Sonny Boy (TV series)
Sonny Boy is an original Japanese anime television series animated by Madhouse and written and directed by Shingo Natsume. The series aired from July to October 2021. Plot. Midway through a seemingly endless day of summer vacation, third-year middle school student Nagara and his class, along with transfer student Nozomi and the aloof and mysterious Mizuho, are suddenly transported to an alternate dimension. The group calls the new dimension "This World", and finds it has its own set of rules and physics. Over time, while trying to get back home, they realize that they have  individual supernatural abilities, but also find it difficult to navigate their own interpersonal relationships. The class later splits into two groups due to internal conflicts. As both the groups continue journeying to find their way back home, they discover many other students who have spent thousands of years in other "This Worlds". Production and release. The anime television series was announced on April 28, 2021. The series was animated by Madhouse and written and directed by Shingo Natsume, with original character designs provided by Hisashi Eguchi and Norifumi Kugai adapting the designs for animation. The series aired from July 16  to October 1, 2021 on Tokyo MX and other channels. Ging Nang Boyz performed the series' theme song "Shōnen Shōjo". The first episode was given an early premiere on June 19, 2021. The series is licensed outside of Asia by Funimation. Medialink licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia and streamed it in their YouTube channel. On September 14, 2021, Funimation announced the series would receive an English dub, which premiered on September 16. Soundtrack. The "Sonny Boy Soundtrack" was released on September 8, 2021. Shinichirō Watanabe served as the musical advisor. Reception. "Sonny Boy" received the Excellence Award  in the animation category at the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival. The series was nominated in two categories in the 2022 Crunchyroll Anime Awards Anime of the Year and Director of the Year. The series was also nominated for the "Anime Trending Awards" in four categories "Best in Original Screenplay", "Best in Sceneries and Visuals", "Mystery or Psychological Anime of the Year" and "SciFi or Mecha Anime of the Year". lSteve Jones from Anime News Network reviewed the series, saying "I'm glad to see the narrative making strides with broadly-sweeping social allegory and weird yet competent character development  beats". He also critiqued the characters "Nagara isn't terribly exciting, I've warmed up to the rest of the main cast. Mizuho in particular feels like the most rounded of the bunch now, as she deals with the conflict between her antisocial tendencies and her responsibility as the island's benefactor. Like society itself, there's sure to be plenty of friction between who these kids want to be and who the laws of this universe expect them to be".