Netflix’s Time Patrol Bon is a science fiction anime odyssey about the value of human life

Most time travel stories are stories of intervention or conservation; we follow protagonists who try to change the past to correct something in the future, or do everything they can to return to their own time period without drastically changing the past. Time Patrol Bon sits squarely in the middle, and that’s exactly what makes it a beloved cult classic manga – and a surprisingly prescient adaptation from Netflix.

Based on the manga by Fujiko Fujio, the comic book writing duo known for creating the beloved icon of Japanese pop culture Doraemon, Time Patrol Bon (stylized on Netflix as TP Bon) follows Bon Namihira, an ordinary high school student living in present-day Japan. He unintentionally crosses paths with a time traveler named Ream from the future and learns of the existence of the Time Patrol, a technologically advanced organization that travels through time and space to save innocent lives while preserving the course of history .

Only after discovering that Bon plays a crucial role in human history do they choose not to erase him from history to protect the secret of Time Patrol’s existence; instead, they offer him the opportunity to join their cause. Accompanied by Buyoyon, a brutal, ghostly extra-dimensional being, Bon joins Ream as her apprentice as they journey through history saving lives while growing into his new responsibilities as a Time Patrol agent.

It’s a fascinating premise, which naturally raises a question not so different from what multiverse stories often address: what is the value of a single life in the totality of existence? And who, if anyone, should have the authority to decide that? In case of Time Patrol BonThat authority is the Time Patrol Research Office, which is dedicated to finding and saving the lives of individuals who will have no influence on the course of history. By emphasizing the value of good but otherwise unhistorical people whose lives were cut short due to tragic accidents, misunderstandings or overt malice, TP Bon argues for the enduring value of all life in itself, as well as the importance of human relationships.

Take the eighth episode of the anime, in which Bon and Ream are tasked with saving one – and only one – kamikaze pilot during the Battle of Okinawa. Torn between his compassion for all human life and his obligation to uphold the parameters of Time Patrol, lest he endanger the mission and survival of the organization, Bon ultimately decides to effect that rescue. each life, even only one life, is a valuable and noble undertaking if it is possible. It’s a very profound moment that conveys both Bon’s coming of age in his responsibilities as a member of a Time Patrol, but also the overall humanistic message of the series. Put another way, not everything we face can be changed, but that’s no excuse for inaction. Even the smallest action is worthwhile if it helps reduce the sum of human suffering.

Image: Bones/Netflix

By his own admission, Bon is an average, everyday teenager. He has no special powers, isn’t particularly physically gifted or academically skilled, and isn’t even that popular at his school. At first glance, he barely registers as a footnote in human history, let alone in the grand scheme of existence. If someone like Bon can influence the future of humanity beyond his role as a member of Time Patrol, then anyone can.

It helps that TP Bon is led by respected animator Masahiro Ando, ​​known for his work as a key animator on the 1995 films End of Evangelion And Ghost in the shellas well as his own 2007 anime film Sword of the Stranger. Such a resume helps the show be everything it wants to be: TP Bon does an excellent mix of whimsical sci-fi spectacle, drama and occasional education, with tales of Bon and Ream rescuing sailors lost at sea, thwarting prehistoric poachers in the Jurassic period and even inadvertently reviving the 16th century legend of Journey to inspire the West. In creating a series that strikes the balance between light-hearted adventure and existential meditation, Ando and studio Bones have not only delivered a faithful and worthy adaptation of Fujiko Fujio’s original manga, but one for the ages.

TP Bon season 1 is available to stream on Netflix.