Desert Punk | Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

Desert Punk

Looking for a very chill anime that will instill plenty of laughs and cater to the cravings for fanservice? Well, an anime built around the genres of Adventure, Comedy, Ecchi, and Shounen sounds quite ideal for that very purpose. There are many anime of this kind, but it's better not to miss and go for a hit straight away when looking for such a cool drink of an anime. The right anime for such an occasion may also be hidden in plain sight, and it may be very deceiving from the surface.

Desert Punk, also known as Sunabozu, is a 24 episode TV anime series that started airing on the 6th of October 2004 and went up until the 30th of March 2005 as a Fall 2004 anime. The series is produced by GDH, Pony Canyon, and CBC Television, licensed by Funimation, and brought to life by Studio Gonzo. It is based on the manga of the same title, also known as Sand Boy, a 22 Volume series that ran from January 11th, 1997 to October 12th, 2020 by Artist and Author Usune Masatoshi, serialized in Comic Beam.

The anime falls under the genres of Action, Adventure, Comedy, Ecchi, Sci-Fi, and Shounen, with a Rating of R - 17+ for its violence and profanity. The central staff behind the series include the four-man team of Producers Cook Justin, Tanaka Yuuichi, Watanabe Takashi, and Watson Barry.

The story of Desert Punk is centered around the Great Kanto Desert, which is a sweltering wasteland of nothing but numerous ruins and endless sand, all within the devastated remains of a post-apocalyptic Japan. The human population that once thrived on these lands has been left no choice but to hang onto the near inhospitable dunes for their survival.

This is the case for ordinary everyday folk who now live in these miserable conditions. But then there are the “special” folk who have spent a little too much time underneath the Kanto signature sun; they have come to realize that the seemingly barren desert has much to offer; in fact, it presents a superb opportunity for those daring to tread its sands to make a big name for themselves.

This brings viewers to the protagonist, the masked handyman titled "Sunabouzu" or Desert Punk, who is one such daring person seeking glory. He had managed to forge himself a legendary reputation for always finishing his jobs without fail, no matter the nature or cost of his work.

He is cunning and ruthless, evolving into a force of crude destruction to all the other desert folk. However, not everyone is shaken by his reputation, as the "Vixen of the Desert" Junko Asagiri comes to discover that Sunabouzu is definitely not without any weaknesses. She finds that he is easily swayed by something pretty simple and even primitive, his insatiable lust for large-breasted desert women.

With this premise, the main cast of characters of Sunabouzu begins their chaotic adventures through the Kanto Desert. The series features an orthodox set of personalities who seem to entertain themselves with nothing but senseless violence and perversion, all within a world long ago destroyed by their forefathers. Unfortunately, very similar to them, the current generation has not learned a single damn lesson.

The apocalyptic future in which the series is set has traces of civilization left in it, in the form of various scattered cities throughout a great desert. It's more or less lawless, with basically only strength and money deciding things over anything else. This desert is the base for the main group of handymen of the show, who take on mercenary jobs, and Sunabouzu himself is considered the greatest of the lot. The anime follows him as he takes on various jobs, and multiple shenanigans ensue around him.

The story itself is weak; there isn’t much to it at all. But, this is okay on the simple basis that this series is mainly a comedy. This anime is just so full of good comedy that the absence of a deep story can be overlooked. The humor does not hold back much, and it doesn’t hesitate to deal plenty of low blows. It uses plenty of rape jokes, mainly via the protagonist threatening someone with rape, which leads to him pursuing his victim and her attempts to escape.

They even threw some gay jokes into the mix by pointing out the yaoi in a comedic manner. Jokes aside, the story is reminiscent of modern-day society, with people taking advantage of each other, helping others and at times ending up betrayed by them. The protagonist Mizuno Kanta is selfish, perverted, and overall a bad person, not the very likable type either, but his strong point lies in the fact that he followed his own decisions and got to where he was. As a mercenary that only helped if there was money involved, he is no knight in shining armor, but therein lies the subtle story of how he isn’t as heartless as one would think.

The characters of Desert Punk are one of its much stronger points. Kanta is an absolute pervert, a selfish prick, and an immoral douche who follows his ideals. He detests people who want to help other people or change the world for the better, plus he will not hesitate to state it.

This is his version of “balanced,” and he stubbornly refuses to change. He is one of those typical guys who are tough on the outside but soft on the inside, but he will go the extra mile to follow his ideals. On simpler fronts, he won’t say no to big breasts. Viewers will like him, hate him, despise him and like him again all over again. Asagiri Junko, on the other hand, is an ambitious woman that won’t hesitate to use Kanta to get what she wants; she will betray him as she pleases too. In contrast, Taiko is a very likable character.

She is an excellent representation of the good in the anime, is a much bigger person than she appears to be, and amounts to a lot as the series progresses. Amagumo is constantly great comic relief, not failing to bring out a chuckle or two every time he appears. In addition, there are a few other notable and unique characters that make the series better in some way or form.

Desert Punk Anime Review | Pinnrfupink.com

The Art and Animation of Desert Punk are overall pretty bad. Even for a 2004 anime, they could have done a much better job with the Art, but it feels like they didn't even try in this department. Especially the character designs, most of the characters look the same and are difficult to tell apart at times, leading to confusion. Looking at the animation, though, it was pretty decent.

The sounds and music of Desert Punk are decent as well. The two Opening themes are "Sand Mission" by ZETKI and "DESTINY OF THE DESERT" by YUKA. These may not be so appealing at first, but the more viewers watch them, the more they will like them. The Ending themes are “Sunabouzu Ekaki Uta" by Hideaki Takatori and "Shinkirou" by YUKA. All of these are goofy and unique, not to mention, the OSTs of all the scenes are pretty great, contributing a lot to the experience.

Overall, Desert Punk is a hilarious series. All the adventures experienced, the contracts taken, characters met and laughs given make this quite an enjoyable watch. There are no overused “bad guys versus good guys” tropes in the series, just many laughs and an entertaining watching experience. This anime is recommended to anyone looking for a very chill anime boasting some good ol’ comedy.