Buddy Complex

Plot

Aoba Watase, an ordinary high school boy, is attacked by a giant robot on the first day back after summer break. His classmate Hina Yumihara rescues him in a giant robot, cryptically says "Dio is waiting," and sends him into the future before disappearing. Aoba wakes up over seventy years later, in 2088, where the Free Pact Alliance and the Zogilia Republic are at war. He meets pilot Dio Junyou Weinberg and begins a new life as a pilot, together changing the fate of the world.

Characters

Aoba Watase, voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, is the 16-year-old main protagonist and a first-year student at Seio High School. He is bright, considerate, and excels at athletics, especially basketball. Originally an ordinary Japanese high school student from 2014, he is transported to 2088 and fights for the Free Pact Alliance as the pilot of the Coupling Valiancer Luxon, later Luxon Next. He has exceptional compatibility as a Coupler.

He is surprised to see Hina as a Zogilia pilot with no memories of him from the past, and she even tries to kill him when he offers his hand. Despite knowing she is the enemy, Aoba does not want to fight her because she saved his life. After another encounter, he is almost convinced she is not the same Hina Yumihara who saved him, but he later invites her to join the Cygnus after her father's death, though Bizon ruins his effort. He eventually realizes she is indeed the same Hina and decides to save her from her fate.

Hina Yumihara, also known as Hina Ryazan and voiced by Saori Hayami, is the main heroine and a first-year student at Seio High School. She is Aoba's classmate who ends up next to him after seat changes and seems to have feelings for him, though she acts cold and stiff toward him. She is actually a mecha pilot from the future with a mission to protect Aoba from opposing mecha.

She sends Aoba into the future, where she has not yet met him and serves as a pilot for the Zogilia Republic, enemy of the Free Pact Alliance. She is assigned to Alfried's squad as the pilot of the Fortuna, later transferred to Zogilia's Adminburo as the pilot of Coupling Valiancer Karura. During her first encounter with Aoba, she is confused that an enemy pilot knows her name and tries to kill him when he offers his hand. She is intrigued by his kindness after he saves her on a deserted island and gives her the pink cat hairpin belonging to Hina Yumihara.

Media

The mecha anime Buddy Complex was a collaborative production by Sunrise and several Bandai Namco subsidiaries, including Bandai Visual, Lantis, and Banpresto. Hajime Yatate is credited as the original creator, with Yasuhiro Tanabe handling direction. The BC Project team managed series composition, while Asako and Tomoshige Inayoshi oversaw character designs and animation direction. Tatsuya Katou composed the music.

Tokyo MX gave the first episode an early preview on December 29, 2013, before the regular run began there on January 5, 2014. Other stations like YTV, TVA, and BS11 later joined the broadcast, and Bandai Channel also carried it. Funimation started streaming the show on January 6, 2014, and Daisuki made it available worldwide through its website and YouTube channel. The series wrapped up after 13 episodes on March 30, 2014.

Bandai Visual began releasing Blu-ray volumes in Japan on March 26, 2014. A two-part sequel, Buddy Complex Final Chapter: Into the Skies of Tomorrow, aired on September 29 and 30, 2014, and featured the insert song "Twin Bird" by True. A manga adaptation ran in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Daioh from January 27 to October 27, 2014, with two compiled volumes released on March 27 and November 27, 2014. A separate manga based on the smartphone game appeared in Dengeki Maoh from January 27 to August 27, 2014, and its single volume came out on September 27, 2014. The free-to-play mobile game Buddy Complex: Coupling of Battlefield launched for iOS and Android in Japan on March 7, 2014, with the theme song "Orbital Line" by Erica Masaki.