The first step is to get over that fear of the unknown to be able to engage at all.
Today, we use BONES' history as an assurance of quality, but as we've examined, living studios are about as organic as all the people who compromise them. As a project, Metallic Rouge isn't just about celebrating the BONES we all know and love but also a statement about the future. One day, all the industry veterans will be gone and we'll have to put our faith in the newcomers to keep making art. Think about it, the people making Metallic Rouge today may end up making the great anime of tomorrow!
Co-founder Hideaki Anno's current studio Khara acquires Gainax's trademark― Anime studio Gainax announced on its website on Friday that it filed for bankruptcy in the Tokyo District Court on May 29. The bankruptcy proceedings are happening just short of the studio's 40th anniversary in December. Gainax's Statement In its statement on Friday, Gainax explained that its financial situation worsened sta...
Lynzee slays the Nosferatu Arucard, but isn't sure if she enjoyed the experience.― Welcome back to The Anime Backlog, the column where I chronicle my journey to overcome a backlog of 100+ anime titles. After slaying my behemoth of shame, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, I decided to dive into the quintessential dark and edgy series of the aughts, Hellsing Ultimate. Hellsing Ultimate Why Is It Impo...
Synduality: Noir perhaps ends up better than other video game tie-in series, but in the larger mecha genre, it's still an also-ran.― This second cour started as a big fat question mark. While the first half of Synduality: Noir had occasional drama, most of its runtime was all about chilling with its extended cast as they got into cool robot fights. While that lent the show a lot of charm, it meant t...
Before Summer Game Fest truly kicks off, Jean-Karlo checks out the upcoming Yakuza TV series news and Gen Urobutchi's deceptively cute rabbit puzzler.― Welcome back, folks! In honor of the Astro Bot announcement, I spent some time playing Astro's Playhouse over the weekend. It's a cute tech demo disguised as a platformer, helped by Astro being an adorable little mascot. The historical angle of colle...
Anti-hero or villain? Scar and Magneto present evidence for either interpretation.― X-Men' 97 has now concluded its stunning first season, and those ten episodes highlighted the best and worst of Magneto — a man who's been both the X-Men's nemesis and leader. Introduced at the very beginning of X-Men in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's 1963 debut issue, the "Master of Magnetism" has changed a lot in his s...
Da-iCE performs 'Story' opening, Boku ga Mitekatta Aozora performs 'Tomo yo, Koko de Sayonara da' ending― The staff for the television anime of Hiro Mashima and Atsuo Ueda's Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest sequel manga began streaming the anime's main promotional video on Friday. The video announces and previews the opening theme song "Story" by Da-iCE. The staff also announced that the idol group Boku ...
Netflix streams series by director Christophe Ferreira with song by Joe Hisaishi― Netflix announced on Friday that it will exclusively stream Qubic Pictures and Orange's anime series of Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan novel series worldwide in 2025. Christophe Ferreira (Eden designs) is directing, and Joe Hisaishi is contributing an original song. The story begins in 1914 on the eve of war, when a prin...
Sound Euphonium 3 is now the top anime both in weekly and cumulative rankings! Find out how your favorite shows fared in our weekly user rankings.― Let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season,
based on the polls you can find in our Daily Streaming Reviews
and on the Your Score page with the latest simulcasts. Keep in mind that these rankings are based on how pe...
Chris and Steve make the highly questionable decision of watching all of Code Geass in 48 hours. Is the series just as good as it was nearly two decades ago?― Chris and Steve make the highly questionable decision of watching all of Code Geass in 48 hours. Is the series just as good as it was nearly two decades ago? Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are...
Unfortunately, Kengan Ashura isn't dumb fun often enough to be enjoyable, and its politics make it a slog to get through.― The back half of season one of Kengan Ashura — confusingly labeled "Part II" on Netflix and with episode numbers that reset to 1 through 12 — is better than the first part of the season. Unfortunately, that isn't saying much, as this martial arts anime opens with an incredibly w...
Pierrot Films to animate new season― The official website for the Mr. Osomatsu anime revealed on Thursday that the anime is getting a fourth season. Pierrot Films is animating the series. The main six cast members of the Matsuno sextuplets are returning. The Mr. Osomatsu television anime was inspired by Fujio Akatsuka's original Osomatsu-kun manga and "high tension comedy" TV anime, which centers on...
Lynzee and James welcome Richard Eisenbeis onto the podcast to discuss the first episode of the weird sci-fi series Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction!― Why You Should Watch Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction Lynzee and James welcome Richard Eisenbeis onto the podcast to discuss the first episode of the weird sci-fi series Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction, plus NEW revelations in Yata...
The best and worst thing I can say about Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf is that it feels like an 80s movie.― The best and worst thing I can say about Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf is that it feels like an 80s movie. This track as this anime is an adaptation of the quietly seminal Garōden martial arts novels written by Baku Yumemakura, the first of which premiered in 1985. If you like shows ...
From Aqua to Yunyun, we tried all the KONOSUBA drinks at The Hub to find the most delicious!― If there's one thing many adults worldwide enjoy doing, it's getting an alcoholic beverage with some friends. Be they beers, ales, spirits, wines, cocktails, among other beverages, adults have their drinks of choice. And one of the best places to enjoy your drink is your local pub or bar. In Japan, though, ...
Mysterious Disappearances' first volume probably won't blow you away. But how it plays with urban legend and classic Japanese literature hopefully hints at more interesting usages to come.― What does the original manga version of Mysterious Disappearances offer that the anime does not? Nipples. Specifically, Sumireko's nipples, in both adult and child forms. (Notably, in her youngest form, they're l...
We're taking the age-old argument and updating it for the simulcast era! Is getting a dub now a mark of an anime's overall quality? Are sub-only fans gatekeeping?― We're taking the age-old argument and updating it for the simulcast era! Is getting a dub now a mark of an anime's overall quality? Are sub-only fans gatekeeping? Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this c...