Binbougami Ga! – 05

Oh it’s so cute!

This post was brought to you by Metanorn and Sushi!

Last week I saw a series that returned to its arrogant stance on maturing a bit.  Some people felt it was a return to form for the series where the mindless comedy was a breath of fresh air. I understand that sentiment wholeheartedly, but with a great set of leads, why waste them. The writing has been dynamic thus far but without incorporating other elements it threatens to push the series into stagnation. I’m not asking for Binbougami Ga! to throw itself into a melodramatic cesspool, but to wade into the reflective pools of moderate depth depth. A two dimensional series can only really hope for being unmemorable.

While episode three was applauded by me, I felt it threatened to dive into the aforementioned cesspool. For the fifth outing a balanced has been reached between development and humor using the two main characters as devices for each respective element. Momiji is a conduit for the comedy, while Ichiko is the recipient of the growth. This formula is potent, creating an ebb and flow that keeps it engaging.

Half man… half turtle… all sexy

Momiji has turned Ichiko into a child. Obviously this is to expose her to the experiences she was robbed of when she was younger. The most important experience would be friendship. Keita’s youngest sister welcomes Ichiko to a game of hide and seek. The show does take a few moments to explore the relationship of the two, but largely discards it at the end. While this could have been a great way to easily blend together the strong comedy elements and the dramatic ones, it’s an opportunity that’s missed. Again, companionship seems to be one of the recurring themes and ignoring such an interaction would be a failure. I say would because the show exploits the next best motif, family.

Kinship has been the domain of Keita and his siblings, where Ichiko was rejected from before. Under the influence of Momji’s magic, she gets a second chance to enter into Keita’s sacred space in a cuter package. The second time around, our silver haired vixen keeps her silver tongue in check, mainly because it affords her cover from the goddess of Misfortune. As she spends time with them though, waves of irritation come over her. Regardless of the poor situation Keita’s family is in there is a sense of warmth that is missing from her life. Her fortune doesn’t afford her love, only material gains.

Owned.

Maybe my analysis is a bit overwrought, but I feel that the series is seeking to make a commentary on how society views fortune. In world where social Darwinism has become part and parcel of everyday life, we lose sight of what we have closest to our chest. Friends and family get overlooked in our quests for a ‘better’ life. Meaning is not derived from who but what.

A wild Ichiko was spotted!

If the series continues its tight wire act of provoking both thoughts and laughs, it can be elevated to one of the best shows this season. I think the one thing we can count on though is the endless amount of Dragon Ball Z references which never seem to get old. Until next week my lovely Metanites (I just coined that term).

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