*Contains spoilers

Alternative Titles: Rust-Eater Bisco, 錆喰いビスコ
Released: 2022
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Studios: OZ
Episodes: 12

When the 2022 Winter Season came out, I picked a few anime to watch and among them, Sabikui Bisco caught my attention with its flashy trailer. What can I say? I like anime series that are set in post-apocalyptic worlds. 

Here I bring a brief review of Sabikui Bisco anime!

Sabikui Bisco’s Plot

The “Rusting Wind” has corroded everything in Japan. People live their days afraid of that wind that corrodes the living and nonliving alike. What causes that wind is unknown, but people believe that the mushroom’s spores are the cause of the rust. 

Bisco Akaboshi, also known as the Man-Eating Mushrooms, is a despised wanted criminal from the Mushroom Guardian tribe. He sets on a journey to find the legendary “Rust-Eating mushroom”, which is said to purify all rust. 

During his journey, Bisco meets a doctor named Milo Nekoyanagi who’s also looking for a cure for his beloved sister affected by rust. After agreeing on working together, they embark on the journey, without knowing what kind of challenges await them.

Story

At first, Sabikui’s Bisco story sounded weird to me… I mean, mushrooms as the main element? That element seems pretty unique, but it didn’t sound that attractive to me and if it weren’t for the trailer, I probably wouldn’t have watched it, at least not yet.

The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic Japan, where the country has been corroded by rust and the people try their best to avoid the Rusting Wind that is lethal to them. In the city of Imihama, there’s a well-known young doctor named Milo Nekoyanagi who treats people affected by rust. 

It’s not clear where the rust came from, but it’s rumoured that it was caused by mushrooms spores, so everything linked to the fungus was considered illegal. Despite that, Milo secretly researches mushrooms because he thinks they can also be the cure for rust… And he guessed right because when he crossed paths with the “dangerous terrorist” Bisco Akaboshi, he began to have a better point of view about the situation.

Bisco Akaboshi is the most skilful among his peers of the Mushroom Guardian tribe. But outside his tribe, he’s the most wanted criminal. Basically, he’s a terrorist who attacks and spreads giant mushrooms across the cities, distributing “rust”. Yet, that was far from the truth, because actually, the fungus can purify the rusting air and return the lands to their previous natural state. But no one knows that except for them.

Bisco and Milo didn’t have the best first encounter, but soon they came to an understanding because both were trying to save someone dear to them from the rust. Bisco wanted to save his teacher and Milo his beloved sister, Pawoo. 

So when Milo discovers that there’s indeed a fungus that can cure his sister and everyone affected by rust, he doesn’t think twice before joining Bisco.

The protagonist is Bisco, but what could have been of him without his incredible partner Milo aka Panda-sensei? This duo had great chemistry, but sometimes I wondered if they held some special feelings for each other… But soon I realised they were just best friends with a strong bond. Plus, Milo wanted Bisco to marry his sister.

The dynamic duo travels across the wastelands and harsh environments in a realistic giant crab named Actagawa. If you ask me, riding a giant crab through the dessert sounds tempting… 

Bisco and Milo had amazing character development, especially Milo because he didn’t have any experience as an adventurer, but he quickly adapted to that life. 

Aside from the main duo, I must mention that the supporting characters were as great as Bisco and Milo. Bisco’s teacher Jabi and Milo’s sister, Pawoo, stood out every time they had screen time. I fell head over heels for Pawoo, she’s truly a queen, a strong and independent woman who needs no men to get things done. Plus, her fighting scenes were thrilling. 

On the other side, I hated the antagonist, Kurokawa. He just cared about power, control and money. Driven by its manic instincts, he plotted some disturbing things just because it was beneficial to him. Truly obnoxious from the beginning to end, BUT this guy was voiced by Tsuda Kenjiro… I hated Kurokawa with all my might, but his voice was irresistible. Sorry, I’m weak in that sense… 

The anime has a good story pace, but there were some plot conveniences that I can’t avoid mentioning. 

The villain never died, it was as if they simply prolonged his life to extend the fight for 3 to 4 episodes more…

Reaching the story climax, Bisco suddenly dies… Did I cry? Of course, I did, but that outcome was so unexpected that I didn’t believe they killed the protagonist. As the story progressed, I started to accept his death, but guess what… He came back to life! But how? We don’t know and I really want to know. Was it the power of friendship again? Hmm.

I can’t say I wasn’t happy to see Bisco alive, but it was too convenient that he suddenly revived. Plus, he got this strange power where he could shoot arrows with Rust-Eating mushrooms and he supposedly became immortal… 

Some things didn’t make any sense, but I thought they were cool, so I just continued the ride because it was fun and that’s all that mattered to me. 

Overall, Sabikui Bisco is a good anime. But you should suspend your disbelief to enjoy the story because it’s full of weird and unrealistic stuff. Don’t try to find the logical side of this anime… You shouldn’t expect this anime to be rational at all after seeing the characters shoot arrows that magically turn into giant mushrooms, right? But if you enjoy entertaining and action-packed stories with nonsensical events, then this anime is for you!

Characters

Bisco Akaboshi

Bisco stood out with his explosive personality and incredible skills. He cared deeply about his teacher and considered him a father, though he wouldn’t admit it. He was ready to go against all odds to save Jabi. 

Bisco wasn’t used to people, so it was difficult for him to express his feelings or thoughts. It was cute to see Bisco becoming flustered every time he showed a bit of empathy to others. 

I loved Bisco’s character design and it was the first thing that caught my attention in the trailer. His crimson hair, bright green eyes and the red tattoo he had under his right eye gave him an eye-catching touch.

Milo Nekoyanagi

In the beginning, Milo was quite the timid guy, but after joining Bisco, he began to gain more confidence in himself. He was a nice guy and liked to help those in need for the greater good, even though he was running out of medical supplies. 

Milo is very knowledgeable in the medical field and he made use of this knowledge at every opportunity he got.

I liked him and was proud to see how much Milo grew throughout the series, even though some of his decisions bothered me at times…

Art and animation

From what I noticed, Studio OZ is a new studio and this was their first project, so I didn’t know what to expect from Sabikui Bisco’s art and animation. But after watching the 12 episodes, I can say that this aspect of the anime didn’t disappoint me at all because it was wonderful.

The palette of colours used consisted of vivid shades that made both character designs and the background sceneries look enchanting. The post-apocalyptic set consists of wastelands where some weird but menacing monsters live. 

The animation was fantastic, except for the realistic giant crab done entirely in CGI… But aside from that, the action scenes were well executed. Overall, the animation aspect was fluid and there were no noticeable flaws that would ruin the viewing experience.

Soundtrack

I need to say the the soundtrack became my favourite of this season, but how could it not be? It’s absolutely great. It was filled with intense melodies that set up the story atmosphere amazingly.

The OP “Kaze no Otosae Kikoenai” by JUNNA increased my hype for the anime with its energetic and catchy melody. Off-topic, but when I realised that JUNNA sang this song, I was shocked because she performed the OP songs of Fena and Mahoutsukai no Yome… Those songs are enchanting with magical vibes, but the one from Sabikui Bisco was pure madness. I love the duality of JUNNA.

On the other hand, the ED “Houkou” sang by Bisco and Milo VAs, Ryouta Suzuki and Natsuki Hanage was my favourite track from the anime. The VAs really outdid themselves with the vocals, specially Ryouta Suzuki.

Final Score

Sabikui Bisco anime was unique in its own way and I enjoyed it for that, so I have to give it an 8/10 because I can affirm in this review that it was worth watching. It wasn’t a perfect anime because it had its flaws, but what anime doesn’t have flaws? 

I hope that Sabikui Bisco announces a second season soon… Still, I’m already looking forward to Studio OZ’s future projects because they did a great job producing this anime. 

Sabikui Bisco is a shounen that may not be for everyone because of its weird premise, but I still recommend giving it a try!

What do you think about Sabikui Bisco anime?