Eve created her unique golf style to beat golf girls in the Europe Ladies Open Golf Tournament.
Episode 21 — “Rainbow and Bullet”
Hmm.
How many redemption arcs will BIRDIE WING give to old gangsters? Vipère became Eve’s best friend after helping her escape a bounty on her head. Rose Aleon protected Eve’s golfing future from Catherine. Then, we saw that Leo hadn’t set up a generational revenge match against Kazuhiko! Leo is an old softie, after all. His purpose was not revenge but honoring a request from his eternal rival. However, he has a prickly gruff image to keep. The anime showed us hints of Leo’s sentimentality from how he saved Rose’s life from a mob amputation. Those who know him best from the old days would call him out. Like how old Alan Harvey laughed in his face when Leo claimed he was Eve’s enemy during the golf tournament. Pull the other one, Leo. It has bells on it!
Heh.
Well. BIRDIE WING made it official. Reiya admitted to Aoi that he was her father! Hugs all around! Rude. Amane eavesdropped from the hospital hallway. Whom does that golf ball logo belong to in the opening credits? Leo’s?
Zoom to Scotland for the European Women’s Open. According to Ichina, this challenging course is brand new. It is tailor-made to penalize aggressive golf. Who would play like that? Oh, right. Eve! Her eyes are on beating Aisha Khambatta, Leo’s current golf student. Her name is common in India, but she eats medium rare ribeye steak.
Oh? Leo recalls a conversation he had with Kazuhiko. What did he mean when he said, “I won’t be able to be with her forever”? What kind of revisionist history did BIRDIE WING insert here? Did Kazuhiko know he would die soon? Why would he ask Leo to train Evangeline in his Bullet System? Kazuhiko considered the ultimate form of golf would be a fusion of the Rainbow Shot and the Rainbow Colors Bullet System. Clarity of concentration meshed with pure visualization. It could have been! Leo wants to see it: The rainbow and the bullet. That is foreshadowing, people.
Europe Ladies Open. It says so right on the screen. Eve’s usual bullet style won’t work against the windy conditions in Scotland. Into the rough, then into the bunker. Eve calculates the odds. She can’t see the pin, so she can’t use her Orange Bullet. Hit the ball straight and hope for the best. Let’s see how Aisha interprets Leo’s Bullet System. Running start! Like kicking a field goal or a penalty kick. Blammo! That’s not a bullet. It’s a cannon shell! Oho. Leo recognized Alan in the gallery.
The distances on the course are just a bit out of reach for Eve’s shots. Her Indigo Bullet did not clear the water hazard. BIRDIE WING shows Eve testing herself against the conditions to collect information. This is only the first round of four, but she must make the cut after the second day. Aw. Aoi is a pro golfer now, but that means doing all the things Reika does too. Fashion shoots, product endorsements, and interviews. There’s even a Namco Classic! That’s nice, but I want more Gundam product placement from Bandai Namco. But she only wants to watch Eve play in (checks website) the Europe Women’s Open. Hey! That’s not what the Japanese katakana spelled out!
Ichina and Alan try to devise a plan for Eve to make up ground, but Eve has other ideas. Leo’s harsh tone with Eve was the same as ever. But he gave her clues to defeat Aisha: A bullet can’t beat a cannon shell. Eve needs to erase her doubts. How? With a Rainbow Shot! But on every swing? Is that possible? She only must struggle to make it happen! She’ll take one day to change her golfing style.
Aw. Vipère came to watch Eve play golf. What a redemption arc BIRDIE WING gave her so that she could become Eve’s best friend in Nafrece. Oh! She noticed Eve playing golf differently. Let’s see how Eve develops her improved style. Eve did try to swing a Rainbow Shot on every swing because she called her fairway approach shot the “Rainbow Bullet.” Eve is closing in on a Rainbow Bullet that’s hers alone.
Aoi and Amane say their goodbyes to high school golf life. And they wish Kinue good luck with Reiya. She’ll need it because that guy still loves Seira. Meanwhile, Eve has almost dialed in her Rainbow Bullet. She has the formula now: turn the seven colored bullets into one rainbow. Ha! Alan called out Leo’s kindness behind his gruff exterior. Leo claimed revenge on Kazuhiko, but in his heart, he kept a promise to his lifelong rival.
Rainbow glow. Eve almost has it! She got it! Ichina knows a technique isn’t complete until it has a name. Rainbow Bullet Burst! Hahaha! Eve’s little sisters watch the golf match but only care about Aisha eating bananas. BIRDIE WING finally put Eve and Aisha in the same group, so they’ll play head-to-head. It’s time for Eve’s Rainbow Bullets to shine! Leo recognizes Kazuhiko’s style in Eve’s swing. But he’s in for a surprise. Rainbow Bullet Burst! It wasn’t Kazuhiko’s drive, either! Leo kept his promise to Kazuhiko by training Eve to fuse the Rainbow Shot with the Colored Bullets. He calls it an “exploding rainbow bullet!”
Eve’s aggressive play takes advantage of the golf course’s hazards because she can recover from any lie using the colors of her new rainbow.
Next time, there are still two rounds to go, but Eve’s body isn’t used to her new swing. Can she play through pain to win? The preview claims she has more to show!
BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story- streams on Crunchyroll and VRV in Japanese audio with English subtitles.
I like how this anime brings an international flavor to the characters. Aisha is an Indian girl who eats beef, so she should enjoy Japan’s versions of curry. J-List has a sampler of miniature curries for your tiny friends!
What did you think of Leo’s redemption arc? It makes you wonder how he got those scars. What are your theories? Let us know in the comments below or online on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.
