Bakuen Campus Guardress

What the hell is going on? When will all my questions be answered? Those are the thoughts you can expect to have whilst watching Combustible Campus Guardress. It’s incredibly difficult to get through this Supernatural, Action, Comedy fiesta, without being confused about something fundamental, like the plot.

From what I could gather after the numerous failed attempts at exposition; there’s a world of darkness, which had its gate to our world sealed somehow. Now the “Remnants” want to reopen the gate, to do the usual take over the world thing that all evil seems compelled to do. So it’s all up to the “Guardians” to prevent ... this from happening. You still following me? … Well this does sound like your average Good vs. Evil standard affair and that’s what it should be however the incomprehensible turn of events and sheer insanity of the actions that drive the story, will leave most people confused. I say that but what really confused the heck out of me was what this anime was trying to achieve, as both a comedy and a serious action drama. For this to be a success, there needs to be a healthy balance of the two aspects however this anime made a mess of the two. Amongst all this mess the one redeeming quality that can be salvaged would be the theme on “destiny”, which gives the series something interesting to work with and some fine developments arise from it. Nevertheless the characters that experience these developments constantly try their best to ruin it.

Ah yes the characters. How could I forget this delightful bunch of misfits who may entertain some but not those with a keen grip on reality. Who would have thought it would be possible, but Combustible Campus Guardress had an entire cast full of annoying characters; some with incredibly annoying voices to match. The story’s heroine (Hazumi) being the most annoying of the lot. For half the show I was unwittingly praying that the god’s of common sense would strike her down with a lightning bolt of logic.

It amazes me by how much Production I.G. got wrong with the series but what they always get right is the animation. Sure the animation is about as out dated as my cassette player but they still manage to pull off some incredibly well animated fight scenes. Just watching buildings crumble when someone is sent flying throw them, is simply worthwhile. On the other hand, when I think about the sound my mind goes blank. A few minutes after finishes the series; no memory of a soundtrack or interesting SFX were available in my mind and all I did remember was the god awful ending theme and second-rate voice acting, which isn’t helped by its mind-numbing dialogue.

In the end this is a series where the writers didn’t believe in such things like: a coherent storyline, funny jokes, logic or even anime logic. Instead they thought giving the characters the most retarded abilities imaginable would make entertainment. Picture this… a girl summoning a barrage of puppies just to be slaughtered by some ambiguous blue blob. You’ll witness a lot of stupidity in this short series, right up until the inevitable climax, where you realize that you wasted your time watching a mediocre series just to be force fed a bullshit ending.

The first thing to keep in mind about this show is that it's parody. It's only four episodes, so if you're into lengthy character background and development, you'll be disappointed. The characters are all caricatures of anime stereotypes. The heroine is an over-the-top warrior, feared by friend and foe alike, who generally does more collateral damage to the real estate than she does to her targets. Her wishy-washy love interest is about helpless, the teacher is an unabashed pervert, and the main antagonist is an exaggerated megalomaniac. So this is not a serious drama show.

I liked the details that the ... writers introduced, stuff that other shows conveniently overlook. When there's a fight that destroys a school building, the next day everyone is sitting at their desk in the ruins (and without air conditioning). In Bleach, the good guy delivers a five-minute soliloquy in the middle of a fight, and the monster just hangs out in the background flapping its wings. In CCG, when the bad guy launches into a speech, Hazumi finds a more productive use of her time.

Oh and by the way the guy she loves and wants to marry is her brother. Sorta.

A little easier to follow than Furi Kuri and Puni Puni Poemi, this is a fun show, if you want over-the-top action, humor, and just a touch of fan service. Just don't try to take it too seriously.

This is sort of a mixed bag but once I started picking up what it was putting down, I enjoyed it. You just kind of have to get what it’s saying.

In many respects, you “had to be there,” and I wasn’t even there. Bakuen Campus Guardress is a supernatural comedy OVA from 1994 and definitely leans into the comedy/parody aspect in a way that may be jarring at times. Many tropes are sent up in this but you do have to realize it’s a sendup—the ambiguously not-related siblings, the over-the-top action and fanservice, is as much as reflection of the anime landscape in 1994 ... as anything else.

And when it is funny, it is very, very funny. Not just the entire school, but the entire town, is in on the plan to protect Takumi. School goes on, even after it’s been destroyed. Also, the characters’ emotional lives feel real even if the world they live in is satirical. Indeed, the tone may be so subtle that it can take some time to pick up on. There are certainly dated aspects—the incest teasing and some of the offensive villain designs have aged extremely poorly. There is some gratuitous fanservice, but this is Akahori after all. The ED theme is absolutely dire. But there is some heart here. At only four episodes, it’s not a deep time investment, but that has the downside that there really is no room to breathe. The time allotted is used effectively, but there’s very little downtime to get to know the characters beyond Hazumi.

I wouldn’t go so far as to call this a hidden gem but it wasn’t a bad way to start my day.