Sonny Boy Episode 11 Review: Death of a Friend

It is difficult to describe with words the profound impact Sonny Boy Episode 11 had on me without even understanding like 50% of it. Sonny Boy is a difficult show to grasp and an even more difficult show to make sense of. Let’s try our hand at doing both of these things in this review.

Sonny Boy Episode 11 Overview

Sonny Boy is based on an original story written by prominent director Shingo Natsume, previously known for directing shows such as One Punch Man. Studio Madhouse is producing it, the powerhouse anime studio behind absolute classics such as Hunter x Hunter, Death Note, and No Game No Life!

If you would like to refresh your memory about the happenings inside Episode 10, or if you’re new to the series and Episode 10 is the first one you decided to watch, you can check out my review of Episode 10 of Sonny Boy here!

– Sonny Boy Episode 11 review does not contain spoilers –

Sonny Boy Episode 11 Review- The Characters

Here’s an excerpt from my review of the last episode before starting this one- “Conventional wisdom would dictate that this and Asakaze’s love for her mean that (Nozomi) would suffer a gruesome death in the finale, but I would hope not.” Guess who predicted his doom and didn’t even realise it? Me! The show couldn’t even wait one second before confirming our worst fears to be true.

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Since this technically happened in the last episode, I am free to talk about it. Nozomi is dead, and Asakaze killed her. In an anime that didn’t even have the concept of death before Sonny Boy Episode 11, the death of one of the three main characters shook me to the absolute core. Why did it have to be Nozomi? Why not literally anyone else? I guess the sinking feeling in my heart answers my own question. No one else who died would leave this kind of an impact upon viewers.

The way it happened was also particularly devastating, with Asakaze refusing to save her after she fell into the endless fall. If this is what his arc leads him towards, I despise him and hope he dies the most painful death possible. Many things remain unresolved this season, but nothing can rescue him from my wrath anymore.

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Nagara and Mizuho are such incredibly written characters, and their reaction to this news was heartbreaking, to say the least. An old friend also returned this episode, and only one road remains between the protagonists and their destination. I hope they get there safely, and I hope that they remember Nozomi once everything is over. She isn’t a character that deserves to be forgotten.

Sonny Boy Episode 11 Review- The Plot

We spent a lot of this episode trying to make sense of the unfortunate tragedy that happened. Nagara and Mizuho tried to brave through everything, maybe only because they didn’t think Nozomi was dead for real. Once it became crystal clear, Nagara showed heavy emotions for the first time in the series, Nozomi’s legacy in his life. What started as a group of four people now has only two. Rajdhani went away to do his own research, and Nozomi is dead.

Still, the story has to go on, and go on it does. There were a lot of philosophical conversations in this episode, most of which I didn’t get. I did get that the show was trying to make sense of Nozomi’s death and did so beautifully. There was one scene, in particular, that was especially powerful. Overall, Sonny Boy Episode 11 was a fantastic episode filled up to the brim with tragedy, philosophy, and somehow, hope.

Sonny Boy Episode 11 Review- Art and Music

This episode was the best-animated one of the entire season, by far. The vivid colours combined with the wacky surroundings of every Sonny Boy episode made this one a particularly delightful one to watch. The way the episode started instilled a horrible feeling inside me despite being one of the most colourful and cheery sequences of the entire show. That doesn’t happen much, does it?

The same cheery sequence also had a beautiful song playing in the background, which also increased the surrealness of the scene. Who expects a funeral arrangement to sound like that? Sonny Boy is legitimately the only anime that can pull off something like that and not instantly drive viewers away. Also, I once told you to pay attention to the lyrics of the ending. Lo and behold, another one of its lyrics has now been proven to be a hint, and it is a particularly horrible one. This show is something else, I tell you.

Verdict

Sonny Boy Episode 11 was a legitimate masterpiece of storytelling and character moments. It was the best episode of a series that has already seen its share of incredible episodes. I am very scared of what the finale is going to be like, and that is a good thing. Asakaze can go to hell, still.

Thank you for sticking around with us for this long, click here to read the review of the final episode in the season!