Hajimete no Gal: Hajimete no Bunkasai

[“It’s your typical, average, everyday school festival” Episode] There’s nothing remotely special about this OVA. Its content is as dry and stale as the Sahara Desert. The plot is simple, unoriginal, and unremarkable. Here is a list of noticeable cliches in this OVA: – Main class of the main characters run a maid cafe. - Spent many minutes in the girl's changing room with the girls groping and guessing each other bust size. - "The legend of the school dance" event - Lots of backstabbing to prevent Junichi from dancing with Yukana at the school’s folk dance - "Haunted House" event - Lots of random running around scenes - Random literal pits fall solve main characters’ problems - In the end, it doesn’t even matter because Junichi and Yukana dance together. Everything else is unremarkable: the characters are unremarkable, completely brain-dead, and one-dimensional, the art and animations are unremarkable and are as generic as any other romantic-comedy, and the music and sound design are unremarkable and fails to add anything new. Even the fanservice is unremarkable: boob grabbing and groping, panties scenes, boobs jiggling, and finally lots of cleavage. Enjoyment: An unremarkable episode for an unremarkable series.

They should've just include this with the regular airing of the parent anime. that's how I see it, and quite frankly it ain't that bad when we see them 3 stooges and the 3 bimbos try their best to sorta disrupt Junich X Yame relationship for a while, this start off with in a school that has a fair and a cafe where girls were made to dress someone else in their class. But them again, it's Yui's rendering of her alter ego "Boa that started the attraction since we see her panty as the start of the anime, form their on it was the lesbian Ranko who starts to stir things up with her hands as she grope the boobs of Yame, Nene and Yui and that's the climax, the rest were nothing more of anti-climatic when the 3 stooges and the lesbian Ranko conspire to keep Junichi and Yame apart , but in the end it backfired due some students who decide to put up traps around school and in the end yame and Junichi get's to be together and yes, it was quite predictable, so how did I rate it????? Mediocre 5, Story: The OVA was still connected to it;s parent anime. Mediocre 5, Art: Well, imo I had enough of their panties from the parent anime, and still no nipples. Mediocre 5, Sound: I need not say. Mediocre 5, Character: I need not say also. Fair 6, Enjoyment: Well, it was nice to see something like this which is the extension of the parent anime. fair 6, Overall: Well, it ain't that bad, but it ain't that good either. Kaching!!!!!

This is getting as high of a review as it is because of the dub, it is like an abridged series with how they've done it, it's hilarious! Story: There isn't really a story in the OVA, much like most OVAs, but just showed how strong the relationship truly is between our favourite power couple. Art: The art is colourful and clean, the characters are vibrant and distinct, each with their own styles of hair, features, even eye colour is clear. Sound: The opening and the ending music is super catchy and really nice to listen to as a whole, it is something you can rock your head to and pretend that you know the lyrics. Character: Yukana Yame - A stereotypical gal that is actually a lot more innocent than she lets on and is, as a whole, a very wholesome person. Junichi Hashiba - A shy and quiet boy who likes to eye up girls other than the one he is dating but still only gives her proper respect/acknowledgement when they talk to him. "There's a reason I'm single and it's called my face."

The great thing about this OVA is it's a mostly self contained story that you can pick up on what's happening pretty quickly, and still manages to resolve its conflicts. Thumbs up, if only more full seasons did the same. The story is pretty much straightforward. Junichi and Yukana's and friends are in a couple of embarrassing situations at a school festival, all while the friends are screwing around with Junichi and Yukana's relationship. Individual points. The story is a little light, it's trying to get a lot done in a little time so the plot seems rushed. The characters are well done, but only in the context of the original series. There's fun elements you just won't pick up on unless you saw the main series. Art and Sound are at the professional levels of most current anime releases. Nothing special but well executed. Final Verdict: It's a quick 23 minutes of fluff with a laugh or two.

Hajimete no Gal: Hajimete no Bunkasai (2017) Must have been a nice show for Boxing Day. In terms of the OVA, we have a typical school festival. Maid cafe, haunted house and dance for eternal love. You know the drill. The only difference is the sinister plot of the friends that as you expect doesn't work out. We get a cult of paedophiles all wanting loli pictures from the paedophile guy and one is a 37-year-old man who feels happy for being such a person because he is congratulated for seeing a certain picture on the wall. The ecchi scenes are as you would expect and do not disappoint. The OVA overall has a better quality of animation than the whole series even though it is virtually the same. You just get less of the awkward angles in this one. We get a nice ending to this series and it is an alright OVA. It is somewhat redeeming of the series.

What the hell is up with Nene Fujinoki's design? LOL. Well, it’s been years since I watched Hajimete no Gal and this OVA, so today I decided to rewatch Hajimete no Bunkasai to finally write a review. And I have to start by talking about the thing that caught my eye the most during the episode: Nene Fujinoki's look. Man, what is that design? LOL. I really couldn't look at the character without thinking something was seriously off. She’s basically a character with an extremely childlike appearance but completely exaggerated body proportions. It creates a visually bizarre combination that, for me, just doesn't work. If people complained about Uzaki's design, Nene takes it even further. It’s one of those cases where you look at the character and think, "Who approved this?" And the worst part is that she plays a major role in the OVA, so there’s no ignoring her. I tried to look past it so I could enjoy the episode, but unfortunately, it was hard because the design demands your attention the whole time. Putting that visual monstrosity aside, I genuinely liked this OVA. *Hajimete no Bunkasai* delivers exactly what I expected from a Hajimete no Gal bonus episode: romance, comedy, ecchi, and some absurd situations involving the characters. It’s nothing revolutionary, and it’s definitely not an OVA that will change your opinion of the series, but it works well for what it sets out to do. One thing that surprised me during this rewatch was realizing that I enjoy the romance much more than the ecchi these days. When I first watched it, I was obviously much more into that aspect of the show, and that’s probably why I rated it higher back then. Nowadays, I can still find some ecchi situations entertaining, but it’s no longer something that can carry a show on its own. What really hooks me now is the relationship between Junichi and Yukana. Despite all the over-the-top situations and the comedy involving the characters, there is a genuine attempt to develop their relationship. And, for me, that is precisely what makes Hajimete no Gal more interesting than just another ecchi anime starring a "gal" character. Of course, there’s no pretending that ecchi isn't a huge part of the show's identity. A good portion of the audience likely tuned in, and kept watching, for that very reason. The anime knows its audience well and doesn't hold back in that department. However, looking back at it now, I realized that the romantic aspect is what actually aged the best for me. The OVA also retains the series' signature over-the-top humor. Some jokes land, others don't, but overall, I had fun. It’s the kind of comedy you don't need to take too seriously. The characters are exaggerated, the situations are absurd, and the anime just rolls with it as if it were all perfectly normal. Technically, the animation is just okay. It’s not ugly enough to ruin the experience, but there’s nothing here that really stands out. It’s a simple production that gets the job done. That said, I have to dock points because of Nene. If not for that completely bizarre design, I’d probably give this OVA a solid 6/10. All in all, Hajimete no Bunkasai is a fun OVA for anyone who already enjoys Hajimete no Gal. I wouldn't recommend watching it in isolation expecting deep character development, as it remains, at its core, a rom-com with plenty of ecchi. Still, it was interesting to revisit something I watched so many years ago and realize how much my tastes have changed. Back then, the ecchi alone probably would have been enough for me to give it a higher score. Today, while I can still enjoy that element, what really makes me like the show is the romance between the leads and the character dynamics. Now, Nene... that’s one thing I couldn't forgive. Raiting: 5/10. Watch at your own risk. Hahaha. =================================================================================================================Versão em Português===================================== Que porra de design é esse da Fujinoki Nene? KKKKKKKKK Bom, faz muitos anos que vi Hajimete no Gal e esse OVA, então hoje resolvi rever Hajimete no Bunkasai para finalmente fazer uma review. E preciso começar falando da coisa que mais me chamou atenção durante o episódio: o visual da Fujinoki Nene. Meu amigo, que design é esse? KKKKKKKKK. Eu realmente não conseguia olhar para a personagem sem pensar que havia alguma coisa muito errada ali. É basicamente uma personagem com aparência extremamente infantil, mas com proporções corporais completamente exageradas. Fica uma combinação muito estranha visualmente e que, para mim, simplesmente não funciona. Se o pessoal já reclamava do design da Uzaki, a Nene consegue ir ainda mais longe. É um daqueles casos em que você olha para a personagem e pensa: "quem aprovou isso?". E o pior é que ela tem bastante destaque no OVA, então não tem exatamente como ignorar. Eu tentei deixar isso de lado para conseguir aproveitar o episódio, mas infelizmente foi difícil, porque o design chama atenção o tempo inteiro. Deixando essa aberração visual de lado, eu genuinamente gostei desse OVA. Hajimete no Bunkasai consegue entregar exatamente aquilo que eu esperava de um episódio extra de Hajimete no Gal: romance, comédia, ecchi e algumas situações absurdas envolvendo os personagens. Não é algo revolucionário e definitivamente não é um OVA que vai mudar sua visão sobre a obra, mas funciona bem dentro da proposta. Uma coisa que me surpreendeu durante essa revisão foi perceber que hoje eu gosto muito mais do romance do que do ecchi. Quando assisti pela primeira vez, obviamente eu era muito mais apegado a esse aspecto da obra e provavelmente foi justamente isso que fez minha avaliação ser maior naquela época. Hoje em dia ainda consigo achar algumas situações ecchi divertidas, mas não é mais algo que consiga carregar uma obra sozinho. O que realmente me prende atualmente é a relação entre Junichi e Yukana. Apesar de todas as situações exageradas e das comédias envolvendo os personagens, existe uma tentativa genuína de desenvolver o relacionamento dos dois. E, para mim, é justamente isso que faz Hajimete no Gal ser mais interessante do que simplesmente um anime de ecchi com uma garota gal como protagonista. É claro que não dá para fingir que o ecchi não é uma parte gigantesca da identidade da obra. Boa parte do público provavelmente chegou e continua acompanhando justamente por causa disso. O anime sabe muito bem qual é seu público e não economiza nesse aspecto. Só que, revendo agora, percebi que o que realmente envelheceu melhor para mim foi o lado romântico. O OVA também mantém aquele humor bastante exagerado da série. Algumas piadas funcionam, outras nem tanto, mas no geral eu me diverti. É aquele tipo de comédia que você não precisa levar muito a sério. Os personagens são exagerados, as situações são absurdas e o anime simplesmente segue em frente como se tudo aquilo fosse perfeitamente normal. Tecnicamente, a animação é apenas OK. Não é feia a ponto de atrapalhar a experiência, mas também não existe nada aqui que mereça grande destaque. É uma produção simples que cumpre o seu papel. Porém, preciso descontar pontos por causa da Nene. Se não fosse aquele design completamente bizarro, provavelmente eu colocaria esse OVA em um confortável 6/10. No fim das contas, Hajimete no Bunkasai é um OVA divertido para quem já gosta de Hajimete no Gal. Não recomendaria assistir isoladamente esperando encontrar algum desenvolvimento profundo, porque ele continua sendo essencialmente uma obra de comédia romântica com bastante ecchi. Ainda assim, foi interessante revisitar algo que assisti tantos anos atrás e perceber que meus gostos mudaram bastante. Antigamente, provavelmente o ecchi seria suficiente para me fazer dar uma nota maior. Hoje, apesar de ainda conseguir aproveitar esse elemento, o que realmente me faz gostar da obra é o romance entre os protagonistas e a dinâmica entre os personagens. Agora, a Nene... essa eu nã…

Is it absurd to you that this manga is still publishing? I don't know you can keep this series going. The OVA isn't totally offensive but it's still pretty much has the same flaws. At least this time, it actually felt like a harem rather than one masquerading as one. We actually didn't get more of the male group bits, sad. The mandatory school festival episode is usually a test to show if the anime can actually get creative. In this case, it's more fanservice in the same manner. It's still one of the better episodes in the series and that still isn't saying much sadly. More Yui isn't a bad thing though..