Bad Girl

Episode 9

Episode nine of Bad Girl was once again a more grounded affair, and all the stronger for it. While this latest installment of the wackiest lesbian RomCom of the season inspired fewer laughs than the previous episode, the wealth of cute character moments and exchanges more than make up for the more limited number of yuks. This episode was also much more entertaining in the abstract and in a situational kind of way, and I hope Bad Girl continues to lean into this style of humor as the show enters its home stretch. 

Picking up where the previous episode closed, episode nine of Bad Girl begins with Yuu and Atori stranded at a rest stop while on their way to a school-sponsored camping trip. While Yuu missed the buses because a broken public clock caused her to be misinformed about the time, Atori defends her status as best girl by explaining that she had simply wandered off while chasing down a cool-looking butterfly. While Yuu is initially, and adorably, overwhelmed by this situation, Atori can reassure her that everything will work out as the older girl found herself in the same predicament during last year's trip. 

While it's entertaining to see these two rub their singular brain cells together to try to find a way out of this predicament, I appreciate Atori getting more depth as a character and Yuu's relationship with her shifting ever so slightly. Over the course of the past few episodes, Atori's been built up as a weirdo who's probably, unintentionally, coasting on her good looks and innate talent. This episode really cements how much Atori benefits from the charity these qualities help her receive from others, and, though Yuu is still obviously deeply infatuated with her, I can't help but think this is the beginning of her no longer idolizing her to such an extreme. 

Considering how much Yuu uses both Atori and Suzu as a social crutch, I'm very curious to see their dynamic change and force Yuu to develop more as a character. 

That other shoe didn't drop in this episode, though. Instead, and in time-honored anime tradition, we get a mini-hot spring episode where Suzu and Atori's other biggest admirer and sister (gross), Mizuka, tries to peep on Atori soaking in the hot spring (double gross). While the lingering fan service shots of Atori, Mizuka, and a few background characters feel a little out of place considering Bad Girl hasn't dealt much with sexual themes or circumstances since the opening episodes, there are enough good jokes in this middle segment to make up for the poorly implemented fan service. 

Yuu being so much of a good girl deep down that both the angel and devil on her shoulder are arguing for her to respect the rules and not peep on Atori is a great gag that cuts to the heart of both the character and the original premise of the show. This segment also features some exchanges between Suzu and Atori that are equal parts them razzing each other and bonding over both of them having a relationship with Yuu. Especially with how much Bad Girl builds up Atori by having Yuu's adoration frame most scenes involving her, any scene in which the more pragmatic Suzu takes the piss out of her is welcome.   The final segment of this episode features Yuu and Atori having what could be called a proper date, with a few hijinks thrown in for good measure. Yuu running around frantically to meet with Atori after the note that invited the younger girl to the date got smudged and obscured the meet-up spot was a great over-the-top reaction to a believable situation. The final joke before the credits, involving Yuu finally getting to take a picture with Atori, only for the photo to have also captured a ghost that ruins it, got the biggest laugh of the episode out of me. 

The post-credits scene focuses on Suzu's classmates becoming even more enamored with the cool beauty and, like all Suzu propaganda, is much appreciated. 

While this episode doesn't quite bring some of the simmering character dynamics to the surface of the show in the way I was hoping, episode 9 of Bad Girl gave me enough of a taste to stave off that appetite at least. Unmotivated skeeviness aside, this episode feels like it's building towards something, and I really want to see what that something is. Hopefully it's Yuu realizing that her idolization of Atori isn't good for her and Suzu figuring out that she isn't actually being a good friend to Yuu by hiding her feelings from her; but even if this season of Bad Girl doesn't close the way I'd like, I'm pretty confident now that I'll have a fun time with these closing three episodes regardless. 

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Lucas DeRuyter is the de facto Bad Boy of anime reviews (no one else was using the moniker). He rolls with ANN's This Week and Anime crew, and you can check out his coolest work in his portfolio. You can also find him sticking it to the man on his Bluesky account.

Bad Girl is currently streaming on HIDIVE.