What is it: Bento is a common single-portion takeout meal. At the end of the day a designated worker places stickers on unsold bentos declaring them half price. Of course this is great importance for broke starving students. In the hopes of getting cheap meals people end up brawling over them. Yu Satou mistakenly enters one of these battles and quickly discovers the world of bento brawls and the half price food lovers club. Originally a light novel series written by Asaura with illustrations by Kaito Shibano, David Productions produced a 12 episode series in 2011.
Why it is special: Take two unlikely combinations, yet surprisingly work well together, and create a fast paced anime. What Ben-To lacks in story, it makes up with spunk and fire. While there have been many fighters, Ben-To sets itself apart due to not taking itself too seriously.
Plus One:
The characters: Each character has their own identity with which other fighters tend to call them by. Of course these names are not arbitrary and reflect their own characteristics. Not only does it make it easy to identify characters it sets them apart in what could be a crowded space. In addition, each character has different styles of fighting which makes it interesting to watch them fight it out.
The fights: Of course a show about fighting over food is going to live or die by how well done the fights are. Not only are the fights beautifully animated but are also captivating because one can never be too sure who is going to win. I have to say that each battle felt different enough to avoid the repeat feel that some brawler shows get.
The fun: Quite honestly this show was such a blast. Every week I would look forward to the next Ben-To and would never be disappointed.
Minus One:
Plot: Basically the synopsis covers all you need to know, nothing more or less.
Pacing: The best arc of this series was actually in the middle and ended with quite a bang. Had they had ended it with that it would have been great but they kept going and it could not achieve that same bar set before. The fight in the middle arc felt like it should have been a season ender because it was so well done.
All for One:
Ben-To is a fun show. Despite that, some people complain that Ben-To is generic, nothing special, and lacking in plot. To those I have to say you are missing out on the fun aspect of anime. Everything about Ben-To screams not to take it too seriously but rather just have a good time. There are some flaws, yet they do not even really make an impact. Ben-To is a show for those who want to get back to enjoying anime without having to worry about any heavy stuff or something that hopes to redefine the genre.
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