Sonny Boy: A Quiet Apocalypse

A brief look at the seemingly insignificant, yet profoundly moving, ending of Sonny Boy.
Patreon: / studioersatz
Twitter: / phd_pataphysics

[@emaerjavec6604]

i didn't know what was happening 90% of the time i watched this anime but in the end i cried so hard and i don't even know why.

[@Dell-ol6hb]

same

[@chalexen2862]

I’ve misunderstood the ending and thought that it was like how “Spider Man No Way Home” ended.

[@eivanespinosa7470]

@syieraforages5811 He didn´t, he respected Nozomi's wishes: "I'm going to find the curmudgeonly-looking boy, [...] grab him by the scruff of the neck and ask him a question...", it´s just that Nagara in this world isn't that boy. He matured, even if it is just a little bit :,D.

[@helloworld-sl2lw]

Same

[@noahberkley8461]

Welcome to graduation

[@nadimamin6642]

“I think I’ll take care of it until it can fly away on its own.” Nozomi says that to Asakaze as Nagara walks away from the train station at the end. In a way, it completes the metaphor of Nagara as the dying baby bird. Whereas in the beginning of the series, Nagara is set on ignoring the bird and allowing it to suffer and die, watching passively; by the end, however, Nagara has finally taken the first step to helping that bird survive. He doesn’t suddenly become the bold hero, but Nagara has retained a small bit of his more active nature from Hateno Island. Nozomi fostered Nagara so that he could live a life without her, and Nagara walks away to do just that.

[@_vernificus]

Through hundreds of comments and five videos, i finally found the explanation I'm looking for. Thank you!

[@DarkBarBarian]

@@_vernificus and what about when he slaughter the chicken

[@vbnmorbus]

@@DarkBarBarian who said he was vegan tho

[@lorenzocontu9197]

the bird surelly die few minutes later that scene, but ok

[@francisattic]

MMMMMMMMMMMM thats good i cant believe i didnt pick on that

[@gh0st6762]

Glad someone is talking about this amazing anime

[@ollyjhb3872]

it's really underrated imo

[@PJK17]

@@ollyjhb3872 That's because most viewers won't expend the effort to unpack the show's themes and allusions. The majority watch anime for simple escapism, after all.

[@carlestrada4483]

Same, I was like why is no one talking about this

[@rrrrrp]

freakin good anime..

[@evennot]

As for me, the message was "you're not even close to understanding the world, if you think you are, it's not the full picture anyway. Also you have no chance of describing your own inner journey". There are other messages as well

[@B__SYAHRULMUBAROK]

Not gonna lie when i watched the first episode of Sonny Boy i felt shiver in my body because the idea of drifting into the void is really bizzare and creepy. Then, just when you thought it will stay that way through the episode the anime surprises you by changing the void of endless black into blue ocean with bright sky. The feeling of emptyness is changed by the feeling of joy and calmness from the blue color of the ocean. But throughout the anime from the start to finish it still give me some slight feeling of emptyness. That feeling is never go away, the only way you can do is reconcile with that feeling and keep on living. that's what my representation of the show and i think that was what the show message is.

[@alexanderhenriquez9354]

It is a very interesting portrayal of adolescence that doesnt end with a big statement on how to change your life but with the admission of having time to figure that change out eventually. Doesnt hurt that the whole thing has the same effort they put into One Punch Man but through a very experimental introspective lense. Respect the hell out of this director and the team behind him. Anyways, great analysis! Also this one has my favourite Ost of any show since kekkai sensen s2 imo.

[@alexanderhenriquez9354]

​@Joseph Douek I know what you mean. Kekkai sensen Ed especially became the perfect template to insert characters from other shows for a hot minute back then. And yeah, I've seen Trigun. That one also has a great OP. Some guitar riffs in there are etched into my mind. Still haven't seen Gungrave, but it's a matter of time I think.

[@MillywiggZ]

Reminds me of that Korean film ‘Please take care of my cat’.

[@LoveislikeLemons]

Interestingly enough, the creator of this anime did do animation for one punch man!

[@SoFly2H2D]

Sonny boy, for having no real visible plot, is perfect for that reason. Giving meaning to nothingness is a choice and directly correlates to our own lives. Its artistically stunning, littered with nuances and small details. I enjoyed Sonny boy, I like the aesthetic of it. A story that isn't really a story, leaving tons of room for the viewers interpretation. Something completely different for the genre, something rare, something.. special. When any form of entertainment makes you think beyond the pale is grand. Thank you for your analysis!

[@ollyjhb3872]

What a ride this was, Sonny Boy is the kind of work that comes around every so often that reminds me why I love anime.

[@Mario_Todorov]

Exactly!

[@noahberkley8461]

One of the best deconstructions of highschool life. Abstracting the possibilities of life in one of its most constructive and hectic periods. Children almost ‘adults’ start figuring out their special talents, powers in the case of our show and how they want to use them or not use them. At least that’s the bullet points of memory for me when I watched it.

[@ZeitgeistCulture]

I finished this anime today and was left with that familiar empty feeling after finishing a good story, but somehow this one felt different. I wanted something to latch onto but could find nothing. I ended up watching this video, helped me find some resolution to the emotions I was feeling but at the end I was left staring at my wall, the phantom of tears in my eyes that will never come and my tongue thick in my mouth, in my throat. So thank you for for helping me feel a little less alone in the journey this amazing story took me on, and for allowing it to continue on a little longer

[@Tarikb90]

Yea. I’m speechless but I also have a lot to say about it. This made me feel emotions I didn’t know i had.

[@kjhansonkjhanson6643]

Same thing just finished it now. Not alone

[@maric24]

It's such a shame that so many people seem to prioritize plot structure and completeness over everything else when it comes to the media they consume. Makes me feel like this show will always be a dark horse, but god damn if it isn't one of the most beautiful things I've seen in a while. Never have I seen a show so perfectly communicate an optimistic nihilist perspective like this one has, and I relate to it so much. This show and 3.0+1.0 seriously made my year in terms of anime. EDIT: Actually, Girls' Last Tour is probably the most comparable thing I can think of in terms of having a similar, though maybe a bit more pessimistic, outlook on life.

[@moxxibekk]

I LOVED girls last tour, and completely agree that they give off similar vibes.

[@neotokioboi5152]

I think the line from Rajdhani in episode 12 (or 13?) sums up the show in a fairly simple idea. "Nothing matters in this world, but sometimes cool things happen. And that's how I can keep going."

[@iunnoo]

I love all three of the anime you've mentioned thank you for bringing them up

[@benjaminhaan842]

The point wasn't to change the world, it was too change one's self

[@snowyninja4766]

I always draw similarities between this anime and FLCL. How both shows jump through absolutely absurd and crazy situations just to lead to a final outcome of minimal internal reflection and change for the protagonist. But I always found those types of endings far more powerful though, cuz it leaves much more up to the viewer's imagination and doesn't put a limit as to how much more the protagonist will change down the line.

[@MaxIronsThird]

Only difference is FLCL is entertaining

[@alechall7082]

"There's no such thing as a soul, and our consciousness is born for no reason, then it just fades away. Life is an endless exercise in vain effort. But it's precisely because it's meaningless that I think the brilliance of this moment in life is so precious. Because that one moment belongs to that person alone. -Rajdhani

[@romeo1771]

I will never understand why people are so hung up on nagara not getting together with nozomi. she is the kind of person who takes in broken, lost kids, and asakaze is on of those kids. in this new reality it just happens that circumstances led to him getting closer to her and she decided to take him in for the same reason og niozomi took in nagara

[@the_hipe_404_notfound]

Niozami : " I can fix him "

[@Neon-ws8er]

we need a spinoff with rajdhani, theres so much potential

[@yuegodelg]

True, i was not a fan of sonny boy but I would love to see rajdhani’s backstory and what he did in his ship visiting worlds during the 2000 years he was away

[@emimichan007]

Agree 100%, this secondary character was so special, woud love to see him more!!

[@stushi]

i'm jealous of your eloquence and ability to put into words what makes this show so special. this is a beautiful video perfectly fitting the beautiful story of sonny boy, thank you.

[@narutimatePX]

The inability to change the outside world leaves only the self to be worked on. Studio Ersatz - circa 2021

[@Grnvolpe]

It’s funny, a show so personal for Shingo and murky to the viewer ends up being such clear window into everyone watching. The questions we think it’s asking to the answers we think it gave us, its not exactly Rorschach but not a jigsaw puzzle either. I love reading everyone’s ideas. It makes the show better and better in my mind. There’s something unique and beautiful about art that induces dialogue like this. It’s like it keeps moving after the credits

[@OneNamelessHero]

*'It's like it keeps moving after credits'* Wow. That was powerful. And so on point!!

[@realkingofantarctica]

Sonny Boy is special. It's the kind of anime that needs to never be forgotten.

[@hafizo_kurosaki]

*needs to be unforgettable.

[@whiteghost3522]

Nozomi says something really on the nose in the final scene. Asakaze asks her what she's going to do with the bird, and she replies "look after it until it can fly away". Then laughs, a bit of a *wink*wink* to the audience right? I believe Nagara has changed. He wouldn't just ignore those birds anymore, and he doesn't need her anymore - in that two year drift, she spurred his soul just as she takes care of those birds. He has the wings to fly, and like he said he has his whole life ahead of him. It's not him who needs the help anymore, but Asakaze , who in the back half of the series truly becomes/is revealed to be the wounded chick. He was looking for real guidance in the drift, but only found a wolf in sheep's clothing. I still don't know if I'm totally right, as I don't know how to interpret Nozomi's "we can't change anything" comments. But I do want to believe the journey meant something. And I'm still bewildered by Mizhou's meaning and role in the story.

[@jordanlim1356]

maybe Mizuho was a wounded chick that Nagara took in without even knowing - bringing her back into their ad hoc society and having his apathy complement her brash unsociable nature so well that she fit in anyways.

[@tobigrantlbart]

I thought that Sonny Boy truly was a coming-of-age story. Because time will move on and the only constant in your life, will be you. There won't be a prize at the end, but this isn't a bad thing. Once you realize this, you rid yourself of the struggles that you have reach an endgoal. You just can smile.

[@OneNamelessHero]

Spoken like a true existentialist ;)

[@sencoptico]

Thanks for putting this for me into a coherent sequence of words. I think you correctly highlighted the most important parts of this work. It's funny that while watching I understood the meaning of Sonny Boy on subconscious and emotional levels but my forebrain couldn't quite translate it into a workable abstract.

[@mamoru1836]

same

[@naplon6765]

This anime broke me… i feel like anything i say is not enough to describe the beauty of this….

[@vermin5367]

This entire show was like a vivid dream. No consistency within setting and scene, theme or plot. Just loose interaction, and events that flowed into a conclusion where, once awake, a subtle lesson is realized.

[@OneNamelessHero]

True, true! The narrative structure barely stays on the edge of making any sense, giving this otherwordly, liminal feeling. And what are our dreams if not these other worlds our subconscious takes us through to process life?

[@harisultan99]

from a Sunflower he become a Dandelion

[@mvprsa]

I wish he kept his promise and asked her to be friends

[@manwholikestosing]

my anime of the goddamn year right here. feels so severely underseen imo.

[@redanime1422]

This is it, This is the video that truly understood Sonny Boy ... Not only him decoding himself but the depression he experienced at the beginning versus now was all worth it, For that self improvement and change

[@cerdon4076]

Speaking of fractured editing, I feel like the anime constantly, every episode almost, cuts out the payoff/reaction, almost every episode forgoes the reaction to its conclusion then skips ahead by a few weeks or months. Not sure what the message is behind that, just interesting to note.

[@regularrandomperson7108]

Also took note of that very early on. For me, I feel much of it allows for small and big events to remain on a similar playing field that the video here mentioned. Thus, it gives the audience’s fragmented omnipotent eye a neutral space to interpret the relevance of scenes without the character’s emotional states being the indicators to feel somber, sonny, or something beyond words. Which is why the audience doesn’t see the initial shock of the student’s situation in the 1st episode, Nozomi and Nagara’s dispute in the 8th, Nagara’s and Mizuho’s raw feelings to Nozomi’s death in the 11th, among MANY others. Playing into the surrealist/subversive nature of the show from the get-go episode to episode and at times scene to scene.

[@gorb9051]

That's a thing I actually hated about the anime. For some scenes, it fits perfectly but use it enough and it feels tone-deaf and emotionless. Especially for an anime I found special because of scenes that give you unexplainable and overwhelming feelings, those abrupt scenes seem unintentional and sometimes disrupt its natural flow. Little things like Nagara being reminded of a very important memory with Nozomi only after her death (only when it's convenient) or one of the "twins" having the stiffest dialogue before killing himself. Idk if we're talking about the same idea but basically, I feel like too many things gets "explained" rather than fully "experienced". And for a surrealist anime, that is especially out of place imo.

[@neuro7372]

great job and editing, really captured the moments and feels of the anime.

[@oneone-uj2vm]

Very good analysis.

[@oneone-uj2vm]

Could you give us an analysis video of "Made in abyss".I think it has a very meaningful philosophy.

[@owenthornton2529]

Awesome video, contextualizes a lot of the pieces of the story that many don't discuss. Great job man

[@sighswoons]

Incredible! This was one of the best anime's I've seen in years.

[@DeathAlchemist]

Great analysis, glad to see ppl digging into this show. The framework you brought up for interpreting this series was perfect.

[@markerbenson]

incredible video! your insight on the series on the whole and specifically its ending really resonate. so glad this kind of content exists!

[@chlopaczekhula3524]

loved the editing in this video. Also the anime was really good. Glad you talked about it ^w^

[@haydenmusicofficiall]

this was a great video! i finished sonny boy today and it really impacted me. i've been left for hours with a hopeless gut feeling in my heart ever since i finished the season. this video helped give me perspective, and cheered me up a little. even if i'm still really mad they killed off nozomi! i'm really grateful for this video. you're brilliant at this sort of stuff. i'm subscribing for sure! hoping for more great content soon. wish you the best of luck!!

[@antzerobooks]

so much use of imagery and symbolysm, love the series, kinda sad that it'll most likely always be an underrated series

[@ChicagoMonsterPunk]

I actually watched the anime because you said you were going to do a video about it. It was a pleasant experience for sure.

[@uKoalele]

I really enjoyed the show and the confusion and curiosity it made me feel. Im impressed by your ability to put the show into words - great Video!

[@MrTehRave]

It's a beautiful show. I'm sure it will become a cult classic in time. Thank you for this really thoughtful review. I think you really captured the essence of what makes this show so special.

[@GuyWilliamss]

This is the second time you've released a video about an anime that I'm in the middle of watching with a pal. First one was Nadesico and now it's Sonny Boy. Fantastic video, keep up the great work talking about these great shows!

[@NotAFanMan88]

The single essay that encapsulates the ending of Sonny Boy most poignantly.

[@EE-lv6mq]

I love this show. Thanks for sharing!

[@moxxibekk]

This was such a good review of a deeply complex anime. Thank you!

[@und3rt3h1nfluence]

After finally getting around to watching this anime, I neeeeeded an analysis like this to anchor all the thoughts and meaning behind this wonderful story. Thanks.

[@deadmeme2615]

I can't wait to watch

[@nuhahusna938]

I think its intresting how ive heard many ppl felt empty after watching this but all ive felt was full, hope and a little bit sad

[@user-sl6gn1ss8p]

I like how the whole thing kinda boils down fairly well to the first and last scenes: "boy lies on the ground apathetically while girl concernedly wants him to move" -> "boy walks toward the camera with a heartfelt smile leaving an also smiling girl behind".

[@MiguelRamos-jd4jg]

Thank you for this video!!

[@AHH-phie]

I think you hit the nail with what shingo natsume was trying to say with sonny boy.

[@Nitroade24]

This is a brilliant video and I agree with basically everything you said. Sonny Boy has been gradually growing on me since I finished it, but the main thing that I loved since the start was the ending. It's a great anime and your video helped me see some of the messages of it that I can add on to my personal interpretations of the show.

[@Hello-bg8hv]

Love this anime and love this channel. I feel like Tatami Galaxy would be right up your alley

[@jaredismyname1267]

What a mad, slept on channel

[@HeathcliffeMcHarris]

Paused this vid and had to watch the series, thanks

[@iuna9557]

Noooo you hit me with the acoustic opening in the end i almost cried haha

[@lukeagain2021]

Its one of those animes where you feel like you are a minor character in it too!! See it as the other minor characters who were just following whatever the big ones were saying in hope of getting out of there. They are confused too but they are part of the journey. When the anime ends you miss the journey you enjoyed together. Hence we all get sad Atleast thats what i feel :⁠-⁠)

[@sencoptico]

You need to check out Boogiepop (2019) - I'm pretty sure that there is a lot more to it than people realise. It's a massive metaphor riding a netaphor while referencing experience of th audience experience of

[@becausemayb]

i 100% agree with you. great video for an even greater anime :)

[@ryuusuk33]

Appreciate last year for sonny boy & ousama ranking 🙏

[@wakske1071]

thank you

[@albertjames1849]

yessssss not seeing many talk about this masterpiece, AOTY for sho

[@bela3170]

Didnt see the anime or your video so far but they are usually good. Keep it up man. Any recomendations where I can watch it?

[@soul_4ce849]

ONE OF THE BEST!!

[@Shrimp4ME]

I just love this anime soll much!

[@thanhdatnguyenluong7351]

sonny boy is my GOAT

[@AntonTheEgoist]

bravo!

[@sarahahmed2764]

Felt unsatisfied with the ending but your analysis made me realize the beauty of it; keep it up!

[@magnusequus]

Thank you for pointing that Nagara is checking the birds at the end. I was shure that he tried to jump on rails and I was confused.

[@yoyo-fn3fc]

Muy buen video

[@mikeycomito3045]

value of consciousness and intention

[@frewtlewps1152]

The editing and narrative of the show makes everything feel like one large blur, which I think is genius when considering one of the themes is nihilism

[@gorb9051]

lmao 14 year olds describing anything a tad bit melancholic as nihilism. Never gets old.

[@averymacneil3822]

@@gorb9051 melancholy can be tied to nihilism pretty easily. so it’s not surprising

[@Mark-ek1tm]

great

[@luckyowl10]

In general, I don't like open ends to good stories. I like more definitive and set in stone ends that are a payoff to the whole plot and character arcs. Sonny Boy proved me wrong and proved many people wrong with its one of a kind style of writing story. Story that is made to start years before the first episode, be filled with thousands of years in the 12 episodes we saw and only be the start of a new life for Mizuho and Nagara. Will Nagara truly change himself and choose what he wants from his life instead of drifting away? No one knows, but that's the point. He saw how he evolved and its potential, now it's his time to put all the 2000 years of experience in practice. Will Mizuho try to open up to people and live beside her small world with her 3 cats? No one knows, but that's the point. She founds friends on those islands, she lives thousands of years with them and lost Nozomi. Tho, in this new world, she can maintain the friendship with Nagara or even deepen it. Will Nozomi escape her own mortality till she graduates? If this world works like the original one, unless Nagara or Mizuho intervene in her life, most probably she doesn't. The fearless girl that leaped in darkness to catch the light of hope (or death, it depends on interpretation). The girl that helped Nagara and Mizuho in their journey to understand themselves and get back home. The compass the pointed to their save, now will probably need their help.

[@ikengaspirit3063]

Nagara and Mizuho were adrift for only 2 years and returned to the real world 2 years later. There is no going back in time that's why people that were adrift for thousands of years never return. Time in that world is literally relative to you perception, if you are there wasting time and having it fly past you, it will literally go thousands of years for you while for another person it would be a few days. However, you can sync your time with the time of other people near you that you remain in constant interaction with. This fact of their return after 2 years means than Nozomi beat the illness in this world.

[@rrrrrp]

I love this anime...

[@paristhompson7522]

This anime was such a refreshing watch in a media landscape where it seems like plot and in-universe logic are valued above everything else. Sonny Boy cut right to an emotional core in a way that's hard to find. I took it as a postmodern exploration of younger generations that are disillusioned with inheriting the rules and conditions of their parents' world. Generations that feel lost and failed by the external expectation to know what their future holds, what their career will look like. Few things I've read or watched capture that lonely feeling so honestly. And I know Murakami novels have been adapted explicitly, but the refusal to follow predictable structure, heavy dream-like imagery and disillusionment with societal expectations reminded me of Kafka on the Shore. Sonny Boy was fantastic and I wish it was discussed more often.

[@felixpaulino1333]

i was expecting this show to be about kids figting with some crazy ablilitys from them drifting into a new universe but i was completly mislead this show honestly flew over my head and still quite hard to grasp

[@mamoru1836]

I was sad he didn't keep his promise, but also because it's open ended, I like to think he's gonna do it someday soon

[@swingandtitties9016]

Awesome

[@erawa2740]

@JumpTheShark Hello! Will you make a part 3 of your LOST retrospective?

[@cosmos6006]

I just finished it and I didn’t know what it was about just that I would probable like it and someone dies and after about 30 minutes of reflection I don’t know usually anime like this for example flcl is a anime were I know the point of it and for flcl’s case it’s growing up with so much more depth but with Sonny boy I don’t know but it made me feel things I haven’t felt in a long time since I watched aot it’s 10/10 truly

[@AE1OU]

Creating the concept of death to end immortality .

[@hiro_444]

8:01 bookmark for me in the future

[@civy420]

I like how to putting other related stuff in the video

[@m_ouz4211]

I really love these long and layered vids but i miss those funny and not to take serious vids such as eromanga sensei vs oreimo will you return to those kind of videos ?

[@StudioErsatz]

It's not the kind of content I prioritize, but if I come across another series that I have that sort of response to, then sure why not. It can be fun sometimes, but I don't really enjoy making overly negative videos unless there's an interesting angle.

[@mysteryincorporated6707]

@@StudioErsatz Excuse me, Are you going to review The Rebuild of Evangelion ? I really want to know what you have to say about the Evangelion Rebuild films.

[@PlorkStar]

If I’m honest to God, I really don’t understand the majority of the anime but at the same time I loved it, and I felt like a hint of me understood it enough to Love it and see it as a beautiful anime

[@akilamperouge960]

i scratched my head on the blue monkey part lmao

[@alechall7082]

I get somthing new out of episode 4 on every rewatch.

[@the_1ce_1s_n1ce]

yes good job

[@bishbosh4815]

Are you gonna make part 3 of your Lost analysis?

[@nathanchildress5596]

Life is pointless, so be true to yourself and your goals. That's what I got out of it.

[@AdiPat_]

This series felt like it was directed by Christopher Nolan.

[@cheese1678989]

No

[@richanddarksbane1439]

Also spoilers, I just realized that he actually killed Nozumi. I thought it was just the cliff fell, but looking back, that's tough

[@kencarter6481]

finally someone who is giving a good analyse on the show, please speak faster I put you on 2x speed and could understand you!

[@ninjaoffcialyt4845]

Meaningless is what it was they going adrift had no effect on the real world it was meaningless to be exact all the things that they did there only effected 2 people which also had no effect on the real world so it was was meaningless but what they experienced and what they became had some meaning for all we know they could create something that could be incredible who knows they could share their experience to the world to label them as insane or write a novel that would be mind boggling now what is *sonny boy* the man and the author himself who is going to write this story about meaning less

[@_NguyenDinhKhoi]

Yo this is like some type of kafkaesque stuff

[@ItzSwxzy]

Aka best isekai oat

[@ErikUden]

I have no idea what was going on in Sonny Boy.

[@hachid9579]

whats the name of the genre evangelion birthed?

[@StudioErsatz]

Sekai-kei

[@ryuusuk33]

@@StudioErsatz what does "kei" signify ?

[@StudioErsatz]

@@ryuusuk33 In this context, it's generally translated as "type". As in a type of story.

[@kevinhaynes9091]

?KMD