Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu Love! – 05

In a surprise move, Binan Koukou introduced a third faction this week. Since they are annoying by design — both in personality and in how they look — and that they lack the backstory-hook that connects the Battle Lovers and the Student Council, I’m not sure the Journalist Club warrants a recurring slot.

However, Binan has done a wonderful job entertaining me so far and I’m more than willing to see how the new guys’ plot pans out

So, yes, the Journalist Club is annoying. They follow the BL members around in a constant attempt to make them reveal their status as super heroes and generally irritate everyone’s non-BL lives in the process.

Their catch phrase “Excuse my rudeness,” which they repeat over and over without expression, pretty much describes them.

Eventually, they even follow the BL to the bath house, which is probably less culturally rude than I would think but… probably still not cool since they are taking photos constantly.

In a delightful move, BL drops dead-sensei on them and claims they’re going for help. It’s a cute ploy and the horrific corpse tossing counter plays the Journal boys’ rudeness nicely.

This week’s battle fits perfectly into the flow of the episode. Specifically, the monster (a remote-control shaped… squid) is barely introduced and a total side note that is very quickly dealt with. The Boys are flustered, haven’t had any time to think about BL, and have no patience to deal with introduction speeches and the pleasantries of monster fighting.

Kick, Shout, Magic Heart Bomb, Love Shower, and it’s all over.

Because the Journal Boys interrupt our heroes’ regular banter and flow, and don’t offer anything funny as a replacement, this episode isn’t quite as punchy as previous ones.

I’d actually go as far as saying it was a forgettable episode… if I hadn’t realized the Journal Boys also have an alien pet that is guiding them for… uh… some reason. It was a clever little twist and, even though I don’t like them yet, it shows Binan has plenty of tricks up its sleeve.

If you aren’t watching Binan already, my opinion certainly isn’t going to sway you. I still think you should — if nothing else for its wonderful banter — but it is ultimately a niche show with aesthetics that make it difficult for a broad audience to take seriously.