Though similarities to Bleach are obvious, Buso Renkin puts its own spin on the familiar elements.

Buso Renkin Box Set 1
2008. TV Series (13 Episodes). Director: Takao Kato. 300 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $49.98. Distributor: Viz Media.

Lastly I have in my hands Buso Renkin Box Set 1 (three-disc set). So, for longtime lovers of manga and anime, the basic plot should look familiar. Kazuki Muto, our hip teenager with really cool hair, by pure happenstance saves a mysterious girl from a very grotesque monster. However, there is just one catch. During his valiant act Kazuki is actually killed! Nevertheless, Tokiko Tsumura, our mysterious girl, revives him by replacing his heart with a kakugane. What is a kakugane? Simply put, it's an "alchemical" device that taps into the host's spirit, whereby it unleashes a powerful weapon capable of killing these bizarre monsters known as homunculi. Consequently, Kazuki becomes the warrior apprentice of Tokiko, and together they hunt down these genetic nightmares.

Okay, with the current popularity of Bleach, one cannot help but notice the similarities (just substitute the hallows for the homunculi). Nevertheless, we can't slight Buso Renkin for such overt repetition. Hollywood studios, after all, not only copy each other, but are not above releasing the "same" movie on the same weekend! Thus when it comes to repetition, it's all about how you do it. And here Buso Renkin is just average. The high school setting is the typical place of adolescent hijinks and innocent flirting, and Kazuki is our normal handsome boy destined for greatness. And much like the verbalization of martial art techniques in Naruto and Bleach, so too Kazuki has a predilection for screaming "Buso Renkin" when he draws his weapon. It's all very predictable.

On a brighter note, this anime does introduce a type of role reversal in this now familiar plot line. Instead of the strong, yet naïve, female lead who is dependent upon the male protagonist, Tokiko is a hard-as-nails, kick-ass chick. Not only is she older than Kazuki, but her schoolgirl uniform (yep, another plaid skirt!) gives her that quintessential femme fatale persona. Consequently, one can see some romantic tension on the horizon; but the creators -- smartly, I may add -- chose not to make it a crucial part of the story, leaving it only as a future possibility and thus not seminal to the story's survival.

Admittedly, I'm personally "up in the air" about Buso Renkin. But with the success of anime like Naruto and Bleach, it should undoubtedly acquire a loyal following. In fact, since it is rated for older teens, some may even find it a bit more edgy. So, don't take my word as gospel. If this sounds like you, try it out. You may enjoy it. Like a lot of anime currently on the Western market, Buso Renkin is all about blending teenage humor and angst with as much action as possible.

Raised on such iconic, Westernized giants as Battle of the Planets, Voltron, and Robotech, James Brusuelas is a literary scholar, critic, and freelance writer based in Orange County in Southern California.