Aina gives Chisa an extra group ticket to her women’s university festival during a spicy, drunk girls’ talk.
Episode 4 — “Ticket Scramble”
Hmm.
You may have heard that humor is subjective, but did you know it’s also illogical? Hey, just because something is absurd doesn’t preclude it from occupying the realm of reason. Grand Blue is a gag comedy, so we expect over-the-top reactions and bizarre situations to feed the humor. But sometimes, the comedy prioritizes the skit over other story elements. We saw this happen during the boys’ contest to persuade Chisa to take them to the nearby women’s college festival. What did Grand Blue sacrifice to serve the comedy gods? Chisa’s characterization.
This is the second season of this anime, so the producers have already established the character quirks necessary for extended comedy bits. Azusa’s horniness, Aina’s preoccupation with her cup size, and Nanaka’s obsession with her younger sister served up the material for the jokes in the episode’s first half. But Grand Blue has already described how much Chisa hates interacting with boys. So, staying in the same empty classroom with Iori and Kouhei’s classmates as they bothered her over a free ticket didn’t make much sense. She could have left at any time.
Why did she stay? Was she accustomed to dealing with male antics from her time spent at her family’s diving shop? Chisa usually ignores the boys but can resort to violence if they’re too annoying. Instead, for Grand Blue’s comedy skit, she participated in a sort of dating gameshow dynamic. That doesn’t fit her character. The inconsistency punted me out of the scene the longer it went on. I was already impatient to see more sexy girls, as we saw in the hen party scene, so showing Chisa as a passive young woman instead of displaying her usual quick temper highlighted the one flaw in the fight over her free ticket.
Grand Blue Makes Me Go Heh.
“Unfair!” claims Aina. Why do the college boys get drunk and naked all the time, but not the girls? Azusa doesn’t count because she’ll get drunk and naked with anyone. The girls can have their own drinking session in Grand Blue. Right now! But they should use Chisa’s room because Nanaka’s is more of an obsessive shrine to her younger sister than a bedroom. Kanpai! Aina prefers drinking sessions with no Y chromosomes. Will a hen party be exciting enough for Azusa, though? She can be a lady. Sometimes.
Azusa noticed how lacking in female decor Chisa’s room is, but Nanaka gave her the bare minimum of cosmetics. What other feminine products did Nanaka push on her? Uh oh. What is Iori walking into next on Grand Blue? Woohoo! Sexy lingerie! Run away! Better news, for Iori — He can fantasize about Nanaka wearing the flimsy fabric. Azusa calls out Chisa for claiming the fancy pantsu belong to Nanaka because that bra doesn’t fit! Aina knows what she means. Unfair! Chisa objects to inclusion in the “flat justice” crowd.
Growth Hormones and Grand Blue Chicken Breasts
Every hen party needs a discussion on how to bake those chicken breasts. It’s genetic, Aina. Sorry. Except for the hormones that chicken ranches force-feed the hens, the metaphor breaks down. Performance-enhancing doping is expensive for humans, even in Grand Blue. Ahaha! Azusa suggests beating your breasts with the horny stick to produce sex hormones! Totally voluntary! But is that true? Nanaka’s honkers appear to be a contrary case. Not if she keeps gooning and edging over her little sister’s “goods.” Azusa knows. But let’s practice stimulation for breast growth!
Aw. Uncle Kotegawa dotes on his daughters. Look at that sashimi plate he whipped up! I love this comedy bit that Grand Blue repeats. Every time Iori walks into the hen party, something involving the chicks’ breasts escalates. Iori summons Chisa’s explanation for this scene. He rescued her from Nanaka! “Girls fooling around” is not an excuse. Never mind that. Iori knows how horny Azusa swings both ways and how Nanaka would pull her into sis-con horny mode.
Grand Blue Recommends Diving JAV?
What is Grand Blue’s next joke for the chick party? How about an outdated joke about swapping DVD discs? Is it 2018 in this show or not? Iori is in trouble now. Chisa’s rating for that JAV? Thumbs down = death! Iori will pay that penalty later, I’m sure. Azusa wanted to see the rest! She’s my spirit animal. Enough of that. Only girls allowed means girls talk! Which means boy talk… Love lives? What’s that? Only Azusa can handle that topic. Grand Blue breaking news: Iori turned her down for a random sexual encounter. Calm your chicks, Aina. Azusa’s terms for “liking” someone are different from yours. More drinking!
Ooh, fun. Aina’s women’s university has a cultural festival. Chisa should come! But they have a ticket system to “keep the weirdos out.” Like the men from Chisa’s college? Oh. The university needs to keep weirdos like Iori and Kouhei away because a famous graduate will be attending the festival. Will Grand Blue show us this celebrity? Ack! Extortion! Hand over the ticket and the boys won’t ruin your hen party! Chisa can bring four people, so Kouhei and Iori are safe! Come on, be a bro, Chisa! Uh, she lacks the anatomy for that… Iori should go because he’s “technically” Chisa’s boyfriend. No! Don’t say that in front of Nanaka! Phew. She’s drunk and didn’t hear that.
Chisa has different problems when Nanaka gets drunk. And here comes Azusa to join the clingy pile-on. Wait a minute. Get the naked cocks out of the hen party!
Grand Blue Plays the Persuasion Game
Kouhei and Iori are on a quest. Get Chisa’s ticket to the women’s college festival. Uh oh. Iori surprised Uncle Kotegawa after he told him that Nanaka got drunk. The beer never impaired her, and she heard about the boyfriend story with Chisa. Prepare to die, Iori.
Really? Grand Blue will spend half an episode on random dudes trying to persuade Chisa to give them a festival ticket. Ah. Iori hopes to convince her to let him join her party because the ticket allows four people. Chisa is so patient with these guys. She efficiently shoots down everyone. Plus, she gets massive help from her “boyfriend,” Iori. Why? Because it’s life-and-death after Nanaka threatens him. He needs to keep the weirdos away from Chisa! All of it fails. Chisa doesn’t want to see friends fight. Solution? Not friends anymore! And it’s moot because someone got another ticket anyway. All eight can go together!
Next time, Iori and Kouhei show the maids how to serve at a maid café. Really!
Grand Blue Dreaming Season 2 (Grand Blue Season 2) streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio with subtitles in multiple languages.
I like Nanaka’s taste in lingerie! But what does she buy for herself? Or how would she dress (or undress) Azusa? I bet Azusa goes commando everywhere. Would you agree? Let us know in the comments below!
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