The Daimon High School Festival is almost here and the
entire school is stoked and ready for some fun.
But the main event, the School Play, is missing it’s star: Ryoko
Mitsurugi, who is nursing a broken heart and broken spirit. The might Samurai Girl will have to pull
herself together quickly because dark forces are hovering over her beloved
school and the battle she’s fought on behalf of the mystical world of Solvania
are coming to Earth. Standing alongside
Shizuma, Ryoko prepares for one final showdown with everyone and everything on
the line.
Well, that could have gone better?
Who am I kidding.
Given how much BS Real Bout High School has
thrown into this Anime adaptation, there’s no way the Series Finale was going to
end on a high note.
But wow, they just
decided to ignore the fences and swing for anything in sight.
It’s honestly even hard to think of a good
defense for the finale.
Even in my Pros
and Cons notes I usually take watching a show or movie I was hard pressed to
write something other than “Nothing” in the Positive Column.
I’m not even sure I can properly sum up all
the nonsense but hell, here goes nothing.
It's never a good sign when your final set of episodes
starts off with a freaking clip show.
Yeah Ryoko seeking out the advice of her Sensei, whom she has barely
spent and time with training btw (this is the first scene I think they’ve
shared together since Tessai took Ryoko on as his pupil), turns into a few
random words followed by a rehash of everything that’s come before.
Helluva time to revisit such a short enough
run before the final episodes.
Could
this time have been put to better use fleshing out the shadowy organization
lurking in the background, or Gates or Solvania?
Probably not given how poorly all three of
those factors have been set up and implemented.
And honestly, by the time Ryoko reaches her big personal revelation, it
feels like nothing was gained or accomplished by going to see Tessai.
Crap, Shizuma probably plays the biggest role
in helping Ryoko out of her funk and he doesn’t even need to do much.
That set the stage and tone for everything else in the
finale.
This should have been a crazy
time with K-Fights galore, epic Samurai plays (with Ryoko rocking the
Shinsengumi look) and plenty of Shizuma hijinks.
Sadly, Real Bout High School isnt about the
Real Bout or the High School.
Instead
the finale turns into something out of that crappy Tekken Movie OVA where Gates
transforms into a Devil with the help of some Yu Gi Oh Villains to wreck havoc
on Ryoko’s school.
Seriously, I feel
like having Yugi Motoh show up and declare a Duel Monsters challenge was more
fitting for this entire situation.
All
of a sudden, everything just becomes a mish mash of quick wrap ups and lack
luster fight scenes that never show Ryoko or Shizuma at their true best.
The most enjoyment gotten out of this whole
ordeal is the banter between Ryoko and Shizuma is still great, lots of
bickering and nice respect.
I could go on about the many unanswered questions about
Gates, Nagumo, the Organization, those Cloaked Dudes, the three brawlers,
Miyuki’s connection to the War Pristess and just WTF is Solvania anyway…buuuut
when the dust settles the show seems to just reset itself.
Which works for me.
Not only is this entire show time wasted, it
feels like a bad fever dream Ryoko might’ve had that is best left forgotten.
I’d say too bad the school kinda being a
wreck and Shizuma’s three new brawler buddies still being around negates that
theory.
But considering the show decided
to reverse course on character statuses and entire story arcs from the Manga
for what’s supposed to be a sequel, the Anime doesn’t give a crap and neither
should I.
Time for Final Thoughts.
I’ve said before that I do like the first half of the original Real Bout
High School Manga more than the second half and the same can sort of be said
for the Anime as well.
I say “sort of”
because even though the first half has some great moments that echo what makes
the Manga so much fun, it’s still hindered and ultimately destroyed by its far
reaching and non sensical plot, pretty but stiff animation and only one or two
good action scenes.
The magical, Isekai
plot feels shoehorned in for no reason and the mysteries of said world or any
of the newly introduced characters are never adequately explored.
Tessai barely teaches Ryoko anything, Nagumo
is a more muscular Tuxedo Mask with even less purpose and Miyuki never receives
that upgrade from AOL 3.0 to AOL 5.0 that she so desperately needs.
I still like the world and concept of the
show and Ryoko and Shizuma are a fun pair to run around with.
The show just refused to expand on what made
the Manga great within the walls of Daimon High School.
Instead it tried to be something it was never
meant to be and fell flat on its face in shame as a result.
Truly a dishonorable title and besmirches one of my
favorite Manga, Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School receives a 3/10.
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