Bad Girl

Episode 5

Has a show actually lost the plot if it's aware that it's lost the plot? This is the question that I asked myself as I hit credits on episode five of Bad Girl; though I can now definitively say that this anime's title is now more descriptive of its inciting incident than the show overall. While the cozy queer hijinks are still here, the jokes are now more grounded in whatever hypothetical expectation or misunderstanding might be believable and entertaining from this growing cast of characters, rather than anything grounded in societal constructs of good and bad behavior.

The first act of Bad Girl's fifth episode centers on Atori learning that Yuu (unenthusiastically) refers to Rura by a nickname, and then demands that her supposed biggest fan do the same for her. This proves challenging for Yuu, as her devotion to Atori makes her believe that calling Atori anything other than her given name would be an insult, as everything about Atori is perfect. While it's interesting to see Atori take a more active role in her dynamic with Yuu and even become a bit possessive of her, the jokes didn't really land for me in this segment. Atori's preferred nickname of Hotate-senpai is based on the hotate scallop, and I think my limited understanding of both the Japanese language and shellfish nomenclature prevents me from understanding the train of thought that creates what's supposed to be a humorous situation.

Act two features Suzu calling Yuu out on seemingly giving up on her Bad Girl aspirations, which prompts the latter to watch more Yakuza movies for inspiration. She mistakenly concludes that the peak of bad behavior is two people riding on a bike at the same time, which she attempts to do with Suzu; only to reveal that she doesn't know how to ride a bike. Over the course of an adorable couple of minutes, Suzu busts out some training wheels and teaches Yuu how to ride a bike, with Yuu ultimately sending a cute video of the two of them riding a bike together to Atori.

While this sequence of Bad Girl does technically feature Yuu trying to be a “Bad Girl,” it's so removed from anything anyone would describe as bad behavior that any inciting event could have led to Suzu teaching Yuu how to ride a bike. This is still the cutest and funniest part of this episode, but it still feels like more of a generic gag than something unique to the characters or set up of this specific anime.

The third act of episode five of Bad Girl is the most frustrating as it focuses on a new character, Kiyoraka Sumiki, who's the resident predatory lesbian in this yuri anime. While she initially makes some overt passes at Yuu, her voyeuristic streak kicks off when she sees Yuu's adoration for Atori. While this stretch of the episode isn't particularly gag heavy, it does set Kiyoraka up as a wild card and trouble maker, which could lead to some fun moments in future episodes.

The post-credits sequence sees girls from Suzu's class delivering homework to her while she's home sick, and falling head over heels for her when they see the usually cool and composed girl more vulnerable and in comfy attire. While not laugh-out-loud funny, I can appreciate more characters realizing that Suzu is secretly the best girl in this growing cast of characters. While the entirety of this episode didn't inspire too many laughs, I still see the potential in the series even as it shifts away from its initial appeal.

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Bad Girl is currently streaming on HIDIVE.