Ben-To - Reviews

Story: 7/10 Ben-To takes a unique and comical premise—high school students battling for half-priced bento meals—and turns it into an entertaining and action-packed series. The story follows Sato, an ordinary student who gets drawn into the world of bento brawls. While the concept may seem bizarre, it's executed well with a blend of humor, action, and character development. The episodic nature of the series keeps it fresh, but it occasionally lacks deeper storytelling.

Animation: 8/10 The animation quality in Ben-To is a standout feature. The fight sequences are well-choreographed and visually engaging, making good use of the show's martial arts theme. Character designs are distinctive, and the action scenes are fluid and dynamic. The animation effectively captures the intensity of the bento battles and complements the series' comedic and action elements.

Sound: 7/10 Sound plays a vital role in conveying the energy of the battles in Ben-To. The background music, while not particularly memorable, enhances the action scenes. Voice acting is solid, with characters expressing their personalities effectively. The sound effects during the fights contribute to the excitement, creating an immersive experience.

Characters: 7/10 The characters in Ben-To are a diverse and amusing bunch. Sato, the protagonist, undergoes character development as he becomes more involved in the bento battles. Other characters, like the "Ice Witch" and "Wizard," bring unique fighting styles and quirks to the table. While character development is limited due to the episodic nature of the series, their interactions and comedic moments make them enjoyable to watch.

Overall: 7/10 Ben-To is a series that takes an unconventional concept and turns it into an action-packed and humorous adventure. Its unique premise, combined with well-executed animation and engaging fight scenes, makes it an entertaining watch. While the story may lack depth at times, the comedic elements and memorable characters more than compensate for it. If you're looking for a fun and lighthearted series with martial arts battles and a touch of absurdity, Ben-To is worth a try, earning it an overall score of 7/10.

This is an excellent example of how to do a simple little concept so perfectly. It does require some anime fan level suspension of disbelief but once you get past the silly concept you realize just how excellent the show really is. 

This anime is great! It combines food with fighting perfectly! It was fun to watch visually and the story line was really entertaining. I highly recommend it. 

Story 3/10

As a “fighting” anime, this is where Ben-To predictably falls flat. There is vey little plot progression to speak of until the last 2 episodes when it’s suddenly pushed upon the viewer in a drawn-out flashback. For the rest of the time, it just seems to go from one “Ben-To brawl” to another each episode, which are fun, but do hardly anything to aid the overall story.

Going into further into what little details I can, Ben-To has got to have one of the most ridiculous plot devices I have ever come across in an anime. It is centred on a whole fighting “league” of sorts whose participants beat the living daylights out of their fellow man for half-priced Bento lunchboxes at their local grocery shop. The most skilled fighters earn nicknames, to which our “hero” eventually earns. That being said, I actually like it because of how absurd it is, but I can’t ignore that it is rather shallow as well.

My biggest issue with the story is the plot-hole which I discovered soon after watching the last episode. These brawls are for half-priced food, not free food. I am fully aware of the situation many students find themselves in concerning finances (being one myself), but if they want this food that badly and are able to pay for it at half-price, surely they could just save up and wait until the next day and buy it for full price without receiving hospital-worthy injuries to boot? But then we wouldn’t have an anime and I’m just being picky.

Animation 8/10

This is easily Ben-To’s strongest aspect. Although most of the time the animation is nothing to write home about, the fight scenes are very well choreographed and animated. I often find myself coming back to Ben-To just for the fight sequences because they are simply entertaining to watch, especially the later ones. The animation won’t blow your mind, but its clear that all of the effort went into the combat.

Sound 7/10

Let me just state one thing… I LOVE THE BEN-TO OPENING.

Right, now that’s out the way, time to talk about the soundtrack. It’s pretty decent stuff, the main fight theme (I Gotta Turn it On) is damn catchy and when it starts to play, you know people are going to get their faces punched inward very soon. The rest does it's job admirably enough, but obviously doesn’t stand out as much as the fighting tracks.

Characters 5/10

Most of the main cast are fleshed out well enough – well enough for a fighting anime that is (especially Ayame – if you know what I mean). The supporting cast however are either boring or completely insane, with good examples being Ume or the random bloke with a battery (don’t ask).

Overall 7/10

In conclusion, Ben-To is a short, entertaining anime with some good fight choreography. Just don’t expect a soul-searching or deep justification for the fighting, unless you really like half-priced food.