Aoi and Eve prepare their hearts, minds, and bodies for a golf reunion at the British Open.
Episode 23 — “To Make Dreams Come True”
Hmm.
BIRDIE WING often follows the shounen anime’s battle tournament formula. But for this episode, it added a twist to the dreaded time skip plot device. The anime showed Eve making progress in healing and changing her body to handle her new golf swings and techniques. Usually, the shounen protagonist would leave a village to embark on a “training journey.” Then we’d see him return, wearing new clothes and bearing new weapons, at a dramatic moment, months or years later. Instead, BIRDIE WING treated Eve’s rehab and golf tournaments as an extended training montage. I would have enjoyed watching Eve destroy all the golf girl foes we met in Nafrece, but Eve has a date with her destined rival. We know that Aisha did not beat Eve again.
Aoi’s side of the story also treated the time skip as a highlight reel for managing her illness. BIRDIE WING would have shown us a dominant Aoi playing angelic golf against Eve, with brief hints of ominous foreshadowing, if the anime had followed the shounen-style time skip. Instead, the anime built up emotional drama around Aoi conserving her energy to keep her promise to play Eve at a major tournament. Strangely, in a rare misstep, BIRDIE WING did not build a solid foundation for Amane’s visit to Nafrece.
Round Trip Challenge
If you recall, flying from Japan to Nafrece is a twelve-hour flight. Is it plausible that Amane flew to Nafrece, talked to Eve for five minutes, then directly returned to Japan? This show made Death Star Golf believable, but the suspension of disbelief for this brief conversation is too high. I should give BIRDIE WING the benefit of the doubt because it has done well so far through 23 episodes. What if Amane visited other people besides Eve? I hope this odd scene hints at a dramatic turn during the golf tournament.
Heh.
Aw. Poor Aisha. She thinks Leo will throw her away and take Eve back as his pupil. The golf ball logo in the opening credits is the Pac-Man belonging to Aoi. That logo also belongs to Bandai Namco! Ah. Eve finally gets answers from Leo about her demon golf training. The BIRDIE WING audience already knows all this stuff. Leo kept his promise to Kazuhiko but left when Eve’s memories didn’t come back. She had learned everything he could teach her, anyway. He’s happy Eve had developed his ideal golf from fusing the Bullet and the Rainbow. But he has a new golfing goal: beat Eve with Aisha’s Cannon! Good for Aisha. However, Eve must train her body to handle the stresses of her recently acquired golf style.
So, when do Eve and Aoi play each other as pro golf girls? Aoi does her part by winning the Namco Classic. Grandpa Amawashi does not have a dignified laugh. Huh. Does every tournament in BIRDIE WING make women wear a green coat on the winner’s podium? That’s only supposed to be for The Masters at Augusta. But Eve can’t play golf until next year. Ha! Lily has another Gunpla kit. Amane gets right on scheduling the golf girls’ reunion. But no. Eve’s headache problem never went away. Thank you for always mixing fanservice with shocking news. Ack. Both girls won’t let the other know about their health problems. Postponement on both sides.
Sick and Tired.
Amane has a plan based on Reiya’s disease. Aoi’s father lost his ability to play golf within months while playing a full schedule. Aoi can string out the effects of the disease by resting for months between golf tournaments. Haha! Sure. Eve was only going to go shopping with a set of golf clubs on her shoulder. What is up, BIRDIE WING? Amane came to Nafrece for a five-minute conversation. Couldn’t she have asked Eve to play Aoi in the British Open with a phone call? What was with that message Ichina got on her phone? Are the two caddies hatching plans and plots? Of course. In any event, Amane secured extra motivation for Aoi.
Time skip? Not really. This is an extended training montage. Eve has a new outfit with sexy black thigh-highs. I approve! Eve plans to win the British Women’s Masters, then get an invitation to the British Open. High-stakes gambling, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Look how she enters the hall. Audacious as ever! Aisha gets her rematch too. Good! Amane can’t stop Aoi from using the long-shaft driver now.
Golf Girls Reunion
St. Annlies Golf Course. I’m sure it bears no resemblance to St. Andrews in Scotland. The fated reunion. But will Aoi play for Eve’s kisses on the cheek? Oops. BIRDIE WING ratchets up the drama a bit more before the golf tournament. America’s top player can beat them both! Juha Hamilail. I’ll look for an official spelling next week because that can’t be right. She looks like the Venus Williams version of the golf girls set.
Next time, extreme Scottish golfing action!
BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story- streams on Crunchyroll and VRV in Japanese audio with English subtitles.
I like my shower scenes wet, wild, and lacking women collapsing from illness. Why not collapse from joyful exhaustion? J-List has figures of Chloe and Ilyasviel enjoying a hot shower at the beach for Fate fans of culture. Pick up one, or both, today!
Did you know that Eve and Aoi have not played against each other, in the same group, on an actual golf course since the second episode? They played virtually in the fifth, but that doesn’t count. Are their bodies ready to play? Mine is. How about yours? Let us know in the comments below or online on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.
