First Impression – Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni!
More blood than Deadman Wonderland
Overcooled: Season 1 of Baka to Test was one of my favourite comedy anime. When I need to explain my sense of humour to people, I always use that show as a handy reference point so people will know what makes me laugh. I’ve been waiting for season 2 for quite a while, so let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint!
Karakuri: The show where student battles are okay and harem building only screws you over, Baka to Test! It seems so long since the first season aired and I can’t remember half the character’s names, but I’m excited anyways!
Overcooled: Finally, we’re back to the good old tests, battles and crazy references to other anime! NOPE, JUST KIDDING. We’re starting with a beach episode. Akihisa begs his sister to let him take all his friends to the beach, girls included. After dodging various near-death experiences involving either incest, violence or both, he manages to convince her to let the girls come as well.
Everyone piles into the minivan and excitedly discusses the upcoming beach trip. Of course, being an anime, that means discussing swimsuits, breast size, and how perverted the guys are. Somehow, they manage to make it there in one piece. Everyone except for an unconscious Voyeur is ready for some beach action. I think we all knew he’d nosebleed to death sooner or later on a trip like this.
We’re not even there yet and people are getting ‘excited’
The first thing everyone does when they go to beach, at least in anime, is stare lustfully at all the female characters in bathing suits. The girls all cry over Aki’s sister’s amazing assets while Hideyoshi cries over being assumed to even HAVE assets. After the girls get tired of jiggling all over the place and trying to catch the eye of the guy they like, it’s onto the next activity. Watermelon smashing!
Being BakaTest, they never end up even coming remotely close to the watermelon. The bat just ends up being swung at whoever is the closest. Once they get tired of abusing each other, they decide to eat. The girls return with snacks, offhandedly mentioning how they were hit on by a bunch of guys. The guys ignore it and just try to grab the food. Bad move. You’re supposed to care about girls getting hit on! Apparently. God, I don’t understand women and I’m one myself. <_<
The girls pissed off from being ignored, and tell Yuuji and Aki that they could never pick up a girl. Determined to prove them wrong, they run off on a quest to win over the hearts of some beach babes! If Voyeur can do it, so can they! Except they can’t, because they are dumb boys and come across as raging perverts at every single opportunity.
ARE YOU TURNED ON YET? HOW ABOUT NOW?
With wounded pride, they return back to the oceanside to sulk. Yuuji comes up with the excuse that they weren’t going all out because they didn’t really like the girls. It seems like a bad excuse, but then they suddenly see a pair of girls that they really like. They give it one last shot, and their sincere efforts win over their hearts. The two fair maidens eventually reveal themselves as Shouko and Voyeur dressed up as Minami. Oh cruel fate…
Bonus Beach Babes:
Something is wrong here…
It soon became apparent that Minami didn’t want to be the “dfc character”
SHORYUKEN
No point in saying your “eyes are up here”, sweetie.
End Thoughts:
Overcooled: As much as I love the series, this episode was pretty disappointing. I only chuckled a bit when Voyeur nosebled so much he turned the car windows red and again when he was getting hit on by girls. Other than that, the rest of the jokes were basically carbon copies of jokes we’ve seen from season 1. I don’t mind the running gag that Hideyoshi is a world-class trap or that Shouko is violently possessive, but what made the first season good was how they switched it up and showed it in different ways. Maybe this was just a refresher or throwback episode, but I’m going to be a little concerned if this continues to bleed into the second episode.
The good thing is the nice art remains in tact. The backgrounds have interesting textures added just for the hell of it some of the time and the style often goes through odd changes to suit the mood, a la Nichijou. Even the OP has the same style as last season’s. But that’s just about all the praise I’m going to sing for this first episode. Yeah, it’s still the same beloved characters and I love the feeling of being reunited with them…but really, a beach episode? Really? The fanservice and romance parts are the things I hated most. This show really excels when it starts incorporating the summon battles – the only real unique concept it has going for it.
I was a hair’s width away from asking to blog this, but ended up leaving it. There’s not a lot to say about comedy anime except “haha, that was funny!” Even Arakawa, which is great for both humor and character development, was a struggle to write about. I’m just not the type of writer who can go on at length about that sort of thing. :/ Not my style. Regardless, I’ll be following the show and desperately hoping that it improves. Even if it’s bad, I’ll probably still watch out of sheer loyalty to the series.
Karakuri: …Did they really have to start with a beach episode? Oh whatever, I have definitely missed this show. Right from the start, they did a quick recap so people actually remembered the character names. Yay! They even did it an a 20 second roundabout way, so it didn’t take up much time or seem out of place. I’m still kind of disappointed that they began in summer of all times mainly because the premise of the show is about school, but it served as a good character reintroduction.
Have I mentioned the comedy yet? No? Well, I love the comedy in this show. It manages to change the atmosphere completely within seconds and it really adds to the overall effect (if that makes sense). The ending of the episode was really funny too in the sense that there was no way those two managed to score so easily and you knew they were screwed but the animators made you sit through the ending credits anyways. The changes in animation style that they used last season carries over and it helps with that comedy as well (the whole atmosphere thing I was rambling about). Sure they did the beach episode, but they made it more than just fanservice and it was actually funny.
I’m not all that fond of the opening, but the animation was nice to look at. The background music in this is well placed and fit the mood really well too. What else can I say? I love the characters and I love the plot. This show is just all around win.
About Tag Team
We live, laugh, enjoy and strictly believe on "more the merrier". When together, we usually come up with very chatty, conversation-based episodics and interesting posts.
POWUH: 600-699 and Romance Expert with 652 comments
yay its now here. I loved 1st season and definitely love the 2nd one.
I dont know about you guys but I found it hilarious. they got a bit more creative when someone stopped hidyoshi from entering the beach since they think he’s a girl.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I loved season 1 too, I hope season 2 is even better! I didn’t like the beach episode very much though, I barely laughed at all. :/
POWUH: 1100-1199 and Meta's Evil rice-flour Product with 1137 comments
WOOOO SEASON 2!!!! i’m so up for another season of pure lolgasms! Hideyoshi is the best bishie ever!
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I love Hideyoshi. He’s such a wonderful trap XD
POWUH: 400-499 with 410 comments
Blood… More blood… Even more blood… Not to forget BoyXGirl stuffs. I’m already bleeding for episode 2.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
That’s a lot of blood right there.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 305 comments
Beach episodes are just cursed. >.< When do they ever work out?
I thought it was weird how they included green-haired girl as though she was part of the main cast. She's like…not even that important, and she did nothing all episode (I don't even know her name…)
More of Shouko and the gay megane guy would be nice in the future. :3
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Yeah, beach episodes are bit of a pet peeve for me. I’m bad with names too, but I actually like how they included the green-haired chick. She’s a nice foil to Voyeur XD
POWUH: Occasional (51-75) with 70 comments
I don’t understand women and I’m one myself.
ikr =____=
I think this was a very subtle first episode, despite the abrupt beach storyboard (it’s summer, so…) For one, Hideyoshi wasn’t streaking and shit, but Muttsurini bled enough to make up for that lol.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
WOMEN ARE WEEEIRDDD.
Things will probably get back up to crazy levels soon (I haven’t seen the second episode yet…I plan to though).
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
[…] “As much as I love the series, this episode was pretty disappointing. I only chuckled a bit when Voyeur nosebled so much he turned the car windows red and again when he was getting hit on by girls. Other than that, the rest of the jokes were basically carbon copies of jokes we’ve seen from season 1…Maybe this was just a refresher or throwback episode, but I’m going to be a little concerned if this continues to bleed into the second episode.” – Metanorn […]