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.