Bakuon!! – 11

Blergh…

I wield an awesome power! Bow Down to Me!

Back in the Groove

Comparing the size of their peenerellas…

So I spent the whole conclusion last week complaining about the way that Bakuon had shifted focus in episodes 9 and 10 to Chisame and her hangups and experience, and pretty much felt like it abandoned the rest of the characters. And they totally read my post and changed their course for episode 11. Ok, I realize they didn’t, but it’s good they realized that what was needed was to have the whole cast together doing things, especially Onsa and Rin with Hane around. And they did this in a way that didn’t abandon Chisame, but worked her into the interplay between the other characters, the best way to do it.

Oh yeah, total dick move

That’s not to say that the show didn’t go through a couple asides, as usual. And most of the time I don’t talk about them, because seeing Tazuko’s crummy personality and sketchy past isn’t usually something I have enjoyed, so I try to minimize those parts. This time, though, it was about the friction between road racers and motorcycles. I’ll come out and say it up front: a LOT of cyclists have gigantic chips on their shoulders. Some of you have seen those ridiculous shoulders that they have for characters in WoW, right? Well, that’s cyclists. Everything is an affront to them, and far too many of them brandish their ‘power’, conferred upon them by virtue of being the weakest and most unprotected vehicle on the road, as some sort of dare, delighting in pissing off other drivers just because they can, and because the drivers can’t really do anything about it. And I think that the show here did a good job in making those dick moves that the worst cyclists do funny without really demonizing them too much, but without softening it too much either.

Yep, still bein’ a dick

The cyclist who balks Onsa and Hane is far more interested in holding up their virtuous nature for posturing than just riding. “We’re so healthy, we’re so clean, we spend a lot of money on bicycles so that we can look like other guys you’ve never heard of, we’re so smart!” Mr Million-yen Bike literally scoffs at the idea that price isn’t everything. He also employs a few of those dick moves literally ‘at’ Onsa: Cutting back in front of Onsa and Hane at the light, riding through a red light, and then blocking her from passing, just to ‘prove’ that he is the king of the road because he spent as much as a used car on his fragile bike. And it’s not like Onsa and Hane are complaining about bikers. They even seem somewhat approving of them. It’s just being a dick because the guy’s a dick. So it’s of course a lovely comeuppance to see him taken down by Hijiri and Hayakawa after he crashes into the limo.

Awww, your lycra shorts ripped…

Finding the Right Fit

Chisame asks the question that should never be asked

I love the iconography

The main thrust of the episode is to find the right bike for Chisame. And much like we got when Hane was picking a bike, everyone’s got their traditional favorites that they’re picking for Chisame: Suzuki’s from Rin (and a temporarily deranged Onsa who has a Mysterious Girlfriend), Yamaha from the recovered Onsa, Honda, especially in Pink from Hane, and Kawasaki from Raimu-senpai. And Chisame is the only one who wonders, correctly, why they’re fighting about it at all. But you want others to validate your choices, so of course they’re going to fight over what bike she should ride, even if it has to be sumo. In the end, tho, Chisame gets the right advice from her father, and a sketchy mole, and borrows her dad’s Honda PCX scooter.

The right decision for her

I liked this episode a lot better, because it got back to what has been good about the show. It even worked Chisame’s personality into the group, if not as an equal, than at least as a significant party. They also returned to the normal silly antics, like sumo wrestling to decide what bike to pick, and some acute Suzukiphilia for Onsa after an unfortunate drool exchange. Three nice stories in this one, and one more episode to go.

And we’ll finish up with a little girl on bike action…

About Highway

Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!