English Dub Review: Kenka Bancho Otome -Girl Beats Boys “The Supremely Stoic Punk”

Punk Rock Style!

Kenka Bancho Otome -Girl Beats Boys follows Hinako, a pink-haired girl who masquerades as a boy, her brother Hikaru. At the all-male Shishiku Academy, Hinako is charged by Hikaru with rising to the top by entering into fights with her fellow classmates. In its third episode, “The Supremely Stoic Punk,” Kenka Bancho Otome -Girl Beats Boys, Hinako takes a break from fighting and instead, there’s more character development.

As the episode opens, Hinako intervenes and saves a young boy’s lunch money. Later, a punk of the school, Takayuki Konparu, comes along and helps Hinako fight the would-be thieves. It turns out the young boy who Hinako protected is Konparu’s brother. As Totomaru, a classmate Hinako previously defeated, explains, Konparu is one of the three boys Hinako must challenge.

But Takayuki continually avoids Hinako’s challenge. Finally, he issues Hinako a challenge note. It’s a bit frustrating but understandable why “The Supremely Stoic Punk” is so rushed. At less than 10 minutes, this episode more than others just feels disjointed. The story and characters are engaging. Yet such a short runtime doesn’t allow for adequate narrative flow or storytelling. Thus, there’s a decidedly fractured feeling and it’s tough to get into a rhythm.

What I enjoy are the characters. Konparu appears a fresh newcomer and I’m excited to see what he offers the series. Similarly, Hinako is an extremely likable protagonist. Despite its stunted format, Kenka Bancho Otome -Girl Beats Boys is a fun anime series. Just don’t expect much story progression each episode.

SCORE
5.0/10