Plenty of PG-rated cheesecake this week, but also some suspicious screen cropping and some encouraging clues that good BD changes may be forthcoming.
This might just be the most generic ecchi anime of all time, but the casual fanservice has been nothing to sneeze at. It reminds me a lot of Momo Kyun Sword in all the good ways. The fantasy backdrop, the overly simplistic nature of the characters and story, the bombshell bodies and the warddrobe choices that showcase their figures. The “old fashioned” vibe.
No matter how dumb or generic this anime can be, you really have to admire the artwork and detail whenever curves are shown off. This show has a long way to go to match the ecchi royalty status of many other series this season, but just purely in terms of casual T ‘n A, Bikini Warriors is holding its own (thanks to ScissormeTimbers for the image stitches).
As you might expect for a series that is so unabashed in how it pays homage to Dragon Quest- parody is the main vehicle of comedy in the first two episodes so far. The first episode was more of a spoof of the ecchi genre itself, with the girls feeling great in their bikini armors but getting embarrassed in swimsuits that are no less revealing. Not exactly “haha” funny, but there was some charm to it.
The second episode directly spoofs old JRPG games like the original Dragon Quest games for NES. Our heroines visit the king as he sends them off to save the world. To equip them, he sends them off with no weapons or armor, and only 10 gold pieces, or about half the cost of staying at the local Inn for one night. Anyone who’s played the original Dragon Quest games will appreciate the point they are making here. Again, not exactly “haha” funny, but it’s somewhat witty.
Equipped with common sense, our heroines plead for a meaningful sum of money, or at least some of the weapons available in the castle. Like every king in an old JRPG, he responds with the exact same response no matter how many times you talk to him.
Unfortunately for our heroines, they protest too much and end up in the dungeon. And this is where things really start to get interesting..
These are all still shots (with moving mouths), but in all four cases it’s apparent that screen cropping was used. Even bare butts are concealed.
Given that this is Hobby Japan who’s producing and Studio feel. animating, it’s hardly a big stretch to think nudity might be coming on BD. As pointed out by I Have No Name yesterday, the prospect of nudity seems even more likely now when considering what a tweet from the official Bikini Warriors twitter account had to say on Wednesday:
昨夜の第2話の衝撃の(笑)ラストですが、放送上の問題から急きょキャラの顔アップに編集することとなりました。本来は全身描かれている演出が正しい形となります。こちらはディレクターズカット版としてBlu-rayにはバッチリ収録させていただきますのでお楽しみに！ #ビキニ・ウォリアーズ
— アニメ『ビキニ・ウォリアーズ』公式 (@bikiniwarriors) July 15, 2015
Twitter’s translation:
The impact of last night’s second episode (lol) to edit characters face-up hastily from broadcasting issue is a blast, but now. Originally portrayed general direction is correct. To enjoy here as a Director’s cut on Blu-ray heroine we will!
So obviously, changes will be coming on BD. I can’t say with 100% certainty that there will be nipples on BD here, but I’d be comfortable saying that it seems more probable than not considering the past history of the people involved with it.
Apparently all 12 mini-episodes will be released on a single BD, and this will contain a bonus 13th episode that will not air on television. So expect quite a bit of “unaired” content on BD. This is a promising development, to say the least.
