Binbougami Ga! – 08
The true face of friendship!
This episode was an odd animal indeed. It cried and laughed at from moment to moment without even batting an eyelash. Sure there was a bit of melodrama but for this outing, it was tolerable for the most part. I’m not one to suggest any show to temper their sense of humor with a steady stream of tears. It only acts to dampen the mood of the show. But in this outing I believed it was necessary for the second half of the show to succeed.
Sakura Ichiko has finally shown the source of her insecurities when it comes to making friends. During her childhood she was betrayed by a friend who was jealous of young Ichiko’s popularity. This angle of exploration paints an interesting layer on Ichiko’s absentee parents. Without a family to turn to as young girl, she turned to her friends as a structure of support. When it crumbles, where can she actually turn?
What Ichiko does for fun!
This sort of backstory has been seen before in anime, and its utilization here is surprisingly effective. Until now Ms.Sakura was an interesting and dynamic character but hard to identify with. It was easy to see that she had a troubled past but there were little details explaining what exactly she went through. There were a few vague flashbacks of her looking through a window with yearning eyes crying out to parents who were never there. Those few instances never had any impact because they were so fleeting. Sculpting out the intricacies of her past in a recognizable form makes her a vastly more likable and easier to empathize with.
A heartfelt moment
Another important factor is her relationship with Ranmaru. Initially an antagonistic force she acts as stepping stone for Ichiko to reveal her vulnerabilities. Ranmaru is the perfect foil for the lead with her openness and honesty regarding friendship, while Ichiko hides behind a facade to protect herself. The pink-haired karate champion even tries to pry off Ichiko’s face stating she is that it was just a mask for who she really was. Their encounters with one another climaxes to a tear filled moment in the sunset where Ichiko finally accepts Ranmaru as both a friend and confidant. It’s a cliched scene that didn’t fail to tug at my heartstrings.
I guess Sakura Ichiko is growing on me.
I finally said it. After weeks of stating that I didn’t really care about what happened to the characters, I’ve finally given in. Somehow I feel like Ichiko in a way, putting up resistance before truly accepting someone. It took almost three-fourths of the series to finally let her in. Now I will freely admit it, big bosom and all. I don’t know if this was crafted by the writers on purpose or just a coincidental phenomenon brought on by the poor dramatic scripting until this point. Either way, I find it quite amusing how tsundere my attitude has been towards this show in particular.
Taking fortune and singing at karaoke… All in a days work.
I’m not the only one though. Momiji seems to have grown a soft spot for Ichiko as well. Throughout the episode there seems to be times that she’s forgotten about her original mission to take Ichiko’s fortune. But this is all in her plans. She believes that she can freely take it if she turns Ichiko into a better human being. If Ichiko realizes that her fortune is harming others around her, she would willingly give it to Momiji to return order to the world. Taking up this role throws the goddess of misfortune into the background out of Sakura’s way. The goddess has become more of a manipulator than anything else. It’s a shame considering her occupation is the namesake of this series, but it suits her well. The direct interaction of the two leads sucked up a lot of airtime and gave no room the storyline to breathe properly.
But let’s make one thing clear: this show is still funny as hell. The jokes aren’t as liberally sprinkled as outings in the past but are placed where they are most effective. A great gag is thrown in whenever the mood seems too dire. Even when the tears are flowing, the series doesn’t miss the opportunity to provoke a laugh.
Hopefully this is the last time we see this face!
My main concern is where does the series go from here on out. A great foundation has been set in the trinity of Ichiko, Momiji and Ranmaru, but what now. There are no characters that want to push the action in a certain direction. Before that role belonged solely to the Binbougami, where her antics would drive along the plot. But with her new place in storyline, she’s not pulling that rope any more.
Honestly I don’t really want to see a villain appear as it would ruin the delicate dynamic the show was craving to create. Who knew slapstick comedy could be so delicate high wire act?
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POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
Noooooooo! My eyes! TT.TT I can’t take more of those Mirai Nikki/Higurashi eyes on my face!!! I’m too scared!
Nice episode. It’s nice to see some of the background history of Ichiko, since my point of view about her seemed to change a little.
And, OMG, Ranmaru is so nice *-* Want to see her in a… eeh… Girl outfit (?) again!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
LOL! But Mirai Nikki/Higurashi facial expressions are the best!! Whenever you see a face like that, just think of Gasai Yuno.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
Whenever I see a face like that I feel like someone will die and I don’t like these feelings at all!! TT.TT
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 30 comments
I can’t imagine death being an important factor in this show…
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
Yeah, since people fall from 100th floor and don’t die…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
This was random. It was like they were making stuff up as they go along and it works.
I like how Ranmaru is so considerate in trying to reach out to Ichiko. She seems to be locked in that tomboy persona as I’m always hearing a boyish tone in her voice. Plus, there’s the question of whether she’s really human. That’s the second time she’s been thrown over the balcony of Ichiko’s home and it’s on the thirteenth floor of the building.
As for Momiji, it’s safe to say she’s no longer interested in stealing her fortune as she is using it to help Ichiko while trying to befriend her and act as her conscience where morality is concerned. A couple of episodes back, she was pretty much depressed when Ichiko wasn’t herself and was confused after helping out Tsuwabuki.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Well, I think it’s good of Momiji to recognize what her mission is, and that was getting lost early on with her extreme antagonism towards Ichiko. It wasn’t “destroy Ichiko”, it was to redistribute her fortune. And I’m thinking that the main reason that Ichiko was such a fortune-sink was that she was so insular. If she engages with the rest of the world, then her fortune will rub off on others, and she’ll be more normal.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
So this week, two shows I watch brought unkeepable promises into the show. RnL made a ‘no fightings with Voxes’ vow, and Binbougami makes a “I’ll never betray you” vow. And you KNOW this is going to be tested, like with Keita, as Ranmaru is smitten with him, and Ichiko feels an attraction to him and his whole family as a thing she longs for. I’m *hoping* for an interesting setup and a good payoff in how that happens, but I fear that it’s more likely that Binbougami will handle it pretty hamfistedly. I mean, this show, they went straight to gang rape as a prank. That doesn’t exactly give me confidence in the subtlety and soft touch of the writing group.
I think it likely that it’ll turn out ok, with Ranmaru and Ichiko still being friends (maybe they’ll learn the lesson from KokoCo this week), but I’m not really expecting it to be particularly clever.
POWUH: iLurker with 5 comments
Wow, her childhood friend is Sonozaki Shion, before she dyed her hair green?