Tiger & Bunny

Episodes 3-4

With episodes 3 and 4 (especially 4), Tiger & Bunny moves past its establishment phase and starts getting more introspective. The result is a brief glimpse into Barnaby's past, some development of both the central relationship and those of Kotetsu with other characters, and the first episode to focus on the circumstances of one of the other heroes.

Episode 3 primarily involves a “behind the scenes” kind of exposé on the dashing new hotshot, one which Kotetsu gets dragged into only under threat once again of losing his job. This again showcases the friction between the two, and this time Kotetsu is not the only one in the duo complaining about it. However, Barnaby at least handles the intrusive attention with much more grace than Kotetsu does. Flashbacks indicate that Barnaby was taken in at a young age by the current CEO of Hero TV after his parents died. How they died is not elaborated on, but the ruined building a young Barnaby is seen in suggests that it wasn't an accident, and the Ouroboros logo on his computer just might have something to do with it. This is the first indicator of one of the series' bigger long-term plot points, but episode 3 is too early for further elaboration. The epilogue of the episode, after the credits, also shows a couple of other characters in civvies for the first time, including Rock Bison and Blue Rose. Apparently, Kotetsu and Bison (aka Antonio Lopez, although his name is not mentioned here) know each other well enough outside of work to drink together.

However, the more interesting case is the other person who appears at the end: Karina Lyle, aka Blue Rose. She's a blond high school student when not in her hero get-up, and she was playing piano in the bar where Kotetsu and Bison were drinking – pointedly, as herself. This is the setup for episode 4, which focuses on her. Though her ice powers are legitimate, she agreed to be a hero only because it was the only way her sponsor would pick her up for singing. Unlike Kotetsu, she is not keen on being a hero and the risks involved, and calls for duty can be very disruptive to her social life. Most importantly, she just wants to sing, hence her taking the bar performing gig in her civilian identity. She's at a turning point in her young life, and somewhat surprisingly, advice and encouragement from Kotetsu proves to be pivotal for her. She may not care for the trappings that go with being a hero, but she does respect the earnest effort of her fellow heroes, and that's enough for her to take the job more seriously.

Of course, neither episode happens without some action. Tiger & Bunny does better than most series at finding a good balance between action elements and more introspective content, and these two episodes are strong examples of that. Episode 3's climactic action is tension over a bomb, with a key feature being Kotetsu's instincts and quick thinking in a crisis, whereas episode 4 features an armored car heist at the beginning and a rescue on a flaming oil rig at the end. The way Karina's singing juxtaposes with the early efforts on the oil rig is an early standout moment, especially with Karina's lyrics getting to the heart of her own insecurities. In fact, the way this episode develops Blue Rose, while also dropping in random tidbits such as how Fire Emblem is also the CEO of his sponsor company, is why this is probably my favorite episode of the series' first half.

All of this does bring up two vexing questions, concerning Karina, however. First, how does she get changed so fast? That makeup, hairdo, and costume look like something that should take an hour or more with stylist and makeup artist to get prepared. And second, how does she not get recognized by her classmates? After all, her face is shown clearly and her voice is not disguised. Also, kudos to Karina's English voice actress, Kari Wahlgren, for pulling off the singing in English impressively well.

In all, these two episodes establish baselines for how most of the rest of the first half will develop, including providing at least a little development of the central relationship – namely, Barnaby seeming to be gradually finding more common ground with Kotetsu, whether he wants to admit it or not.

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Tiger & Bunny is currently streaming on Viz.com and Hulu.