The Appeal and Evaluation of BEM: A Deep Dive Review

"BEM": A dark fantasy that depicts a story of discrimination and coexistence

The TV anime series "BEM", which aired in 2019, is an original anime work by ADK Emotions, and animation was produced by Landock Studio. It was directed by Yoshinori Kodaka, with series composition by Atsuhiro Tomioka, character design by Masakazu Sunagawa, and music by SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS and Michiru. It aired for a total of 12 episodes from July 15 to October 14, 2019 on TV Tokyo and AT-X.

story

The setting of "BEM" is the port city of Libra City. The city is divided into the "Upper Side," the political, economic, and cultural center, and the "Outside," an area rife with corruption and crime and where people are suspicious of each other. The two areas are separated by a huge canal and a single "bridge." It's a city where human "discrimination" is clearly manifested.

Sonia, a young female detective who has just been assigned to Libra City, meets three hideous people who fight to protect humans while investigating various cases. They are monster humans who call themselves "Bem," "Bella," and "Bero," and live their lives hiding their identities while carrying their own thoughts. Bem believes that "by defeating evil and helping humans, one day they will become human," Bella attends the same school as humans because of her admiration for humans, and Bello has a deep understanding of humans and the world and is immersed in the world of games. However, even if they fight to protect humans, they will never be accepted by humans because of their hideous appearance. There is a person who is searching for these three people. What is the purpose of the mysterious woman who manipulates the "invisible parliament" that controls Libra City from behind the scenes and tries to capture Bem and the others?

character

Bem (voice: Katsuyuki Konishi) is the leader of the monster-humans who believes that by defeating evil and helping humans, he can one day become human. Although he is silent and expressionless, he thinks of Bella and Bello as if they were family, and secretly watches over their actions. He has a high intelligence, a sturdy body, and the special ability to control electricity.

Bella (voice: M.A.O) is the only female monster human who has a strong admiration for humans. She usually goes by the name of Annabella and attends St. Joseph High School, a prestigious school in the Upper Side, where she enjoys school life with her classmates. She makes an effort to blend into human society and has little prejudice against humans, but this often gets her hurt. She has the special ability to control the whip installed in her right arm with graceful movements and to control cold air.

Bello (voice: Ono Kensho) is the third youkai human who has a cool and dispassionate stance towards the world and humans. He is a genius at gaming, and usually hangs out at Outside game centers with his friends. Wanting to maintain a certain distance from human society, he always wears headphones and pretends not to hear what people are saying. He uses his quick movements to toy with evil, and although he does not have any special powers, he shows signs of growth.

Sonia Summers (voice: Uchida Maaya) is a young female detective with a strong sense of justice. She was demoted from the Upper Side to the Outside 18th Precinct because she was too serious and inflexible. She doesn't follow the Outside way of doing things, and always tries to do what she thinks is right.

Joel Woods (voice: Kenji Nomura) is a detective at Outside's 18th Precinct. He is generally not very motivated. He is pushed around by Sonia, who refuses to follow the Outside way of doing things.

Roddy Walker (voice: Nishiyama Kotaro) is a classmate of Bella's at high school. He admires Annabella, also known as Bella.

Darryl Bryson (voiced by Saito Soma) is the son of a politician's secretary in Upper. He is skilled at playing video games and has won numerous tournaments.

Dr. Recycle (voiced by Junichi Suwabe) is a mysterious surgeon and scientist from Outside. He performs surgery to give supernatural powers to those who want to give up being human or those who have emotional scars.

Helmut Feld (voice: Daisuke Ono) is a detective who was assigned to Outside Precinct 18 with the mission of capturing monsters. He is ruthless and will use any means to accomplish his mission.

The mysterious woman (voiced by Maaya Sakamoto) is the leader of the "Invisible Council" that controls Libra City from behind the scenes. She plots to capture Bem and the other monster humans.

Production Staff

Many talented staff members were involved in the production of "BEM". The original work was by ADK Emotions, the planning was by NAS, the project was supported by Production IG, the director was Yoshinori Kodaka, the series composition was Atsuhiro Tomioka, the character concept was Range Murata, the character design was Masakazu Sunagawa, the art director was Seiko Akashi, the color design was Masato Sasaki, the CG director was Kaneshi Isobe, the cinematographer was Kojiro Hayashi, the editor was Ayako Tan, the sound director was Toshiki Kameyama, the music was by SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS and Michiru, the music production was by Flying Dog, and the animation was by Landock Studio.

episode

Each episode of "BEM" depicts the darkness of Libra City while also depicting the yearning and suffering of Bem and the other monsters towards humans. Below are the subtitles of each episode.

• Episode 1: WATER (2019/07/14)
• Episode 2: LIAR (2019/07/21)
• Episode 3: SHADOW (2019/07/28)
• Episode 4: LIGHTNING (2019/08/18)
• Episode 5: SWEEPER (2019/08/25)
• Episode 6: GRAVITY (2019/09/01)
• Episode 7: CHIMERA (2019/09/08)
• Episode 8: NOISE (2019/09/15)
• Episode 9: FALLING (2019/09/22)
• Episode 10: BETRAYAL (2019/09/29)
• Episode 11: JUDGEMENT (2019/10/06)
• Episode 12: Wishing to become human someday (2019/10/13)

Related Titles

"BEM" has deep ties to the following related works:

• Monster Human Bem
• Humanoid Monster Bem
• We are monster humans

Theme songs and music

The opening theme "Memories of the Universe" was written, composed, and arranged by Shiina Ringo, sung by Sakamoto Maaya, and performed by SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS. The ending theme "Iruimi" was written, composed, and arranged by Furuya Kenji, and sung by JUNNA. These songs deeply reflect the theme of the story and resonate with the hearts of viewers.

Ratings and Recommendations

"BEM" is a dark fantasy that depicts the universal theme of discrimination and coexistence, providing viewers with deep emotions and elements that make them think. The story, which depicts the longing and suffering of three monster humans, Bem, Bella, and Bello, as well as the darkness of Libra City, leaves a strong impression on viewers. The character design and music have also been highly praised, and the opening and ending songs in particular are important elements that enhance the atmosphere of the story.

This work is recommended for those who like works that depict social issues and those who like dark fantasy. It is also perfect for those who want to enjoy thinking about deep themes. "BEM" is a work that makes the viewer think a lot and is deeply moving, so I highly recommend watching it at least once.