Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu

I've never been a great anime connoisseur but i remember that a few years ago when i was a little kid i would laugh a lot from watching nonsense, outright stupid humoristic attempts such as, i don't know, Shin Chan? Guess i haven't grown at all from that because i still don't get enough of this type of humour nowadays. I think there's not much into it, if you, like me, are into this kind of humour, you will definitely love both Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu's seasons. It is goofy, it has its own memes, it is entertaining.

Story: 7

Honestly, i never cared too much ... about the story itself, specially in the first season where it isn't that much of a concern. I wouldn't say there's no character development though, but it is quite likely that you will only get a good grasp of those things in season 2, where entire episodes are dedicated to background story and such.
On this parameter, one thing that really made this anime shine for me is its setting. High school settings never get old, and when you add class stratification disputed through summoning battles on top of that, you've given yourself an excellent context for the upcoming humour.

Art: 9

The art style is an extremely important component of the overall package as well. I could easily imagine a different artistic style screwing up the series for me. You will welcome the colorful screen that this anime brings you to, along with its constant use of special effects and well designed characters, who are quite pleasant to the eye.

Sound: 9

The soundtrack displayed throughout the series was quite memorable for me. I particularly like the themes that play during the summoning battles, some of them remind me of pokemon battles and are quite dynamic. You may shake your head while listening to some of them. I did.

Character: 9

One might say that Yoshii is the main character just by a small margin. Truth be told, a good point of these series is that the main 7 or so characters combined feel like a main character. I guess that's natural for an high school setting but it seems particularly well executed here.
There's no denying that you will still find tropes here (i don't see that as much of a problem though).
Akihisa Yoshii is your typical oblivious high school student, bad at school, bad at understanding that two girls obviously like him, living alone with few money and resorting to eat food on the floor from time to time. He is the complete baka;
Yuuji Sakamoto is the cool guy who comes up with most of the plans and manages the class, using his friendship with Yoshii as a pretext to put him under all kind of chaotic situations.
Mizuki Himeji, Minami Shimada and Shouko Kirishima are your typical love interests, respectively a dandere (kind of) whose woman features are largely defined (and whose voice gets annoying really quick i must say), a tsundere with a stereotypical flat chest, made fun of by Yoshii, and a yandere;
Hideyoshi Kinoshita is your average Totsuka from Oregairu, a.k.a. an indefined genre. Actually, he is a guy but is always perceived as a girl (or as having its own genre);
Kouta Tsuchiya is the character whose real name you'll hear the least. He is known as "Ninja Pervert" on the subbed versions (haven't watched the dubbed ones) or something like "Muttsurini" in japanese. Yeah, with that nickname you know what to expect pretty much.
All in all, the clash of these characters proves to be really enjoyable. The thing about different tropes is that they somehow work because they are, well, different and even though they on their own are funny as hell, their interactions are even more win than that.

Enjoyment: 10

Like i said in the beginning, it is up to you whether you will like the type of silly humour the series has to offer or not.
There are memes everywhere: Ninja Pervert and Yoshii's nosebleeds, Yuuji's epic chats with Yoshii, Hideyoshi's genre, Himeji's poisoned food, i could go on and on. Don't expect anything serious or even resolutions because the anime won't give you any of that (i've heard the LN/manga do that). Although most episodes form some kind of continuation from the ones before, it is the randomness of this anime that i enjoyed the most.

Overall: 9

If you enjoy romcoms you will probably enjoy this show and if the comedy weighs more on that equation, you're in for a treat.
At the end of the day, watching Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu is all about turning off your brain, sitting back and enjoying it. It's a no-brainer. In another of my boring summers, i had a hella good time with it.

Short Version: Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu is a well executed, funny show with just enough shortcomings to keep from becoming a comedy anime classic.

Long Version: Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu is what happens when a group of idiots are pushed too far and, in a style reminiscent of Gurren Lagann, rise from below to topple their smarter, more able… just overall better at school than them classmates. It’s been compared with Revenge of the Nerds, if the nerds were bashed over the head enough times to elicit amnesia and the burgeoning of likeable personalities.

Yoshii Akihisa is an idiot of the highest caliber; one so ... stupid that even his parents have little faith in his academic abilities. One day, the school that he attends came up with the idea to separate students into classes based on their academic abilities. Predictably, though still to amusing effect, Yoshii is relegated to the lowest class for his year: Class F.

In the dilapidated class (He has to fix his own desk with glue and the floor is littered with what could generously be called a pungent fungus), he meets up with the ensemble that will make up his group of friends in subsequent episodes: The boisterous yet book dumb Yuuji, the pink haired beauty Mizuki Himeji, Tsuchiya Kouta; the voyeur known affectionately as Voyeur, the tsundere pettanko Minami Shimada, and the unbelievably androgynous Hideyoshi.

Together, this group of misfits, nobodies, and just general oddities plans to rise from their unfortunate conditions to take the opulence of Class A for themselves. “How might they have the means to do this?” you might be asking, hypothetical person who always questions when it’s most appropriate. Well, the school has a rule that’s most different from others. Rather than remain in the caste you’re designated to be in, you can move your way up through the ranks through the means of improved test scores, mixed with chibi avatar battles.

Thus, Class F does all they can to improve their test scores to move up to the extravagant conditions of Class A, often with hilarious results. Along the way, they dodge crazed stalkers, inquisitors who crucify anybody who has a girlfriend, and the answer to what Hideyoshi’s gender really is. Hint: He’s a guy, but nobody else knows that.

The story is flexible, transparent, yet omnipresent in the grand scheme of things. The characters drive it, bringing it upon themselves to advance the plot whenever the current gag has run its course. It rarely, if ever, feels like it’s drawing a joke out past the point where It stops being funny. The characters drive it, each bringing their own unique spin to whatever situation rears its head.

Oddly for a comedy series, the male lead has the most personality out of the entire cast. While I wouldn’t call Yoshii a dynamic character, he’s by far the most interesting to watch, if only for the situations that he brings upon himself. It helps that he’s likeable, but enough of a dimwitted pervert for the audience to relish whatever pain’s brought down upon him with little malice.

The side characters also get enough time in the spotlight to elicit a few laughs. The most memorable is Yuuji’s crazed stalker Shouko, who is by far the most over the top yandere character in recent memory, yet is oddly endearing considering the amount of abuse she puts the Kamina-in-training through. Electrocution and eye gouging are the norm for their hilariously lopsided relationship, and Yuuji’s futile attempts to break free make for one of the funniest episodes of the series.

There’s also the mysterious FFF, an inquisitorial squad dressed in black robes vaguely reminiscent of the Klan who constantly persecutes Yoshii for the amount of female attention lavished on him. Despite their short time in the limelight, they’re collectively one of the best parts of the entire show.

The animation and art style are bright and cheerful yet generic, occasionally descending into black and white hand drawn mode during stirring speeches. The backgrounds are sparse, punctuated by dots in a style reminiscent of manga. It can feel gratuitous at times, but it’s nothing distracting. There are even a few visual treats, such as Mizuki’s rabbit hairpin changing expression to match her own, that make the sparseness of the art style pop at times. In short, you’ll either find it kind of neat, or a little annoying.

While the music matches the art style (Bright, poppy, yet nothing special), the voicework is exceptionally well done, never feeling overwrought or bland. Nothing to rave on and on about, but still quite good overall.

Now, with all that said, here are the criticisms. There are very few, except for one glaring example: The variety of comedy used.

No matter how uproarious or timely jokes and gags are, they inevitably grow stale the more they are repeated. I’m not talking about jokes with enough variation between iterations. After all, Krauser raping a tambourine and him raping Tokyo Tower are both hilarious without feeling recycled, and they both involve excessive crotch thrusting.

If comedy is a pallet with different colors, the best kind is mixed with others and applied to the canvas to form a brilliant new component of the portrait. If you just paint in the same seven or eight colors, it’ll still look good, but not nearly as eye catching. Where Detroit Metal City, Azumanga Daioh, and Cromartie High School (My top three most hailed comedies) mix and match to form interesting and ultimately fresh styles, Baka to Test keeps everything from blending together. Each joke is repeated with little variation each time, and it really starts wearing itself thin in the second half.

After all, there is only so many times that the gag with Yoshii still lusting after Hideyoshi, blissfully unaware of his lack of uterus and vagina.

With that one fairly significant complaint aside, Baka to Test is a cleverly written series that nevertheless falls short of being an utterly memorable comedy classic. Most of the jokes struck home, hitting a broad enough range of subjects that hit more times than missed. If you have room in your anime roster for one more series to watch, I suggest picking this up. The laughs are cheap and easy, and they come in stride.

Let's see.... how can i review this...

first i will have something clear... of you don't like the tipycal way that anime is done then this is not your anime... because the first adjective i will say about this anime is that is "prefabricated"...

the plot is pretty much what you can expect as well as the characters: you can find a lot of then even some rarities like the perv guy or the shotacon... others are the moe girl, the tsundere, the miko style girl, the tiycal hero boy of a romantic comedy, etc...

having said that if you have seen a lot of manga then you ... can imagine the rest of the series by yourself....

Now we must focus in what makes this type of anime interesting and those are 3 things:

Art: the anime has an excellent art though is in moe-lolicon style wich is very "basic" for an anime of this type... wanna found again an art like school rumble? yeah that's difficult... yeah school rumble art wasn't the best but it was original and rare...

Music and sound in general: it doesn't surpass any other comercial romantic comedy anime... sweet but... aren't you tired of the same thing?

Photography: you can have a very good view of the action and the diferent expressions of people make it very interesting...


Well... it's true your gonna have fun and your gonna enjoy it but after seeing it will be like anhy other anime like kannagi, railgun, index etc.... it will go on without glory or misery in your life....

This anime is about Akihisa Yoshii,the baka that is mentioned in the title. He attends Fumizuki Academy, a school that assigns the students in classes based on their test scores. Akihisa, being an idiot, is sent to class F, the lowest of them all. The school has many features, the most interesting of them is the "summoned beings", chibi versions of the students that are called to do battle. Their stats are also determined by their summoner's scores. Classes can do battle with their beings in order to upgrade themselves or defend their facilities.

The story has not a basic axis to progress itself, it's ... mostly school life (even if it is a bit out of the ordinary), so don't expect anything amazing or uncommon. Every episode has a different plot and different events that happen. Only minor details will be referred throughout episodes, but that doesn't make the plot "solid".

The art is beautiful and contains a good amount of fanservice for those interested. At some points everything will be black and white, but that is for the moments Akihisa and Yuji are having a "silent conversation" by staring one another. I hear that the company that created the animations have little experience and I was surprised (in a good way) with the results. The style is unique and you won't find something similar in any other anime out there.

The music of the anime is mostly average. The background music can be hardly noticeable and is nothing impressive indeed. Also, you will find yourselves skipping the opening and the ending from the first episode since there is nothing there to make you watch it. Shame though, they could have done a better work.

The characteres are your average party. The brave, kind idiot (Akihisa), the cool, secretly genius partner (Yuji), the pretty girls that have a crush on the protagonist (Minami and Mizuki). However, two characters are hilarious and they will catch your attention. Kota is the first, the class pervert that prefers to stalk and take pictures of the girls in his school. As the story progresses, he will start wearing a ninja uniform, earning him the name "ninja pervert". The second, is Hideyoshi, the trap character. This guy is identical to his twin sister and has very feminine characteristics, thus he is being teased by everyone in hilarious ways.

I absolutely enjoyed this anime. The comedy factor is strong in this one and you will find out at the very first episode. Even if you won't like anything about the plot or the characters, you might find yourself watching it simply because of the laugh it provides. Personally, I had to pause at some points and start banging my head on the wall to stop laughing like an idiot. I can also guarantee that if you had a good laugh, you will rewatch it after a couple of months. Be certain, if you like comedy Baka to Test will not leave you unsatisfied.

In conclusion, even though this anime has not much to offer when it comes to plot and characters, it is one of the funniest I have ever watched since Gintama. If you want a good laugh, BTT will help you have it.

Story: 8
Art: 8
Sound: 8
Character: 9
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 9

Baka and Test

This anime is about a group of not so bright students studying in a school which divides students into classes according to their grades. Students there have the ability to summon avatars (as said in the English dub version) and they fight each other in ST wars. Seems weird to me. At first I did not know what to expect from this anime because I found it's story kind of weird. I thought this would be some stupid anime. But when I started watching it, I discovered that this anime was just extremely hilarious. The anime is considered ecchi but it's not overflowing ... with fanservice. It's mainly a comedy with a touch of ecchi and a little action to keep it going.
The story in Baka and Test is well made. I'm the kind of guy who prefers animes with a well made story and this anime had just that. You might realize this towards the end where they continue from where they left before. Things in one episode were mostly linked to the next. It wasn't random like Rosario + Vampire in which things in one episode are mostly forgotten in the next. Almost nothing was left off here. This anime has a great story in one comical package. The way they made one joke somewhere in the anime and used it later, was a good way to make the series great.
The voice acting was great. I watched the English dubbed version and it was just awesome. Their voices really fit their characters. The art work was good. The characters were well made. Nothing too awesome done here. However, the avatars sort of reminded me of Heaven's Lost Property, the way they made the avatars miniature sized was a good thing.
Each character in this anime played a part in making the story progress and also more funny. For example, our main guy, Akihisa, his idiocy is one of the major sources of comedy throughout the series. His lack of understanding the situation is what mostly leads to many comical situations.
As far as enjoyment is concerned, this is by far the best anime I have seen till now. The great amount of comedy this anime has along with the little fanservice and action this anime shows is what makes this anime so enjoyable.
Baka and Test is a brilliant anime series and is fun to watch. I would suggest that you watch it. If you do, make sure you watch the next season. It has the same brilliance this has.
I hope I did well for my first review :-).

If you are looking for a comedy joy ride with a non stop heart stopping, stomach aching laughter then this is a masterpiece for you. One of the anime's you would recommend your friend to start their journey of anime with. The dynamic duo of Akihisa and Yuuji can be regarded as one of the best in business with Yuuji the once held child prodigy and Akihisa what we call a battle hardened tube light.
This anime revolves around Akihisa who has been outcast-ed to the worst academic class in the school for bad grades and his struggle to get his childhood friend Himeji to ... the best facilitated class. While trying his best Akihisa always gets dragged to situations where he most likely be misunderstood or dragged through pain in mischievous use of inspirational words from his long time friend Yuuji. Once held as a child prodigy Yuuji always finds ways to dump the hard and painful tasks to the less brighter Akhissa who does not have a knack for reading the situation. Together they challenge the elite classes for exchange of their facility.
Even having Several other characters in this anime does not seem out of place , with each bringing out their own personalities and a unique flavor with each episode better than the other. Simply put you can find no characters put in light to drag the anime.
The story development and the long term plan of Yuuji is the one to watch out for. With slight hints of romance and as usual a stupid Mc when it comes to love hints this anime is what hurts you cheeks the most and if you are watching the anime without letting your parents know about it then you should avoid it as it is a herculean task to stop that teeth of yours from sparkling...........

STORY:10
ART:8
SOUND:8
CHARACER:10
ENJOYMENT:10
OVERALL:10

This is a show that made me laugh and had a fun enjoyable story with fun and charming characters. I may be a little biased but this show just connected with me for some reason. Yuji is the best character and I love the little Pokémon type battles that they have! I also think the romance was really cute and fun to watch. It’s not a hard story driven show, it’s just meant to be watched for a fun time and I really appreciate what this show had to offer! If you’re looking for a show with a fun premise that doesn’t take itself seriously ... then I think you’ll enjoy this show, maybe not as much as I did but hopefully to some amount.

Enter Baka and Test. A rather simple show at first glance, but after completing the entire series I have to say... It was still rather simple. Simple is by no means a BAD thing though, in this case it's quite the contrary. But I digress. Why don't we go over this one step at a time?

The story is about Akihisa. Like most male anime heroes, he's rather dimwitted. So it's no shock that he is placed in the lowest ranked class of his school, where the students are hardly given ANYTHING, and are treated as trash. In the class with him, is big-boobed and big-hearted ... Himeji, tomboyish but sweet Minami, cold and brilliant Yuuji, perverted Kouta, and Hideyoshi, who is the most sought after girl in school despite that he isn't a girl at all.
Over the course of the show we are also introduced to the adorable but DANGEROUS Shouko, the half-crazed Miharu, the playful and teasing Aiko, the rock hard "Iron Man", and the FFF, who are basically guys who will kill you if you date someone because they are incapable of getting dates themselves.
While none of these characters sound particularly original, the show still manages to make them one of the most likable gangs of friends you will EVER see in an anime, mostly thanks to the brilliant interactions between them. Even Akihisa managed to become a really likable guy, despite that I usually hate the main characters of such comedy-shows. In fact, there isn't a single character I can say I disliked, as they all have something going for them.

Referencing countless shows and games, Baka and Test is truly on of the funniest anime's you'll find, with hardly any cheap fan service jokes (There are some, but 90% of these come from Hideyoshi, which makes it different, considering he isn't even a girl). You will find references to Metal Gear Solid, Mad Max, Code Geass, Apocalypse Now!, The Grudge, Gurren Lagann, and hundreds of other shows and games. Many of these are quite obscure and well hidden, but they're still rather funny even if you don't know the reference. In fact, I must say I was shocked to see that the humor of the show was in fact quite clever, and manages to parody anime with great effect. Both newcomers and hardcore anime enthusiasts will find plenty to laugh at here.

Despite being classified as a "harem" anime, I'll have to disagree on this. Yes, the two female leads of the show are in love with the same guy, and yes, it does seem a bit weird at times that two gorgeous women would fall for the same guy (Actually, I take that back, as it's only in Himeji's case it seems forced and unrealistic, as season two of the show makes it perfectly understandable why Minami would care so deeply for Akihisa), but by only having two girls fight for Akihisa's affections instead of twelve, it manages to give each of the girls their time in the spotlight without having it seem forced or just plain dull (Although I think the show gives a bit too much attention to Himeji, despite Minami being the more interesting of the two). Aside from Akihisa, the other characters are given love interests as well, which Yuuji being stalked by his childhood friend Shouko, and Kouta having a charming back-and-forth with Aiko.
To be honest, I felt the real meat of the show as far as romance goes never came from Akihisa and his two fair maidens, but rather from Yuuji and Shouko, as their chemistry is... Interesting, to say the least, but still quite deep in fact, with some of the cutest and saddest moments in the anime coming from these two. In fact, the only really serious scenes in the entire show is found in the episodes focusing on the relationship between these two characters.

This show really caught me by surprise. Anime focusing on humor in general isn't really my cup of tea. Having watched Heaven's Lost Property, Genshiken and Ouran High School Host Club, three of the so-called "funniest" anime shows of all time, and not really enjoying any of them, my expectations for Baka and Test weren't exactly sky high. But that's also why I was not only shocked to find myself rooting for the characters, but actually laughing out loud at several of the shows jokes. Yes, Baka and Test is funny. And not only is it funny, it's CLEVER. Boy, could the creators of Heaven's Lost Property learn a thing or two from this, as Baka and Test makes it perfectly clear that titty-jokes for 20 minutes is neither clever nor good comedy.

The show has great animation, an awesome soundtrack, superb voice acting both in japanese and english, one of the catchiest openings to any show I've ever seen, and some truly heartwarming moments at times. The adorable characters will charm your socks off, despite the fact that most of them are just stereotypes. The plot is simple, but you'll still find yourself watching episode after episode until you suddenly realize you've watched the show all the way trough. It also has loads of mini-skits which are all hilarious and well worth a watch.
If you're looking for an anime with some actually clever humor that isn't 94% titty-jokes, with charming characters, great art, and a soundtrack that is will have you humming the main theme for weeks after, then this is most definitely a show for you. By far the greatest comedy-anime I have ever seen.

This review will include Baka and Test Season 1, Baka and Test Season 2, and Baka and Test OVA (Matsuri).

There are minor spoilers in this review.

This anime is not for everyone. The story is pretty random, jumping from one plot-line to another. It's pretty hard to grasp some decisions the main characters made (such as giving up the opportunities to exchange classroom utilities), and you will be confused by what the anime is trying to achieve. Therefore, if you are looking for some thought/feeling- provoking anime with great story-line, this anime is obviously not for you. Also, this anime is the mixture of all ... the weirdness in anime world, from cross-dressing to homosexuality to incest. If you greatly oppose to any of those, you will hate this anime.

Now, with those out of the way, it's time to praise this hilarious and well-built anime.

First of all, this anime will make you laugh every single episode. The comedy in this anime is so great that even I, who don't really enjoy comedy, laugh pretty hard throughout the series. Also, one of the major theme portrayed throughout the anime is friendship, and also the idea that being smart academically doesn't mean the best. It also takes strategies, bravery, hard-works, and team works to be the best. This anime also have slight romance, and a love triangle. The characters also contain all sorts of weirdness, from a tsundere to a violet and clinchy yandere, from a stalker to homosexuals, from a guy who looks like a girl, to a sister who does inappropriate stuff to her brother. These characters all contribute to the comedy.

tl;dr- You will love this anime if you like school comedy with slight romance and a variety of weird characters.

Summary: Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu is a great anime. I feel that it makes the best out of something creative and does that to the best it can be done. The characters aren't good at much, but sure give it a go.

Story: One downside of this anime is its story. It isn't in depth and back stories aren't really explained, but in my opinion the positives outweigh this negative. With funny jokes and the only anime where a character uses the word ghetto Baka to Test is a great anime despite the story.
7/10

Art: For those who like the new style of art this won't ... be as appealing at it really is a 2010 style in this anime. I personally like the art and find it appealing to look at. The chibi summoned beings are especially kawaii.
8/10

Sound: The soundtrack of this song is nice and has some good parts to it. I fell especially in love with the 1st ED. The voice acting is also good and fits the characters well.
8/10

Characters: This shows best quality is the character development. As the characters progress their personalities and grades you fall more in love with them. As they grow closer together you fall more in love with the characters.
10/10

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed this anime and it was great to watch. The combination of character development and art style makes for a good anime overall.
9/10

Overall 8/10

I do not understand how this show is so entertaining for so many people so I'll try to reason my hatred for this show through this review and hopefully some people will try to change my view on this show.

Why do I absolutely despise this series? The answer is simple. The show is dumb. I don't mean it in a comedic sense where the comedy involves around over the top "dumb" humour.

No. I mean the story is just pure stupidity. The premise of this world is so puzzling and hard to comprehend, I just could not ... accept it. The whole academy thing has been done to death in anime and so has been fantasy aspects such as the one showcased in Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu (BTS); however, these cliches are done in a way that makes no sense. Maybe it is just me that can't get over how stupid this plot is. An academy where your grades mean you get classified into groups and battle by summoning monsters?

Okay, I can overlook a stupid story or premise if characters are enjoyable to watch. This is NOT the case for BTS. The characters are boring archetypes and cliches. The one exception to this was "Hideyoshi" who was only one that was kind of unique. A lot of other characters are not only BORING but also DISTASTEFUL in nature and just annoying to watch 100% of the time.

The animation is so-so and the OST was unremarkable.

This show is just a solid 2-3 IMO.

id say one of the best school life comedy anime ever.

STORY (6/10): the story was simple and great. the main concept was cute and adventurous. being able to summon your "beast/chibbi" self and fight with other classes.
the comedy was great. i really laughed my ass off in some scenes

ART (8/10): ADORABLE. the art style is beautiful, the animation is great
i think for a simple comedy/school life anime its outstanding

SOUND (5/10): meh. nothing great ot memorable, nothing annoying

CHARACTERS (9/10): take all the anime cliches in anime, combine them and here you go. a tsundere, a yandere, a trap, small tits, big tits, an idiot (well, ... many actually), a lesbian, a gay guy, a cool smartass, a bitch, my highschool basically. the characters are really likeable

ENJOYMENT (9/10): i realy like that anime. i had watched FMAB a month before watching this, so everything id watch seemed shitty. but this made me laugh and enjoy an anime for the first time after FMAB. thank you baka and test, you changed my life. no, but seriously, its an adorably hilarious anime

VOICE ACTING (8/19): great japanese dub but amazing english dub. i really loved both versions, the english dub was outstanding for some reason. i recommend you watch it in english if you are not really used to the japanese anguage

OVERALL: 8/10 for its genre

I haven't written a review or watched anime in months so go easy on me when rating this piece of work. I will try to do my best and make this review as interesting and colourful as possible despite there being a thousand pages worth of reviews on this anime already which from what I've seen repeat the same thing over and over again. However it's been a while for me, I've just finished this anime so I thought - why not.

Now with all that said, let's get this shit rolling.

So in summary, what do we have here? "Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu" is ... a school based rom-com with haremish vibes and a touch of some unconventional comedy. Anyone familiar with the "school rom com comedy" genre will know what to expect and sure enough, this anime seems to be no exception.

You have a clueless male lead, a cast full of females with perfect waist to hip ratios and every hair colour imaginable, intent on capturing the male lead's crotch and then a couple of dorks who drool over them and have some insightful shit to say from time to time.

The whole thing revolves around the students being assigned to classess from A to F based on their exam results and the possibility of progression from lower ranks through the "Summoned being" battles where they basically whip out a smaller electronic avatar of themselves and proceed to pummel the hell out of each other.

Now this is a pretty standard set up and can get boring if watching these romcoms is all you do as far as anime goes. But hold on right there because there is one quality that makes this anime stand out despite the generic characters and setting.

It's the comedy. I don't know if it was the fact that I haven't watched anime in a while or the writer being genuinely creative (Probably both) but the comedy here has caught me off guard every single episode. And we're not talking some cliched slapstick girl whacks boy with a mallet type of thing. We're talking girl pulls dude's pants down and anally inspects him type of comedy.

I'm not spoiling much by giving you this example because it had no impact on the story but I feel like I need to back up my claims as to the satirical brilliance of this animated piece of work. So let's do this :

We have a secondary male character who gets into trouble with a purple headed female because he refused to comply with her demands. Now because this fellow is playing a tough guy the girl has to try some unorthodox tactics to get what she wants. She goes all ninja on his ass, gets him down to his knees, pulls down his pants and eerily grins over his exposed ass cheeks. The boy then begs for mercy and promptly complies with her terms.

Now I don't know about you but this is why I watch anime. I absolutely love these type of moments. I welcome any writer bold enough to include such artistic avant-garde in their work. I'm fucking serious.

Now as for the story and character themselves there's not much to say really. The story, in the first season at least (haven't watched the sequels) doesn't really go anywhere. Sure, there's the theme of the male lead's class wanting to beat all the others to prove a point but the nature of the show was still fairly episodic and the characters remain shallow all throughout so fairly low points awarded there.

The art itself was very good and style varied drastically between various moments aiding the comedy aspect of this show the most. I don't really have any complaints in this department.

The sound effects and voice acting were both decent however the musical aspect of "Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu" could make your ears bleed. I'm not partial to J-pop, in fact that shit makes me cringe and want to douse myself in sulfuric acid but that's what the opening and ending themes are and also a good portion of the background music here. And hey, I have nothing against people who listen to it but that's how I feel about it. I'm just being honest, don't hate me for it.

The enjoyment in this anime, for me at least, was solely based on the comedic wit of the creators. But overall, all things considered it's a decent anime. The story isn't really bad and neither are the characters but it's nothing you haven't seen before. Unless of course this is the first anime you're planning to watch as you randomly came across this review but I'm 99.99% sure that's not the case so let's keep it real.

Overall 7 points seems fair to me if a little stretched out. I'd actually give this anime a 6.5 but MAL won't really allow that. So let's be a bunch of generous people and nicely round that up to 7.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day.

Baka to Test! was one of the very first anime that pulled me into the otaku world. The story basically revolves around a group of friends in a typical high school with your not too typical mini avatars that they can use to pit their wits against others. (Cool right? :D i wish our schools had that system).

Story : 8/10
There is no main storyline involved, the whole 13 episodes consisted of mini arcs revolved around the misadventures of the main protagonist and pretty much everyone in the school. The arcs told an interesting and humorous story and each episode would at least throw you into ... a few fits of laughter. Some people may think that the stories are cliche or the jokes are lame and overused i won't completely disagree because I believe that the story was not the main selling point of Baka To Test! and it wasn't the story that made me like this anime.

Art : 10/10
What can i say? The art is clear nice to look at, pleasant to the eye, well made and suited the story pretty well good light art for a good light comedy. However the only thing i didn't think was right was the art used in the ED, it felt like it was potraying a different type of show and not the Baka to Test i know and love.

Sound : 8/10
Why? Well i couldn't really get myself to like the OP or ED of the anime, though it did suit the show pretty and the seiyuus fit their roles almost perfectly.

Character : 10/10
Enjoyment : 10/10
To me this was the true essence of Baka to Test , the main driving point that sets Baka To Test apart from other comedies. I admit character development wasn't exactly present and the main protagonist has a cliched personality which is the typical idiot that is determined and values friendship above all else, BUT even with all these stereotypical traits , the show somehow makes him a realistic and relatable and likeable character. This might only be me but i feel as if all the characters in baka to test actually exists and are doing idiotic things right beside me. When you watch the show you feel as if you were in their world, in their school, joining in their adventures and laughing and crying with them, which made it really enjoyable. On another point, it wasn't the comedic lines that made me laugh but those particular characters using those cheesy jokes that really drove the show into the elite ranks. The show is full of colorful characters with stereotypical traits, the main idiot, the lazy but ingenius leader, the flat chested tsundere, the dream girl, the pervet with a camera, the scary obsessive yandere, the gay, the lesbian, the parody of the KKK, the trap .... AH I GIVE UP.However i sure you get the point the show compiles together every stereotypical personality you can think of and makes them actually believable. In this case the characters would be Bruce Lee while the jokes and story being his fists and nun-chucks.

Overall : 9/10
I wouldn't go as far as to call it a masterpiece but it is definitely a show which should not be overlooked or underestimated. I really enjoyed watching this piece and i recommend it to everyone especially those under stress or just looking for something to enjoy right now :D

i never write a review before so why don't i try a positive review for once? well here i go

Story: 7/10

there was nothing really original about the story. well.. actually the summon is quite creative i guess? the story is just pretty much that you can find in pretty much most school based anime most of the joke are pretty typical that you can also find in many anime but the execution of the joke make it pretty funny

Art: 6/10

it's nice but i have seen some that are better

... Sound: 5/10

....there is sound? it's pretty forgetable but it's not so bad that it also stand out. the opening and ending is average but fits quite well

Character: 7/10

they all stick to the usual archetype: there is akihisa the idiot who always gets punched by woman,himeji the big breasted childhood friend,minami the tsundere,kouta the pervert,etc overall despite being generic they still manage to make me smile and that was good enough.

Enjoyment: 8/10

very funny.

Overall: 8/10

if you're looking for a romcom and light hearted anime with some nice comedy then i got the anime for you

[Updated review]
Episodes seen: 13/13
Erm, I have to say first, I read chapters till 9 of the manga before watching up to episode 13 of the anime.

And I have to say, the ESB battle started in class F is very very detailed in the manga and still ongoing in chapter 9. But the anime one was ep 1-2 then ep11-12. Ep 13 isn't exactly an ESB.

Episodes 3 until first half of episode 10 seems like fillers to me. Some very ecchi episodes, some more touching and in one word: random.

Story:5/10
Most were fillers, most still have a decent storyline, considering how most of them starts ... and end their plot in 1 episode.

ESBs and Himeji's love letter event was greatly summarised but it was still smooth and enjoyable, though not so strategic as manga at times.

Art:7
It's good, although some of the background is not very detailed... more like still pictures with coloured polka dots on them.

Sound:7
Well... not bad. OP and ED was fitting , but I liked ED better.
The OP was a lively song with main characters popping out here and there.
The ED was more focused on "attitude" with similar animation

Character:8
Very well done for our main characters, and their personalities dun change very much throughtout the series, although a lot of characters do appear out of the blue and then go missing for several episodes, or are "important" people but with little development.

Enjoyment:6
Overall it's quite a good scoring one in ecchi and comedy, although there were some cliches that I got sick of. This series specialty is more on comedy and ecchi while the manga was more on teenage feelings and action.

Overall:5
More exactly, 5.23. The main dissatisfaction with this series imo is that the anime doesn't really follow the manga (I suppose it doesn't follow the original light novel as well since mangas adapted from light novels usually have very similar content- i think). In fact, someone watching the anime may have a bad impression of Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu THAT IS UNDESERVED FOR THE AUTHOR.
But well, the anime has an allure of its own as well :D .

Well, I guess it is time to do my review. This is my review of the day.

Guys, if you want a good laugh or learn something new, this anime is meant for you!

This anime lived up beyond my expectations. It just blew me away. To be honest, I was thinking that this anime would've been bad when I first saw it, but after watching it, I had to re-watch it over and over again.

The characters are amazing and respectable in some way. Character development is also quite decent, especially with Minami, a character in the anime, and might I add is my favorite character in ... the anime. The only character I find a bit annoying, and only because she changes too often and fast, is Himeji. It's not that I don't like her, but she changes too often and too fast. The music is catchy and goes well with the anime and the activity that is going on at hand, whether it is just something fun and out of the school, or if it is some battle. The animation is also quite good, and at some moments it was pretty cool. Everything about this anime is great.

All and all, I would give this anime five stars out of six dead unicorns, which is a 10/10. You guys might be asking 'why a ten Aniwatcher154? You said that you didn't like how Himeji changed too often too fast.' I did say that, but that doesn't mean I cannot respect her as a character still, and even if I couldn't respect her, there is no such thing as a perfect anime. Thus, every anime has some kind of flaw. I feel like I am getting off topic, so I will go back to Baka and Test.

The two flaws in this anime I could think of, well one is in season two, and that is how the anime ended (a cliffhanger, which gave me even more hope for a season three) and the one mentioned above.

Basically, to sum it up, the anime is great. I highly recommend it to people who wants a good laugh and wants to learn some things, which even I did not know until watching the anime. Like I said, 10/10.

This concludes my review for Baka and Test.

There are animes out there that make me smile and others that make me chuckle...but never has there been an show where I can watch it over and over and literally laugh my arse off.

I think the story is pretty inventive and clever in the way it utilises education in a competitive environment. The way that Aki thinks especially I find amusing

(Story)
The story makes a steady progression and a easy to follow storyline. The one liners that each character dishes out in comical situations is a great trademark that this show delivers.

(Art)
Colours and imagery to compose a character's thoughts is done and a ... very intriguing way (Especially in Aki's case where this is used alot lol).

(Sound)
Some of the sound is over-exaggerated but what isn't in this series, its perfect. Grand upbeat music, believeable sound effects and best of all...the voice acting.

(Character)
Each character has something special that makes them likeable, no character gets left behind or forgotten. Its fairly hard to say what character best is in line with the audience but that maybe is because you have all these characters who have very different ideologies....long story short: everyone is perfect as they are and it only gets better as it goes on :)

(Enjoyment)
Ah-ha...well I don't think there was a single episode where I did not piss myself laughing. The series does not miss a single beat when it comes down to throwing down humour to the audience in a fast paced way. For me I love how the comedy is thrown quickly combined with the artstyle just makes it hard to not laugh...more so in S2.

(Overall)
Well...its hard to add from what there is above. All I will say is if you like fast comedy, humourous characters, warm sweet scenes, over-exaggerated slapstick comedy then this is the perfect one for you. Japanese actors in this pull everything off so well I don't think it will be beaten :)

A show about idiots?!

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.

Baka and Test is not exactly unique, but it doe what it does well. Basically, its a high school anime covered in so many anime cliches to the point that the cliche boat as long since sailed then returned to port for the purpose of crashing into it and sinking every boat in the nearby area. It absolutely revels in the ridiculous and overdoing cliches. And it does that VERY well.

Story: 4
The story is not so good. While the show is very much about overloading you with insanity, it doesn't really have the time during that to actually make a interesting plot such ... as The Hentai Prince and the Stony Cat did.

Art: 8
We got an extremely shoujo feeling art style with tons of bright colours, especially pink, as well as the dotted shadows effect which has gone mad and often used solely on light sources instead. This is really great to look at and seemingly enhances the insanity. Animation quality is nothing impressive, but rarely feels bad.

Sound: 7
Firstly, since I don't speak Japanese, I have no idea on the quality of Japanese voice acting (and neither should you if you don't speak Japanese). The music is wonderful tho, even if a comedy anime doesn't really have room for the truly epic tracks of some anime. The opening and closing fit perfectly for the ridiculousness of the show.

Character: 6
Every character is an over the top cliche. From the tsundere to the quiet achiever girl (which obviously are the love interests...obviously) to the idiot protagonist to the pervert (which while I doubt the accuracy of, my sub group refuses to refer to him as anything but Ninja Pervert), the characters end up coming off as charming and hilarious, but hardly well developed.

Enjoyment: 9
This anime is to simply put it, batshit fucking hilarious, and an absolute pleasure to watch. At first it seems like the kind of anime that will get old fast, but such thoughts will disappear immediately once some of the real brilliance comes up, especially Ninja Pervert, who somehow managed to feel freshly genius in his comedy when even bloody Infinite Stratos was making similar jokes.

Overall: 8
This anime is a must watch if you just want a laugh, or you need to be cheered up. If it can turn me from a blubbering mess over a break up into my normal self for a significantly long time afterwards, then its a damn good comedy anime.