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Baka and Test - Summon the Beasts (TV).


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Hentai_JP



Joined: 12 Feb 2006
Posts: 605
Location: Toronto, ON
PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 6:57 pm Reply with quote


Baka and Test - Summon the Beasts (TV)

Genres: comedy, magic, romance, slice of life
Themes: parody, School, school life, school war

Plot Summary: Advanced placement into a school of higher grade proof-reading is determined by the results of the Promotion Test strictly for class type. Ranging from A class with the best facilities anyone can offer all the way down to F Class which is composed of low dining tables, rotten tatami mats and other worn out facilities. Students can change classes by competing using the Examination Summons Battle system or ESB. Students summon characters with their equivalent test mark scores and use them to compete with other classes.
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I love the first episode! It's totally hilarious, but more importantly: involving and exciting. This could be best series of winter season, though Durarara!! is not out yet.

I very much love the spoiler[ KIAd -> supplementary classes, guy crawling on the floor to catch a peak of underwear, classes divisions, character interactions and more.] I'll say again that the best part of it is excitement! I really can't wait for continuation especially after the way first episode ended.

People, if you love comedies THIS IS IT!


Last edited by Hentai_JP on Fri Jan 08, 2010 9:36 am; edited 1 time in total
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Mister V



Joined: 15 Apr 2009
Posts: 1000
PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 7:50 pm Reply with quote
This looked surprisingly... watchable.

They even dared to make a SZS reference... Interesting.
I'm interested in those cultists. Where will they take the gag?

Also: it's a trap!!
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 8:04 pm Reply with quote
Can't say that the plot won't be completely predictable, it is, but this show is actually pretty funny. And I don't wanna hear buzzwords like ecchi or harem being thrown around, this show barely had them, and if it does, it's not the center of focus.

The basic premise is that it's a tournament anime, and I guess you could call it a parody, but it doesn't need to rely on that to actually be humorous. At least the show is not at all taking itself seriously, which a lot of harem and ecchi shows do tend to do, even though they're completely ridiculous in every aspect.


Last edited by walw6pK4Alo on Thu Jan 07, 2010 8:08 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23761
PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 8:07 pm Reply with quote
Based on the first eppie, I'd say this series will probably be a solid, mid-range entertainer: it won't scale the heights of greatness, but it doesn't look like it's going to suck jubejubes, either. I could use a bit more pantsu action myself, but that's just me...
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ninjapet



Joined: 20 Apr 2009
Posts: 1517
PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 8:25 pm Reply with quote
I enjoyed episode 1 a lot.

This show is most likely the only one I'm going to bother keeping up with weekly this season.

Still the fight stuff wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The score and attack point system is quite interesting to say the least.
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Showsni



Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 641
PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 9:03 pm Reply with quote
It was more entertaining than I'd imagined. Pretty good! Though, I did feel obliged to keep pausing and checking people's point values.

Hm, your points value seems to equate to both attack power and act as your HP. So when you start losing, it becomes even harder to win. Similarly, it looks like class F gets all the worst equipment and teacher; so once you get knocked down to that level, it's that much harder to study your way up to a better one...
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 10:16 pm Reply with quote
Showsni wrote:
It was more entertaining than I'd imagined. Pretty good! Though, I did feel obliged to keep pausing and checking people's point values.

Hm, your points value seems to equate to both attack power and act as your HP. So when you start losing, it becomes even harder to win. Similarly, it looks like class F gets all the worst equipment and teacher; so once you get knocked down to that level, it's that much harder to study your way up to a better one...


Like they said, it's like a microcosm for the real world. Poor people can't break out of being poor. The worst thing is when states assess schools on how they did, and give them appropriations based on it. So if a school does poorly, it gets less funding. With less funding, how can they hope to improve? I guess you could say this anime is making a social statement, but I'd rather not, and just say "lol, fightan school"
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Niomo



Joined: 21 Jul 2009
Posts: 516
PostPosted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 11:17 pm Reply with quote
Bright and colorful artwork, I'll give it that. Purple Trees ftw!

As for the plot and such...we will see where it goes. Personally, I find the battle system a bit silly...but whatever.
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15457
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 4:44 am Reply with quote
I enjoyed the 1st episode, this will definetly be one that I will be keeping my eye on, especialy since I like parodies.

I have to say some of my favirout recuring gags will be the trap one, which looks like it might be played quite well. And faux video game parts, which have been good so far, but hopefully won't get boreing

Might be good to see this as both comedy, parody aswell as a social comentary. I did find myself laughing quite loudly at multiple parts, and I am excited to see where it is going.
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frentymon
Forums Superstar


Joined: 27 Nov 2005
Posts: 2362
Location: San Francisco
PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 2:33 pm Reply with quote
It was pretty weird, pretty lame, yet kind of intriguing because of how weird it was. It doesn't try as hard as Seitokai no Ichizon did last season, but it still kinda just mashes tropes together in hopes that people will appreciate it as a parody. Judging by the reactions in this thread so far, it seems to be decently successful, but it felt like watching someone play a game sometimes. That said, it'd be an interesting concept as a game, maybe to help kids study, but I thought it was slightly on the boring side, especially since they don't really put any effort on the battle scenes either.
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Hentai_JP



Joined: 12 Feb 2006
Posts: 605
Location: Toronto, ON
PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 2:55 pm Reply with quote
Seitokai tried hard enough for me to drop it. Give Baka to Test a chance frentymon. While I hardly doubt it's going to be a "second coming" of any sorts the series is very popular as a light novel (click first link on that page), so unless they screw up adaptation it's not going to disappoint most of us.
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anthell



Joined: 16 Jul 2007
Posts: 17
PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 3:35 pm Reply with quote
Some of the things that make me hate it after 1st episode is.

1. Overused main characters.
2. TOOOOOOOOOOOOO Much technical terms (grading exam, fighting exam, damage point based on score, being the worst means whatever your so called summon feels you felt it too and many more minor details) being pushed into a super cliche setting of a high school life. Had they completely throw an out of the world setting they wouldn't have to explain and waste 1st 15 mins of a 21 mins episode 1 just trying to explain why this high school is special. Unique anime could slowly explain its setting slowly as the anime goes on because by default we are there to enjoy the series, instead of wandering why the hell is this high school so special.
3. Very weak comedy for comedy anime. Technical terms forces us to first grasp the setting to appreciate their jokes such as ending up in the worst class with horrible benches. This could not be fully appreciated by comparing a real life situation that we ourself experience. We end up laughing because of the setting instead of the comedy in it.
4. Completely losing interest in knowing episode 2 is worse that knowing what happen by the end of the series. Life is the same as anime, in the end that matters is the journey and not the ending. Anime that have 26 episode consist of 1 opening, 24 main, 1 ending episode. if we lost interest in the 24 episodes and only care about the last, reading a review by the end of the series compiles everything.

One great example of successful anime with 1001 settings is death note. They did not waste their time in episode 1 explaining every single rule of the death note and how to use it. We slowly learn about them and as each rule/setting is revealed, they made use of that 1 single rule to make an episode or more.

By episode 1 of death note, the only thing we know is, Kira has a book that can kill anyone whose name is written. It took us less than 10 minutes to grasp that concept. only by the second episode we learnt about the existence of ryuk and L.

Maybe its just me but im very disappointed at how much things we have to learn in episode 1 to appreciate any of those. There are many ways they could have approached episode 1 but they chose the worst possible way in my opinion.
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4nBlue





PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 3:49 pm Reply with quote
I didn't expect the anime to use an original plot right from the start (the opponent of the first war was changed from D class to E class). The fight against E class really didn't have a chance to show all the tactical dimensions of the summoning war.

I really liked how the summoning war was presented in anime (especially the overhead view) and Himeji and Shimada seemed a lot more interesting because of fitting voice actors.

My biggest complain for the first episode is E classes suicidal strategy. Having the commander in the lead is not wise, she could have been defeated if F class had a student who was really good at math.
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anthell



Joined: 16 Jul 2007
Posts: 17
PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 4:08 pm Reply with quote
4nblue, could you tell me what exactly happened in the episode 1 fight?

the only thing i catch is, people on class F got trashed and kept losing, but magically they defeated 1 opponent and instantly won.
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Mister V



Joined: 15 Apr 2009
Posts: 1000
PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 4:25 pm Reply with quote
Firstly, comparing Death Note and this is simply inappropriate. Secondly, excess of terminology? Are you joking? This series barely has two brain cells to rub together. It just sets some basic rules so that its "battles" don't appear completely random.

As to why they won - it was mentioned that if the class rep is defeated, his class loses. So class E bought it because they were baka, too (and they were up against the overpowered Ingenue).
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