Eternal Boys

mechas Dec 24, 2022

7

We like to bully our favorite anime men. If you and your friends are like that too, watch this.Eternal Boys is the funniest thing I've ever laid my eyes on--and by that I do mean it in an "I love this" way, but the pacing is so hilariously BAD. Me and my friend watched all the episodes currently out together and it was just WHIPLASH TWIST AFTER WHIPLASH TWIST AFTER HILARIOUSLY PREDICTABLE OUTCOME. Also they popped their pussies at the local Publix. Yes. There is an episode where they perform at a grocery store. Like... It doesn't really feel like there's any sort of genuinely paced plot going on. Stuff kind of happens randomly, you get full character backstory episodes out of nowhere just cutting into the main plot. It's difficult to follow sometimes. Great example: out of the blue one of the characters changes their hair color with maybe two seconds of context from a previous episode for the viewer to understand, so for an episode straight you're sat there wondering WHERE DID HE GO?! Until it finally clicks. Although that character is arguably the worst, like you'll absolutely hate him. So maybe you'll sit there in bliss assuming he's dead like we did. Ignoring all of...that, I'm the slice of life guy. The minute characters are written like I'm peeking in on their personal life I foam at the mouth. It's fun watching them all interact in the episodes they're together. The characters actually function as a group in every episode, instead of just "being together" but interacting as pairs and not a team. They all intertwine really well. I love that. Overall? 7/10. If you need investment you won't care for this, but if you like to kick back and laugh at pretty guys clowning themselves, this is your show.

DGFischer Jun 5, 2023

9

The premise that drives Eternal Boys makes it a unique contribution to the idol genre.  There are aspects that suggest that EB could go beyond its first season run, and equal clues that point out that the theme has been resolved and there is no more need for a second season (I could go for an OVA, but what the six-man idol group needed to achieve was achieved ... nix to season two). For the persona of this idol group runs counter to everything this tribute to the performance arts.  The Eternal Boys group is made up of middle-aged men.  The other idol groups in the series are more appropriate to the genre.  Gentlemen is a five-man troupe that has lasted for years, while Story of Love (StoLov) is the typical new group of late teens looking forward to a lengthy career.  Eternal Boys is the invention of Manpuku Talent Productions, an agency that is waning and looking for one more gimmick to sustain it.  An idol group composed of men deemed  'over the hill' ... why not? The six men of Eternal Boys are in transitions in their lives.  Kentaro Sanada was gainfully employed at the same company until bankruptcy put him out of work.  His visit to Manpuku was a chaotic mess, thinking he was applying for another job.  The fluke that Manpuku Productions and Kentaro were born on the same day gets Kentaro the singing gig.  Naoki Ishida is a teacher who encouraged a student to pursue the career of being an idol and had a secret fan ship with the lead singer of Gentlemen.  Tsuyoshi Imagawa was a success as a child actor but has since dropped out of sight ... something Tsuyoshi has been fighting (always wanting to be the center of attention).  Haru Asai is a former soccer player who is getting use of life away from the pitch (and he's a secret dad).  Makoto Kazizaki is a former gigolo who has always been looking out for his mother, and others whose lives he touched in his gracious way.  He knows he can cover the idol stich but assigns himself as group manager.  He replaces himself with Nicholai Asakura, a hulky, socially inept sort who was one of those helped by Makoto.  The last member is Daisuke Yamanaka who works for Manpuku and is the contact man for the group and its handlers.  The diversity of personalities is the key to enjoying Eternal Boys.  Who do these guys hold together? The episodes interlace backstories for each member with the daily life of training for the stage.  The rigors make much for the comic element, as the physically fit Haru and Nicholai thrives while the sedate white-collar Kentaro and the pudgy Tsuyoshi despises jogging.  The intricacies of the idol business with the probabilities of success for some means giving the extra effort for Eternal Boys, being way off the radar for the usual fan base. The animation saves itself for the stage, particularly the final Budokan performance which will determine if Eternal Boys can survive the competition.  The color scheme used seemed to follow the sensibilities of the middle aged male.  Nothing flashy (other than Tsuyoshi's attempts to be 'noticed' ... pitiful!).  But the stage brings out the contrast of black and white, the stage lights sweeping the performers who are tightly choreographed (part of the humor was getting Kentaro is get in sync with his bandmates).  The music that wove through the twenty-four 15-minute sets slide toward the softer, smoother. Being of that 'over the hill' demographic, I loved the situational humor of people who had no reason to be in the business to explore their individual inclinations and try to make the unworkable work.  Bravo, geezers everywhere!