Isekai is a trope that has been gaining tremendous popularity in both manga and anime. This sub-genre entails MCs being transported to another world. This new world usually lies in another dimension where they have no option of going back home. What the other world contains – well the options are too many. It is generally a medieval world and is much simpler and less busy than our world. But that’s where the similarities of this genre end. The anime and manga can then go into the reverse harem, knights tale, a slice of life – anything goes.
The main appeal of this genre is pure escapism. At present, life just feels like a huge struggle to make ends meet for most people. So, who among us has not fantasized about leaving it all behind? This feels especially relevant in the workaholic culture of Japan, so no wonder it is so popular.
And as the genre has exploded in popularity, in comes Sonny Boy. An empathetic critique of this genre, the anime also feels like an homage to it at the same time. The show follows 36 students transported from their world into a multi-dimensional world. They must then learn to survive and adapt to this new weird universe. This particular Isekai trope the anime follows is called The Drifting Classroom. The concept was initially started by a manga in the 70s. And it has influenced a bunch of works including the second Uresei Yatsura movie.
If we look at the plot, the show is indeed a bit jumbled. But this is one of those shows where the plot can not and should not be analyzed as deeply. Instead, the show is thematically focused. And the episodes seem unconnected, disjointed, and dreamlike. But what connects them is the themes that the show is trying to explore.
The show does not show us what the character’s life was like before they got into this dimension. We start here and not in the real world. And this new world is not always all games and play. The frustrating part is they can’t change things despite their eagerness to help. Personally, I liked the fact that the issues in those multiple worlds were too broad and out of their scope. After all that is said and done, they are teenagers- just kids. And despite a lot of creative works showing so, I don’t think it’s fair or realistic to expect kids to save the day or the world in some cases. Seriously, it is more than enough that they can save themselves.
So, it is not a plot-driven show. Instead, it is a theme-driven one, and boy it has multiple themes. The main point that Sunny Boy seems to make is that yes, life is hard. And yes, there are times when it all feels too much. But dreaming about escaping this life is not the solution. Because one, there is no escaping it, this is everywhere and two, wherever you go, there you are.
Another theme of the anime is the bitter reality of growing up. Metaphorically, what the main characters are doing is finding their purpose in life. They are also accepting the reality of adulthood and all the ups and downs that come with it. Nagara and Mizuho were the two characters who had it the worst in the real world. But they were the only ones who made the decision to go back and face reality.
The most impactful moment happens when the characters are back home. We finally get to see them in the real world. And as they go through the drudgery of modern life, we don’t like what we see. The viewers who were rooting all along for them to go back even begin to question, “Was it worth going back?” And we start getting second-hand regret for the characters. Maybe it was not worth leaving all the adventure behind.
But if they had continued to live in that dimension forever, would it have still been an adventure? Or would it have turned into drudgery as well? So in the end, what this show does best is to make us think. About the choices we want the characters to make and the choices we would have made if we were there in their place. So in the end, what it comes down to is choices and free will.
Sonny Boy viewers assume it to be typical Isekai due to its premise. And this creates an expectation of adventure and escapism. But instead, the show gives us something thought-provoking, melancholic, and grounded in reality. There is no wish fulfillment, there is no comfort. And it is sad. But we see these characters trying to do their best in this gritty sad reality and we believe that maybe we can do it too. So along with the sadness, there is hope as well.
