Keijo!!!!!!!!

Episode 9

In one key respect, Keijo!!!!!!!! is reminiscent of Gurren Lagann. Just when you think it has maxed out on preposterousness, it comes up with something even more outlandish. In that regard, the first match of the East-West War absolutely does not disappoint.

In fact, if this episode disappoints on any level, it's that it occasionally gets bogged down in going through its shonen action motions, resulting in a couple of scenes of boasting and trash-talking that linger a few seconds longer than necessary. Following the standard shonen action playbook isn't the actual problem; how a series executes such scenes can be every bit as important as how fresh they are. In the former sense, this episode excels. This is Miyata's time in the spotlight, her time and place to show that forsaking judo for Keijo wasn't a mistake after all and win over her father's approval. Although the writing hasn't put a lot of time into setting this up, it has nonetheless done enough in little snippets to establish Miyata's conflict over pursuing Keijo instead of judo, and the brief flashback scenes in this episode provide all the additional foundation that's needed. For the first time, we learn that Keijo is not a new interest for Miyata; she has actually been fascinated by it ever since she was a little kid. Even though you know her ultimate victory and approval from her father is coming, it's still very satisfying to actually see happen.

Of course, the journey getting there is where the fun and preposterousness come into play. Is it even possible to sit through a line where the announcer exclaims that Rio has weaponized pleasure without sputtering? (She rapidly rubs her butt against targeted areas of the opposing team's tag-team-twins, overwhelming them with stimulation.) In another scene, one of Miyata's teammates saves her from falling off the Jungle Gym Land by grasping the bottom of Miyata's bikini with her butt cheeks. Even the super-wedgie that Miyata gives herself to achieve max speed, which is necessary to overcome an opponent with a type of synesthesia that allows her to visualize an opponent's weak points, isn't the final highlight. That honor goes to Miyata's finishing move, which involves her stimulating her breasts until her nipples are erect, using an exposed one to catch her opponent's swimsuit, and combining that with a judo flip to create a move called Nipple Full Shoulder Throw. It's every bit as ridiculous in execution as it sounds, but it's played so seriously that I got the best laugh out of it that I've probably gotten out of anime since KONOSUBA.

While this episode was ultimately bawdier than many of them have been, it still wasn't that bad in the end. The crotch part of Miyata's swimsuit was no longer fully intact at the end of the match, but the camera never dwelled on this, and it didn't linger on Mio's attack essentially molesting her opponents either. First-time director Hideya Takahashi continues to impress with how he manages the fanservice so that it doesn't become a distraction. If this series could encourage a new trend in fanservice titles to work their sexy content in seamlessly without letting it define the series, then I would welcome it.

Rating: A-

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