Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu S2 – 01: Cutting straight to the chase

How nice is it to review two beach episodes in a week? Usually it’s placed midway through a series, but BakaTest S2 has chosen to treat us with a beach episode from the get go! It’s an awesome way to get re-acquainted with the colourful cast. It’s not the classroom setting that most of us are used to watching, but there’s no lack of the same kind of humour that made the first season so interesting to watch.

Poor Akihisa, having an overbearingly loving and protective hawt older sister can have its benefits, but in situations involving inviting the opposite sex for a trip to the beach, things can get quite sticky. Sustained interrogation from Akira forced Akihisa into a corner, and as he shaped up to mouth one of the girls’ name, he suddenly felt that his life was in danger, and said hi-mi-tsu instead. No words can fully describe the hilarity of this scene, it must be watched.

Obviously the sister is crestfallen, as her beloved brother has been seduced by the wiles of the opposite sex. But you do know that characters voiced by Kikuko Inoue have that insane streak within their soft appearance.

I’ve painstakingly stitched this picture together without the appearance of chibi-Himeji and chibi-Minami. But it’s worth it, man. The directors are determined to milk (no pun intended) Hideyoshi for all his trap-worth. And yes, I have that buzzing suspicion that Hideyoshi might turn out like that in future. MUST. NOT. FAP. TO. THIS.

BakaTest’s popularity is attributed to its ability to please the masses, to have something for everyone, so pettanko fans rejoice! Kudou didn’t make much of an impression on me in the first season, so I was struggling to remember her name.

Didn’t take long for Voyeur to appreciate what she’s got to give though.

Heh, gotta mention Miharu Shimizu as well. Yep, it’s the one with the anger vein. She’s the devout follower of Minami. Hmm let’s see. Twintails, check. Flat-chested, check. Adoration for a powerful being, check. Adoration for the flat chest of said powerful being, check. Yes, she is without question the clone of A Certain Crazy Kuroko.

Just give up, Kinoshita. We’re never gonna be allowed to get a glimpse of your bare chest, even when it’s perfectly legal.

Their loveliness is proportional to their tendency to go batshit insane if their love interest is taking notice of any other female apart from them.

Could’ve done a full-length stitch of Minami’s attire, but she decided to shift a bit and stick her tongue out, rendering that task impossible to complete.

Still good for a wallpaper on a small screen though.

I wonder what’s wrong with Akihisa. Not every guy has an older sister that dotes on you, AND is able to stop traffic with her killer body.

She needs an EPIC BOOBS motivational poster: Able to turn any girl lesbian in 0.6 seconds.

This is something unique to the series, which I like a lot. Similar to their epic virtual classroom avatar battles, even guiding a person to smash a watermelon can be given the computerised precision treatment.

Voyeur displays amazing fortitude, being able to be surrounded by cute girls for more than 28 seconds.

Akihisa and Yuuji, on the other hand, feel utterly defeated and betrayed by their comrade. Alas, they have nothing left to live for.

I wished the random girls had eyes. It’s not like they’re deep-sea fish, where living in lightless conditions for thousands of years have caused them to evolve and adapt to their surroundings, removing the need for sight.

But to Akihisa and Yuuji, they’re still a sight to behold. If you break it down to its essential meaning, it is a compliment, but calling them porn stars isn’t the sure-fire way of snagging a chick.

The disillusioned duo are lured by the dazzling sight of two beauties floating on top of the water. It’s quite saddening to see them walk blindly into an obvious trap (trap, the kind you fall into, and trap, the kind you fall for. Heh heh. See what I did there?)

I must say though that the animation is consistently sharp. Not a bad frame to be seen anywhere. Well, the simple character design helps, but it manages to be instantly recognizable. And I never noticed until now that Shouko looks so fabulous. I’d trade places with Yuuji, and worship her so as not to incur her wrath.

..cos she can be quite heartless if you mess up.

That’s the end of the beach episode, and I hope we’ll get to see the famed virtual classroom battles next episode. For fans of the series, it’s more of the same good stuff, judging by the OVAs and the first episode of the new season. This is the series I’m picking up for this season, and I hope to have a real blast reviewing it.