Sabikui Bisco (Episode 1) – The Man Worth 800,000
Tokyo was destroyed by the sudden appearance of a strange giant figure. Many years later, society has rebuilt, but the people are plagued by a strange illness known as the Rust. But beware the mushroom keepers.
Sabikui Bisco (Episode 1) – The Man Worth 800,000
What happened?
A monk makes his way towards a checkpoint on a pilgrimage, however, he gets held up when the identification scanner isn’t working. The security guard is quite chatty and brings up the top of Bisco Akaboshi – a wanted man and mushroom keeper. In order to reach the city at the heart of the walls, the monk will need to cross a desert.
In the city, people are struggling to cope with a mysterious illness called the Rust. It is pretty much as you might expect. The body is covered in a rusty patch that slowly eats away at it, spreading everywhere. The locals believe that the rust came from the strange being that destroyed Tokyo and is spread by mushrooms.
Milo Nekoyanagi is a bright and cheerful doctor who works in the poorest part of town, his clinic is situated in a brothel. However, he could work for the rich members of society, but that doesn’t interest him. He wants to develop a cure for the Rust and save his sister. He’s even been backed by the guy that runs things – Kurokawa. However, Milo has a chance encounter with a mushroom keeper known as Bisco. Everything is about to change.
What did you think?
This series encapsulates the essence of why I love anime. After one episode, I have almost no idea what is going on beyond the things I’ve pieced together above. There haven’t been any real exposition dumps, at least not any that clarify anything substantial and that’s fine. I love trying to work out what’s going on and why things are happening.
That isn’t why I love it though. This episode was insane and had so much going on that on their own would have been incredibly memorable. However, altogether, it’s just completely bonkers and I can’t wait to see more. Here’s a quick recap of the most bizarre moments. First, there were hippos and one was wearing a gas mask. Then, there was the plane with what looked like a slug built into it. The plane fired a missile at a giant crab and there were definitely people riding it. Then, there was Kurokawa and his bunny-headed henchmen.
Of course, we also have the Rust and the Mushroom Keepers, which are going to probably be the most integral parts of the series. Something this crazy, with this many elements, would surely have been passed over in the world of Western media, but not anime. Anime fans will eat this up and rightly so. I’ve avoided all spoilers so I have literally no idea what’s going on, but you better believe I am going to find out.
Episode Highlights
Other reviews in the series
- Season One
- Episode 1 – The Man Worth 800,000
- Episode 2 – Soar on King Trumpets
- Episode 3 – Tag Team
- Episode 4 – Ride the Crab
- Episode 5 – Children’s Fortress
- Episode 6 – Companions and Prey
- Episode 7 – The Stolen Rust Eater
- Episode 8 – Fiendish Trap
- Episode 9 – I Love You
- Episode 10 – Tetsujin Revived
- Episode 11 – I’m Bisco!
- Episode 12 – Bow and Arrow Duo
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I’m often quite happy to go on without exposition dumps and if it takes a few episodes to figure things out, as long as the anime is interesting, that’s okay. It ads a bit of mystery to things.
Same. I don’t want to be spoon-fed, especially through an exposition dump. This was a great series.