Watching 'Cannon Busters' Episode 1

A Netflix original show that came out in August of 2019, and once more we get a prime example of Netflix and their relentless pursuit to contradict themselves. Promoting themselves as a distributor of anime, while never letting anyone actually know anything new is coming out unless we go out of our way to find out. Something that I personally think would not be an issue if they put out a release schedule for their shows ahead of time, like every other anime. This is one of the big advantages of using Funimation and Crunchyroll, their policy is clear, and all the information is readily available months ahead of time. With Netflix, one needs to consult the elder gods, and be told a prophecy in order to know what, and when something is coming out on their site.

With that out of the way, let us actually talk about the show. Cannon Busters is an original anime made in Japan that is commissioned by Netflix itself, and so it was dropped worldwide on the same day. The show is based on a western comic by the same name, and to be completely honest, this is the first that I am hearing about it. Straight from the off you get the sense that this show has personality in bounds, and there is a frantic energy to the first episode where something is always happening, and everything is happening at a hundred miles an hour. It is very much a sci-fi western at heart, reminding me of Cowboy Bebop, and even a bit of Firefly.

It is bright and colourful with backgrounds that have a watercolour aesthetic that contrasts with the sharp character designs. This combination makes the show pleasing to look at. The character designs are interesting in their own right with each one standing out and being distinct. Philly himself seems to be inspired by Spike from Cowboy Bebop, both in terms of looks and parts of his personality. Each of the three leads are different in terms of looks, personality, and skill set. One of the best aspects of the episode is that the introduction is strong for each of them as far as interaction is concerned, and we learn about their abilities by the way they act during the fight in the episode, where we are shown their abilities, rather than having been told about them.

Their unique abilities are all interesting to see working together. Philly is immortal, and every time he dies a number shows up on his body letting him know how many times he has died. Sam is a companion bot that is essentially, a cute female version of The Iron Giant, both in terms of friendliness and how she would protect her friends from a threat. Finally, Casey is a maintenance bot that fixes everything, and uses mechanics to fight. Seeing them all together reminds me of the Bebop crew, even if their personalities differ quite a bit. Philly is a grouch that complains, Sam is friendly with everyone, and Casey never stops talking. This has the potential to go very well or very wrong.

One thing that takes me out of the show is the large scale mech fights done in 3D. We have had great examples of 3D being integrated into 2D in the past, however this time around it was quite distracting and took me out of the show every time they showed off the mech fights. Beyond that there are hints towards a much larger story at work here, and I am intrigued enough by this first episode to continue watching it.