B Gata H Kei – Wrap-up

This is a hard show to approach initially, as on its surface it appears to be one of a billion dime-a-dozen 12-episode high school romance fanservice clichefests. But what impressed me from episode 1 on is how the series dependably turns around all those the cliches and makes them work for the comedy. Most importantly, it’s hardly ever annoying. The first few and last few episodes work better than the middle, forming robust bookends of hilariously embarrasing situations carried out by the characters in the name of sex.

There’s even genuine character development: as the normal boring guy grows some cajones and the hottie realizes she wants a monogamous relationship with this one guy and not 100 disposible fuck buddies. I appreciate the rare series that start and finish strong. Rating: 3.5

B Gata H Kei – First Impressions

Rundown: Girl vows to have 100 sex partners, but just ends up pursuing her first male target.

Lovejoy: The opening credits were a bit too syrupy, and it’s a cringeworthy premise, but all that aside, this first episode turned out to be a surprisingly decent and amusing romantic comedy. The show does a good job capturing the hormone-soaked fiasco high school courtship can be, and isn’t lazy with the dialogue. While Yamada, the female lead, is incredibly naive and overzealous, the show itself isn’t and seems to have a good bead on what it wants to do. Yamada’s meta sidekick, kind of a mini love-god version of herself with a mustache, is a nice touch.