SKET Dance – 16
It’s like a battle of the bands, only the bands here don’t actually battle
I write this in between my ongoing struggle with Heart no Kuni no Alice. I’ve had to start over Blood’s route from the beginning TWICE now thanks to not visiting the twins the first time and then barely missing event 20 before the ball the second time (I know I can still get a good end, but I want the frigging CGs), so I’m pretty close to rage quitting any time now. Or maybe I’ll just try another route. I’m still pretty pissed though. Anyways, yeah this week’s Sket Dance…. guitars…. and stuff.
The episode starts off with Tsubaki and the President in the principal’s office. I’m pretty sure this is the principal’s first appearance on the show and he instructs the two to make this year’s rock and roll festival a success. We then get a lovely scene of him playing the guitar and having old man sweat. Ew.
Why is this school so awesome?
At Bossun’s house, his sister is watching some violinist and Bossun comes home to his sister requesting the violinist’s autograph because her and Bossun go to the same school. Bossun doesn’t care though, because Transformers is on.
At the school, Himeko is practicing guitar and Bossun asking what’s going on (in between rambling about mecha). Himeko says that she’s been invited to join a band and that the Kaimei Rock Festival is coming up. Switch pops up to explain the festival’s history and Bossun seems unimpressed.
Himeko introduces her band with Yabasawa (who’s singing voice isn’t that bad) and a bunch of other girls in it. The band’s name is the Yabasawa Books. You can probably guess who named it. Switch has also joined a band (playing techno drum sounds from his computer) with his otaku friends. Himeko and Switch have a conversation about how awesome it is being in a band and Bossun feels left out.
M Burger: The fast food choice for masochists everywhere
Sometime later, in the club room, Bossun sulks that he can’t play an instrument so Himeko takes pity on him and teaches him some guitar. Seeing how Bossun is pretty skilled at anything artistic, so he picks up the basics right away and instantly cheers up. Himeko suggests Bossun learns the bass and he gets a hand me down from one of Himeko’s band members.
3 days later, a student comes to ask Bossun to be the bassist to their band because he’s impressed by how much Bossun has progressed in so little time. Bossun is unsure until he sees that the Student Council will be competing. With him agreeing, Bossun, Switch and Himeko find themselves competing with each other for the first time ever.
Bossun was so excited, his fingers swelled to twice their normal size
Back at the Student Council, the President is ready to give up because it’s too much of a pain and the festival is already popular enough without them. Tsubaki is against this however and the President gets a text from the Switch saying that the Sket are all participating separately. The President gives up on giving up. Ahhh, rivalry.
Someone’s been watching too much K-ON!.
Meanwhile, the Sket have some internal discord because they all can’t practice in the same room when they’re playing different songs. Bossun leaves (on a side note, Roman also joins the rock festival to follow Bossun) and he’s given a song by the pillows (the same band that does the ending) to play.
While playing, Bossun notices something off, but can’t quite place it. It’s not until a girl with a violin tells him that the tuning is off and fixes his strings does it sound right. Bossun notices the violin and learns that the girl is Sugisaki, the girl on TV at the beginning of the episode. He brings up the fact that Sugisaki will be going to Germany to play and she admits that she’s not confident about going because it seems like a dream still. Bossun cheers her up and she helps him practice for a while.
After the ending credits, Bossun meets Tsubaki in the hallways carrying a guitar. They glare at each other for a bit and then leave. He finds Himeko in the club room while she’s on the phone with Yabasawa. Yabasawa says something and Himeko gets upset.
Wait… That’s it?
This just seems like an odd place to end the episode. Probably because pretty much nothing happened for the entire 24 or so minutes. Here I was expecting some awesome concert scene, but instead we just get scenes of the Sket playing instruments. Yeah, I’m disappointed. I know the next episode will be epic, but this one just seems extremely anticlimactic. I know that this was based off of original material and that the original also broke it up into two chapters, but they so could have added in more rivalry between the Sket or something to make it more interesting.
Good points of this episode…. Were there any? The animation was okay I guess. The voice acting was great as usual. I guess just the story was lacking. I definitely liked the whole rivalry thing going on between everyone and listening to the instruments being played though. Those were the highlights of the episode for me. Overall, I guess I’m just unimpressed. There was nothing bad with the episode, but there wasn’t anything fantastic about it either. It was more in the middle and it was pretty forgettable.
Preview:
No preview, but it’s the conclusion to the festival next episode.
About Karakuri
University student and the one at Metanorn who's known for wearing glasses. Likes blood, insanity and plot twists, but also plays otome games and adores cute romance anime. It balances out... somehow.
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 39 comments
Being a guitarist myself, I go green with envy when I see all those axes.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
I’m not a guitarist myself, are the ones here based on anything good? Guitars are awesome.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
I still have to watch this! I shall tonight and comment again <3
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
You’re not missing much. =3
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Best parts where the training alone with the music girl! And the Pillows! I saw Ride on shooting star on the back of that CD Wooooo! FLCL moment for me! Ohhhh if they play that song I will be happy ;P
Time for music next time!!
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 207 comments
Hmmm yeah I have to agree with you as well. It was a cool idea for everyone to go off into their own bands, but all they did was just practice the entire episode. It was one of the MEHHHHer episodes of Sket Dance :/
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
The next one should be good though. They HAVE to at least incorporate Bossun’s band, even if they completely skip over the others.