Baoh Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2005-01-23 (updated 2011-08-14)
• 3 stars out of 5 (?)

Baoh is basically a traditional splatterfest "kid imbued with incredible powers by the secret organization that now wants to kill him" story. It manages to slightly distinguish itself though a combination of reasonably likable characters (both the standard hero-boy Ikuroo and psychic girl Sumire) and wanton cheese (announcing each super-ability with its long meaningless name for example) for a few bonus chuckles. The story is a rushed and unsatisfying manga adaptation and it's over before it really gets anywhere, but the gory action looks good enough and there's plenty of it, which is the main draw, anyway.

Worth at least a look if you enjoy gory action flicks, but if you prefer more cerebral parasite-in-the-brain stories (pun intended), Baoh isn't going to do it for you.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2005-01-23 (updated 2011-08-14)
• 3 stars out of 5 (?)

Baoh certainly doesn't cover any new ground--yet another "kid imbued with incredible powers by the secret organization that now wants to kill him" story--but it travels the bloody old road with a fair amount of style.

First, let's establish that Baoh definitely fits into the super-gory action flick category--it has more than its share of sectioned bodies and melting scientists. Fortunately, though the action is front and center (and plentiful), it stands out a bit from the splatterfest crowd because Baoh's host and his companion are fairly likable characters. You get the feeling that if this was a series instead of a one-shot, they might even get interesting (probably because it's based on a manga series where they did).

The story, on the other hand, leaves something to be desired. Though there are some decent hints at backstory, the whole thing feels rushed. Adding to that, several parts of the plot have almost no explanation or follow-up whatsoever--the mysterious organization is never detailed, the "world's most powerful psychic" just shows up out of nowhere, and a lot of it feels like setup for a continuing series (which of course it is, in the sense that there's too much info from the manga). In any case, the plot is pretty unsatisfying as a whole.

On the bright side, there are several really cheesy touches that don't do much for the seriousness of the story, but do make it more fun. For example, everybody likes to either explain what super-ability they're about to use or (the old classic) yell out whatever special move they're using. Of course, Baoh can't talk, so there are convenient labels at the bottom of the screen, featuring great names like "BAOH SHOOTING BEES-STINGERS PHENOMENON" and "BAOH LISKINI HARDEN SABER PHENOMENON." On that note, I also enjoyed watching the big bad psychic spend the last 10 minutes of the show walking around with a large piece of metal sticking out of his head.

The art in Baoh is generally well done, detailed, and despite the otherwise '80s-era style has a sort of... shiny look to it, for whatever that's worth. The character designs are fairly appealing and relatively distinctive, and the design of Baoh's fighting form is rather nice, too. The animation is also quite good, and the action is both plentiful and well animated. Heavy on the gore, of course, but depending on your preference, that could be a good thing.

As for the acting, I can't speak for the Japanese dialogue, but the dub isn't anything to write home about--the two primaries (Brian Hinnant as Ikuroo and Kem Helms as Sumire) turn in decent performances, but some of the bad guys (particularly the cannon-fodder) are abysmal. Sara Seidma is pretty good as Sophine (the bad lady), though.

Overall, I'd say that Baoh is certainly worth at least a look if you enjoy gory action flicks, but if you prefer more cerebral parasite-in-the-brain stories (pun intended), this isn't going to do it for you.

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Related Recommendations

The Guyver is an obvious similar series (Baoh even looks a bit like the Guyver). It also has quite a bit in common with Battle Royal High School, as well as Genocyber (though Baoh is much less morbid).