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BeybladeAuthor: Heinell no Miko A world literally and figuratively revolving around tops? Seems ridiculous to the "matured" layman, but the world portrayed in this series is exactly that. And we're not talking about some far away planet, different from this one mind you; it's still present-day (or near-future) Earth, but one that has embraced the ancient Japanese sport bei-goma that has been reinvented into what is known as Beyblade. The premise wasn't that interesting: Hot airbag of a hero challenges bully into a Beyblade match, bully loses. Another dark, brooding guy literally jumps into the scene, hero challenges dark brooding guy, loses and kicks off the rest of the plot, which consists of a bunch of kids challenging each other to see whose top gets broken first (or at least fly off and topple!) in internationally telecasted tournaments and practically anywhere the occasion arises. Doesn't seem inviting does it? Well, it seems as if the authors thought the same thing, so they added a little twist in the form of magical animal avatars (called "Holy Beasts" or "BitBeasts" in the US version) residing in the tops, a little family and human drama, and the time-tested (but not always successful) demented organization who wants to take over the planet. And oh, did I mention bishounen? Being a fad vehicle, I am not surprised that the members of the younger audience have practically devoured this whole craze; anime, tops and all. But to an older audience, it may well turn out to be wanting in some very important departments. Aside from an obvious lack of character development (the heroes practically stayed the same throughout the whole series, with a few quirks here and there), it would have been more interesting if both the animal avatars and their respective owners would rely more on their brains than merely on willpower and friendship alone. In fact, it would have been better if there were NO "BitBeasts" AT ALL, just pure technical action ala "Crush Gear" or "Lets & Go". Don't get me wrong, willpower and friendship are two of the things a lot of people need to learn nowadays, but surely there's a better way of getting the message across than addressing the audience via a sweet speech about relying on your teammates, trusting oneself and your BeyBlade being "your friend for life." Speaking of which, what's this whole nonsense about your beyblade and your BitBeast being your lifelong buddies? If you ask me, that sort of thing makes for a large detriment in credibility. Whoever heard of a 10-year-old tucking his elaborate plastic top into a bundle of warm sheets in the middle of a cold winter night? Come on. I mean, taking care of your toys, equipment, etc. is a mark of a disciplined person, but this is way too ridiculous. Pokemon and Digimon were far more sensible than this due to the fact that AT LEAST they were dealing with living creatures. I can understand the child who treasures his favorite toy more than anything else in the world, but not as vocally as this. Rushing into the beyblade arena in the middle of a match telling your opponent his beyblade is crying because he's treating it badly is not exactly a moral I would try to teach children. Moving onto the character concept and design, most older otaku find them excessively typical. Methinks the more observant person can enumerate in the batting of an eyelash the number of characters whose faces and/or hair resemble the braggart hero Takao (Tyson in the US version), not to mention the other ones. There's your friendly neighborhood half-American kid Max, the still-water-runs-deep (and-jumps-high-to-boot) Rei, the rebellious and often brooding loner Kai (oh man, how many of this kind of character have we already got?), the nerdy yet occasionally worrisome assistant Kyoju (Kenny/Chief... how can that kid see with his glasses on the top of his head and his bangs in his eyes?), et al. The US version even had another character called Dizzii, Kyoju's BitBeast who got trapped inside his laptop, as well as the tournament commentators Brad Best and A.J. Topper, whose voices (and puns) are the most obvious indication of their presence. Anyway, it would have been light years better if they had found some way of giving the characters deeper dimensions, but most of the time and effort was placed on the beyblade battles and BitBeasts. The most obvious characteristic anyone would notice first among a large majority of the cast is that they are ARROGANT, ranging from the mildly arrogant self-confident type to the blatant "My beyblade will eat your beyblade for a midnight snack faster than I can eat a chili dog" mentality. To be honest, almost any participant in a competitive activity will surely be running with a certain modicum of pride, some more than others, but there are certainly different motives behind their drive to victory rather than merely feeding one's ego. In these cases diversity becomes the key in the presentation of the characters, and Beyblade lacks somewhat in that department. Having said and done all that there needs to be, I leave you to decide on what the series possesses or lacks. If you think the weaknesses I mentioned had warned you against watching it, have at it. But if like me, you don't mind seeing bishies globetrotting and running into all sorts of misadventures, grab your launchers and say "3--2--1--GO SHOOT!" Overall Rating: 5
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