The series’ title speak for itself as the very first episode quickly demonstrates the female characters in this show are ladies you don’t want to mess with. In essence, they have supernatural powers ranging from time manipulation, elemental abilities, healing/repairing objects, or even creating object themselves. Simply put, these girls are part of this group known as the Senko High School's Literature Club but there’s one oddball in the mix: Jurai Ando. Unlike the others, he is an ordinary kid who pretends that he has powers. If you ever remember watching ‘Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!’ before, then you’ll get the general idea. Just replace the words of ‘Dark Flame Master’ with Dark Flame Dark; a seemingly useless flame that is spawned from his imaginations. Despite the wacky way the show handles itself, there’s also surprisingly a strong degree of fun that viewers can get out of this series.
It all starts with our characters. While Ando isn’t anything extraordinary, he does have an innate ability to influence people whether he knows it or not. His interactions with the members of the Literature Club often provides a genuine amount of comedy. In fact, every episode generates some sort of new gimmick that involves most of the characters. No one is left behind in the dark as Ando is able to create ways for him to get involved despite being different from them. This even applies to supporting characters such as the student council president Mirei Kudo when she misunderstands a situation that ends up being much complicated than it should be. But surprisingly enough, the show doesn’t kill off this sub-plot but actually provide some genuine moments of honesty. In retrospect, the show is self-aware of itself and is able to balance between the comedy and dramatic moments; a feat that is quite something for a show such as this.
When it comes to the girls, this show qualifies for cliché to the max. We have the tsundere Tomoyo, the polite airhead Hatoko, the book nerd Sayumi, and the playful Chifuyu. All of their personalities contrast from one another but are somehow all able to co-exist as a group together. And unlike most series with similarities, Inou Battle appeals more to lighthearted comedy by employing the characters’ gimmicks. Examples are evidence with clever jokes involving Ando and any of these girls or as a whole. Although he ends up being a butt monkey on occasions, the girls are appreciate for his presence and are interested in him as a person. At times, the show gets a bit crazy for its own good but that really never drowns what it’s trying to accomplish: to create genuine comedy for appealing entertainment. Thanks to our characters, we get most of that.
Individually, the main characters also get their backgrounds fleshed out and spotlights throughout the series. Various episodes explores their personalities and brings out challenges like common place. The thrill of the show doesn’t rely on what might come next from guessing. Instead, it lies at where the viewers may feel being part of such a story with its expositions. It’s also noticeable that Ando once again plays key roles as part being of each episode. Rather than standing in the sidelines or becoming a victim, he plays the role of a guardian angel to help the helpless. It’s also ironic since he is the one without the powers and is able to help the girls who are blessed with these supernatural gifts, no?
Despite crafting a bucket load of fun and laughter, the show can be hard to get used to after a while for some. Characters are still one-dimensional and doesn’t escape its harem-esque tropes. It should be obvious but all the main girls seems to have an implied crush on Ando. These also are mixed with various reactions ranging from jealousy, to loneliness, to even aggression (See Hatoko’s ragefest episode). However, the show is lighthearted so it doesn’t steer its wheel too far onto the drama road. The back stab is that it can hardly be taken seriously in this manner. Sure, there are moments where we feel compelled to realize these emotions but most of it is still covered by the immense amount of comedy. At later stages of the show, even the comedy seems to be a bit diehard and loses its momentum. The superpowers gimmicks also dies down considerably to a point where the show almost seems like a slice of life. Ando himself doesn’t improve much either as he still tries to go die-hard with his chuunibyou behavior. Despite standing out more than a dull average boy, he is also oblivious to the girls’ feelings which leads to generic moments of misunderstandings and saturated nonsense. Speaking of which, the romance aspect of this show should be treated as a bad joke. While it shouldn’t be taken account as a shoujo fest of love angles, the series still makes the romance look like a silly slab of bland cliché collection.
You’ve heard about them before and seen what they can do. Studio Trigger takes a crack at this light novel adaptation as one of their first non-original series. The end result is satisfactory when it comes to artwork although nothing astonishingly remarkable. Let’s face it, the backgrounds looks goofy and hardly noticeable with its generic school setting. However, the character designs offer a fun degree of diversity. Tossing Ando aside (since he is the most dull looking character), the girls are illustrated well in suit of their personalities and roles. During ‘action’ and ‘fighting scenes’, the series tries its best to make it look real with various degrees of success. Fan service is also limited although there are a few occasions of suggestive camera angles; usually aimed at cosplay gimmicks in particular one episode and swimsuit shenanigans.
Background music doesn’t play a huge role in the show but the character voices do when it comes to their roles. While Ando is a dull-looking boy, he brings in an immense amount of energy with his personality. Similarly, the girls create an atmosphere of recreational fun with their casual way of speech mannerisms. They say what’s on their mind and often does it without repetitiveness. I give praise to the ensemble cast of our characters (including Ando) for their ability to draw in viewers at what they try to achieve. On the other hand, the OP and ED songs aren’t very appealing. While it is cute and has a decent amount of colorful attractiveness, there’s nothing special about it with its generic themes.
To say the least, this show isn’t for everyone. If you’re used to some of Trigger’s previous work, then you will find Inou Battle to be somewhat different. I don’t mean it different at its premise but rather the gimmicks the show holds when it comes to connecting its characters. Still, the characters makes up a bulk of what you can enjoy from this show. Now, fuse that with comedy and with every day common stories and you’ll get entertainment at its most definite form. Just be aware though that the show isn’t trying to drive a story with an ultimatum. Instead, it celebrates supernatural culture in way that doesn’t involve high level battles to save the world.
