''Btooom!'' (stylized as ''BTOOOM!'') is a Japanese
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series written and illustrated by
Junya Inoue
is a Japanese manga artist. He is also known by the name ''Joker Jun''. In 1991 he replied to a recruitment ad for Toaplan. Along with some other staff Inoue was transferred to Gazelle before he left to join Cave, where he worked as character an ...
. It was serialized in
Shinchosha
is a publisher founded in 1896 in Japan and headquartered in Yaraichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Shinchosha is one of the sponsors of the Japan Fantasy Novel Award.
Books
* Haruki Murakami: '' Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'' (19 ...
's ''
seinen
is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word ''seinen'' literally means "youth", but the term "''seinen'' manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like '' Weekly Ma ...
'' manga magazine ''
Comic Bunch
is a Japanese manga anthology marketed to a ''seinen'' audience that was edited by Coamix and published weekly by Shinchosha from 2001 throughout 2010 and became monthly since 2011. The collected editions of their titles are published under th ...
'', where it ran from 2009 until 2018, with its chapters collected into 26 ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes. ''Btooom!'' follows the adventures of Ryōta Sakamoto, an unemployed and isolated young man who is one of the world's top players in the titular video game. After Ryōta is nominated to participate in the real-life version of the game, he becomes trapped inside it and meets his love interest Himiko, who was his in-game wife. With the help of their fellow players, Ryōta and Himiko must find a way to return home.
An
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
adaptation covering the first 50 chapters of the manga was produced by
Madhouse and aired in Japan on
Tokyo MX
JOMX-DTV, branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon TV, TV Asahi, NH ...
from October 4 to December 20, 2012 and was streamed with English subtitles by
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...
.
The manga series was licensed for an English-language release in North America by
Yen Press
Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published '' Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
. The anime series has been licensed by
Sentai Filmworks
Sentai Filmworks, LLC or just Sentai, is an American entertainment company owned by AMC Networks. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is S ...
for an English-language release in North America.
Plot
Ryōta Sakamoto is an unemployed 22-year-old young man who lives with his mother Yukie. He is one of the world's top players of the combat video game called ''Btooom!''
One day, he awakes in what appears to be a tropical island, though he does not remember how or why he has been transported there. While wandering around, Ryōta sees someone and calls out for help. The stranger responds by throwing a bomb at him. Ryōta soon realizes that his life is in danger and that he has somehow been
trapped in a real-life version of his favorite game. In the game Ryōta meets Himiko, who is another ''Btooom!'' player — and Ryōta's in-game wife.
As the series progresses during Iida's investigation with the government agents like Matthew Percier, along with the help from Ryōta's step-father and step-uncle Hisanobu and Mitamura, it is revealed that the developer of ''Btooom!'', Tyrannos Japan, has been associated with the Illuminati-like organization called Schwaritz Foundation, led by Longer Schwart, who is none other than Himiko's biological father, in an attempt to use the players as their test subjects for Project Themis to conquer the entire world through the domination of the virtual world and getting rid of the evidence of their exposed crimes they are currently committing.
It also contains two separate endings on Chapter 121, a good ending, and a bad ending. In the good ending, Ryōta survives and together planning a marriage with Himiko while in the bad ending, Ryōta perishes to sacrifice himself for Himiko and the remaining players to survive the game. Both endings contain the same event after the game in which the victors are called to the HQ of Tyrannos for a victory ceremony and 10,000,000 yen worth reward for each players. Himiko eventually met her father and he reveals her true heritage and implores her to rule the world from shadow alongside him and her chosen half-siblings. Disgusted with her father's action in creating the death game and causing misery and death throughout the world, Himiko detonates the gas bomb, which she hid after making back to the mainland, killing her father and ending his organization for good.
Characters
Main characters
;
:
:Ryota is a hikikomori, who was forced to play the game after his mother consented.
; /
:
:Himiko is a high school girl who is also ''Btooom!'' player and was Ryōta's in-game wife, though they did not notice this at first. Her real name is Emilia and she is a biological daughter of Lord Longer Schwart, the main antagonist of the series and leader of the Schwart Foundation.
Opponents
;
:
:Kōsuke Kira is one of the ''Btooom!'' players. He is believed to be a three-star player in the world of ''Btooom!''. He was with his father and attorney on the game, until he killed his own father. A yangire, he was arrested for rape and multiple murder. He was sentenced lightly.
;
:
:Oda is portrayed to be one of the most dangerous ''Btooom!'' players. He was once Ryota's friend back in high school, until a recent incident caused them to be expelled.
;
:Ken'ya Uesugi is one of the ''Btooom!'' players.
;
:Kaguya is one of the ''Btooom!'' players.
;
:
:Masashi was a ''Btooom!'' player and a war veteran. Dislikes using his BIM, preferring to use his knife. Dies after being exploded using Natsume's BIM, and exposed to a corrosive BIM.
;
:
:Masahito was a doctor who worked at the same hospital as Shiki Murasaki. He blamed her for his failure, and played her feelings while on the island.
;
:
:Kiyoshi is one of the ''Btooom!'' players who speaks in the
Kansai dialect
The is a group of Japanese dialects in the Kansai region (Kinki region) of Japan. In Japanese, is the common name and it is called in technical terms. The dialects of Kyoto and Osaka are known as , and were particularly referred to as suc ...
. An old man, he initially aligned himself with Ryota.
;
:
:Hidemi is a selfish and frivolous ''Btooom!'' player who joins forces with Nobutaka until he abandons her.
;
:
:Yoshiaki was a ''Btooom!'' player, who was killed by Ryōta after trying to chase and corner him.
;
:
:Kōsuke's lawyer. Soichi has a large forehead and a fair amount of wrinkles. Suffers from drug addiction. Dies when Sakamoto thrown a BIM on him.
;
:
:Yoshihisa was one of the Btooom! players and the father of Kōsuke Kira who he abused, only to be killed by his son.
;
:
:Mitsuo is one of the ''Btooom!'' players. He tried to rape Himiko, which made the latter kill him.
Other characters
;
:
:A player from the previous round of ''Btooom!'', a year and a half prior to the start of the series and a former associate of Masahito. She lost her arm and lived off the island.
;
:
:Kondō is one of the ''Btooom!'' players who constantly spoke his mind and argued with Masashi Miyamoto. Killed by Masashi by slitting his throat.
;
:
:Misako was a ''Btooom!'' player. She was killed by Nobutaka Oda.
;
:
:A former senpai of Ryōta's who works in Tyrannos Japan.
;
:
: Ryōta's mother. Committed suicide after she sold her own son. Depressed due to her own son's NEET habits, and her partner's company is bankrupt.
;
:
: Ryōta's stepfather. He learnt that his partner sold her own son and committed suicide, just to give him money.
;
:
: A young man Himiko knew and trusted. He was part of a band and convinced Himiko to introduce her friends to them, raping them.
;
:
: Formerly the best friend of Himiko. She betrayed Himiko for the money, and she was raped by the group.
;
:
: Formerly a friend of Himiko. Betrayed Himiko for money, and her abandoning them.
;
:
: Formerly a friend of Himiko. Betrayed Himiko for money, and her abandonment of them.
;
: A government agent who helps Ryota to expose the dark secret behind Tyrannos Japan's Btooom! "beta test", then led an operation to rescue him along with other remaining Btooom! survivors on behalf of Iida and Hisanobu.
Media
Manga
Junya Inoue began publishing ''Btooom!'' in
Shinchosha
is a publisher founded in 1896 in Japan and headquartered in Yaraichō, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Shinchosha is one of the sponsors of the Japan Fantasy Novel Award.
Books
* Haruki Murakami: '' Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World'' (19 ...
's weekly magazine ''
Comic Bunch
is a Japanese manga anthology marketed to a ''seinen'' audience that was edited by Coamix and published weekly by Shinchosha from 2001 throughout 2010 and became monthly since 2011. The collected editions of their titles are published under th ...
'' in 2009. ''Comic Bunch'' ceased publication on August 27, 2010, but returned on January 21, 2011 as a monthly magazine.
It was announced in the May 2014 issue of ''Comic Bunch'', released on March 20, that the manga would enter its final arc in the June issue, released on April 21, 2014. Inoue revealed on Twitter that the series will end with the release of its 26th volume, publishing its final chapter in the May issue of ''Bunch'' in March 2018. In an unusual twist, the author made two unique endings, providing "the dark" and "the light" versions of the ending, so that the readers are able to choose what protagonist Ryota Sakamoto will do at a pivotal point in the manga's story.
The series is published in ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' form by Shinchosha,
and has been licensed for release in North America by
Yen Press
Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published '' Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...
, who released it between February 2013 and August 2018.
''Btooom! U-18''
With the ''Btooom!'' manga ending in 2018, a manga spin-off called ''Btooom! U-18'' was announced in February 2018.
The spin-off is written by Hiroki Ito, who is known for ''
Ouroboros
The ouroboros or uroboros () is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The ouroboros entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition. It was adopted as a symbol in Gnost ...
'' and ''Impossibility Defense'' (''Funouhan'').
The new manga is a prequel to the main story and launched in the same magazine issue that featured the original manga's light ending.
Volume list
The series has been collected into twenty-six ''tankōbon'' volumes as of August 2018. All twenty-six volumes have been published in English, with the final volume published in April 2020.
The final chapter was released on March 20, 2018, and the final volume was released on August 9, 2018.
Anime
In June 2012, it was announced that the manga will be adapted into an anime television series by Madhouse, director Kotono Watanabe, and scriptwriter Yōsuke Kuroda.
The 12-episode series premiered in Japan on Tokyo MX from October 4 to December 20, 2012 and was streamed with English subtitles by Crunchyroll in North America, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and South Africa.
The anime has been licensed for a 2013 home video release by Sentai Filmworks in North America.
The opening theme song is "No pain, No game" by
Nano and the closing theme song is "Aozora" (アオゾラ) by
May'n
, better known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer from Nagoya. Aspiring to become a musician since childhood, she began her music activities in 2003 upon passing an audition held by talent agency Horipro International. She made her major de ...
. The anime covers the first 50 chapters of the manga (up to Volume 9).
At the beginning of November 2019, the company
Televisa
Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content.
In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...
through
BitMe
Bitme (stylized as bitMe) is a Latin American subscription television channel, of Mexican origin, owned by TelevisaUnivision
TelevisaUnivision (formerly known as Univision Communications) is a Mexican-American media company headquartered in New ...
announced the premiere of 3 new series to its program bar, Among those series was ''Btooom'', the same series was released on November 28, 2019 being dubbed 12 episodes in Latin Spanish and distributed by its video game channel and anime bitme by a large part of South America.
Game
In late February 2017, the ''BTOOOM!'' game produced by Masato Hayashi was launched and immediately shot to the top of the charts for free game apps. Despite early success, the game stayed in Japan's top five only for several weeks, and by April 2017 ''Goboiano'' reported that the app had “fallen below the top 50”. The game was last updated in July 2017 and never received an English port for Android and iOS/iPhone.
Also called ''Btooom Online'', originally developed in 2016, it was a
battle royale game
A battle royale game is an online multiplayer video game genre that blends last-man-standing gameplay with the survival, exploration and scavenging elements of a survival game. Battle royale games involve dozens to hundreds of players, who st ...
, predating ''
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
''PUBG: Battlegrounds'' (previously known as ''PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds'') is a battle royale game developed by PUBG Studios and published by Krafton. The game, which was inspired by the Japanese film '' Battle Royale'' (2000), is based ...
'' and ''
Fortnite
''Fortnite'' is an online video game developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in three distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: ''Fortnite Battle Royale'', a free-to- ...
''. The original ''BTOOOM!'' manga itself also features a fictional battle royale video game. The manga was in turn inspired by the 2000
Japanese film
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world; as of 2021, it was the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. In 2011 Japan produced 411 feature films that ea ...
''
Battle Royale''.
Reception
Theron Martin from ANN reviewed the first few episodes by making comparisons with ''Sword Art Online'' which has similar plot theme but differs in style and takes a "darker, grittier, and entirely more visceral approach" as well as displaying combat "ingenuity" rather than SAO's "powermongering approach". Despite the similarities, Btooom! has fairly typical weaponry that produces "a novel twist which dramatically shapes the strategic moves of the players in interesting ways" and the character choices that sway the audience's impressions of them. Overall, he praised the consistency of thrilling action scenes, the efforts on developing the protagonist and its effective dramatic, intense moments.
Even though the anime series became popular internationally, the ''BTOOOM!'' Blu-ray/DVD discs only sold 338 copies in Japan.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Madhouse
2012 anime television series debuts
Action anime and manga
Anime series based on manga
Battle royale anime and manga
Battle royale games
Fiction about death games
Fiction with alternate endings
Madhouse (company)
Seinen manga
Sentai Filmworks
Shinchosha manga
Television shows written by Yōsuke Kuroda
Yen Press titles