Gokukoku no Brynhildr fanservice review episodes 11, 12, 13

Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (17)

This show takes the term “headlights” quite literally. You better not look directly at them without wearing a welding mask. Isn’t intense light supposed to cut through water vapor though?

More awesomely pointless bathing service, followed up by serious storytelling in the final two episodes.

 

Episode 11 has a big bath scene and some additional censored nudity.

 

Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (1)

ARMS is not big on redraws, but I have a hunch they don’t pass on this chance.

Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (2)

Screen cropping?

Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (3)

Screen cropping?

Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (11)

Screen cropping?

Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (12)

Screen cropping?

Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (4) Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (5) Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (6) Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (7) Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (8) Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (9) Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (10) Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (13) Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (14) Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (15) Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (16)Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (17)Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 11 (18)

Episodes 12 and 13 are completely without service, instead focusing on story.

Plenty of characters die or almost die.  These are some tough characters, especially Kazumi.

These episodes conclude the anime, though there is actually still one episode left to go, it being a bonus episode that will come packaged with the second BD box.  The episode will be numbered 11.5 and is titled “Kara Sawagi,” which is a reference to William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

Given that the big fanservice scene happens halfway through episode 11 and the drama kicks off at the end of the same episode, it seems likely this extra episode will be fanservice oriented.

 

Final thoughts on Gokukoku no Brynhildr

 

If I were to attempt to evaluate an Arnold action flick from the 80s, I wouldn’t judge it by the same rubric I would use to evaluate a Woody Allen picture.  If I were asked to judge fine European cuisine, I wouldn’t judge it on the same criteria as food from East Asia.  It’s important to remember what a series is before we judge it.

To me there is no question that regardless of what the manga may have been, the Gokukoku no Brynhildr  anime was an ecchi series first and foremost, meaning it had to deal with the “burdens” that come with attempting to merge softcore porn elements and anime storytelling.

Let’s be honest, if not for the fanservice potential of the manga, ARMS probably never green lights this project in the first place.  Fanservice was always going to be the top priority.  I’m sure some would say that in itself is the problem, but no diehard ecchi fan would ever feel that way.

For an anime that was boobs first, I would say that accusations of this show being “mediocre” are pretty unfair.  Granted, the production was mediocre and the writing and directing were probably less than that.  And the decision to rush through 50+ chapters of the manga in the final few episodes is not how I personally would have done things.

There were certainly some nitpicks in the story.  Many of the events felt contrived- Ryouta’s presence of mind seemed a bit too much to believe at times, and there were many times when it just seemed like events felt scripted and domineered by the writer as opposed to the free flowing and unpredictable style we see from much better examples of writing in hit shows like Game of Thrones.  There were numerous Deus ex Machina type events to save our characters, and even tragic events often just ended up as puzzle pieces in the plot.  And of course our main character would just happen to know a guy that was a research genius, etc. The ending itself still had some loose ends, though of course expecting anything else given the circumstances is patently unfair.

But for a series with some imperfections that undoubtedly had most people watching just for the boobs, the story was creative, interesting, easy to follow and refreshingly devoid of manga logic for the most part.  Cliche goodie two-shoes good guy Ryouta excluded, the characters were believable, three dimensional, relateable, fun and interesting.

The supporting cast helps make up for how stiff of a lead Ryouta is, particularly Kazumi who mixes a complex personality with likability and an endearing trait of defying the female pressures of being perfect and pure all the time.

Considering how rushed the ending was, I was impressed how well it fit together.  There wasn’t anything I would consider to be a major plot hole, and the ending left us with a feeling of just enough emotional resolution to say goodbye if a second season never comes.  This wasn’t the ingenious ending that Elfen Lied  had, but it had some emotional impact and it delivered some lines we all wanted to hear.

Getting a solid story with good character interaction is much more than you usually get from a nude-ecchi series, and for that I think this show deserves credit.  There were aspects that held it back from being as great as it could have been, but nothing about this show was horrible in my view.  Maybe this is damning with faint praise, but you don’t often see anime with more service that features a better story.

Watching this series, I couldn’t help but wonder how good this anime could have been had it been given 26 episodes by a company like P.A. Works (Another , Angel Beats! Hanasaku Iroha ), a company that is so damn good at delivering atmosphere.  Spruce up the screenplay and pull us into that world a lot more with better sound and directing, then pace it appropriately over 26 episodes, and Gokukoku no Brynhildr  could have been one of the better series of 2014.  The story and characters had that kind of potential.

Of course, in such a scenario you can forget about ever seeing a single nipple and all the pervy fun ARMS brings would be off the table.  Which is why I can’t really be too harsh.  This is ARMS we’re talking about.

This anime may have been ham-handed and corny at times, but few nude-ecchi shows have presented a better story than Brynhildr  just did.  The ending at least appears to be pretty tragic, but not enough that we have to feel bad about enjoying the seedier elements.  That’s a pretty tough balance to strike, and if I have to credit ARMS for anything, it’s making this anime work despite what should have been a cacophonous blend of tragedy and sexual playfulness.