Bucchigiri?!

Episode 5

For the last few episodes, I've been asking Bucchigiri?! to start connecting at least some of the dots it's been placing all over the page, and thankfully, it's answered. This episode still moves a bit too slow for its own good, and, oddly, we're still in the process of introducing the major characters, but at the very least, our protagonist does something of note in this episode and offers some insight into the shivering dweeb he's been up to now.

First, we have to properly introduce Shindo and his patently insane gang of ne'er-do-wells, who leave quite an impact. I figured the NG Boys would be the strict, authoritarian kind of violent cult, but it turns out they're also the hedonistic, shady business kind of cult. Arajin finding himself in a high school hostess club, complete with song and dance numbers, is probably the best joke in the whole episode because he seemed just as shocked about what was happening as I was. Shindo himself is a whole lot more flamboyant than I expected, but he makes for a fun bit of camp to fill out the episode. His backstory is simple but works to make him a more underhanded purveyor of violence to contrast with the rest of the cast, while also painting an interesting parallel with Arajin. Where our “hero” is cowardly and flees from conflict, Shindo tries to bypass his lack of strength by using weapons, which raises the question of whether these Honki genies can only possess people who don't have the desire to make their own strength. It'll probably be a while before we get any clear answers, but for now, Shindo's an all-around solid villain that fits perfectly into this cast.

Most importantly, he finally gets Arajin to do something of his own volition. Granted, that just means punching Shindo in the face, but this time it was because he wanted to protect Mahoro rather than just being horny and desperate. That's progress! I'm also very glad we finally got a more thorough look at Arajin and Matakara's childhood friendship. The pieces were there to give us the general idea, but having Arajin actually acknowledge the shame and anxiety of his past failures – and how he's still running away from them – makes him feel like a person instead of a series of repeating punchlines. They even tie his constant bathroom emergencies into it, as the shame of his past weakness boils in his guts whenever a fight breaks out. It doesn't justify waiting this long to solidify our main character's central relationship, but better late than never.

In general, the pacing for this episode is pretty weird. We ended last week with the two warring gangs marching to the battlefield, and then having them just stand there for the entire runtime, threatening to get started while also patiently waiting for their appointment time, like they're at the Delinquent DMV. On a narrative level, that's meant to facilitate Matakara and Arajin's half of the plot, but it sucks out all the urgency of this conflict. For a series that's already spun its wheels a bit with repeating punchlines and character beats, that is not helping. It also doesn't help that this lull in progression coincides with some noticeable animation issues. Charitably, that's a smart rationing of resources to save them for the more action-heavy episode. Uncharitably, it means half of this episode has nothing happening, and also all that nothing looks melted.

In the end, there's only so much complaining I can do when this episode manages to address most of my complaints from last week. So here's hoping both the visuals and plot momentum pick up a bit next week, and we can build on what we got here.

Rating: 3.48494

Bucchigiri?! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.