i dont think ive ever seen an anime episode that had a straight up A plot and B plot. the story structure for this first episode is kinda bizarre.
we open on a group of 100 RIPPED middle school boys, they're all here to beat up one single 13 year old boy.
the 13 year old boy is Baki! he's very good at fighting off the mob at first, but gets too overwhelmed and the Two police officers that have been watching the whole time step in to break up the fight.
we learn that baki wants to be strong. the strongest man in the world, in fact! he wants to be as strong as his father.
we also learn that there's a third party, a guy with yellow glasses, that paid for all of those guys to beat up baki.
after this is established, we keep cutting back and forth between yellow glasses and baki.
all of baki's scenes involve him saying "im not strong enough. i want to be as strong as my dad.", and all of yellow glasses' scenes involve him trying to find someone that can defeat baki. and when i say we keep cutting back and forth, i mean we spend two minutes with baki, two minutes with glasses, back and forth until the episode ends. it doesnt really help either that each time they cut back, the characters are in a completely different environment from the last one, sometimes a completely different day, so it feels a little disjointed in a way that it definitely isnt supposed to.
the episode ends with baki watching a guy doing muay thai, and he wants to fight him.
are you bored? i'm bored.
this episode has a lot of alright-to-good fight scenes scattered throughout, but its a little hard to really... care about it? its pretty much fighting just to fight. it reminded me of like if hajime no ippo didnt have any character development. baki feels very flat in this first episode, i dont really care that much about him yet.
i WILL say however, the opening and ending themes are REALLY fucking good. i loved them a lot. here's the opening for your listening pleasure! i don't really have anything to say about the visuals LOL
do i want to watch more?
i think id give episode two a shot to redeem it for me but if im still not feeling it by halfway im turning it off LOL
favorite screenshots
this artstyle is one that draws all the dudes very Buff no matter what LOL. baki himself oscillates violently between looking like a 13 year old and looking like a beatemup action figure depending on the situation. which is a little funny to me
its very much a Fighting Anime where they. Fight. with not much else. "baki wants to be strong like his dad because his dad protected him from something! but baki's already incredibly strong and he's entirely confident in that. But he still wants to be stronger." isnt really a compelling plot that i want to follow too much. Watch Strong Guy Get Stronger. Ok. he beat up a bunch of lab equipment while complaining about how he wasnt strong enough. like. youre kicking over a shelf full of barbells.
SALARYMAN KINTARO EPISODE 1
oh my GODDDDDDDD. OH MY GOD. i dont know where to START.
yajima kintaro used to be the leader of a biker gang. but he quit that life after getting married and having a kid. but his wife died during childbirth. He is determined to be the best salaryman ever and to raise his kid right.
"kin-chan, i know youll make being a salaryman as cool as being a bike gang leader..." -kintaro's dead wife voiceover
this anime essentially plays the dramas of a salaryman's life up to an 11 and with the same tension as a biker gang. Its fucking awesome. Kintaro is so fucking likeable. Go watch this episode. Go watch it. Its so funny.
do i want to watch mYES!!!!!!! YES I DO
favorite screenshots
Baby Ryuta Pour Coffe on himself.
and others. they really like giving the audience silent closeup shots of kintaro with beautiful sparkling wet eyes and it kills me everytime.
this is a stillframe from the ending of the episode. we dont get to see him actually click his heels together, it freezes on that photo and fades to white while electric guitar plays.
basically if i dont summarize the episode that means i really really liked it. SEE this is another example! kintaro also gets into a fight but it MEANS something. take notes BAKI
jack: i like that this one is still like 80’s style but made in like 2003
what year are we on pay: 2001
its very much a Fighting Anime where they. Fight. with not much else. "baki wants to be strong like his dad because his dad protected him from something! but baki's already incredibly strong and he's entirely confident in that. But he still wants to be stronger." isnt really a compelling plot that i want to follow too much. Watch Strong Guy Get Stronger. Ok. he beat up a bunch of lab equipment while complaining about how he wasnt strong enough. like. youre kicking over a shelf full of barbells.
and others. they really like giving the audience silent closeup shots of kintaro with beautiful sparkling wet eyes and it kills me everytime.
this is a stillframe from the ending of the episode. we dont get to see him actually click his heels together, it freezes on that photo and fades to white while electric guitar plays.
basically if i dont summarize the episode that means i really really liked it. SEE this is another example! kintaro also gets into a fight but it MEANS something. take notes BAKI