It’s time to wrap up another season of silly samurai girl fanservice with a massive fight against a monster determined to bring death and destruction to the land. The end is probably not in doubt, but let’s see how they do with the journey there.
What They Say:
Episode 12: “Samurai Bride is Born”
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
So, things look really bad. The giant ghost monster is headed towards the barrier room where Yoshihiko is. While the girls race to try to intervene, the ghost monster is too much. It even absorbs Sen and Hanzo. Muneakira, Jubei and Maeda are far away, racing to catch up. Sasuke and Kanetsugu also get captured. Then it’s Matabei and Yukimura’s turns. Boy are things looking bad.
Even Muneakira gets seriously injured, near killed. Maeda saves him, but it’s a close-run thing. All that is left to stop the monster is a legend. The Samurai Bride.
Muneakira and Jubei travel into the core of the monster where they almost get trapped, but are rescued by the spirits of the other girls, who have not been fully absorbed into the monster yet. So, time to create the Samurai Bride. Time for a new outfit for Muneakira and Jubei, as they absorb the power from the other girls and Jubei becomes the Bride. But it’s not pure blunt force that she uses to overcome the malignant spirits. Instead, she puts the spirits at peace with a calming light. Mataemon and Kojiro, whose spirits have appeared to defend the Inshun core of the beast, are among the first to be laid to rest. Then it’s time for Inshun to be released from her pain, and the monster is defeated.
But that’s not the end. The core of the most hate-filled spirits remain and have possessed Musashi. As one could have predicted from the very start, it was always going to come down to a match between Jubei and Musashi. The fight is quick and furious, but in the end Jubei is able to win. Thus, Japan is saved.
I’m fairly certain that nothing I have written here will be of any surprise to anyone who has been watching the show up to this point, but has not seen the final episode yet. The conclusion was never really in doubt at any time, since this is not that kind of show. But that’s not really important, since I doubt people are watching this to see whether the world is saved or not.
Series Retrospective:
Samurai Bride, the sequel to Samurai Girls, is basically a repeat of the first series. I’m not saying this to be negative. It is a simple statement that bears the simple truth for what is a simple show. In fact, some sequels would have been better off if they had been able to retain the good points of their progenitors. There is nothing deep or profound to be found in this franchise, but then that is not the point. Along with deeply moving dramas and complex plot-filled shows that make the mind think, there must also be shows that are simply entertaining and give the brain a chance not to think. Shows that reduce the stresses of the everyday world and make your cares melt away as you stop thinking and just sit there being amused. This is one of those shows.
The formula, for it is a formula, is very easily sketched out. Male lead is surrounded by a gaggle of attractive stereotypical females who have fighting abilities. Fanservice and comedy accompany points at which the girls’ fighting abilities are upgraded as hints of a powerful enemy are dropped all along the way. The end turns serious as the enemy emerges and threatens destruction of the world. The powered-up girls with the male lead are able to defeat the enemy and save the day. Drop curtain. That’s Samurai Girls/Bride in a nutshell.
Where the show is successful is in its execution. The jokes are not innovative. The plot advancement and twists are not breaking any new ground. There is nothing that pushes the boundaries of creativity at work here. But the standard elements are deployed well and work. What we have here is solid craftsmanship. The motif of the hand-painted scroll, perhaps the only pretension towards Art with a capital A that the production team employs, does not do anything to elevate the material beyond its level. But it also does nothing to detract. It is consistently maintained and occasionally used in a creative manner, especially in the censored broadcast version of the show where drops of ink fortunately fall upon the sensitive parts of naked female anatomy–fortunate for broadcast standards, that is. The character designs of the girls are quite attractive and cater to a wide variety of preferences. Their personalities also come out of the à la carte menu for female character types in anime, but they are professionally put together and work as an ensemble.
Samurai Bride, just like Samurai Girls, is not going to win any awards or break any boundaries, but it will entertain. Granted, not everyone will like what it has to offer, as fanservice and silly comedy with short bursts of action does not appeal to everyone. The audience will certainly be more male than female. But give it a chance, since it does sincerely try to please.
Series Grade: B
Episode Grade: B
Streamed by: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Apple iMac with 4GB RAM, Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard