REVIEW: ‘Sonny Boy,’ Episode 7 – “Road Book”

At last, Sonny Boy Episode 7 does what the show has desperately needed: it slows down. Don’t worry, it’s still bizarre and a bit confusing. The anime original from MADHOUSE is written and directed by Shingo Natsume (Space Dandy; ACCA:13). It follows a group of students after they are transported to another world and have to find their way back home amid surreal powers and rules. Introvert Nagara is soon thrown into the spotlight after discovering his power is that of navigating between the worlds.

While still maintaining some of its consistent issues, Sonny Boy Episode 7 does primarily focus on Nagara’s development, and it makes a huge difference in the pacing of the show. As revealed by Yamabiko, many students over time have become castaways in these different worlds. They can no longer return home, and as some accept this, the classmates part ways and begin their own individual journeys. The student council takes some away on their Ark, while Rajdhani wants to journey on his own to learn more about This World.

During all of this, word somehow gets to the other generations of castaways, who are now convinced that Nagara is the cause of all their problems and must be punished. This results in him being taken away to another world where everyone labors to build a backward Tower of Babel. The Christian symbols are getting more frequent in this show, but it is difficult to piece together if they actually all create a larger meaning beyond the individual placement. Once again, the anime has lots of great ideas but is probably biting off more than it can chew.

It is in this reverse Tower of Babel environment that Sonny Boy Episode 7 truly shows the growth of Nagara. When viewers met him, he was content not to question and just hide away from the world. Now, he questions the status quo. Why do the students have to build this tower? Why don’t they challenge those in charge? Why are they content to ghost through life? In a way, the friend he makes is a more positive version of his past self.

Seeing Nagara have to face this and not have Nozomi or Mizuho to encourage and push him is what viewers needed to actually want to root for the main character. Nagara needed to be thrown in the trenches and become an active player in Sonny Boy Episode 7. While it still seems that he gets off a bit easy, it is infinitely more interesting than the last few chaotic episodes.

Sonny Boy Episode 7 actually slowed down its plot and focused on Nagara, something the writing was starving for if it wanted to keep viewers interested. His growth is apparent, and while he may still get off a bit easy, it is a solid outing to show viewers that this show can still get a bit dark and twisted when it wants to. Ideally, the anime will continue with a more narrowed focus now that the main cast has seemingly gone their separate ways.

Sonny Boy is streaming now on Funimation, with new episodes premiering Thursdays.