English Dub Review: Bullet/Bullet “Episodes 9-12”

The first eight episodes of Bullet/Bullet hadn’t exactly ended things off on a high note.  Despite Gear’s successful attempt to expose the deadly truth about his hometown, the residents seemed to have accepted this way of life.  Even worse, Qu-0213-Nosa’s sacrifice in getting the word out may have been for nothing.  This shocking moment could’ve gone in a direction most viewers would expect regarding the show’s narrative.  Instead, it emphasizes how complex and accepting the world has become, even with the cold-hearted truth about people’s impending demise.  This added to the enjoyment of the anime’s post-apocalyptic setting and storytelling that drifted past some of its familiar narrative trappings.

With its final four episodes, Bullet/Bullet seeks to bring the season’s narrative to a satisfying conclusion following the eighth episode’s downer ending.  Of course, what better way to kick off the last few episodes than with some more depression and surprises, notably Gear’s inner turmoil over his first mission failure?  Additionally, the ninth episode reveals that the show’s assumed antagonist, Barrel, was none other than the legendary Road, who gave up his previous life to serve the government out of guilt for his teammate’s death.  This twist may have come across as predictable to some, but to me, it effectively emphasizes the complexity and sentimental empathy towards Barrel’s struggles, benefiting from Liam O’Brien’s vocal performance.

Additionally, the four episodes further explore the significance of hope, class, and what makes life worth living.  In the case of its former message, the episodes demonstrated the different perspectives on how hope is given.  Gear’s usual perspective of hope is through inspiring his people to rise against the injustice by writing his own destiny and destroying the capital led by the head of state.  As for the mysterious head of state, whose real identity is revealed to be a cyborg named Dalia in the finale, she seeks to bring hope amid despair through a different method: providing residents with never-ending Gatcha cartoons by stealing the life source of lower-class people.  This reflection may seem convoluted at first, but it did a fair job at providing a decent amount of intrigue and sentimentality to highlight its inspiring message.

Its storytelling may have missed a few marks in its formulaic yet hopeful narrative, much like White Bear keeps missing his shots.  Nonetheless, the final act of Bullet/Bullet serves as an entertaining conclusion to Sunghoo Park’s ONA series.  The English dub cast continued to deliver decent work through their performances, including Caitlyn Elizabeth and Liam O’Brien, and the animation by E&H Production remained impressive, particularly in its action scenes, such as the car chase between Gear and Barrel.  Its CGI effects were still a bit sluggish at times compared to the 2D animation, but they’re not to the point of resembling its cheap quality.  In short, this is a fun post-apocalyptic anime that’ll likely inspire fans of Park’s previous works to join in on this Mad Max-inspired ride.