One day, I found a clip of an anime and it led me to watch the entire series. Did I like it? Is it worth my time?
source: MyAnimeList Code:Breaker
Code:Breaker has only 1 season, and an OVA which I haven't watched yet. It's an anime from 2012, so don't expect the animation to be like Demon Slayer or whatever. Still, I enjoyed the retro vibe, reminded me when I started being so adventurous in anime around 2008-ish.
I heard it's from a manga that was first released on 2008 but I don't really read manga, so I'm not sure if the story aligned well with it. I heard this anime adaptation strayed far away from the manga, and that's such a shame because I found the anime kinda interesting. How much more if I read the manga.
Let me tell you a little bit of the plot.
From here on would be a bunch of spoilers but I'll try to keep it as minimal as possible.
It started with the meeting of Sakurakouji Sakura, a kind and strong teenager, and Ogami Rei, a bit aloof but also kind in his own way. Sakurakouji-san witness an unnatural happening in a park, and in the middle of that chaos was Ogami-san. Sakurakouji-san couldn't forget about what she saw that she started snooping around, suspecting Ogami-san. After she thought it was unreal, Ogami-san showed up and showed his powers in front of her, saving her from a gang trying to harm her, or so she thought. Ogami-san finished his part time job of cleaning up mess (the gang) and even tried to dispose her but she showed up unscathed at school the day after, as if she wasn't affected by Ogami-san's powers. That started their relationship - they have to observe each other. The reason why they are always together, even in chaos.
The plot sounds like my kind of anime genre. Action. School. Supernatural/Powers. Crime. Secret Organizations. In this generation of isekai animes, this anime from 2012 was really a gem for me. Indeed, you'll really find gold from the past. 😅
The battle scenes were great too. I couldn't really say anything bad about it. The balance of their powers were good too. One could control sound, another one could create fire. It was a good teamwork from the team of Code Breakers. Oops, did I say that Ogami-san isn't just the only one with powers? He's apparently the weakest within the team. And they're all called Code Breakers.
source: Code:Breaker Fandom Wiki
Ogami-san, the main lead, considered himself evil, and he keeps repeating the same line when he is doing his part time work of disposing people.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and evil for evil
Just observing and getting to know him more makes me also question what evil is. Ogami-san said he is evil for punishing people that he is ordered to dispose of, even though he's also doing it for the greater good. The more I know about Ogami-san, the deeper respect I have for him. And he looks cool too with that cold but kind attitude!
source: Code:Breaker Fandom Wiki
Sakurakouji-san, the female lead, is being labeled as a rarebreed. She has some kind of powers I cannot really fanthom. When she tried to defend people and took all the attacking powers, she was fine. So I imagine her power is a very powerful one. But in the anime, it was never revealed. I don't think it will be revealed in the OVA either.
The only thing I didn't like about Sakurakouji-san is how she couldn't say the most important things on the most important times. I mean, there are times when she would step up to protect and during that time, she would say great things, but when she's not defending, she could only utter Ogami-san's name in desperation. Like, cmon girl, say something! Whenever she does that, I'd end up being frustrated because she won't continue. Aargh.
source: Code:Breaker Fandom Wiki
The more episodes I watch, the more characters have been introduced. And ultimately, the mastermind, the one they have to fight is none other than someone they know. It's a typical plot so nothing surprising. The reason behind the mastermind's actions though were not so clear to me. How could he thought of doing that ultimate evil plan, when he was once kind. I just couldn't understand the thoughts behind those actions. There could be other ways that's like him (彼らしい). Those plans and actions were grand, but is so unlike his character.
Did I say the ending made me want for more? It wasn't solid. I don't know if everyone lived happily ever after. I just know there should be another season to properly end the series. I still have to know what happened to Ogami-san after. What's the reason why he became a Code Breaker? What's the organization going to do from now on? Lots of questions, but no answers. And yes, the ending caused another frustration.
There's no season 2. And of course, after a decade, and still no news of another season, I don't think there's even a slight chance they will make a new season just to end things. And from what I heard, the anime strayed from the manga, so maybe one of the reasons why no next season. If I really want to know the entire story, I have no choice but to read the manga. Ugh.
Will I recommend this anime? Well, despite all those frustrations, yes, I would. Please watch it if you're into the genre I mentioned above! Let's be frustrated together! Or maybe you won't be, and will just be satisfied with that ending.
Will I read the manga? I am not really sure. I only read manga on a rare occasion, whenever I want to know what's next. In this case, I am still 50% unsure.
Overall, it's a good old anime to watch if you want to take a break from the recent popular genres. You might enjoy it, especially the first part. Or you might get frustrated with the ending, like me. 😅 But still, I like it. And I never regretted watching it during my supposed-to-be sleeping time. 😅
Happy Hive Power Up Day!
Here's me doing my share~
Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！
