• Typically if something gets too disgusting (in the manner of urine, feces, or other bodily fluids) I tend to think that things are being taken too far and exist only for a cheap shock, rather than having sustenance. Not this series! There is, quite literally, a scene where water leaks under the clubroom, the girls lie and say that it’s pee, and the teacher, in the spirit of Detective Conan, licks the water off of the floor to check to see if it’s urine. Normally, humor like that would be too raunchy and fall in line with series like Eiken or My Girlfriend is a Shobitch, but because of the grungy, extremist style of expressionーit actually works! Aside from this moment, there are numerous other otaku references, that stem from NEET culture, that are wildly entertaining.
• The main three cast of girls exemplify flaws that you would imagine typical teenage girls would have; a blonde-haired half-Japanese girl (Olivia) is constantly expected to know how to speak English, so she pretends to know it and be well-versed in British cultureーthe discomfort of being in situations where she pretends to be a Westerner becomes amusing as the situations become more and more weirdly absurd. The escalation of certain situations reminds me of the stakes being raised in Kaiji, during the deathly gambling games. Uncomfortably intense moments!
• There’s also a glasses-clad fujoshi and a girl that lacks any common senseーdue to her rich upbringing. The characters have faces that look like pop-surrealistic portraitures; a litany of crazy expressions: their eyes will bug out, their face will suddenly become hyper-realistic as a reaction, pruny cheeks, demoniac expressionsーthe works! I had a genuine sense of joy and cried from laughing while watching this series; something that is exceedingly rare for me, since I have seen such a wide array of anime; in other series, it often feels like the same five jokes are in every Japanese television show, but Asobi Asobase felt fresh in their perspective of typical anime humor. From what I could dig up on the MyAnimeList database, it seems that all of the voice actresses are fairly new talentsーthat being said, they blew the vocal work out of the park! I could easily rate their insane vocal performances as A+; I hope that their seiyū will get more work in future comedy roles, because they were incredible!
• Overall, this series is indecent, gauche, aesthetically pleasing, and different than any other anime series that you’ll see. I suggest that you watch this, unless you’re easily offended or sensitive to perverted jokesーotherwise Asobi Asobase is the perfect series to sit down with a group of friends and laugh your asses off to. It’s difficult to describe the exact ambiance of this series, since it is a very reactionary/maniac showーbut, I believe that the enjoyable experience, that is Asobi Asobase, deserves an 8/10!
• S/N: The ending theme is metal, hardcore, and very addictive; after I watched this series seasonallyーI still enthusiastically revisit the ED!
