Anime Review: Bobby's Girl (1985)

This anime has several names: Bobby ni Kubitakke, Bobby in Deep and Bobby's Girl.

An early Madhouse production before the studio rose to megastardom, this anime was one of the first animes to be produced and ultimately buried as 'better' things has taken up demand. It was considered a lost treasure when a fan unearthed their collection and found it. What followed was an arduous but professional restoration job. The original VHS material was damaged by age and un-use. As a result, the restored version as a 'foggy' and 'blunt' lined around the animation.

Started off as an experimental anime that uses novel animation styles (for that time period), Bobby's Girl is a very calm storyline, with a heavy gloom of bittersweet aura underneath it.

Akihiko "Bobby" Nomura is a 17 year old who does not care much for his education. He lives, breathes and sleeps on his blue motorcycle. His slacker attitude is his militant father's bane but he has a supporting younger sister who appreciates Bobby's passion for motorcycles.

Bobby ultimately decided to quit school and work several odd jobs including in a biker cafe frequented by professional riders, coincidentally named Bobby's Cafe. The cafe has on its display a magnificent antique black racer bike, which is probably the reason Bobby asked to work there. Bobby's father, furious at his decision, booted him out. His sister reports to him from time to time on what's happening at home.

A girl from a faraway Japanese district had seen pictures of Bobby of when he submitted his photos to a biker magazine, appearing to have fallen in love with him. She sent him a romantic and airy letter and the two began corresponding. While her letters are long and sweet, Bobby replies in short, straightforward replies. He does enjoy reading her letters but admitted to being awkward with her.

The girl confessed that she is lonely. Bobby asked that she calls him sometime and gave her his number. She arranges to call him on August 10th at 6.00pm, her birthday.

The manager and owner of the cafe saw Bobby's passion for motorcycle and brought him to his barnhouse that serves as a club of sorts for professional and retired bikers alike to hang out. Bobby appeared to have an epiphany. During the epiphany, he remembers that he had made arrangements to call the girl (today!) and raced back home. The ending sequence is a breathtaking pencil animation, an absolute visual treat.

A truck is seen coming from the opposite direction and Bobby was sent flying into the air.
The phone in his room rings at 6.00pm, with the audience knowing that Bobby would never be able to take that call.

The handful of reviews of this anime had called this anime a drivel; ordinary plot with extraordinary visualization; orgasmic animation sequence etc.

I think this story is fantastic. 40 minutes long but it perfectly captured the awkward teen melodrama, the 'floating' phase where a young person does not think about the direction in their lives and a lot of missed opportunities and unsaid feelings.

It was a truly bittersweet treat to watch this anime.

Highly recommended, just for the sake of taking a look into Madhouse's early production works: 9/10

Bobby (left) resembles Nicholas Brown (right) from GANGSTA a little too much. Secret love child? XD

Richard Huckle Must Die

The filth that is making headlines globally for his sexual abuse exploits in Malaysia, Cambodia and other Asian countries is making headlines.

Tipped off by an Australian Intel, authorities in the British side of things were waiting to pounce on him and make sure he pays for the heinous things he did.

He has a total of 91 counts of child sex offences against him of which 71 of it he had admitted to doing. Most of the depravity being committed in poverty stricken orphanages across Asia. These are the voiceless children who are ignored by society and left to the charity of donations and volunteers.

This filth used the desperation and trust by those caring for impoverished vulnerable children, in the guise that he wants to help them. His every move and plans were calculated and cautious as he only wanted one thing: to bamboozle the children who were unrepresented by society. Because no one essentially cares for these kids, it makes them the perfect target. The filth used this disadvantage, to his advantage.

The filth's depravity and its kinds have no boundaries. Among his depravities:

1. He had a three year old girl whom he had likened to a "loyal pet dog" that he could use as he pleased. He said that he's "getting bored of her" as she's "very willing".

2. He wrote a 60-page manual on how to target vulnerable children as "they are easy". He was about to publish them.

3. Sells images of him abusing children to the other filths in the dark web.

4. Kept a ledger that served as a scoreboard whenever he managed to push his depravity one level further, making him more daring to one-up his activities.

5. Would jump from one impoverished children's shelter to the other, making collections for himself and his fellow filths.

6. Prided in not getting caught for so long.

7. He asked to look at his pictures before he agreed to admit to his offences. The people in the court actually had to watch him salivate at the pictures he took of those poor children before he admitted to be the filth that he is.

Arrested in Gatwick Airport UK, he admitted to his parents that he was a pedo. He had since been disowned and his parents relocated somewhere else.

This filth had literally sauntered across Asia, abusing children getting more brazen as he travelled.

He had the nerve to say he's sorry. He's only sorry he got caught, he had absolutely enjoyed committing his crime. So no, this filth can't back away now that he's where he's supposed to be, and hopefully will be for the rest of his life: this filth must be chucked into the prison at once and by jove I hope the prisoners in the murder him brutally.

I feel sorry for his parents who had to raise this filth as a son. They don't deserve this.

In short, Richard Huckle must die. Bring back the death penalty in the UK for this scum.