Wait, that sounds stupid enough to work. And it does.
Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts is a show that lives and dies by its stupidity. Sometimes its dies, but mostly it lives.
At Fumizuki Academy, students with the highest test scores are placed in the air-conditioned, recliner seated room of Class A. Too bad for Akihisa, his grades have scored him a worn out straw mat seat in Class F. But, thanks to the Summoner Test Wars, students can summon their avatars—chibi versions of themselves—and challenge other classes avatar VS avatar. A lower class (F) can exchange their equipment with a higher class (E) if the former wins. Or a lower class (C) can have their equipment downgraded if they lose to a higher class (A).
Fed up with their decrepit wooden tables, Class F—Akihisa, Yuji, Mizuki, Minami, Hideyoshi, and Kouta—decide to partake in the Summoner Test Wars in hopes of improving their time at Fumizuki Academy. Except for the fact the strength of their avatars is based on their test scores, meaning a lower class shouldn’t be able to beat a higher class. And since avatar strength is based on test scores, the Summoner Test Wars are impractical compared to taking a normal test. And they live on their own, so they knew what they were signing up for when they decided to enroll at the school.
Already the Summoner Test Wars are roundabout and frivolous. It gets even dumber when the strength system played straight during one fight is subverted by tactics in another fight. The fights themselves can only happen at Fumizuki, as only a teacher can create the fighting field for the avatars. Capping the fights is a teacher nicknamed ‘Iron Man,’ who drags the owners of knocked out avatars to remedial classes. It doesn’t matter if their avatars are knocked out in the bathhouse or from a life-threatening emergency at Fumizuki, he WILL appear anywhere.
With pointless battles and the most adamant referees ever, the story cares nothing for following its own rules. Urgency? Continuity? Coherent battles? Fairness? None of that is a top priority when this show just doesn’t care. But there’s more to the show than the Summoner Test Wars, as they’re only one part of the story. It’s the wrapping for the cream of the crepe, the water that boils the noodles, or the clothes that sell Hideyoshi as a girl.
Unfortunately, I can’t describe Hideyoshi beyond being the guy who looks like a girl, nor do the other characters warrant much discourse. Akihisa is the title idiot, Yuji the cool best friend, Mizuki the cute genius, Minami the spunky hothead, and Kouta the perverted photographer. Some of them get a spotlight episode, but it’s usually just a more serious take on their already existing antics. Unfortunately, a few serious moments don’t mesh with an otherwise silly show. While this doesn’t ruin the characters, they stay wholly unremarkable.
But where the characters fall short by themselves, they stand out as a class, their antics showing in unflattering fashion. Hideyoshi is often the victim of his own appearance, by jokes from boys and girls alike, while Minami is the butt of gags noting her lack of femininity. The latter often vents her anger with wrestling moves on Akihisa. And every time Minami grapples Akihisa, her skirt rides up but she’s too angry to notice Kouta trying to peek at her panties. And Kouta apparently runs a service where he sells photos of cute girls. And Hideyoshi.
Adding to the antics is Mizuki, who’s actually a genius but in Class F by mistake. Her intellect is an ace for her class, but countless friends have also fallen victim to her poor cooking. Then there’s Yuji, the representative for Class F, whose high confidence mismatches his low test results. Yuji barely leads his class as is, and is instead handcuffed against his will by the disturbingly devoted Shouko from Class A. While not a standout either, a few scenes and dialog are hints for why Shouko’s so eccentric; she and Yuji are the only ones with any hint of background.
And just when the show couldn’t get dumber, it does. When one group of characters is trying to bring two other characters together, absolutely everything makes it worse for only one of the two. There are times when they conspire right in front of each other. There are times where ruses are plainly exposed only for the supposed geniuses not to notice. And there are times when the show becomes dramatic—dramatic, not serious—for the dumbest reasons. This show is impossible to take seriously, but stumbles when it’s SUPPOSED to be taken seriously.
The main issue with the show trying to be serious, is the mismatch in sincerity between a few scenes and episodes compared with the rest of the show. A serious moment where one character stops what she’s about to do, or another character expressing a surprising amount of insight, doesn’t mesh with how they behave otherwise. Maybe some viewers will find the emotional contrast to anchor the show for them, but for others, a show that appeals with stupidity loses its luster trying to haphazardly have a heart. A comedy especially needs to bring in ‘heart’ slowly, and this show doesn’t.
Thankfully, the show brings in strong aesthetics. In addition to colors brighter than geniuses and expressions livelier than the antics, the character designs are easy on the eyes. Mostly the girls. Mizuki’s long, pink, and fluffy hair is only matched by her three sizes. But size isn’t everything, as the slender and short haired Minami will prove during a few scenes. Playing opposite to them is Shouko, whose elegant form belies her sadism. And rounding off the cast of girls is Hideyoshi, whose appearance alone will fool people into thinking he’s a girl.
Hideyoshi’s feminine appearance is further pushed by his designs. Quite oddly, most of the skinservice is from him crossdressing, from nurse outfits to swimsuits. And speaking of swimsuits, the show’s skinservice episode about its girls doubles for a pool episode and bathhouse episode. So outside of the gender benderific antics, the show is devoid of fanservice in an overt sense. The girls often opt for stronger blushing than normal, suggestive words, or the scene itself to play up their appearance. It goes for something subtle instead of panty shots or what have you.
But what’s often not so subtle is the soundtrack. As expected for a show about idiots, the music is bombastic. Everyday scenes are with silly tracks, the fights scenes have playfully dramatic pieces, and the sappy scenes are filled with over the top, melodramatic ambience. I’d say the music is better if the opening and closing songs, ‘Perfect-Area Complete!’ and ‘Baka Go Home,’ were part of each episode during an opening or closing scene, but they’re not.
I say the music is ‘often not so subtle’ since there are scenes where it displays a strong grasp on the art of silence. Some scenes in the spotlight episodes especially do a fine job at wrenching a sense of rejection, uplifting the spirits through cheesy but heartwarming moments, and establishing a meaning behind a relationship. With the way these scenes sound, it’s like the show has deeper character progress.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t. The characters are standard fare throughout the show, and the story is brought down more than it should be. That doesn’t mean it’s bad though, because Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts mostly succeeds at being entertaining through sheer stupidity. It’s not the smartest show in the class, but I wasn’t expecting clever humor about idiots.
