Bokurano

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Bokura no, Bokurano ~Mou Hitotsu no Bokurano~

Japanese: ぼくらの

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 11

Chapters: 66

Status: Finished

Published: Nov 25, 2003 to Jun 25, 2009

Genres: Award Winning, Drama, Sci-Fi

Themes: Mecha, Psychological, Survival

Demographic: Seinen

Serialization: Ikki

Authors: Kitoh, Mohiro (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.01¹ (scored by 12,203 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #774²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #539

Members: 36,770

Favorites: 1,178

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8.01

Ranked #774Popularity #539Members 36,770

MangaIkkiKitoh, Mohiro (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /11

Chapters: /66

Bokurano: Ours

Vol. 1
$8.99

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Synopsis

Fifteen middle school students are happily attending a summer camp by the sea, until one of the children leads the group into a cave that will drastically alter the course of their lives forever. Inside are several computers, along with a man named Kokopelli who offers the students a chance to play a game: one where they use a gigantic robot to defeat enemies who attack the Earth. The children agree to sign a contract by touching a shield-like object, and Kokopelli transports them to the cockpit of the Zearth—the mecha they are to pilot.

After an enemy mecha rises from the sea, Kokopelli shows them how to mentally control the Zearth, and defeats it. The children are excited by the prospect of defending the Earth, but not everything is as it seems. The Zearth is in fact powered by life energy, and at the end of every battle, the pilots die. After signing their lives away, the children must now use their time left on Earth to defend it.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Bokurano won the Excellence Award in the Manga Division at the 14th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2010.

The series was published in English as Bokurano: Ours by VIZ Media under the SigIkki imprint from February 16, 2010, to September 16, 2014.

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Kirie, Yousuke

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Yoshikawa, Kanji

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Reviews

Sep 6, 2025

midas123

Recommended

Bokurano throws you right into story about a group of kids who stumble upon a giant mecha and are roped into a game where they have to pilot it to defend the Earth. The art is… calming? I love the brushwork and the overall style. The characters are shown as nuanced but also, frankly, deeply unlikable. The one kid who seems genuinely nice is gone almost immediately and you’re left with a cast of bullies, egomaniacs, and kids who just don't seem to care, with SOME EXCEPTIONS.

The core story, the art, and the fights themselves are pretty damn good and consistently interesting. But the ... execution, especially when it comes to the characters and their individual stories, is where this manga completely shits the bed for a long, frustrating stretch. For first few volumes, the story becomes a predictable pattern of trying to be as overly edgy and dark as humanly possible and it just feels forced.

It’s not just dark; it’s gratuitously, pointlessly dark. The backstories pile on tragedy for the sake of it, often venturing into extreme and vile territory that feels completely unearned and serves no narrative purpose other than shock value. One character’s story involves themes of sexual exploitation that are so over-the-top and poorly resolved that it comes across as some of the worst, most bafflingly stupid writing I have ever seen. Another arc hinges on a ridiculously forced love triangle that is also just stupid. It feels like the author is just throwing darts at a board of tragic tropes, which makes it impossible to connect with these characters because their suffering feels so artificial and manipulative. I really wanted to drop it but the core mystery was just hooking me enough to push through.

Thankfully it feels like all my prayers were heard because the story eventually gets so, so much better. It’s like the mangaka got all the stupid, forced, edgy bullshit out of their system and started writing actual compelling stories. The formula remains the same; we learn about the next pilot and follow them on their final journey, but it gets so, so engaging. The backstories, while still sad or dark, feel earned and nuanced instead of just being misery porn. The plot also expands in a really cool way, raising the stakes for the entire world. Some of the character arcs are legitimately great to really good, and some of the plot twists actually hit hard and feel tragic.

Even at its best, however, the manga can be a confusing mess, sometimes dropping major plot revelations with no foreshadowing or explanation and forcing you to just roll with it. The development of the characters who manage to stick around for a while is a definite high point, with one of the initial bullies growing into a genuinely compelling protagonist. There's even a great section that serves as a breather, where we see the aftermath of the pilots' battles and the impact on their families, which for a long time I felt was lacking.

But then there’s the ending and it’s a huge disappointment. After a heavy and impactful final battle that feels like a powerful, grim climax, the story opts for a confusing and ambiguous conclusion that explains very little. It leaves you questioning the entire point of the journey, making all the sacrifices and suffering feel pointless. On top of that, the story makes the outrageous writing choice to let one of its most vile antagonists get away with everything, facing no real consequences. It only made me question what kind of a person the mangaka is.

Overall, Bokurano is a manga with a 10/10 concept that is hobbled by some 3/10 execution choices. It’s a grim, compelling read with a fantastic core story but you have to wade through some of the most forced, edgy, and poorly written character arcs imaginable to get to the good stuff, only to be rewarded with a confusing and unsatisfying ending. Still worth a read though, if you can ignore the mess at the start.

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Mar 18, 2024

DOSS300

Mixed Feelings

Bokurano is a series that has stuck with me for quite some time now. Not because of the subject matter it was tackling but rather because it's yet another example of the "Ergo Proxy" phenomenon that happens a lot in anime and manga. Where a certain story does so much right, but at the same time does so much wrong. It has great ideas and features some great artwork, but unfortunately doesn't capitalize on any of these qualities.

Plot:
To start, what initially drew me to read Bokurano, as I believe would be the case for many others, would definitely be because of its depressing yet ...

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Feb 18, 2023

MangaIsPolitical

Not Recommended

STORY: 4

A short good start and very quickly you realize you will never get any in-depth explanation about some cosmic-scale tragedy. You can feel that the mangaka has pitched the beginning of the story to the editor without having a solid vision on how to pursue or conclude. Characters are bland despite the focus being on their different personalities and all along there's a feeling of bored sadness instead of empathy towards kids that never react realistically to any situation.

ART: 5

Most of the art is similar-looking inexpressive faces and a lot of the action conveniently takes place in an empty void save for 14 or ...

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Poll: Bokurano Chapter 20 Discussion Beatnik - Jan 6, 2010	4 replies	by Dhkjkusasxfccx »» May 12, 11:45 PM
Poll: Bokurano Chapter 57 Discussion CuteAssTiger - Dec 6, 2024	4 replies	by CuteAssTiger »» Dec 18, 2024 4:38 AM
Poll: Bokurano Chapter 18 Discussion AStrangerInside - Jul 7, 2015	2 replies	by CuteAssTiger »» Dec 5, 2024 5:35 AM
Poll: Bokurano Chapter 32 Discussion Free_Candy - Nov 12, 2009	1 replies	by IrrelevantGuy »» Nov 23, 2024 9:13 PM
Poll: Bokurano Chapter 65 Discussion ( 1 2 ) ShootTheBullet - Jun 25, 2009	60 replies	by MegamiRem »» Aug 2, 2024 8:06 AM

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