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The first series of Baka & Test was a bit of a surprise for me. To an extent it lived up to my expectation of being yet another fighting anime set in a school, but it had an infectiously entertaining cast, plenty of comedy and a decent plot which made it far more enjoyable than I was expecting. I was therefore really looking forward to the second series, and thankfully it doesn't disappoint. After the events of the last series Class F have won slightly
better classroom conditions from their fellows, but have drawn quite a lot of
unwelcome attention from the other classes. Several students are plotting
revenge for their past humiliations, whilst Akihisa's growing closeness to
Himeji and Minami is causing jealousy both within Class F and outside.
Akihisa remains largely oblivious to all this as usual, but with a trip to the
beach and a school study camp on the cards he sees an opportunity to spend some
more time with both Himeji and Minami. However, someone with a grudge has
used the camp as an opportunity to blackmail Class F by implicating them as
voyeurs by planting hidden cameras in the girls' baths and editing secret
recordings. With the entire female student body against them Akihisa and
Yuji are on the back foot, but after learning some valuable intel about a burn
mark the blackmailer has they vow to break into the girls baths to identify her.
However, breaking in is not going to be easy, the girls are wise to their
schemes and have set up a powerful defence consisting of fellow classes and
teachers which Class F will need to break through to reach their goal.
Meanwhile back at school another error in the avatar system leads the Head
Mistress to devise a battle contest based around the theme of a haunted house,
with players having to break through various checkpoints manned by Class A
students. Players lose if they scream at the various scares Class A have
lined up or if they are defeated at the checkpoints, and things are further
complicated by the grudge various members of Class A have against Akihisa and
Yuji following past confrontations. Can they get through these challenges
with their dignity intact or will they be dropped into permanent remedial
classes? |
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Baka & Test: Summon the Beasts was one of those series I never expected to like. Everything about it seems derivative, with an array of stereotypical characters ranging from the noble but clueless hero to the tomboy with a secret crush, and the setup of a fighting anime set in a school is not exactly fresh either. However, the first series confounded expectation by being hugely entertaining and actually spending time to flesh out the characters rather than just focus on them fighting each other. The second series actually |
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goes further than the first down this route, with fighting relegated to a side role and the focus being on the characters. The main action storyline - which sees Class F lead a loose coalition of male students against the massed ranks of the girls and teachers - is bookended by several episodes that focus on the relationship between Akihisa, Minami and Himeji, and the one between Yuji and Shoko. Whether current misunderstandings that bring Akihisa and Minami closer together or Himeji's anger at being put on a pedestal by her classmates, new facets of the main characters are explored, but it's the episodes that look back to the characters' pasts that really set series 2 apart. These stories may be short in relation to the
multi-episode summer camp story, but they are the real high point of the
series. The first storyline shows a window into Akihisa's past,
explaining how he came to have his special avatar and how he met Himeji,
whilst the second (probably the best as well) focuses on Minami's
arrival from Germany and the trouble she had settling in. It's the
first time I've ever seen an anime series that focused on a character
struggling to adapt to Japanese life and a new language, and it gave a
brilliant insight into her character and affection for Akihisa.
The last of these flashback episodes focuses on Yuji's youth as an
arrogant child prodigy, and the bond he forms with the the quiet
transfer student Shoko that helps him break out of his shell. It
puts another spin on a relationship largely played for laughs in the
series, and along with the other character-focused stories really helps
add drama and pathos to the series as a whole. When combined with
the comedy - which continues to come thick and fast throughout the
series - this added characterisation and emotional attachment really
gives the second series of Baka & Test a level of depth that
exceeds that achieved by series 1. |
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The strange thing is that with the comedy and characterisation taking centre stage the action does suffer quite a bit. Unlike the first series very little of the story revolves around the central premise of using test scores to battle for better conditions, in fact the action when it comes is often brief or downplayed, almost as if it is a distraction to the story. Because of this shift away from action the avatars that the characters summon hardly appear this time round, and when they do they are given a makeover to make them less like cute versions |
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of the main characters and more like alternatives for them. For the most part they are played more for comedic purposes than to advance the plot too. However, where the action drops the comedy takes over, and whilst there's plenty of stereotypical situations and hackneyed gags on offer the series retains the infectiously entertaining air that made the first series so enjoyable. Baka & Test: Summon the Beasts Series 2 actually does something I didn't expect, it improves on the first series by moving away from its central premise and focusing instead on comedy and characterisation. There are still flaws - only the very central cast get the character development with side characters like Muttsulini and Hideyoshi remaining pretty one dimensional, some of the comedy situations are pretty unoriginal, and there's an over-reliance on cross-dressing as a comedy device - but it just has an infectious charm that keeps it entertaining. The animation is surprisingly high quality and many of the running gags (such as Hideyoshi's uncertain gender) continue to hit the mark, but the added depth the flashbacks give to the character relationships really add something to the series that takes it above its peers. Whilst on paper it seems pretty standard stuff in practice it's a highly entertaining anime comedy that isn't afraid to make fun of itself or its genre. Once again it's surprised me, and it's well worth checking out. Extras Like the first series it has a great selection of extras, alongside the usual clean opening and ending sequences and trailers there's a few TV spots and promos as well as several anime shorts delivering hilariously silly side stories to the main series, including a parody of the magical girl genre focusing on Hideyoshi. Also on offer are a couple of commentary tracks featuring the US cast and crew. A very good selection. Ratings Feature:
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