Sonny Boy

Thirty-six students find themselves and their school building suddenly adrift in a void-like dimension. When supernatural powers awaken in some of them, a sense of detachment begins to divide the group. Despite the student council's attempts to impose order, they clash with the students possessing special abilities, who rebel against their strict control.

This conflict leads them to discover that this world has its own set of rules—and following them is necessary for survival. After one of the students decides to take a leap of faith, the school switches dimensions once again. While they deal with the unique challenges and circumstances that each world presents, the students must unravel the mysterious phenomenon and find a way back home.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Mizuho Main

Yuuki, Aoi Japanese

Nagara Main

Ichikawa, Aoi Japanese

Nozomi Main

Oonishi, Saori Japanese

Asakaze Main

Kobayashi, Chiaki Japanese

Rajdhani Supporting

Gotou, Hiroki Japanese

Yamabiko Supporting

Tsuda, Kenjirou Japanese

Hoshi Supporting

Naitou, Ami Japanese

Kodama Supporting

Taketatsu, Ayana Japanese

Cap Supporting

Ueda, Youji Japanese

War Supporting

Yusa, Kouji Japanese

Watanabe, Shinichirou Producer

Cook, Justin Producer

Fukushi, Yuuichirou Producer

Matsui, Yuuko Producer

Reviews

Apr 13, 2025

azrena

Recommended

Sonny Boy is very interesting to say the least. It made me think, and made me feel lots of different emotions.

There quite a lot of people I've seen saying you need patience to watch this but personally I enjoyed sitting through every episode and never thought it dragged or was boring. It is slower paced but that's not a bad thing at all. There's a lot of things left ambiguous and loose ends that the series could've explored more but it tells the story it needs to and then it ends.

The art and animation is gorgeous. Very reminiscent of anime from the 2000s. The backgrounds ... are stunning and, from what I've read, hand painted. The colours are dynamic and visually interesting. The story is also pretty simplistic imo. The OST is amazing as well and fits the show perfectly.

There are many characters in Sonny Boy but the focus stays on the main cast. The side characters only show up when they need to. I like that they aren't shoved into random scenes with no purpose. Handling a big cast can be hard but Don't Boy does it well. The side characters with bigger roles are all memorable and distinct. The main characters are all unique in their own ways and fun to watch :)

Overall it's a fantastically weird fever dream of a show that might make no sense to some while heavily resonating with others. I think it's worth the watch.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Apr 16, 2025

Kyou_Ryuu

Mixed Feelings

Ambitious, but it's a hit-and-miss.

The story isn't bad, it actually has an interesting premise, good characters and the storytelling is original, almost avant-garde. But there's a reason why tropes and existing writing strategies work. If you are going to reject them you need to be damn sure yours are working too... which isn't always the case in this show.

Credit's due when it's due, this series does 3 things incredibly well.

The first is visuals. It's Madhouse after all. The animation is excellent, especially in the more abstract sequences, but it's always way above seasonal average. The character design is simple and realistic, which is a breath ... of fresh air in a media dominated by moe characters on one side and shonen stereotypes on the other. And finally, the background art: striking, sometimes awe-inspiring. Really, this whole show is an amazing eye-candy.

The second thing this show does well is characterisation. We have 1 protagonists and 2-4 co-protagonists plus a plethora of side characters, and they are realistic and well defined without a single internal monologue throughout the story, and without using any of the usual tropes you find in animes. All the characterisation is shown through expressions and actions, it's very cinematic. It's actually a masterpiece in that sense. Almost no series I watched can compare to it in this aspect. You can find something similar in anime movies sometimes, but it's the exception, not the rule.

The third thing this show does well is making you "feel" the story. This show raises questions, but doesn't give you answers. You have to find them by emotionally connecting with the characters and with what happens to them. And of course this means that every person will find different answers... or no answers at all.

And here is where all the issue of the series lie. It's not a story, it's more like a fever dream. It doesn't have a clear direction, and for that reason it might be extremely frustrating to watch if you're not in the right mood. Characters grow but the plot doesn't follow any progression. And, most important (for me at least), we don't get closure for most character arcs. I'm not saying that we get an "open-ended closure", as usual in many Japanese media. No. I mean, no closure at all. Threads are simply left dangling and forgotten. Premises and developments don't get any payoff. The only character that gets a proper closure is the MC, Nagara. Mizuho and Rajdhani get an underwhelming one. Nozomi gets an open-ended, bittersweet one. The rest of the cast is simply forgotten. And we are not talking about small fries: Asakaze is probably the most important one, being the foil for the protagonist and acting sometimes as antagonist, but we also have Yamabiko, Hoshi, Cap, Aki-sensei. The latter is the "villain" for half of the series, and yet she just disappears for no reason in the last 2 episodes.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
A very polarising series. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, unless I knew their tastes extremely well. If you like abstract art and avant-garde storytelling, then you'll probably love it. You'll also love it if you're more of a "feeler" instead of a "thinker".
It's definitely worth watching because it's one-of-a-kind, but it doesn't mean you'll enjoy it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jan 27, 2025

SpaceBeebop

Not Recommended

Funny

The worst anime I have ever seen in my life. The anime never had coherence, the events are a joke in very bad taste.
At the end of the anime I felt sad, frustrated. They played with my feelings throughout the anime, until you see that ending.
an anime, disturbing and dull and meaningless, left me with a very, very bad taste. If possible I would give it a 0 rating, I doubt that another anime can dethrone this piece of .....

It doesn't make any sense at all. unforgivable, unforgivable
I find it difficult to write this, using soft words and terms. since it would deserve the ... harshest terms but anyway.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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	Poll: Sonny Boy Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Jamk_ - Jun 18, 2021	280 replies	by spoonlethal »» Mar 31, 5:08 PM
	Poll: Sonny Boy Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Aug 5, 2021	169 replies	by INoLuv »» Feb 26, 12:47 PM
	Poll: Sonny Boy Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Sep 30, 2021	304 replies	by MatheusSxF_ »» Jan 1, 5:05 PM
	Poll: Sonny Boy Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Sep 23, 2021	117 replies	by Kazuko_675 »» Dec 29, 2024 3:25 AM
	Poll: Sonny Boy Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Jul 22, 2021	163 replies	by caslloveer »» Dec 25, 2024 9:49 AM