Sabage-bu!

I never had any expectations for Sabagebu. It was never given any attention when I made that "season previews are worthless" post sometime before the summer season aired. I just saw that it was one of those "girls using weaponry" anime, remembered how I didn't give C3-bu much of a chance when it aired a year ago, noticed that it was the first thing to air in the season (even though it was due to being a pre-air), and gave it a shot. Was kind of surprised at how fast-paced and violent the premiere was, so I watched the second episode. And then the third. ... And now I've finished the entire series.

- Watch out Witchcraft Works, because I think you've got competition for the best "hidden gem" of the year. And considering how fucking insane you turned out to be, that's saying more than America's word that West Africa will be ebola-free within the next five years.

What the advertisements for this show failed to get across to me is that Sabagebu is a black comedy, a genre that's kind of rare in anime and even rarer in shoujo. Sure you have plenty of 90s-era John Hughes slapstick knockoffs getting produced every season, but in terms of comedies where the humor deliberately comes from the characters being assholes (on purpose) in the vein of "the only good sitcom airing right now" It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia? With no attempts at being heartfelt, and whenever it does, it pulls the rug from under you? I don't think even Milky Holmes at its peak was this cruel.

And whilst the other characters contribute their fair share to the proceedings, the main reason this show works is because of the main character: Momoka. Why? Because she's just so impossible a character to sympathize with to the point that she becomes extremely interesting. While not exactly on the level of great British assholes like Blackadder or Bernard from Black Books, I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that Momoka is quite frankly the biggest asshole you'll ever see in any other anime this year, and quite possibly the last few. Nothing about her is kind. She's not someone you'd ever want to be with in reality. If this was a romantic drama, she'd be that character that single-handedly ruins the series with forced conflict and a deal with the devil.

- Thankfully, Sabagebu is a skit-based comedic series that actually has a "reset button" license. Oh, one of the girls caused a helicopter to crash and killed two pilots in the process, sending them to meet the devil? Eh, nobody cares about those extras, so let's not turn her over to the police and just publicly humiliate her for the fact that she couldn't flush a toilet.

Once Momoka's behavior grounded me into the series, all the writers had to do was create short scenarios that exploited her, as well as the rest of the cast, for comedy and creativity. There's quite a few gags that don't really work (the fat stuff, the stalkers on the mountain, the school president thing that went on twice as long as it should have), but each episode always had one that was really great and it's paced quick enough so that you don't stare at a skit for too long trying to extract a laugh from your dirty ugly mouth.

- The punchlines get a little predictable as time goes on because it's pretty obvious before too long that someone's going to suffer by the time a skit ends. But it's done cleverly enough, again similar to Sunny, that it never really grows stale.

- And even if the jokes don't satisfy you, at least you can't deny that Sabagebu has great action chops. I haven't actually seen Aldnoah Zero's fight choreography despite the praise for it, but I'd be surprised to hear that it was of much higher quality than this show's "old people riding jeeps whilst shooting at youngsters" action.

- This ain't like the shitty "punch one spot multiple times and use stills for dramatic effect" stuff that Akame ga Kill seems to think qualifies for action. It isn't unstylized powerpoint like Tokyo ESP. It's not the utterly incompetent "couldn't hit the broadside of a barn" crap that Jormungand indulged in. No, this is hands-down expert gun stuff that isn't quite as good as Black Lagoon, but is worthy enough to stand in its shadow. And that's better than most gun action we get in Hollywood these days (fuck you shaky cam!).

There's not really much more I can say about Sabagebu considering it's a plotless comedy that never takes itself seriously. I do urge people to give it a shot if what I said appeals to you, because I don't think it deserved the low amount of attention it received whilst airing. Just be aware that the first episode is a little rocky and the second is when it starts to find its footing. If you're not hooked by the third - you monster - then the rest probably won't appeal to you. I definitely don't consider it the best anime of the year (Space Dandy, Tiger and Bunny: The Rising, maybe Terror in Resonance but I need to see how it ends first). Has a few too many "mehs" for me to really rank it too high, let alone consider it my favorite "cute girl" anime.

- That said, barring some explosion of quality next season, it's definitely going into my top ten anime for this year.

Short review, because you don't need to read a bible to make an opinion about something and it saves time too!

How do you feel about episodical plotless anime? You love it? You hate it? Because your enjoyment depends on it.

First 5 episodes are great!

We got interesting, funny situations. Sadistic, masochistic characters with little bit of schizophrenia. Who doesn't love that, right? Humor is great in this show, so surprising and unexpected. And it mix up some serious themes in between jokes like bullying, stealing, rejection. You can even learn some stuff from this anime with a help of narrator who involves viewer ... in the show. And because this anime is self conscious it makes everything even more funny. And i love rule "never judge a book from its cover" when it comes to character (remember schizophrenia? yea the good stuff). Anime got tons of action, because it makes parody's of action movies.

Sounds like an awesome anime right? Well this is when the plotless part kicks in.

After 5 episodes you get used to crazy characters, jokes gets repetitive and expected. All the awesomeness from first episodes disappears. And it becomes just a random parody, of different movies. Still some episodes are funny from time to time, but ecchi and fan service didn't help at all.

So in the end i would say, if you like episodical anime and have no problem with it, then you will have some good time with this anime.
But if you are just like me, who cant stand repetitiveness and lack of development, then 5 episodes are all that you need too watch to have good fun.

(This has been adapted from my reddit thread)

When you think of high school, or college for that matter, what comes to mind is education, parties, and extra curricular activities. But for the girls of the Survival Game Club, it's less about these things and more about just having fun, with a gun or two thrown in for good measure.

STORY

Somewhat generically, the story begins with our new transfer student, Momoka, enrolling in a new high school. Upon entering, she discovers the "Survival Game Club", a group of girls dedicated to fake-gun battles.

Much in the same vein as Nichijou, Sabagebu! takes the approach of smaller mini-episodes to ... convey what plot it has. Naturally, there is no over-arcing goal to the whole show; its all about what is happening in the moment. And for a show like this, it works great. Since it doesn't have to worry about an actual narrative, it can take its time creating these crazy yet interesting scenarios that the girls are put through.

As an example, one of the best mini-episodes features Urara and her unfortunate time in the bathroom. It showcases many of the shows strong points: cultural references, nostalgic music, running gags, great comedy, and light-hearted fun. Many of the episodes early on are like this. They would always present these hilarious situations that the girls would be faced with, from fighting a master light-gun shoot-'em-up player to Momoka facing in a death-match against her mother.

Personally, I felt that the first half of the show was strong but got pretty weak by the second half. It felt as if they were re-using the same jokes a lot of the time. Again, running gags and similar comedy are always good fun, but it felt as if the writers were running out of ideas. That isn't to say that there weren't strong mini-episodes here and there, just that the quality seemed to trail off.

However, one of the things that never faltered was the show's use of a narrator. He would constantly make "appearances," letting us know what the situation entailed or how the characters were thinking. I always found his interjections to be hilarious, simply because his fourth-wall breaking was always nicely timed.

ANIMATION

Sabagebu's art style is somewhat plain or rather dull looking. Many of the locales are simple backdrops that don't elicit any feelings of wonder. The color palette as well utilizes softer colors (light purple, baby blue, pink, etc.) that coincide with the plainness of the show.

The animation itself isn't anything amazing. I was never taken aback by how the characters moved or what was happening on-screen. There are some nice acrobatic stunts that are pulled off, but nothing too out of the ordinary.

I will say that, as part of the comedy, I loved their excessive use of the fake blood. We all know that the games they are playing are fake, but I would always chuckle when I saw their bodies lying in a pool of red paint.

CHARACTERS

Honestly speaking, even for a show like this, the characters are pretty one-dimensional. There is the proud captain, the pretty girl, the otaku, the masochist, and the sadist. All of the girls stick to their character quirk and don't budge much from it throughout the entirety of the season.

To clarify, this doesn't mean the characters themselves are not enjoyable. In fact, it's part of what makes the show so funny to watch. Maya always getting killed first, Urara taking bullets for Momoka, Kayo's cosplaying, and Miou's optimistic attitude. But the star of the show is Momoka. She is pretty ruthless, willing to do whatever it takes to win the game or get by in her daily life. Her antics were always the most fun to watch, because seriously, she does not care about anyone or anything as long as she gets her way.

In this type of show, there isn't going to be much character growth to be had. And that was the case here. Even so, I would have liked to have seen their characters at least diverge a bit from what they normally would do. But part of the appeal is liking the character trope they are portraying. If you don't like tropes, then you won't like the characters.

SOUND

I actually found the OP to be fine. It gives off this happy vibe that pretty much fits the show. There isn't any drama or emotions at play within Sabagebu!, so the OP works. For the ED, I quite liked it. It has a wonderful beat that I would always find myself bobbing my head to. Plus, it sounds kind of crazy, which fits perfectly with the show.

The soundtrack's most memorable moments were definitely its use of famous pieces of music. You would definitely recognize the pieces, since they are used in pretty much every other medium. They were used in just the right situations for good comedic effect and were always a blast to listen to.

The voice acting is nicely done by all the members of the cast. No amazing performances, but Momoka's VA did a nice job in the cast lead.

ENJOYMENT

Sabagebu! is a pure comedy show. It's quite funny early on, and the laughs persist throughout the whole season, even if it isn't as strong in its second half. Part of the enjoyment from the show comes from the absurdity of what they are doing. Being "normal" high school girls who shoot bullets at old men and women in a cross-country derby race is as hilarious as it sounds.

Again, a lot of the fun is generated by the way the characters interact with one another. Whether that be Momoka shooting an innocent Kayo or Miou dragging everyone to a candy-decoration shop, you have to like the way in which these characters "get along" in order to have any fun with the show.

And that's what the show does so well. Everything in it just "works." Even when things are getting as crazy as they do, it's Sabagebu!, so there is nothing to be worried about.

SUMMARY

Story: Fine, funnier first-half with weaker second-half

Animation: Bad, plain and dull with generic art style

Characters: Fine, fun characters if a bit trope-y

Sound: Good, OP and ED are nice with interesting soundtrack

Enjoyment: Good, lots of laughs about a silly premise

Final Score: 5/10

As someone who's into guns and all things militaria, this anime sounded great on paper. However, upon forcing myself to sit through just one episode, I was met with some rather saddening disappointment.

The Bad:
Nothing really drew me in. The story is uninteresting, the characters are shallow and stereotypical, and the non-main characters in this world feel less alive than Skyrim NPCs. Everything just makes me want to cringe, from the dialogue between characters, to the hardcore airsoft larping. Maybe it's just a personal gripe since these kinds of people in real life leave a bad taste in my mouth. Airsoft can be fun and all, ... but fantasizing it as real combat with real guns is just silly and childish. Either way, I don't find this kind of stuff enjoyable to watch. Also, the characters feel incredibly half-assed, as they can be summarized into "big tiddy bitch with blue hair", "big tiddy bitch with purple hair" "loli with pink hair", and "main character flat chested pink hair bitch jealous of big tiddy bitches". It's like the creators know how shallow their characters are and desperately try to cram totally unique never before seen features in anime like wacky hair colors.

The Good:
The firearms in this show are the best I've ever seen in anime. Almost every little detail is consistently there, spanning the feature of dozens of firearms. Despite all the characters using airsoft guns, they're often drawn with features real firearms would have, such as rifling in the barrel. Sadly, this is the only good thing I can personally say about this show.

All that said, the creators knew they were making something wacky that needs some suspension of disbelief to enjoy. Narration interrupts certain scenes and at the beginning/end of the episodes telling the viewer that what they're watching isn't in any way reality and is portrayed through the eyes of these girls who enjoy fantasizing and playing around. So while it explains the wackiness of the show, it doesn't make it any more enjoyable to me. Maybe some enjoyment is found in this show, but it isn't some /k/ incarnate gem.

First things first. My "reviews" system is explained on a blog entry. Which can be found through my profile.
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✦Story
Not much to comment, daily lives of survival club high school girls. Their club activities, chatting, playing etc. I like non-sensical comedy. Thus why I love "gintama", but this one I wasn't particurarly impressed with. At start I got triggered by military topic (have a bit of a personal grudge, which I didn't have in past as much a.k.a much harder to enjoy anything military topic now), but thankfully 3 episodes into could filter out my grudge for the most part. Anyhow, lot of non-sensical comedy, ... but I wasn't fond of because of it's "4chan" feel. Hard to explain, but probably easiest answer would be that this type of comedy didn't really "click" with me. If you like nonsensical comedy and survival game, might be fun for you.

So point stays that I found the "story" aspect really "meh" here.

✦Art & Sound
Good enough, not impressive nor bad. Felt average "okay" animation and sound.

✦Character
Bunch of stereotypes, a self-praising idol, rich selfish girl, extreme masochist, a very selfish and self-preserving girl, quiet oddball n cosplayer etc.. Characters were okay, a bit "different" stereotypes for usual. Even if I weren't as fond of most of them, they were still enjoyable.

I probably liked the most the elementary school ojou-sama tsundere girl.

✦Enjoyment & Overall
Did mention for the most part what I didn't like in the story section. But to sum it up once again. It simply wasn't my cup of tea. It was enjoyable, but simply not good enough for me.

The show has a fantastic main character, but not fantastic enough to save Sabage-bu from its shortcomings.

I didn't really like this one at first, but the show's sense of humor really grew on me by the end. Watching Momoko's mean streak was very enjoyable, and was quite refreshing compared to the Mary Sues you see in most other slice of lifes. It was this aspect of the show that differentiated Sabage-bu and made it a unique watching experience.

Onto the negatives, the OST and animation were not memorable in the slightest. The characters? Well, aside from Momoka and maybe Lemon, the rest of the cast was ... completely forgettable. The first few episodes were also tough to get through, and the anime didn't hit its stride until over half way through. For these reasons, I really can't rate Sabage-bu any higher.

This is the type of show which you watch after watching an edgy anime with a heavy plot to relax your mind, This has decent comedy scenes throughout 12 episodes and the characters are likable too, specially Momoka and urara they were the funniest characters throughout the show. As far the story goes there is none, just some high school girls in their puberty imaging the fantasy of gunfighting in their daily school life and enjoying it. This anime was decent enough for me to watch, and I had a good time watching it and I hope you do too.