English Dub Season Review: Kenka Bancho Otome: Girl Beats Boys Season One

Kenka Bancho Otome: Girl Beats Boys follows Hinako Nakayama (Apphia Yu), martial arts guru who learns of her twin brother Hikaru (Terri Doty). The wealthy Hikaru, enrolled at the ruthless all-boys school Shishiku Academy, switches place with his sister Hinako. During the course of her tenure at Shishiku, Hinako is charged with rising the ranks and defeating her challengers at the academy.

The run time is pretty short, like that of The Silver Guardian. But unlike The Silver Guardian, Kenka Bancho Otome: Girl Beats Boys is mostly coherent. There’s little filler, and instead an increased onus on taut storytelling, character development, and loads of action. From the onset, there’s a fast pace. This befits the series, as its 10-minute runtime can really hamper plot progression.

I like the otome style, which is a story-based. Girl Beats Boys embodies the spirit of a video game. There’s often a fighting game vibe which mimics the feel of Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat. Similarly, the narrative is generally concise. Occasionally there’s some filler as with “Show ’em What You’re Made of! The Great Study Session.” Though I know what the series aimed for in this episode, which primarily concentrated on interpersonal relationships, it felt slightly out of place.

That’s another area where Girl Beats Boys shines: characters and relationships. Despite its light run time, the show lends characterizations well. Over time, I really appreciated the camraderie between Hinako, Totomaru (Austin Tindle), Mirako (Ricco Fajardo), and Konparu (Joel McDonald). Because of its stinted format, there’s not too much time to delve into backstories. Still, characters benefit from reasonably fleshed out arcs which lend insight into their past, present, and future selves.

Additionally, a unique twist is the sort of interview segments where characters break the fourth wall and appear to give an interview to an unnamed source. With its visual and written excellence, it’s well animated and told.

Unfortunately, the run time does hamper the narrative. Admittedly, 10 minutes is short and with its opening and ending credit, that’s cut down even further. Occasionally, Girl Beats Boys falters on account of its stinted time and feels disjointed. Though it’s far from the clusterfuck of The Silver Guardian.

Moreover, music remains mixed. Sometimes the score feels as though it tries too hard to reach a specific audience with its faux-metal riffs. Rather than appearing edgy, these tracks merely come across as corny.

But compensating, its technical aspects such as animation and voice acting are spectacular. I particularly enjoyed Apphia Yu as Hinako, and Ricco Fajardo as Yuta Mirako puts in an inspired performance. McDonald plays the loyal, eager Konparu who feels incredibly real.

Kenka Bancho Otome -Girl Beats Boys might not be a masterpiece. It’s pretty safe, and often a little predictible. But its character development and interpersonal relationships make Girl Beats Boys a worthwhile series. There’s not a ton of substance, but it’s a concise story that’s action-filled and almost akin to a Telltale Games series with a mix of action and narrative.