Right off the bat let me tell you this is my favorite anime on the face of the Earth. Sure, there may be others that have a better plot and such, but BAV has always been the one anime I can watch over and over again without tire. And just for the record, it’s true name is “Battle Athletes Daiundokai.” Those crazy American people just HAD to change it. I mean, who can possibly pronounce that? “Dai…Un…Do..Kai…” The idea is absurd….
But the thing is, there are a lot of fans, but not a lot know about it. I don’t like to think f it as a more “underground” anime, but it seems that way. This anime needs to be reviewed more, and even though it came out in the 90’s, it still has that certain charm.
First of all, the great thing about this episode is that it tells you the setting, plot, and gives all the characters personalities right off the bat. You don’t have to wait five episodes for a character to show up, all the main and supporting characters arrive, and you can sense what kind of person they are, from just a few words.
Although of course, Battle Athletes has its cute shoujo aspect. Since the whole cast is mostly girls, you already can tell is a cross between shoujo-ai and shounen. (Why with the action and all).
The year is 4999, so its safe to assume is at it’s technological peak. It’s mid-term time at the Antarctica Training School, and hoards of girls are all racing in a giant desert to get in first place of the test, all with Steamroller wheels in tow.
The point? To eventually win one of three seats to go to the famous University Satellite. It’s the place where all the females of the universe go to compete for the title of Cosmo Beauty. Some reason, winning the title of Cosmo Beauty shows that you are the best athlete, for that year at least.
Our main “bunny eared” protagonist, Akari Kanzaki is in last place. This doesn’t come off as much as a surprise to everyone else, but the Headmaster of the school, seems to take some strange interest in her place…I wonder why?
Akari’s personality comes off like she’s a sweet person, but has no courage or faith in herself whatsoever. She looks to a locket that she carries with her in the episode once, and goes in the noglastic voice, “Okasan…” Hinting that there is some kind of relationship between her and what the hell she’s doing in the school.
Eventually, the whole episode is pretty much just showing how bad Akari is, and how much of a rivalry between “Golden Jesse and Silver Ayla” there is. The rest is comedic filler. (But it’s good comedic filler) In the end of the episode, Ayla, the girl from Russia comes in first, only to have Jesse, the girl from America come in behind her. Akari comes in last place, (Akari gets blown up by one of the mid-terms traps…a mine field…and flies into the Chinese girl’s giant balloon head.)
The episode has a pretty open ending. It doesn’t really tie up much, but it still giving you an idea of what’s going on. Although you’ll be tricked I bet, since I keep thinking the scene is going to go to something else besides the ending.
The characters all seem to have their personalities set right off the bat. Although I may be reading into it too much, the stereotypical viewpoints are annoying.
I mean, if nobody find it weird that they portray girls from Africa to be cat-like girls with horrible grammar. Chinese girls who are so full of themselves, women from Russia are all about power and cold hearted, and girls from America and all just pompous bitches. But as always, the underdog…the one everyone hates…is the one from Japan.
Although once you get pass all that, the first episode is fairly enjoyable. Although most of it is anime cliché anime humor, you find yourself laughing to all the girls over the top reactions to everything.
And even though you would assume, there’s not a lot of fanservice in this anime. Disappointing yes, but it’s still good. Well…there are a few crotch shots, but no boobs flying out, or torn clothes that shows the girl isn’t wearing any underwear or a bra.
*Snaps fingers* Damn!….
