Keijo!!!!!!!!

Episode 11

“You get an A for effort” is typically used as a snide conciliatory statement, but I have to apply it sincerely (and literally) this week. Even if the broad outline of this episode's events is obvious, the sheer imagination, creativity, and audacity with which it's handled makes the content a joy to watch.

But first, the predictable part. With two episodes left and the East-West War tied 1-1, taking two episodes to complete the final Suruga-Seitouhi match was fully expected, though I did wonder how they were going to milk one of these fights for that long. Some flashbacks and a little bit of stalling help pad the episode out, but neither of those is taken to an annoying level. Instead, the episode mostly fills itself out with bold claims, special moves, counter-moves, and commentary from observers – in other words, all of the standard shonen action stuff, although in this case done by women in bikinis. Each team has one member who is largely overlooked but gets at least a little time in the spotlight. For Suruga it's the sumo wrestler-sized woman who can intimidate with her size and brawn, while for Seutouchi it's Saya Kotagana, a student who has been seen but hasn't done anything of consequence in the series prior to this point. (I think this is the first time she's actually been named?) Her specialty is iai (short for iaido), which is a form of Japanese martial arts which emphasizes quickly and smoothly drawing a sword, striking with it, and returning to its sheath, a visually impressive style that pops up a lot in anime.

Understanding the nature of iai is critical to fully getting the joke when Saya uses her special attack form, just one of many inspired new attacks to show up this week. Since she obviously can't use the sword that iai normally requires, what else does she have at her disposal that's technically sheathed? Her boobs, of course! Hence Quick-Draw Gazongas, which involves pulling her top aside, smacking someone with her exposed breasts, and then covering up again all in one smooth action. On the tamer side, we have Magic Bust, which reflects sunlight off of oiled cleavage in order to temporarily blind opponents, and the two-person combo attack Double Butt Bridge, which are more than overshadowed by this episode's anime homage: Buttack on Titan. The real gem, though – and the one most assured to inspire giggles – is Hip-Hip Train, whose name might not be all that special, but the move parodies combining-mecha series by having one contestant jump inside the bottoms of the other. Of all of the anime parodies I might have anticipated, that one was definitely not on the list.

Nozomi also has a good evenly matched struggle going against the “other ribbon girl”: Suruga's #2, Maya, the one she had a run-in with it when Seitouchi's team arrived back in episode 8. Flashbacks show that her fearsome Internal Butt Release (insert your own crude joke here), a talent she was apparently born with, was a problem for her until she discovered Keijo and learned to harness it. Nozomi's method for literally sniffing out how it works is a riot, working together with flashbacks to set up the classic “warrior who can't find satisfaction until faced with a worthy opponent” scenario. Nozomi impresses by quickly figuring out the trick, but the end of the episode suggests that we may be looking at a split personality twist too. Because why not?

We can't forget the details, either. The Land for this match being the rooftops of a Japanese-style castle is another great choice, and apparently the sport's restriction on the use of arms and hands also applies to catching a comrade who's been flung away, so naturally a contestant uses her breasts to do so. It's only a quick scene that isn't specifically focused on, but it's nonetheless a nice touch in an episode already full of them.

The artistry here may not be flawless, but that doesn't matter much. I honestly don't see how this series could be doing better with its concept than what it's doing right now.

Rating: A

Keijo!!!!!!!! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.