Phi Brain S2 – 10
Phi Brain beach episode. THAT IS THE CAPTION. I’M DONE.
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I can’t believe it took me so long to watch this. “Phi Brain + beach episode” should have provoked me to camp out and wait for this sucker to get subbed so I could watch it immediately. However, some days you don’t even feel like watching your favourite puzzle geeks run around topless. I bet this would have cheered me up if I had forced myself to watch it! Eh, I got out of my slump SOMEHOW, so it’s no use lamenting the fact Phi Brain didn’t save me from my crushing workload. |
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The usual style of humour in Phi Brain is pretty lame. The jokes are dumb and the timing of the delivery is so bad that it never comes close to even making my mouth twitch. The real comedy aspect to Phi Brain has always been in how ridiculous everyone’s love for puzzles is, and how seriously this anime pushes the concept. There was a strength to being funny during the moments it wasn’t trying to be funny. However, this week capitalizes on the extreme love for puzzles all the characters have. It’s like after making Phi Brain for like a year they finally thought “Wow, their love for puzzles is a bit intense!” This sudden revelation gave birth to some great jokes this week. I’d go as far as to call this the best episode of Phi Brain in terms of comedy. The self-awareness about how ridiculous the whole situation is was just..brilliant. Even the comedic timing improved! There were still some dumb jokes about girls throwing violent fits, but this is an improvement.
If I ever had to explain what Phi Brain was about, I’d probably just show them this episode. It exemplifies their insane love for puzzles. Like…insane. They see puzzles everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I swear this is a new mental disorder, where people see puzzles everywhere and go crazy trying to solve them all. I’d hate to see them go in puzzle withdrawal. Thank you Phi Brain, for finally acknowledging how ludicrous this puzzle-loving world is with this glorious satire! I think Nonoha is the only one who doesn’t agree, although she has her own sports obsession. I like how she actually swam all the way there, wow. Maybe she’s not exactly as sane as we’d like to think after hanging around with these guys for so long.
I find these shots to be super cute for some reason
Beach episodes are known for their fanservice, and Phi Brain fanservice is…very specialized. The girls were basically ignored for puzzles (and a trap…). Most of the screentime was spent looking at guys in swim trunks instead of girls in bikinis. This is why I love Phi Brain…so much thinly veiled BL while the girls all cry in a corner together and wish their love interests would give them some attention. XD My only complaint is that Gammon has no 6 pack. Come on, guys. Jonah from Jormungand is ripped and he’s a little squirt…Gammon should be way more muscular! I’m so sad D: If only Rook was in the beach episode, with his crazy muscles. I will admit…when I saw POG etched into the archway of the building, I was like “HOLY SHIT, ROOK’S GONNA BE IN THE BEACH EPISODE!!” but then he wasn’t. I..need to calm down about Rook’s appearance. Patience, Overcooled! Patience!
Overall, the funniest Phi Brain episode you will ever encounter. A must-watch!
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I Wanna Play Too!
Elena has been popping in and out of the story more than a whack-a-mole, which hasn’t really given her a good chance to shine. She had a mini arc (if you can even call it that) once, and only ever showed up afterwards in random scenes. Her limo would just conveniently roll by and she’d hand out some advice when needed before wheeling away. Not a very good role, right? It looks like they’re finally giving Elena some more screentime now that she’s attending the same school as everyone. I still think she’s a bit of a filler character, but I don’t mind her presence. Are any of you really happy she transferred?
Now, Elena is a character with multiple masks. She has a cheery perorinnnnn mask for her fans and a cool and haughty mask for everyone else. She’s a tsundere, but the dere she shows her fans and the tsun she shows her friends aren’t really accurate depictions of her real personality. Elena is actually more of a mix between the two. She’s not a complete ditz, but she does crave some personal contact. She probably transferred because she was lonely and wanted to be involved more. Her crush on Gammon probably helped aid her decision too. Anyways, seeing her join the ranks of the Phi Brain children probably means she’s going to start opening up more and being friendly. Why else would she offer a bunch of people to her island than to fill up something that was missing in her life? I think her intentions were more along those lines than just showing off her wealth. Speaking of which…she makes LOT of money for an idol, holy crap.
Key to the Puzzle Room:Show ▼
Preview: HOLY CRAP, WE’RE STILL ON THE BEACH! Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming. The fun in the sun continues as Nonoha takes centre stage to make up for her measly amount of screentime this week. She’s getting into puzzles too? Wow, she must REALLY have a complex about being useless to Kaito if she’s resorting to training her puzzle skills. Don’t worry, Nonoha. You’ll come to some convenient conclusion about how you support Kaito. I just hope there’s not too much romance (of the non-BL sort) in this upcoming episode.
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 107 comments
Nonoha was insane to think they could go a week without puzzles.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Yeah, she was asking for the impossible. That’s like telling crack addicts to suddenly stop using the drugs they get high on.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
lol they didn’t even try to stay away from puzzles. :/
POWUH: Occasional (51-75) with 62 comments
No puzzles no life. The nonexistent puzzles didn’t even block their way. They had no reason to solve them.
Kaito is so addicted, he hears voices from what definitively isn’t a puzzle. Come on Kaito, I totally believed in your puzzles feelings shtick! :'( How did they even manage to complete a magic square with just one indication?
To her credit, Elena did manage to keep them away from puzzles a bit: Kaito swam against Gammon with his glasses on, Jikukawa tried to fish apple juice, Cubic stalked Kaito on Okabe and Ana did the trap. But then Kaito went crazy and Jikukawa was left alone with the girls.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
They really had no reason to solve them, but Kaito apparently heard the puzzle begging to be set free soooo…<_< I don't know, I guess even the "heart of the puzzles" fails sometimes. My guess is that it just turned out to be a really easy magic square with a bunch of different solutions. :/ It's super easy with only one number, isn't it? No?
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
This episode was nice. Elena is awesome. It must be nice having a friend that’s totally loaded. It looks like she’ll finally have a solid part in the story and I quite like her character. And if she joins, we’ll finally have another female main character in the group rather than seeing them as extras. She was sexy in that bikini. Yeah, the other girls looked great but Elena was the best.
It’s official: Puzzles are drugs to these people. It should be considered a mental disorder. They can’t help themselves. Just look how easily they bent backwards to Elena conditions to do puzzles. And Kaito mentally broke when he was denied. In another point of view, you can call that vacation Puzzle Rehab. Unfortunately for Nonoha, there was never any hope of success.
Nonoha is a freak of nature. Swimming for six hours in the ocean? That’s nuts!! It seems insanity over one’s hobbies is contagious. With all the sports and martial arts she does, I’m surprised she doesn’t have a body as toned as Jormungand’s Valmet.
Patience, Overcooled! Patience! Pace yourself. LOL. I think you’ve contracted insanity over Rook. I think you’re experiencing the same kind obsession Rook and Freecell have for Kaito.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
We’ll see how she does as a main (sort of) character from now on. Now we have more than one girl! XD We didn’t see a lot of girls in bikinis this week, actually. Odd for a beach episode (but not for phi brain…)
Yeah, they’re addicted to puzzles in an unhealthy way. But apparently it’s normal in the world they live in! WEIRD! I doubt anything could ever cure them of it either D:
lol I’m not that obsessed (yet) over Rook. I just…really want to see him appear in another episode.
POWUH: 400-499 with 489 comments
Ahhh the beach episode. A must have in the anime business.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
It was only a matter of time.
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 47 comments
Ok it’s official: You just can’t make anime nowadays without either beach episode, hot spring episode or both xD It’s just not acceptable these days, it’s like a trend of some sort…xD
I loved this episode! I was laughing like a idiot while having this reaction all the way
That sunset scene with Kaito, Nonoha and Gammon was hilarious xD
Can’t wait for next one. I’m glad this was busy for me so time didn’t pass slowly while waiting for this episode 🙂
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 47 comments
for reaction
link didn’t appear for some reason O____O
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I loved it too. It was funny and just as “wtf” inducing as classic Phi Brain. I love this show’s version of a beach episode. Definitely a bit of a twist on the usual fanservice aspect of it all.
POWUH: Occasional (51-75) with 62 comments
So we got a hot spring, a whole travel abroad (to two countries!), a school festival, and not one but two beach episodes. What else is there on the list? I don’t think a sports festival would work well.
I loved the episode too! I laughed hard, especially when Kaito went mad and began talking in code! But when Nonoha came swimming my suspension of disbelief broke. Then we got a random running in the sea with the sunset as a background and I laughed again. Really Phi Brain? a sunset?
In retrospect the plot was terribad. Why bother putting Chieno and Airi in if they don’t even get screentime? I don’t get their fanservice strategy. Elena transferring felt random. At least that gives us more ties to POG at school and gives her a reason to be around when shit hits the fan.
I didn’t know you felt that way about Kaito and Nonoha XD
I posted a comment a few days ago but it got eaten and I was too tired to send it again. I didn’t save it before sending anyway.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Hmm, wow, I forgot about the school festival and the trips to Europe. There was even a hot spring episode, I believe. It’s amazing that Phi Brain follows these cliches and then kind of does its own thing by diminishing fanservice and throwing in tons of puzzles XD Like you said, there wasn’t much fanservice. This show has a small female cast and doesn’t really show them off. Ah well, I don’t care about that kind of fanservice since they give us all this BL hinting to make up for it =w=
Yeah, I don’t HATE Nonoha, but I wouldn’t miss her if she left. The less chemistry between her and Kaito, the more legitimate Gammon x Kaito seems as a couple in my mind. It’s fangirl logic, and I’m afraid I can’t control it.
Sorry about your comment! I didn’t see it anywhere…The Phi Brain posts seem particularly prone to spambots so a lot of comments get eaten…EVEN MY OWN COMMENTS SOMETIMES =_=
POWUH: Occasional (51-75) with 62 comments
The phi brain anime cliche episodes don’t feel like typical cliche episodes because we get a strong focus on something else. The hot spring episode is better remembered as the deer tackle episode where Ana does magic stuff, the school festival is the Kaito in drag episode and the travel to Europe is the drama arc. I felt this episode was the closest to a beach episode, and the only beach action we got was a slideshow so maybe is it more because they were in swimsuits the whole time =w=
It’s like some guys wanted more girls for fanservice in S2, but other guys replied “are you crazy? this isn’t our fanbase at all!” and they fought so we get this weird mix.
Ah, fangirl logic x) I’m not against the pairing, but I don’t feel like Nonoha has a chance against all the guys who want Kaito. In puzzle world logic anyway, she could round kick them all without breaking a sweat.
It’s alright, it’s an old one and I’m used to this now. I wonder why the phi brain posts in particular get spammed so much…
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Oh, definitely. It’s a wonder they bother with the cliches at all since they buck them off so quickly in favour of puzzles and weird crap like deer tackles. This week was basically puzzles in swimsuits lol. I’d say it was 50% beachy.
Trying to keep both genders happy is tough. Still, I feel like they’re catering more to female fans with all the guys XD Like you said yourself, it hardly even seems like Nonoha has a chance with Kaito because of all these guys throwing themselves at him.
Our spam-catcher doesn’t understand the beauty of puzzles u_u