Acro Trip Episode 1 & 2 [First Impression]

Eva’s First Impression

Oh my gosh, this show is an absolute riot! I certainly didn’t expect to have a double episode premiere, but it was a welcomed one. Both episode 1 and 2 had me laughing from start to finish. The way it kicked off with a freaking Kuma Kajin hitting their car window, and Gramps was just like completely unfazed by it because clearly it’s a normal occurrence in town (they even have sirens for when the Kajins appears). Unfortunately Gramps forgot to explain that to Chizuko after she arrived, so she got one heck of a surprise.

However that surprise was a much welcomed one for her. See, Chizuko has never stayed in one place for long and lived all across Japan due to her mother’s job. She didn’t mind moving one from place to another because she never stayed long enough to to become attached to it. Ordinary days are fine, but she was missing having something to be passionate about in her life…. that is until she witnesses a magical girl fight before her eyes! From that moment on, Chizuko decided she wanted to stay in this town, and went from a week stay to a complete move in. Chizuko’s find meaning in her life now, and that is being a huge Berry Blossom’s fan. When she hears the Kaijins sirens, it’s not fear or dread, but excitement. She just melts into bliss when she gets to see Berry Blossom close and personal. She is truly a super-fan!

For Chizuko, she enjoys seeing the Berry Blossom engage with Chroma the so-called “evil leader” of Fossa Magna. However she finds herself getting recruited when Chroma hears her talking out loud how pathetic he is, and how boring the fights are because he just doesn’t come off as a threat. I found this bit to be especially hilarious because Chizuko’s reactions are so relatable when I’m watching magical girls shows. I don’t always want to see a sugar-coated villain, sometimes I just want someone who’s going to raise the stake and make it a tough battle for the girls because it’d be more exciting! So I plead guilty for that, hahahahahaha! Chroma is an exception in this case though, because he doesn’t appear to be cut out to be a super villain of any sorts. So because of that, super-fan Chizuko gets recruited as an “administrator” to Fossa Magna just get some help to spice up the fights against Berry Blossom.

And that brings us to Chroma: the self-proclaimed ‘evil mastermind’ of his oh-so-evil organization Fossa Magna. This guy is actually a sad fool, a masochistic and coward who’s a far cry from the definition of ‘evil‘ when he’s doing petty things like flipping rugs, picking a fight with Berry Blossom can get his ass kicked because he’s a fan of her too. Chroma can wield magic, but among his short-comings is not having a good handle on the Kuma Kajins (as they just don’t always listen to him, and sometimes just straight-up lack the motivation to). He’s also mindful of abiding the law, where he (and Berry Blossom included) cannot use magic against ordinary people, they’ll get into trouble with law enforcement if they do. That’s why neither he couldn’t use magic when confronted by an armed robbery, and Berry Blossom resorted to cloth-lining the guy down,  which was actually hysterical to see, especially since Chizuko was anticipating her to use magic in this situation.

Chroma’s powers stems from a contract, though it’s frankly hilarious how his powers follow the rules of a cellular data cap. He only can use so much magic within a month, and if he goes over the threshold, he’ll get capped out and it’ll take forever for before he can use it again. However he proved to be quite a shrewd one, capitalizing on the opportunity to get Chizuko to sign a contract when she previously refused because of her impatience. So while he may be stupid when it comes to plotting out traps and coming up with ways to fight against Berry Blossom, he at the very least has a silver-tongue when it comes to talking people into stuff. Heck we also saw him do that during the robbery, suggesting to the guy has great potential to do something more ambitious given he was holding Chroma and Chizuko hostage– and the robber even entertained the thought as flattery. So you could say that Chroma is certainly more of the type who probably would be better suited for as a recruiter than anything else.

Speaking of, while Chizuko did sign the contract, I found it a tad unclear whether she actually can use magic now. It was impossible to tell when it was Gramps who ended up taking the broom off the door. A part of me wondered if it was actually a scam on Chroma’s part, but since he was instructing her how to use the magic, I guess she actually could— provided she figures out how to use it. Well we should get some clarity on that in the upcoming episodes. But if there’s one lesson to take away from this: Kids, don’t let impatience prompt you to sign a contract! Had Chizuko exercised a little more patience, she wouldn’t had been compelled to signed it!

On the side note, Chizuko seems to be making herself at home with the position, as she understood right away the best motivate the Kuma Kajins effectively: By offering actual candy. They seem to like her a lot as result of that, hahaha.

And finally Berry Blossom! We didn’t get to see a whole lot of her in these two episodes, but we saw how much she appreciated having a fan like Chizuko. She didn’t want to let her down when the robbery was happening, and mustered up her courage to face him. She was hoping to stay out of it thought because she doesn’t have a good relationship with law enforcement, so once that was dealt with, she quickly fled the scene. It’s probably only to be expected given how much damage both she and Chroma inflict onto property when they decide to duke it out. In fact, when I think about it, that’s probably the one main thing that is problematic, especially if magic isn’t used to repair it like we see in other magical girl series.

Overall I really enjoyed the first two episodes. As someone who’s been hungry for more magical girl series, although this isn’t like the usual go-to formula of the MC becoming the said magical girl, it’s a welcomed change of pace and offers great variety, goofiness and fun. I love how Chizuko’s been recruited to the so-called “dark side” just to help spice up the game between Chroma and Berry Blossom!

For that reason, the chaotic dynamic between the trio and the silly friendship between Chizuko and Chroma is very fun to watch. It’s funny that Chroma actually ended up living right under their house. Chizuko of course had no idea that prior to her moving in, her gramps had already taken the guy in after finding him on the streets. The next thing they know, he made a freaking base underneath their house. Gramps doesn’t think anything odd about it though hahaha!

The OP Theme seems to suggest perhaps the trio will become something of the likes of friends in the end. Hard to say if we’re actually going to meet an actual antagonistic group that is threatening the town with their evil agenda, but the opening seems to allude we might see the three may end up teaming up against them. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing the shenanigans these three will be up to. I’m here for this chaotic comedy.

Possibility of Watching: Guaranteed
Possibility of Blogging: 50% – Because it’s comedy, and I still have a lot of other shows to consider, this one is a toss-up at the moment. I’ll see how episode 3 turns out, but I’ll also be weighing my options. Most of the premieres I’m waiting for air before the next episode, so I should know before then.