Birdie Wing -Golf Girls' Story-

Episode 24

The day has arrived, the promise has been fulfilled, and the golf girls are ready to pen the ending of their story on the biggest stage possible. Birdie Wing's climactic competition comes with a lot of fanfare and goofy grins from Aoi and Eve. They've both been fighting for this since the first episode of the first season, so irrespective of the outcome, this is a moment certainly worth celebrating on its own merits. However, as we all know by now, golf giveth, and golf taketh, and in an anime that has taken every chance it could to revel in the absurd melodrama of its high-stakes professional—and deadly criminal—ball-whacking game, this penultimate path towards the finale can only be as bumpy as an off-road golf cart ride.

Despite my skepticism last week, I enjoyed Juha's presence in this episode. She brings a sobering, mature, and adult perspective to golf that ends up feeling just as absurd as our heroines' passionate antics. For instance, while I'm sure that real professional golfers analyze the patterns and playstyles of their competitors, I doubt they do so in a dark room framed like it's a meeting of the Human Instrumentality Committee. It reinforces her and her caddy Karen's roles as observers more than competitors. Even Juha's nickname, "Lunar Princess," evokes the image of an extraterrestrial watcher doing her own thing. She respects her rivals, but she's also confident that they'll burn each other out and leave her plenty of room to clean up in the end.

To this point, Juha perceives Aoi as Icarus, a familiar cultural touchstone whose story could just as easily apply to Eve. They're both pushing the limits of their bodies and the sport, and that kind of hubris could only ever be punished by the golf gods. Except that's not entirely true. That's not the full picture. Juha doesn't see that it's not hubris but love that is driving both of these girls to such extremes—a simple, childish, yet nonetheless powerful love for the sport and for each other. This is the realization that rattles Juha. She can compete with both Aoi and Eve in golf acumen and stamina (especially stamina), but she doesn't have that same degree of love. She doesn't have a rival who can push her past her limits. She doesn't have wings that can take her to the next level. She doesn't smile like they can.

Those smiles are the backbone of this episode. The production takes some noticeable shortcuts throughout the bulk of the tournament by using stills and montages, but this frees up time to focus on just how much fun both Eve and Aoi are having together. I don't think we've ever seen Eve grin so genuinely, and the episode reminds us about Aoi's title, the “Innocent Tyrant.” The indefatigable smile that cracks Juha's veneer is the same smile that spurs Eve to catch up to her. Aoi takes the lead because she knows Eve will follow her. Eve says she can't take her eyes off Aoi. Eve does her Rainbow Bullet Burst, and Aoi takes out her glittering 48-inch. They are both blanketed in pure giddiness that they've each worked hard to achieve. They are infatuated with each other, plain and simple.

And those smiles are only matched by their tears. We knew someone had to succumb to her golf-wasting disease first, and unfortunately, Aoi wins that race. Given how blatant the episode had been up to that point with its death flags (at one point Aoi blurts out, “I could just die :)”, I can't say I was surprised. This is, after all, the level of ridiculous melodrama that defines Birdie Wing to its core. What did catch me off guard was how raw and emotional Eve became in response. She's always had her action hero swagger no matter how dire the circumstances were, but here she is now: tearing up for the sake of her rival and partner. While everyone turns on their waterworks this week, Eve's alone hit me square in the sternum. What is that, if not love?

I can't believe there's only one episode to go (the season 2 Blu-ray box listing gives a total of 25 episodes). I'm not ready to say goodbye to Birdie Wing. I don't want to think about how Eve and Aoi's story ends. They should go on forever, soaring over the rainbow on shining wings born of the powerful love that can only be shared between two women and a lot of carefully manicured meadowland. I can only pray that this anime's offbeat charms found their audience, and I hope I played at least a small part in spreading the good word about these golf lesbians. I'm not too worried about the finale sinking a hole-in-one either. Birdie Wing has already given me so much unbridled joy over the past year. I trust that it knows the note Aoi and Eve deserve to go out on, and I trust that they'll go out loud.

Rating: Birdie

Cumulative Score: -32

Birdie Wing -Golf Girls' Story- is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Steve is on Twitter while it lasts. He still disrespects golf. You can also catch him chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.