ACAA 2011: Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni

10. Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni

The follow up to one of my favorite anime comedies, Baka Test Ni delivers more of everything there was to love in the first season.  The fast paced comedy, crazy summon battle system, and incredibly flashy art style are all exactly as we left them… maybe a little too exact, as some of the jokes start to outlive their welcome and the Akihisa/Minami/Himeji love triangle continues to move painfully slow.  Still, the crazy humor, lovable cast, and surprisingly credible drama make this an incredibly entertaining series.  It’s must watch if you liked the first season, check out my full review if you’re still on the fence.

[Every day for the next few days I’ll be posting my personal Top 12 anime of 2011 for the Ani Bloggers Choice Anime Awards.  What is the ACAA?  Click here to find out!]

Recapped!! Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni 13 Final

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni episode 13

Idiots and tests and leading people on.

As the final episode of Baka Test’s second season comes to a close, “order” is restored at Fumizuki academy.  The Juniors are predictably victorious in the Haunted House challenge, and even more predictably our Love Triangle receives its necessary re-balance.

The summon battles and Yuuji’s crazy strategies never fail to entertain, and their final showdown with Tsunemura and Natsukawa proves to be an appropriate Final Battle for the season.  No worries there.  The real problem, as always, is this Love Triangle that WILL NOT DIE.  Each of the girls gets their moment to shine and at this point they’ve all but screamed “I LOVE YOU” in Akihisa’s face.  I know he’s supposed to be an idiot, but he’s already proven he’s not that oblivious.  His surprisingly smooth and sweet replies have unintentionally become cruel the longer the situation drags out.  Boy, your time ran out months ago, be a man and make your choice already!  I’ll continue this particular rant when I get to my full review…

So with another season down, the big question is whether we will see a third go-round for Class F.  The novel series continues on, so there will probably be enough material, and I suppose the series is popular enough that it could happen someday.  My question isn’t so much if it will happen, but more if it should.  As much as I love Baka Test, I’ve had my fill of the way things are.  I would almost say it’s not worth coming back if we’re just going to get more of the same again.  Hopefully that won’t be the case and someday we’ll get the closure we deserve.

Recapped!! Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni 12

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni episode 12

At Fumizuki Academy, everyone can hear you scream.

After a surprisingly long stretch of drama, Baka Test restores order to the universe with another ridiculous premise for a summon battle.  It’s also deploys another convenient way to toy with our hearts by trying its own unique take on the old “haunted house” plot device.

I was a little concerned with how Baka Test was going to follow up an arc as lengthy and heavy as the last one, but it looks like they’ve set us up for a nice victory lap to close out the season.  Just about everyone makes an appearance at some point, including Yuusaku and Shunpei, the obnoxious seniors from the Matsuri OVA.  I absolutely hate these guys, which is good, because you’re supposed to.  So I’m glad they brought them back to fill the Villain role for the final arc.

As mentioned, the whole battle is ultimately setting us up for more Love Triangle drama.  Yuuji mandates that the students pair up, one boy and one girl, and as the usual pairs come together (Yuuji and Shouko, Kudo and Kouta, etc.) you just know Akihisa is going to have to pick between Minami and Himeji.  It’s strongly implied who he’s going to go with, but given Baka Test’s track record they will probably A. find a way to accommodate both girls  and/or B. make it so none of it matters in the long run.  I’ll save my frustration in that department for a later time, but I’m confident that’s what we’re going to get.

Only one episode left to close out the season and I’m really curious to see how they wrap things up.  Interestingly the title of next week’s episode is the actual title of the series, which always carries an air of finality to it.  I know the novel series is still going on, so I wonder if they’re going to shoot for a third season.  Well, we can worry about that later and hopefully enjoy the final 24 minutes Baka Test has to offer.

Recapped!! Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni 11

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni episode 11

Yuuji and Shouko sittin’ in a tree.

I guess Baka Test really wants to master the art of the flashback as this week’s episode takes us back to some of Yuuji and Shouko’s childhood memories.  The execution and style are both flawless, but I have to wonder if it was really necessary this late in the game.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the episode.  I would argue Yuuji is the most intriguing character in the series.  It’s always been suggested he’s much smarter than he puts on, but unlike Himeji, it’s never really clear why he ends up in class F.  So I’m perfectly fine with spending some more time on his background.  The episode itself is beautifully constructed.  The director again deserves some major credit on this one as it plays out as two monologues delivered by Yuuji and Shouko.  It almost felt like an act from a play you would see in a theatre, mixed in with show’s usual creative use of color for dramatic effect.

Really my only issue is we’re running out of episodes and we probably could have lived without this part of the story.  We’ve been given enough pieces to put together Yuuji and Shouko’s relationship, including their own episode in season 1 that summed things up nicely.  On top of that, we don’t really get an answer to that question I asked earlier about why Yuuji is in class F when he’s so smart.  It would have made much more sense if that was addressed, but other than giving us a few things to speculate on, we still don’t know.

Only two episodes left for season 2 and I’m assuming we’ll get in one more two part arc.  I’m very curious to see how they tie things up, since the novels are still going they’ll have to find a good place to stop.  At the very least I’m sure it will be hilarious and nice to look at.