It’s Buster Bros time~! To no surprise, it looks like we’re going to be getting an episode of each group before the division rap battle. The first episode only gave us a tiny dose of each group, so we still need time to get to really know them, and I’m guessing it’s going to go in their respective order: Buster Bros!!!, Mad Trigger Crew, Fling Posse, and then Matenrou. After that we’ll get into the main plot, so for now it’s time to get properly acquainted with each division and today was Buster Bros.
Like I’ve mentioned, I’m not super knowledgable about Hypnosis Mic. I’ve read on it a little, and I’m regularly playing the game, enjoying the music because I can’t read the story. Even though I can’t read their story, and I purposely didn’t want to spoil myself until the anime came out, Buster Bros was the group I had my eye on from the start. They’re very visually appealing with their colors, the heterochromia, and the fact that they’re three brothers. Any family theme is a weakness for me so I just thought a group comprised of brothers was sweet, and my god they really have a cute bond. And I’m not going to lie, Ichiro is just so… (´ω｀*)
The episode really did a great job of showing the relationship of each brother with one another. Jiro and Saburo really look up to Ichiro, and I can see why with how strong he is and how much people in Ikebukuro really love him, and his enemies afraid of him. He’s cool, well-liked, and he cares about his brothers as well as the people around him. He’s just a friendly and caring person and I love it. Jiro and Saburo bicker with each other a lot, and their interactions are pretty funny. Jiro seems to have a good heart but is a little immature, and Saburo is the youngest but he’s insanely smart. I knew that Saburo was a smart kid but I didn’t know the kid could easily hack into public television screens and his own brother’s phone with ease! Like…what?! He’s kind of like the hacker stereotype in movies where they type really quick for a couple seconds and go “I’m in”, because he sort of did that as he hacked into the cafe’s security camera AND MADE A 3D MAP OF THE PLACE. This show is bonkers, it’s insane like Akudama Drive and I’m just loving it. And even though Jiro and Saburo butt heads a lot, they still work together pretty well with each other, but this may be because Ichiro was in trouble. Still, at least they were mature enough to work together.
I’m not going to lie, I cracked the hell up when the robber came in with a mic pointed at a woman’s neck as if it were a gun. It looks so silly, especially when he opened up his coat to reveal a bunch of mics. I still have no idea what the counterfeit hypnosis mics are and what exactly they can do and how they’re dangerous. He mentioned that the sound waves would create an explosion or something, so these things are easily defective? How the heck are they made? I’m not even sure if we’re going to be getting a proper explanation, so I’ll just roll with it. One thing I am glad about is that the enemy actually got to rap this time (i think it was Eguchi Takuya?). Shame Kenjiro Tsuda’s character never got to, that would have been amazing.
Last episode the enemies never even got a chance to rap themselves, making the battles pretty one-sided. So it was really cool to see one of them actually do it, and it seems the fake mics aren’t too different from actual hypnosis mics, but…again, okay. I’m still curious but I’ll set that aside.
Speaking of the battle, it was pretty fun and again so silly. I was so happy to see that all the music moments were mostly in 2D, with a little bit of CG sprinkled in and it looked great. So far the anime is just so pleasing to the eyes and I’m just so happy it looks so nice. The visuals were so colorful, really fun, creative, and very fast. Just like the game, the lyrics fly across the screen as the music plays. I’m not going to lie, it’s really hard to fully appreciate the performances as my eyes dart back and forth from the translated subs to the action. It’s even tougher because the lyrics go by so quickly so you really need to watch it again to really appreciate it. Also I just love that the enemies explode when they lose, it’s just hilarious. This show is just insane, like Akudama Drive I’m just laughing at the absurdity but in a good way because it’s just so fun. But there’s genuinely funny moments, like Jiro’s ringtone being Mary had a Little Lamb, him screwing up the meeting spot, and Ichiro getting a whole feast of delicious (and sadly, uneaten) desserts.
The rap battle was great and catchy, but I was so surprised and happy that they actually included Ichiro’s solo song because that song slaps! The whole scene was fun, the fact it was broadcasted was hilarious, and the song is just so damn good! Now I’m wondering whether other pre-existing songs in the franchise will be in the anime, and whether it’ll be only some solo songs, or maybe the division songs, or a mix. It’s really exciting to think about.
This episode was just so fun, this show continues to be dumb fun and it’s great. I felt like the animation this time was even better, and I’m glad they’re putting a lot of effort into it, as well as the rap battles. Buster Bros met my expectations and I just love them so much already, they’re so cute and Ichiro is just amazing, and I can’t wait to see even more of them. But I’m also excited to see the other divisions as well, and I know Mad Trigger Crew (which I’m guessing is next) will be just as fun. We also got a trio of journalists and it looks like they’ll be recurring characters so we’ll see what’s up with them.
One slight I do have is not even with the show, but with Funimation’s subs. I didn’t mention it too much last week, but I’m going to mention this before Samatoki’s onslaught of curses, but the amount of swearing in the show is a little ridiculous. Some f-bombs here and there isn’t too big a deal, but when they overuse the swears when the characters are clearly not going that far is a little distracting, and just an odd decision on Funimation’s part. I wish Funimation would cool it but I don’t think they will. Again, nothing against the actual show but this is something that bothers me.
ICHIRO!!! (*≧∀≦*)
I’m curious as to what Rex, Iris and Tom will do, because they’re not in any other parts of the franchise. Speaking of things which don’t appear in other parts of the franchise, according to the main HypMic website, there will be a new song every episode. (When I found that out, that made me lose hope that songs from the franchise wouldn’t actually show up, but my fears have now been assuaged.)
I found it funny that they involved the park’s west gate…you know, the name of that other anime airing this season? (I still think that’s one heck of a missed opportunity for a crossover…)
Japanese swearing, if it were translated accurately, wouldn’t look so impressive, so I understand why the subbers had to dial it up accordingly. The problem is they could stand to use some variety in said swearing.
I’m a Matenrou stan myself, so suddenly seeing them show up was a treat.
I definitely expected new songs, but yeah I’m so happy that they’ll at least make some time to include songs from the franchise! For now, Rex, Iris, and Tom just seem to be photographers/journalists and I’m guessing they’re going to go around and visit each division since they seem to know about the upcoming division battle. I do wonder if they’ll be more prominent characters or just be there in the background.
Haha, Ikebukuro is getting a lot of attention this season! As fire as Ore ga Ichiro is, it also would have been super fitting if the boys had performed Ikebukuro West Game Park against the gang. That song is so much fun and is great to show their bond and all, and of course because IWGP is airing right now, it would have been perfect. <3
The thing is, I’m not sure if all the swearing is necessary. I know what they’re trying to do, but after watching anime for so many years you can pick up on the words and phrases they’re saying. And it gets a little weird when what they’re saying doesn’t match with the subtitles. I know the hip-hop world can be rough and edgy but to litter it with so much swearing when the characters are clearly not saying it (there are times when they do) just feels…weird. It actually wasn’t too bad with this episode, but it was way more prominent with the first episode in the Mad Trigger Crew scene, which is why I mentioned this now since we’ll most likely get their episode next time. There’s nothing wrong with sprinkling the swearing in here and there when it’s fitting, but overdoing it to where you know it doesn’t belong gets distracting.
Haha I can’t wait to get to know Matenrou, they seem to be pretty popular (from what I’ve seen online anyways). I just found it hilarious that Doppo and Hifumi called worrying about Ichiro and Jakurai was just “Nah he good.”