Yuru Camp△ 3 – 11 – Jiunji.

This week Aoi’s cool Auntie gives her a bike. And not just any bike. A nice bike. Lightweight. Fast. Highly effective disc brakes. It’s a bike unlike any Aoi has ever ridden, and the experience of riding it for the first time reflects that. I myself own a reasonably-priced gravel bike (kinda between a mountain and road bike) and while it’s versatile, it’s also heavy and pretty slow.

I yearn for the day I can have a lightie like Aoi’s in my possession, so I can fly as she flies here. At first, she’s scared and off balance, as this machine is so different from the bikes she’s known. But once she gets the hang of its speed and stopping power, she’s blowing past the konbini and riding 18 miles all the way to Chiaki’s campsite. Just to scare her in the bath!

Did I mention Aoi is wearing super cool and practical cargo pants during her bike ride? Well, she is. And Chiaki is happy to have her friend stop by during her solo trip. She offers her her super-spicy ginger ale (getting back at her for spooking her) and also offers her paracord bracelet to lock the brake and keep the kickstand-less bike from rolling away. She’s got a lot of paracord, after all.

Aoi eventually bikes back, but they’ll be reunited the next day. Meanwhile, Rin joins Nadeshiko and Sakura on some more pre-camp cherry blossom viewing at Jiunji Temple in Koshu, home to 300-year-old cherry trees. Nadeshiko points out how satisfying it is to say “Jiunji” and Rin, Sakura, and even the narrator concur by repeating the word.

Rin then shares with Nadeshiko a view she remembers from her youth: that of a giant symbol created with fire on a nearby mountain. Sakura details the brutal battles between temples that led to the tradition of the fires, but mostly Rin is happy that she gets to view this nostalgic place in a new context, with possibly her best friend by her side. It’s as sweet as the twilight is gorgeous.

When they part ways (Sakura and Nadeshiko in the car, Rin on her moped) Rin suggests another mountain fire symbol they’ll see on their drive home. Sure enough, Nadeshiko spots it, but it’s not quite the symbol they expected. Regardless, Sakura is happy to go on another cherry blossom and fire symbol viewing adventure next year with her little sis. Until then, Nadeshiko has a group camping trip to attend. Let us hope Toba-sensei bought enough meat!

Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story – 03 – Just Golf, Baby

Eve doesn’t half-ass anything. When given an audience with Rose’s boss, a higher-up in the Nafrece underworld, she offers up her damn body in exchange for the chance to play in the U15 Tournament. Fortunately, the boss lady rejects that offer, but I am worried about the one she accepts, which Rose brings up without Eve knowing what it is.

Whatever Faustian deal Eve is now tangled up in, all that matters is that she’s able to keep her promise to Aoi to play one round—in this case, the final round of a world tournament. Rose makes sure she looks the part, dressing her in her boss’ brand name attire and giving her a full set of clubs. After a couple episodes in street clothes, it’s great to see Eve all glowed up.

The two other girls in her team unfortunately go through hell, as Rose tells Anri, because Eve is a simple destroyer, concerned only with defeating her one opponent; Aoi, who enters the final round 9 under par. As Rose racks up a -3 in four holes Rose further describes how Eve’s style of golf methodically destroys any opponents in her vicinity, causing them to forget their own styles in a hopeless bid to keep up.

While her group mates are probably going to be feeling the negative aftereffects on their own games for many matches in the future, Aoi is spellbound by Eve’s performance. As the leader, Aoi is in the final group with the latest tee time, but she just can’t wait to get out there and play “in the same air” as Eve, who she can tell is having a blast.

Aoi begins her round knowing Eve’s score, and insists that Amane keep her updated every three holes via hand signals. Amane is fine doing this because 1.) she’ll take whatever motivation for Aoi she can get and 2.) she’s quite certain even Eve can’t hope to beat Aoi. But while Amane knows Aoi’s game like the back of her hand, she’s only seen a little bit of what Eve can do. This time, she sees more, including how accurate she can be even while driving her ball through the same woods where it got lost in her last game with Aoi.

While Eve and Aoi duel, their respective support groups watch; her classmates at the fancy Raiou Girls Academy in Japan (the architecture of which reminds me of a car dealership or auto parts store for some reason), where we meet Haruka, Aoi’s supposed rival in her homeland, and Ichina, who wants to be a caddy for someone like Aoi, not a player, and is training accordingly.

They, like Amane, and even Eve herself, believe it’s a foregone conclusion Aoi will go one point under Eve to take the win on the 18th hole. But on what should be a straightforward birdie putt misses the cup, an error so timely and uncharacteristic it makes me wonder if there’s some kind of chicanery involved. That feeling is amplified watching Rose spreading her arms at the sun like a villain about to cackle.

While I don’t forsee I’ll be the biggest fan of Eve and/or Aoi being pawns to these gangsters, this episode was 99% Eve and Aoi enjoying the absolute goddamn hell out of a match together, and however it ends, they’re going to want to play each other again as soon as possible. After all, until someone shows up who can beat either of them, they’re all they’ve got.

Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story – 02 – Blue Bullet vs. Blue Blood

Amawashi Aoi is the daughter of two pro golfers and has been raised since she was tiny to be one of the world’s finest. But she’s not the slightest bit conceited or unpleasant as a result of this specialized and very exclusive upbringing. She’s pure, sweet, and very excited to meet someone like Eve.

Aoi wants to play a whole round with Eve, but Amane says there’s only time for one hole, so Aoi picks the toughest: a 400+ yard L-shaped Par-4 with the sea on one side and a thick forest on the other. Eve naturally smashes her ball through the woods but doesn’t quite get all the way through.

Aoi keeps her ball out of the forest by unleashing a majestic slice that turns the corner and leaves her with less than 140 yards on her second shot. Eve gets her ball out of the woods, but misses the green and a clear shot at the hole. Aoi hits a perfect strike that places the ball mere inches from the hole and a sure Eagle.

Amane’s narration of this exciting hole of golf lays it on a little thick that Aoi is the “Innocent Tyrant” whose gleaming smile will effortless crush anyone in her way. And even Eve admits that there’s something about Aoi that threw her ever so slightly off her game. That, and Aoi genuinely can’t take her eyes off Eve’s golf.

As for Eve, well, after years of simply using her talent to put food on the table, this one hole with Aoi is the most fun she’s had playing golf. Not that surprising considering how amazing Aoi is. Despite herself, Eve finds herself both charmed and inspired by Aoi, and absolutely hell-bent on beating her when next they play. And they will play again quite soon.

After easily beating a street scammer’s magnet-ridden putting green, Eve gains an audience with a mid-level figure in the mob, who wields a club like a yakuza would wield a katana. This is where I first realized that Eve is still a kid—closer to Aoi’s age than I thought. This is one reason how she’s able to convince the mobster to get her into the U-15 tournament. Another is that Eve’s heart is aching to face off against Aoi again, and while the mobster will make sure Eve owes her big for the privilege, she’s as eager as I am to see a rematch. 

But Aoi’s heart is aching too. Before meeting Eve, she seemed pretty bored by golf—and considering it’s been her whole life, who can blame her? But when you’re at the top of your game, you seek out others at the top of theirs, especially when they take such a fascinatingly different path to that top. Now that these two have found each other, they both have new fires burning in their chests…and they want nothing more than to stoke them.