The club needs new members before it shuts down, but one of them doesn’t want to change the dynamic at all, at all costs.
What They Say:
The astronomy club is in danger of shutting down unless they get more members. Which is going to be a big problem thanks to Todayama Kyouko.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Based on the manga of the same name, Ebiten is a curious beast in that it’s an ONA show that aired during the summer online but got reworked episodes with extended footage for this actual broadcast. The series ran for ten episodes and certainly added to its fanbase, but this larger broadcast and Crnuchyroll simulcast distribution will add even more potential fans. There’s something traditional about it to be sure with the whole club angle, but it garners a little additional love from me simply because it’s all about an astronomy club.
The show has the basic group of girls one would expect here that are certainly small and cute in the AIC Classic animation style that works well. Maybe not small exactly bit whisper thin to be sure. The girls belong to the “struggling” astronomy club where it’s just shy one needed member in order to continue its existence. Amusingly, the club is in the basement and it tends to be more about perverted events as one of the members, Kyoko, has a lot of fun toying with the doujin loving Kanamori. While the real main focus of the opening episode is to introduce us to the girls, it’s also about putting the latest applicant to the test to join the club. It’s almost a given that she’ll be admitted since she’s needed.
The problem is that the new girl is actually a guy, Itsuki, and Kyoko only wants girls in the club so she forces him to dress as a girl in order to do it. He’s so intent on joining though that he’ll actually do it and works his way through seemingly bizarre and meaningless tests in order to become a member. There are some really fun bits, including an extended Saint Seiya series of events, that hits some good parodies and actually fits within the context of the show. The fight is more fun than I expected, but everything comes down to Kyouko as she pushes back against any new members at all. Not that she has any good reason really, but that’s just how she is until she’s overruled and Itsuki is brought in. You do have to wonder what really drives Itsuki to be a part of all of this considering the trial itself though.
In Summary:
The opening episode of Ebiten is about what you’d expect from a show about a group of girls adding one more member to the ranks in order to avoid shutting down. The twist comes in that the new girl is a guy dressing up as a girl in order to join. Itsuki has a bigger set of wide eyes than everyone else it seems, but he wants to be a part of it all for the astronomy. We do get some decent nods towards the stars that helps to make it be a real part of the show, but the whole Saint Seiya parody takes up even more time than that. Which is not a complaint because it was pretty nicely done and made for some good laughs. For the most part though, we get a by the numbers show here at the start with a bit of potential for some empty fun.
Grade: C+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
