Story‘Baka’. It’s an instantly recognisable word that has been
uttered countless times and spans all genres of anime. From the high pitched
squeals of a young girl yelling “Onii-chan no baaaaaakaaaaaa!” to the deadpan
statement of an elite teenager that simply drips with disdain, we’ve heard it
on a million occasions, and will no doubt hear it a myriad more; but never
before has a series taken this phrase under its wing and embraced it quite so
much as Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu.
The series takes place in Fumizaki Academy – a school with
the most extreme streaming system ever imagined. After undergoing a placement
exam at the beginning of term, students are assigned classes based on their
grades; the most intelligent end up in Class A with state of the art equipment
and ultimate luxury, while each following rank’s facilities decrease in
quality. Finally, the academy’s ‘dregs’ are unceremoniously dumped into Class
F’s draughty classroom with its ripped cushions on the floor and collapsing
tables. Baka Test follows the misadventures of Class F’s twenty-four
carat idiot, Akihisa Yoshii, and his equally dense friends. Despite their
‘limited’ aptitude, Yoshii and his comrades haven’t lost hope and instead aim
to improve their dire situation by challenging each class to an ‘Exam Summoning
Battle’ (or ESB for short) and prove that grades aren’t everything.
I’ll get right to the point: the plot is stupid, the ESB is
stupid, in fact the whole damn series is stupid; but somehow it works. The
whole concept of students summoning sprites – whose strength is based on the
user’s most recent test scores – within a virtual reality cube that then
proceed to fight each other in a battle for intellectual supremacy sounds
pretty lame. Luckily, what saves this anime from slipping into a pit of
mediocre gunk is its humour. Baka Test has an extroverted style,
employing all manner of comedy techniques from the odd ecchi giggle complete
with gushing nosebleeds and jiggling jugs to random violence filled with a
whole menagerie of back-breaking wrestling moves. Sure, there are plenty of
recurring jokes, such as the intense fear of supplementary lessons, Shoko’s
sadistic possessiveness of Yuji, and Akihisa’s habit of getting physically
injured in all of his endeavours, but the show doesn’t overuse these to the
point of them becoming stale. Instead, these staples of the Baka Test diet appear at just the right moment to illicit a hearty belly laugh and are
much like finding another roast potato hidden underneath a pile of sprouts.
Baka Test’s biggest problem is that while the first
two installments start out well enough, the central battles soon disappear in
favour of eight episodes of what essentially seems like filler. Though the
narrative permits this break by claiming that Class F cannot challenge anyone
for three months, it still feels like the series is simply ignoring the crux of
the plotline so they can parade the various busty babes in swimsuits, or send
the cast to amusement parks for an unwilling marriage ceremony. Granted, the
anime’s humour still shines throughout and it does allow for more exploration
of the characters, but while enjoyable, they still feel kind of pointless.
Then, when the summoning battles finally make a return, two hi-octane
skirmishes are hastily squeezed into a single episode. While the clashes
themselves are highly entertaining, by demonstrating no sense of struggle in
their progression through the ranks, the main story feels sadly rushed and
little more than tacked on to a comedic slice-of-life anime about a wacky
school and a bunch of idiots.AnimationGenerally Baka Test’s animation is fairly standard.
The character designs don’t bring anything new to the table, but are pleasant
to look at, while backgrounds serve their purpose without seeming dull.
Movement is relatively fluid and the whole thing is pretty much the base
standard for what one would expect from any anime produced in 2010.
The best aspect of this show’s visuals by far is the
ESB. The virtual reality arenas and ‘Battle game screens’ – complete with HP
and turn-based combat – really do give the impression of being inside a video
game. Also worthy of note are the many explosive nosebleeds courtesy of Voyeur and Akihisa. Such dynamic jets of blood projecting across the screen almost
seem to dance in mid-air, which infinitely adds to their comedic value.SoundAkihisa’s fast-paced vocals really make some of the humour
glow. His delayed reactions and utter idiocy become so much more humorous due
to his babbling dialogue seamlessly flowing into sudden angry realisations or
howls of pain without any pause or change in inflection. The other seiyuu
perform well; Voyeur’s nasal voice adds to his perverted nature; Hideyoshi’s
ambiguous timbre heightens the gender confusion that surrounds him; and Yuji’s
sincere tone makes his scheming ‘brotherly advice’ all the more devious.
The bouncy, poppy opening theme reflects Baka Test’s
upbeat, fun nature, whereas the more rock-based ending mirrors Class F’s
rebellious nature well. Ultimately, though, neither song leaves much of a
lasting impression.CharactersAside from their various idiotic natures, Baka
Test tends to stick to stereotypes when it comes to characters. Mizuki is a
typical reserved princess; Voyeur takes the role of resident pervert; Minami fulfils the series’ need for a flat-chested and volatile tomboy; Hideyoshi
confuses everyone with his indefinite gender; and there’s even the uber-strict
teacher in the form of ‘Ironman’ Nishimura-sensei. This relatively
cliché-ridden cast becomes immediately pigeonholed and no one really escapes
from it, nor do they even try to – and why would they? The show doesn’t suffer
from this one iota as, much like the running gags, they fit perfectly with the
stupid nature of the comedy.OverallI shouldn’t like this series. I should spend
each episode’s twenty-odd minutes counting down the minutes until the next One
Piece airs, but I don’t. Instead, I giggle to myself like a madwoman and
love every minute of it. Sure, Baka Test has its faults, but as one of
the most easy-to-watch and fun series of the season, it’s certainly recommended
for those craving some simple, idiotic fluff
Screenshots
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