I literally picked this anime at random from my collection and couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised. Binbougami ga! (Good Luck Girl!) is a pure slapstick, in your face comedic anime with plenty of laughs and morals alike to be explored. It is not meant to be over analyzed or dissected for any means… and can be fervently enjoyed by any anime fan looking to take a break from the serious stuff.
Let’s be honest, I’m not watching this anime for the story. Ichiko Sakura is a seemingly perfect girl who just happens to be so lucky that she virtually absorbs other people’s happiness energy. A “Poverty God” Momiji is sent to earth to restore the imbalance of happiness energy by taking out Ichiko. Not a lot more than that as far as plot goes. Comedic quarrels ensue as Momiji realizes just what she’s up against. She ends up having to recruit the help of a few of her demon friends to try and get the job done.
The writing isn’t all bad, however. As Ichiko interacts more and more with Momiji, she begins to emerge from her shell of innocence. She’s literally been fed from a silver spoon her whole life, but learns there’s more to happiness than having money and good looks. The morals that surface from the story become apparent through each episode. I also enjoyed the random satire elements involving other well known animes such as Deathnote and Dragonball Z thrown in. It helped emphasize the ridiculousness of the scenario at hand.
The fast paced, hilarious dialogue between the characters is one of the major selling points of this anime. Ichiko, or “Titchiko” as she’s often referred to for her enormous breasts is likeable yet unlikeable protagonist. At first you hate her selfish, holier-than-thou attitude, but begin to understand her more as the show moves on. It’s funny how she always finds a way to sneak out of every attempt for Momiji to steal her happiness. I guess by default Momiji would be considered the villain of the show, but serves to be much more than that. Her companion bear, Kumagai, with the creepy ass face is also priceless, always trying to assist Momiji even if her goals are ridiculous.
There’s also a random Black perverted monk, Bobby who enjoys grabbing girl’s breasts while yelling “titties!”, a dog-humanoid demon that’s into bondage, and a pink-haired tomboy obsessed with karate. Did I mention how outrageous this show is??? Each character adds a unique piece of hilarity with their ridiculous personal qualities. The sarcastic attitude of Ichiko’s semi-love interest Keita balances out the outlandish personalities really well, sometimes even putting an abrupt stop to the scene. Great comedy.
Nothing noteworthy here, just your standard over-the-top sound effects and an eclectic soundtrack to go along with it. The artwork is pretty stylish, and looks great in 720p. Lots of color and detail in the environments, and plenty of props given to the character designs… I mean not a lot of shows can produce a poop demon. The opening and ending were quite catchy, and gave the eyes a lot to ogle at as far as fanservice goes. I watched the series in English and full marks can be given to the entire cast of voice actors, each voice was over the top in its own right… it kind of reminded me of Excel Saga with the exception of Excel herself.
I normally don’t grade this section individually, but I can truly say standard grading doesn’t do the anime justice. I’ve seen my fair share of humorous animes, but some of the scenes in Binbougami ga! were so ridiculous, I found myself laughing a few times in every episode. It was unlike any show I had seen before in regards to delivery. It’s very quick-witted, and gut punching comedy. I was actually a bit sad when the anime ended, and look forward to checking out the manga when I have some more time.
Overall, Good Luck Girl is one original show. It may not be the best in any one category, or invoke philanthropic debates, but I did enjoy the hell out of it. I recommend this anime to anyone who needs a break from serious plots or someone who enjoys a good laugh. Thanks for reading the review!
