Two kids merging into one body to fight an unseen evil sounds like a gimmick until you realize the show is actually about what it costs to stop being yourself. The fusion mechanic isn't window dressing, it's the entire point, a literal surrender of identity that only works because Takeshi and Kentaro have nothing left to lose. The animation is thin and the budget shows everywhere, but the core concept refuses to let go of you: two people becoming one thing, again and again, fighting something they don't understand. By the finale, that's stopped being sci-fi and started being a question about friendship that the show actually answers.

Takeshi Kido and Kentaro Shiratori have been friends for nearly their whole lives. They live in a seaside city in the Kanto region, near a lake formed long ago by a fallen meteorite. One night a strange creature rises from the lake and attacks them. When they are close to being killed, a being called Kopu tells them they have been chosen to protect the world from the evil Goumon. By joining hands, the pair transform into Barom One, a hero with superior abilities who fights to defend the city. The action and sci-fi series is a new take on a 1972 superhero television show.