Anime: Jungle Book: Shounen Mowgli

Another series that time forgot. Although quite simple in our days, the Jungle Book is a very good children’s story. Based on a book, it describes the life of a human boy, raised by wolves.

ART & SOUND SECTION: 5/10
Typical. As much as I liked the series, they will seem very simple if you haven’t been raised with old titles. Normal character figures (no tattoos or weird cloths), normal animal figures (no neon glow stripes or mechanized limbs) and normal backgrounds (an average jungle) are uninteresting in our era of emos and anti-heroes. Not that they are bad. It’s just that they are generic to the point of becoming uninteresting compared to other titles with a similar setting, such as Jungle wa Itsumo Hare nochi Guu . Music themes and voice acting were also mediocre to the point of not paying attention to them.

STORY SECTION: 6/10
Although it appears to be like the much similar Tarzan story, the Jungle Book has a much more interesting protagonist. The general story is great but it is ruined by the childishly simple way it is presented. A generic looking boy, talking to generic looking animals, doing generic adventures. Not much action, mostly drama and talking. There are many coming of age situations and some moral messages about proper human behavior but you can get the same in almost all shonen series. I doubt kids of today will be interested in such normal premises. But there are still some serious moments that stand out and others violent enough to make you forget it is just a silly story.

CHARACTER SECTION: 6/10
Mowgli fights with cunningness instead of raw power and tries to befriend his enemies instead of kicking the hell out of them. He has to prove himself to the wolf pack, manage to live on his own, defend against an evil tiger, accept his heritage as a human, prevent other humans from destroying the jungle, fall in love, explore, learn, mature. He is a great role model for children. Not some trendy nerd like Naruto or Ichigo.

Besides Mowgli, no other character is interesting. Most of the crew are talking animals, who think and act simple and two-dimensionally. I know that that’s how animals normally are but that makes them realistic and not interesting.

VALUE SECTION: 2/10
Really low. Who would watch again a rather simple children’s story in our days? Even the target audience will choose those fancy jutsus and bankais over this title.

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 6/10
If you bother watching it to the end, you will find it interesting most of the time. It has a simple pace but it is not boring.

VERDICT: 5/10
I regret to inform you that the patient has left us. But worry not, as his ideals keep living inside his descendants.

SUGGESTION LIST
If you like series with animals in a jungle, then I suggest:
Shounen Keniya. A Tarzan rip-off.
Jungle wa Itsumo Hare nochi Guu. A great comedy, set in a jungle.
The movie Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes starring Christoff Lambert.