Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood Review

Garnt Maneetapho, better known as Gigguk, is one of the most popular anime YouTubers, known for his sharp commentary, comedic skits, and deep love for the "isekai" genre. But with his latest project, he’s stepping into a new role: not just commentating on anime, but creating it.

I've been aware of Gigguk's content for years, especially his "In a Nutshell" series where he reviews the past season of anime projects is probably what I enjoy the most from his catalgue of videos. I've only became familiar with the person behind Gigguk, known as Garnt, after he launched the Trash Taste podcast with 'The Animeman' and 'CDawgVA'. Since then, I've enjoyed hearing about Garnt's journey, from his corporate job in the BBC, or a company that worked for the BBC, his experiences with living in different countries, and to his thoughts/opinions on media.

When Gigguk announced that he is releasing an anime, and not just any anime but an Isekai, which for the uniniated basically means "another world", it made complete sense to me. Ask any Gigguk or Trash Taste fan and they would probably agree that there is no one better for the job than Mr. Domestic Girlfriend himself (I know guys Domestic Girlfriends isnt an Isekai anime but whatever).

However, content creators coming out with their own products, services and in this case films, isn’t new. In fact, the track record isn’t great. That’s why there is always that initial skepticism around projects like this. But, after the release of the trailer and listening to episode 263 of the trash taste podcast (which is a great companion piece to this project btw) I felt optimistic that Garnt was going to deliver. Are we truly in for peak ? Now before we get into that, what actually is this short film called Baan

Here’s the elevator pitch - Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood is an 18‑minute anime short film that blends modern Japan with a Southeast Asian–inspired fantasy world. The title itself, “Bâan,” draws from Thai, meaning “home” or “village,” which ties directly into the anime’s exploration of identity, belonging, and the meaning of adulthood. With all of that out of the way now, let’s get into my thoughts and opinions.

The date of recording is the 20th of September and I’ve just watched Gigguk’s anime twice, once in the Japanese and English dub. Without going into too much spoilers, the opening scene of the short is of the two main characters of the story about to embark on their respective journey’s, Daichi, a young man from Japan, and Rin, who hails from a magical realm known as Euthania. Despite his family's objections, Daichi travels to Euthania, while Rin sets off for Japan. Both are seeking to begin anew. What follows is an exploration into their struggles as immigrants, in their new respective homes.

The over arching theme of Baan is the joy, excitement and hardship of moving to a different country and trying your best to set a new life for yourself. Baan truly excels in achieving that by showing us, despite the short run time, the ups and downs that Rin and Daichi go through. Whether it is getting rejected from numerous job applications or forging your own path in life, Baan beautifully captures those intimate moments of preserverance and self doubt that all immigrants go through.

Without getting into any spoilers, Rin and Daichi, although they embark on a similar journey, make different choices along the way. This highlights how people's paths can vary and that neither choice is incorrect. In fact, both decisions are valid, as the interpretation of "home," or in this case "Baan," is personal and subjective. For those that dont know, Gigguk himself is someone who's moved from country to country, whether it is Thailand, the UK or Japan, so its always great when the creator of a story pours his own soul and heart into the narrative and characters.

Speaking of Gigguk's life story, you can see the significant influence of his Thai heritage on the characters, the world, and lore. Euthania, the fantastical realm where Rin originates, draws inspiration from South-East Asian folklore. This is unqie for anime, as I personally can't recall any anime that explores Thai culture to this degree. The aesthetic of the world and its characters further adds to that uniquness and makes Baan stand out from your prototypical anime projects, which again speaks to the level of dedication and love that's been poured into this film.

In the world of Baan, a teleportation system has been developed, enabling the inhabitants of each world to travel between them. This system takes the shape of a giant tower. In Euthania's case, that tower is protected by this beautiful dragon like creature, that to my surpise isnt too invovled in the actual story except for a specific action scene which I'll talk about later. Whereas in Japan/our world, this system seems to have been commercilized. I am glad the story didnt focus too much on the world itself and instead aimed at telling us as much as possible through Rin and Daichi's journey. However, if Gigguk did manage to find the funding to further expand this into a full out series, the materail is definintely there to do that, as I definitely want to know more about the dragon, the inhabitants of Euthania, and the connection to our world. A part of me does wonder how much the story would hold up if this was turned into a fully fledged series instead of a 18 minute short but the ideas that have been planted are definitely worth growing.

Now let's get into the animation. One of my initial impressions while watching Baan was how beautiful and consistent the animation is. Although it's not groundbreaking or revolutionary, given that Gigguk primarily funded this project himself, it's an incredible accomplishment. The animation in Baan meets the standards that anime fans expect from contemporary titles, which is a testament to the excellent work done by Studio Daisy. There's a specific action sequence in the third act that amazed me with its quality, as I didn't anticipate seeing such high-level animation in this project.

Overall, Baan is not just a mere exploration of leaving one’s home; it is a deeply personal journey that resonates with many. The act of stepping away from the familiar comforts of home serves as a powerful catalyst for growth, self-discovery, and transformation. Each individual’s experience is unique, yet the underlying theme remains the same: the courage to leave behind the known in pursuit of the unknown can lead to profound insights and new beginnings. Embracing this journey can open doors to new opportunities, perspectives, and ultimately, a richer understanding of oneself. With everything that is going on in the world on immigration and the tightening of boarders, its heart warming to see stories like this champion the idea of leaving and creating a new home.

Baan: The Boundary of adulthood is a great debut project for Gigguk and Geexplus that will hopefully give them the necessary resources to turn this project into a full series or at the very least a longer film. On a separate note, it will be interesting to see how successful this project is for Geexplus and the newly created Geexplus production which focuses on creator-led projects such as Baan. This might even be the beginning of them establishing themselves within the anime industry. However for now, their first project, Baan: The Boundary of Adulthood, is the right step in that direction.

Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood