Sonny Boy (TV series)

Sonny Boy is an original Japanese anime television series animated by Madhouse and written and directed by Shingo Natsume. The series aired from July to October 2021.

Sonny Boy
Key visual of Sonny Boy
GenreScience fiction, survival [1]
Created byShingo Natsume
Anime television series
Directed byShingo Natsume
Produced by
  • Motoki Mukaichi
  • Isao Ishikawa
  • Jitsurou Kikuchi
  • Kensaku Wada
  • Yuuko Matsui
  • Ayuri Taguchi
Written byShingo Natsume
Music byVarious[lower-alpha 1]
StudioMadhouse
Licensed byFunimation
Original networkTokyo MX, KBS, SUN, BS Asahi, RAB
Original run July 16, 2021 – October 1, 2021
Episodes12

Plot

Midway through a seemingly endless day of summer vacation, third-year middle school student Nagara and his class, along with transfer student Nozomi and the aloof and mysterious Mizuho, are suddenly transported to an alternate dimension. The group calls the new dimension "This World", and finds it has its own set of rules and physics. Over time, while trying to get back home, they realize that they have individual supernatural abilities, but also find it difficult to navigate their own interpersonal relationships.

The class later splits into two groups due to internal conflicts. As both the groups continue journeying to find their way back home, they discover many other students who have spent thousands of years in other "This Worlds".

Characters
Nagara (長良)
Voiced by: Aoi Ichikawa[2] (Japanese); Derick Snow[3] (English)
Nozomi (希)
Voiced by: Saori Ōnishi[2] (Japanese); Luci Christian[3] (English)
Mizuho (瑞穂)
Voiced by: Aoi Yūki[2] (Japanese); Tia Ballard[3] (English)
Asakaze (朝風)
Voiced by: Chiaki Kobayashi[2] (Japanese); Daman Mills[3] (English)
Rajdhani (ラジダニ, Rajidani)
Voiced by: Hiroki Gotō[4] (Japanese); Siddhartha Minhas[3] (English)
Hoshi (明星)
Voiced by: Ami Naitō[4] (Japanese); Ry McKeand[3] (English)
Pony (ポニー, Ponī)
Voiced by: Hana Sato[4] (Japanese); Lauren Landa[3] (English)
Cap (キャップ, Kyappu)
Voiced by: Yōji Ueda[4] (Japanese); Patrick Seitz[3] (English)
Hayato (はやと)
Voiced by: Shōta Yamamoto[4] (Japanese); David Matranga[3] (English)
Shanghai (上海, Shanhai)
Voiced by: Kana Ogino[4]

Production and release

The anime television series was announced on April 28, 2021. The series was animated by Madhouse and written and directed by Shingo Natsume, with original character designs provided by Hisashi Eguchi and Norifumi Kugai adapting the designs for animation. The series aired from July 16 to October 1, 2021 on Tokyo MX and other channels.[5][2][lower-alpha 2] Ging Nang Boyz performed the series' theme song "Shōnen Shōjo".[1] The first episode was given an early premiere on June 19, 2021.[7] The series is licensed outside of Asia by Funimation.[8] Medialink licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia and streamed it in their YouTube channel.[9]

On September 14, 2021, Funimation announced the series would receive an English dub, which premiered on September 16.[3]

Episode list
No.Title [10][lower-alpha 3]Directed by [10]Written by [10]Storyboarded by [10]Original air date [12][lower-alpha 2]
1"The Island at the Far End of Summer"
Transcription: "Natsu no Hate no Shima" (Japanese: 夏の果ての島)		Shingo NatsumeShingo NatsumeShingo NatsumeJuly 16, 2021 (2021-07-16)[lower-alpha 4]
2"Aliens"
Transcription: "Eirianzu" (Japanese: エイリアンズ)		Tomoya KitagawaShingo NatsumeShingo NatsumeJuly 23, 2021 (2021-07-23)
3"The Cat Who Wore Sandals"
Transcription: "Geta o Haita Neko" (Japanese: 下駄を履いたネコ)		Keiichirō SaitōShingo NatsumeKeiichirō SaitōJuly 30, 2021 (2021-07-30)
4"The Great Monkey Baseball"
Transcription: "Idainaru Monkī Bēsubōru" (Japanese: 偉大なるモンキー・ベースボール)		Imu GahiShingo NatsumeYoshiaki KawajiriAugust 6, 2021 (2021-08-06)
5"Leaping Classrooms"
Transcription: "Tobu Kyōshitsu" (Japanese: 跳ぶ教室)		Rei IshikuraShingo NatsumeShingo NatsumeAugust 13, 2021 (2021-08-13)
6"The Long Goodbye"
Transcription: "Nagai Sayonara" (Japanese: 長いさよなら)		Tomoya KitagawaShingo NatsumeShingo NatsumeAugust 20, 2021 (2021-08-20)
7"Road Book"
Transcription: "Rōdo Bukku" (Japanese: ロード・ブック)		Kento MatsuiShingo NatsumeYoshiaki KawajiriAugust 27, 2021 (2021-08-27)
8"Laughing Dog"
Transcription: "Warai Inu" (Japanese: 笑い犬)		Keiichirō SaitōShingo NatsumeKeiichirō SaitōSeptember 3, 2021 (2021-09-03)
9"This Salmon Chazuke Is Missing Its Salmon Nya"
Transcription: "Kono Sake Chazuke, Sake Wasureteru Nya" (Japanese: この鮭茶漬け、鮭忘れてるニャ)		Atsushi KashiwaShingo NatsumeKeisuke KojimaSeptember 10, 2021 (2021-09-10)
10"Summer and the Demon"
Transcription: "Natsu to Shura" (Japanese: 夏と修羅)		Tomoya Kitagawa
Kento Matsui		Shingo NatsumeShingo NatsumeSeptember 17, 2021 (2021-09-17)
11"The Young Man and the Sea"
Transcription: "Shōnen to Umi" (Japanese: 少年と海)		Nichika ŌnoShingo NatsumeNorifumi KugaiSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)
12"A Two-Year Recess"
Transcription: "Ni Nenkan no Kyūka" (Japanese: 二年間の休暇)		Shingo NatsumeShingo NatsumeShingo NatsumeOctober 1, 2021 (2021-10-01)

Soundtrack

The Sonny Boy Soundtrack was released on September 8, 2021.[14][15] Shinichirō Watanabe served as the musical advisor.[16][lower-alpha 5]

  1. Ging Nang Boyz – 少年少女
  2. Sunset Rollercoaster – Broken Windows
  3. Sunset Rollercoaster – Seagull
  4. VIDEOTAPEMUSIC – Summer Storm
  5. The Natsuyasumi Band – Tune from diamond
  6. mitsume – 夜釣り
  7. Sunset Rollercoaster – Let There Be Light Again
  8. Ogawa & Tokoro – Beacon
  9. Mid-Air Thief – Yamabiko’s Theme
  10. Mid-Air Thief – Kodama’s Theme
  11. Ogawa & Tokoro – Soft Oversight
  12. mitsume – ソウとセイジ
  13. Kaneyorimasaru – Kyo no Uta
  14. The Natsuyasumi Band – Lightship
  15. mitsume – スペア
  16. toe – サニーボーイ・ラプソディ
  17. Conisch – Lune
  18. Conisch – Jugement
  19. Conisch – Tour
  20. Conisch – Soleil
  21. Conisch – 旅立ちの日に

Reception

Sonny Boy received the Excellence Award in the animation category at the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival.[17] The series was nominated in two categories in the 2022 Crunchyroll Anime Awards Anime of the Year and Director of the Year.[18] The series was also nominated for the Anime Trending Awards in four categories "Best in Original Screenplay", "Best in Sceneries and Visuals", "Mystery or Psychological Anime of the Year" and "SciFi or Mecha Anime of the Year".[19][20]

lSteve Jones from Anime News Network reviewed the series, saying "I'm glad to see the narrative making strides with broadly-sweeping social allegory and weird yet competent character development beats". He also critiqued the characters "Nagara isn't terribly exciting, I've warmed up to the rest of the main cast. Mizuho in particular feels like the most rounded of the bunch now, as she deals with the conflict between her antisocial tendencies and her responsibility as the island's benefactor. Like society itself, there's sure to be plenty of friction between who these kids want to be and who the laws of this universe expect them to be".

Notes
  1. The series utilizes multiple tracks by several composers throughout its run and does not credit any specific composers for the series' OST as a whole.
  2. Tokyo MX listed the series premiere at 24:30 on July 15, 2021, which is July 16 at 12:30 a.m.[6]
  3. All English titles are taken from Funimation.[11]
  4. This episode was pre-screened on June 19, 2021.[13]
  5. Tracklist from the official CD and Spotify tracklist.

References
  1. Loo, Egan (April 28, 2021). "One-Punch Man Helmer Shingo Natsume, Madhouse Reunite for Sci-Fi Survival Anime Sonny Boy". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  2. Loo, Egan (May 13, 2021). "Sci-Fi Survival Anime Sonny Boy Unveils Cast, July 15 Debut". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  3. Friedman, Nicholas (September 14, 2021). "Sonny Boy English Dub, Cast and Crew Revealed". Funimation. Archived from the original on September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
  4. Loo, Egan (July 1, 2021). "Madhouse's Sonny Boy Sci-Fi Anime Announces 6 More Cast Members". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  5. Sonny Boy (TV Series 2021– ) - IMDb, archived from the original on November 21, 2021, retrieved November 21, 2021
  6. "On'ea/On Demando｜Terebi Anime "Sonny Boy -Sanī Bōi-" Kōshiki Saito" On Air/On Demand｜TVアニメ『Sonny Boy -サニーボーイ-』公式サイト [On Air/On Demand｜TV Anime "Sonny Boy" Official Website]. anime.shochiku.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 19, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  7. Loo, Egan (June 17, 2021). "Madhouse's Sonny Boy Sci-Fi Anime Posts New Video, Visual". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  8. Medellin, Alejandro (April 30, 2021). "Sonny Boy From One Punch Man Director and MADHOUSE Comes to Funimation". Funimation. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  9. "Ani-One July New Anime Release!! Sci-fi anime《Sonny Boy》will be streaming on Ani-One this July!". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  10. "Sutōrī｜Terebi Anime "Sonny Boy -Sanī Bōi-" Kōshiki Saito" Story｜TVアニメ『Sonny Boy -サニーボーイ-』公式サイト [Story｜TV Anime "Sonny Boy" Official Website]. anime.shochiku.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  11. "Sonny Boy | Watch on Funimation". Funimation. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  12. "Hōsō Jōhō｜Sonny Boy -Sanī Bōi-｜Anime｜Tōkyō Emu Ekkusu" 放送情報｜Sonny Boy -サニーボーイ-｜アニメ｜TOKYO MX [Broadcast Information｜Sonny Boy｜Anime｜Tokyo MX]. anime.shochiku.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  13. "Terebi Anime "Sonny Boy -Sanī Bōi-" Kōshiki Saito" TVアニメ『Sonny Boy -サニーボーイ-』公式サイト [TV Anime "Sonny Boy" Official Website]. anime.shochiku.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 19, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  14. "銀杏、ミツメ、なつやすみバンドら楽曲収録「Sonny Boy」サントラのトレイラー公開（動画あり）". Natalie (in Japanese). July 15, 2021. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  15. "ミツメ、toe、なつやすみバンドら楽曲収録「Sonny Boy」サントラ第2弾のトレイラー公開（動画あり）". Natalie (in Japanese). September 2, 2021. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  16. Loo, Egan (June 3, 2021). "Sonny Boy Sci-Fi Anime Unveils Musical Artists With Input by Cowboy Bebop's Shinichiro Watanabe". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  17. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (March 13, 2022). "Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, Sonny Boy, Oddtaxi, More Win Media Arts Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  18. Loveridge, Lynzee (February 9, 2022). "Attack on Titan the Final Season Part 1 is Anime of the Year". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  19. "Official Results - 8th Anime Trending Awards". Anime Trending Awards. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  20. "Official Results - 8th Anime Trending Awards". Anime Trending Awards. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
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