Oh, I loved this episode. It was quite silly, but it poked fun at a lot of superhero cliches in the process, and yet at the same time it gave a lot of depth to Barnaby’s character. This show understands what makes a good episodic series!
The banter between the characters especially was priceless here. The tension between Tiger and Bunny is of course great, but the side characters actually all support this. In this episode especially the designer was hilarious in the way that he kept the team together, but Skyhigh too was great. I love how the best hero for once isn’t the main rival to be overcome, but instead is this guy passionately helpful yet simple guy who you just cannot dislike. Barnaby meanwhile, the guy you’d expect in this position, instead keeps getting harassed by his partner.
Then there were the weapon upgrades during the battle at the end. I loved the way in which they poked fun at superhero upgrades: first they cleave diamond, and then they just turn out to be fashion accessories that furthermore don’t disappear, making Barnaby walk rather wonky. They’re these neat touches that just keep popping up.
Also, this is what I want in an episodic series beyond a solid execution: variety. Every episode so far has been different and unlike the other. In fact, that is THE advantage of episodic series over shows with a continuous story: they allow the creators to fastly switch from one premise to the other to show many different stories and flesh out the cast from many different views and moods. A lot of series that use this formula unfortunately forget this and just go with strings of episodes that look like each other.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
I’ve watched this episode 3 times already and I still can’t get enough of it. 😀 It’s so incredibly silly and yet it works so well. I love how “Bunny” seems to have become a sort of official nickname for Barnaby and he’s given up protesting about it, I love the banter between him and Tiger, and the supporting heroes are also great – Sky High is an absolute sweetheart. Tiger&Bunny’s fight at the end left me in stitches, and Bunny’s tsun-tsun reaction to Kotetsu’s present was the cherry on the top.
Sky High definitely came across as extremely likeable in this episode =D That flashback of him waiting all alone in the dark alley was so ‘awwww’ ^_^ I love how all the heroes are quite good friends, and how no one really listens to Tiger. Bunny better start opening up soon though, I’m definitely way more frustrated with him than with Tiger. At least Tiger looks like he’s making an effort to be friends/partners.
Definitely liked how they portrayed Sky High as well. Making the top dog a bit dopey in a noble way puts a nice spin on things.
I laughed really hard when Rock Bison got apprehended after the credits. Simple enough moment but hilarious none the less.
Sky High is a really REALLY nice guy. I knew he was cool, but I didn’t expect him to be that innocent and cute. And I’m a guy.
Blue Rose is also adorable, ina tsundere kind of way. Biggest tsundere is Bunny though.
hmm is it just me or was the character art/design a bit wonky this week?
Loved the episode! Cannot wait till the Fire Emblem episode next week. I really hope they will manage to show him in a less stereotypical fashion.