English Dub Review: Sabikui Bisco “Soar on King Trumpets”

Overview

The wanted criminal, Akaboshi Bisco, causes havoc in the town of Imihama using his bow to cause giant mushrooms to bloom. Bisco searches for a doctor who can synthesize medicine to save his mentor, Jabi, who has become gravely ill. Bisco storms into the clinic and accosts Dr. Milo, but Governor Kurokawa hears the commotion and dispatches his Bunny-masked elite forces…

Our Take

Things are getting more interesting as we see both how the titular Bisco and Jabi enter the city and why Bisco came to Milo (Whose name is apparently pronounced “Mee-Lo”) specifically. Along with them still trying to outrun these local cops and the governor’s special forces. Predictably we all knew it was Bisco at the entrance gate talking to that customs agent in the last episode. Also, the giant crab that Bisco and Jabi ride on is quite unique and despite it looking more CG than anything else, it does its job as basically a mobile tank of sorts the two can ride on. Aside from that, many of the towering otherworldly-looking animals that are used in this show feel like a drug trip with how they’re utilized and have to be seen to be believed for how imaginative they are in concept and design.

As for the previous episode’s cliffhanger, it thankfully explains what brought Bisco to Milo’s Panda clinic since he’s the best doctor around who can help Jabi with his bullet wounds in combination with the fact that he’s apparently affected by this rusting disease same as Pawoo is. Brings some similarities to Bisco and Milo as they both have someone they deeply care about slowly dying from this disease and could definitely use each other’s help.

Overall, there’s just something about this show that feels weird, but it’s an entertaining kind of weird. But at the very least, the action continues to deliver. This episode also has a very unique structure as it frequently has a non-linear approach with its flashbacks that may confuse people at first with its back and forth narration, yet it wasn’t a major problem for me. It worked to build up the motivation and outline the personality of Bisco while building forward the interactions with him and Milo. But what leaves me with so many questions is regarding that corrupt governor Kurokawa. What’s he trying to accomplish? Why does he want Bisco dead so badly? And why does he have his own personal army a separate branch from the city’s own police, and why do they wear those weird-ass Robbie the Rabbit-looking masks? etc. Hopefully, these will be properly answered at some point as the story unravels…