History YMMV / Bokurano

* AuthorTract:
** In the manga, Kana Ushiro, Jun Ushiro, and Yousuke Kirie each spend time lecturing the reader that people should care more about everyone else in the world, even if they aren't the "main characters" of a story.
** Several characters spend time away from the plot condemning the United States, portraying it as a country that only cares about being powerful. It's noted in Kanji's arc of the manga that they're one of the only countries that isn't cooperating with Japan.

* CultClassic: This is the one of the most famous deconstructions of the MechaGenre apart from Evangelion and Ideon.

* TooBleakStoppedCaring: Let's just say, not many people like to watch a show in which fifteen children are doomed to die.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: At first glance, a show about 15 kids, HumongousMecha fights, and a flying [[EverythingsBetterWithPlushies plushie]] named Dung Beetle seems like it's meant for kids who are the same age as the main characters. However, it's actually aimed at [[{{Seinen}} an older male audience]], and for ''very'' good reason; one may start to notice [[OhCrap something is up]] when the amount of characters each episode [[CharactersDroppingLikeFlies begin to dwindle]].

* TheScrappy: Though some of the characters are more or less popular than others, local HateSink [[spoiler:and serial child rapist]] Hatagai just absolutely takes the cake. In a series where AnyoneCanDie, [[spoiler:one would be hard-pressed to find literally anybody who's remotely okay with the fact that not only is he never killed or put under any comeuppance for his actions, but in the manga, where he's even worse, he winds up causing a shitload of trouble for the pilots by [[EvilIsPetty leaking information about them to the media,]] survives a stabbing attempt, and is explicitly stated to have been promoted to a very nice, well-paying job higher up in the education system.]]

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: At first glance, a show about 15 kids, HumongousMecha fights, and a flying [[EverythingsBetterWithPlushies plushie]] named Dung Beetle seems like it's meant for kids who are the same age as the main characters. However, it's actually aimed at [[{{Seinen}} an older male audience]], and for ''very'' good reason; one may start to notice [[OhCrap something is up]] when the amount of characters each episode [[KillEmAll begin to dwindle]].

** When Ushiro accuses one of the pilots of getting cold feet, Misumi admonishes him, saying that "Everyone's scared." When you consider that [[spoiler:she's his mother and [[AdultFear is all but certain that her son is going to die]], you can see that she's referring to herself]] and her comment has more weight.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: At first glance it's a show about 15 kids, HumongousMecha fights, and a flying [[EverythingsBetterWithPlushies plushie]] named Dung beetle. One may start to notice [[OhCrap something is up]] when the amount of characters each episode [[KillEmAll begin to dwindle]].

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Let's just say, not many people like to watch a show in which fifteen children are doomed to die.

** While hardly any of the cast approves of [[BigBrotherBully Jun physically abusing his younger sister, Kana]], no one actually tries to do anything about it, since the Japanese are hesitant to have outsiders intervene in family problems. That said, Kanji, a long-time friend of the siblings, admits to having a more personal reason for not doing anything- [[spoiler:Kana asked him not to]].

* FamilyUnfriendlyAesop:
** Kirie gets one from Misumi before his fight, as the first person to fight with the knowledge that by winning, [[spoiler:he destroys someone else's universe]]. [[spoiler: No matter what people say, everyone is not equal. Some people will always be more important to someone than everyone else, and when it comes time to decide between who lives and who doesn't, people will always choose the one who's more important to them.]]
** And also [[spoiler: it's impossible to live without taking life from someone else, be they animal, plant or human. Plenty have already died just to ensure your continued existence. Even Jesus and Buddha aren't exempt from this.]]

** The epilogue for [[spoiler:Chizu]] in the manga has the fairly family-friendly aesop that "Revenge is not an appropriate way to solve your problems, especially if it ends up causing suffering to innocent people as a result". However, her family then refuses to press charges against [[spoiler:Hatagai]], essentially believing that they have no right to seek justice against him now that [[spoiler:Chizu]] voided her own right by killing innocents for revenge, essentially sending the message that it's preferable to let a guilty man (and a probably still dangerous pedophile) go than exact revenge yourself. They also kind of gloss over both the fact that [[spoiler:Chizu]] ''died saving all the humanity's (including their own and [[spoiler:Hatagai's]] as well) asses'' and that in a case of a psychically damaged thirteen-year-old's actions maybe it's a little unfair to blame only her for the turn of events, and not at all the man who [[spoiler:organized the gang rape of her]], which caused said psychical damage.

** Several character spend time away from the plot condemning the United States, portraying it as a country that only cares about being powerful.

* CatharsisFactor: In the anime, it is ''very'' satisfying to see [[spoiler:Ushiro and Machi outsmart and kill Koyemshi after an entire series of him showing callous, sadistic and self-serving behavior]].

** While hardly any of the cast approves of [[BigBrotherBully Jun physically abusing his younger sister, Kana]], no one actually tries to do anything about it, since the Japanese are hesitant to have outsiders intervene in family problems. That said, Kanji, a long-time friend of the siblings, admits to having a more personal for not doing anything- [[spoiler:Kana asked him not to]].

** Of the side characters. Mrs. Komoda stands out, especially considering that she [[spoiler:loses her husband ''and'' her daughter in rapid succession]]. Also Mr. Ushiro in the manga [[spoiler: he loses his entire family and is seen as horribly depressed in chapter 64, until his students appear to try and cheer him up]]

* ItWasHisSled: The true nature of the mech battles.

** [[spoiler:Koyemshi threatening to kill Ushiro to force Kana to join the game. Fortunately, Jun himself out-gambits him with the help of Youko]].

** Toward the end of the manga, when Ushiro meets with Waku's family, he [[UsefulNotes/JapanesePronouns uses "boku" rather than "ore" to say I]], an unusual show of politeness that Machi teases him about. In the official English localization, he calls Waku's father "sir."

* EarWorm: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05p646nlYS0 Uninstall, uninstall...]]

** The sex scene between [[spoiler:Chisu and her teacher]] in anime. It's so badly animated that it's reminiscent gif-image of the IKEAErotica.