It’s good to see Baka Test back in full-length form, even as we wait patiently for the second season. For now, we have the “Matusri” OVA to tide us over and, if it isn’t the show at its best, we still get our share of vintage Baka moments.
It’s school festival time, the “Refresh Festival”. Naturally 2-F is trailing the other classes badly, not even having a them picked out yet – but the stakes are raised this time. Himeji’s parents are going to pull her out of school unless 2-F comes up with some better equipment, but The Ironman makes the class an offer – they can use what they raise from their class activity to pay for new desks. Eventually the theme of a “Chinese Cafe European” is chose and, this being Baka Test, hijinks ensue.
This isn’t one of the more ingenious premises this show has come up with – it’s a pretty thin veneer of a plot, to be honest. But really, it’s just an excuse to see Hideyoshi dressed as a Chinese girl and it doesn’t disappoint. We also get lots of Akihisa in drag (which seems to be an increasing theme as the series progresses) and a fairly conventional subplot about a couple of 3rd year bullies trying to spoil the fun. Yuji punches guys, Voyeur takes lots of photos, nosebleeds abound, Himeji poisons people… It’s all pretty stock stuff, but if you like the premise (which I do) it’s solid entertainment. Ending is a cliffhanger, as the Principal decides someone from 2-F will have to win a special tournament in order for the class to get to spend their money on the desks. And Aki finally wins at something – he’s voted most popular waitress at the cafe…
Maybe best of all, we get a new ED from Milktub – the same gang who did the first series ED – and it has the same extremely cool animation style as that one did. “Baka Go Home” is one of mu favorite EDs ever, both in terms of the animation and in the song itself – a great rocker which totally fits the series. “Getsuyo wa Karai” is another winner – I hope these guys do the ED for S2 as well.
Extras: The BD/DVD lets you choose among Aki-chan, Hideyoshi, Himeji and Minami for best waitress, with a slightly different end each time. Aki-chan is apparently the default. Also, some amusing RPG stuff involving Akihisa, the girls and of course, Hideyoshi.
