Golf Girls Steal the Spotlight in BIRDIE WING, Episode 18

Eve plays for her life inside Catherine’s underground golf course as pro golfer Remelda aims to stop her.

Episode 18 — “A Farewell to Lies”

Hmm.

I love the details in the opening credits for BIRDIE WING. The golf ball logo changes to match the featured golfer of the episode. The anime revealed Kazuhiko’s face when we learned about his Rainbow Shot. Then the credits showed a spoiler by putting a sponsor’s logo on Eve’s driver. I’m curious about the last golfer, the one wearing wings, in the opening credits. Will we eventually see Aoi’s face on her? The preview for next week hints that she will grow her golfing wings.

I’ve noticed another detail in BIRDIE WING: Mafia golf bosses have scars. Catherine and Michael Burton have visible skin blemishes, but does Leo count as a mob boss? The superficial flaws make it easy to tell who the bad guys are. We didn’t know how evil Rose Aleon was until we saw her prosthetic bionic hand. But Leo appears to be single-minded about golf. His agenda might be cold and self-centered, although we haven’t seen Leo’s plans for the golfing world yet. Right now, we know he collects young female talent and teaches them the Bullet System. But the rakish scars on his face warn us to reserve trust in Eve’s golf coach.

However, I won’t reserve my glee at seeing Catherine’s golf simulator again. The Death Star of Golf is back! I love how it looks like a Gundam will launch from an underground tunnel system when the landscape-changing machinery starts up. The last time Eve played a hole at Catherine’s Death Star, the crime lady thought she found a way to defeat her. She laid out a course with a rock feature that Eve’s straight shots couldn’t negotiate because that’s all we had seen Eve do on the golf course. Then Eve unleashed her Violet Bullet, a golf shot that could fade to the right or draw to the left with incredible precision, making it trace a beautiful curve in the sky. The moment was a pivotal plot point in BIRDIE WING because Aoi was instrumental in teaching Eve how to bend her line drives, cementing their golfing bonds. Would the Golf Death Star’s setting reveal the seventh and final color of Eve’s Rainbow Bullets?

Yes. Yes, it would! The last color in Eve’s bandolier of bullets was indigo. Here’s a quick reminder of what the Rainbow Bullets do.

• Blue Bullet — Straight, low golf drive.
• Red Bullet — Straight, high approach shot.
• Green Bullet — Straight golf putt on the green right at the pin.
• Yellow Bullet — Straight bunker or sand trap shot.
• Violet Bullet — Curving fade or draw shot.
• Orange Bullet — Any shot requiring precise timing and placement.
• Rainbow Shot — “A swing without uncertainty leaves a rainbow in its wake.” Eve uses it for backspin shots onto the green to roll the golf ball into the cup.

So, what would an Indigo Bullet do? Skip over water hazards! Eve has a complete array of golf shots for any situation. Bang!

Heh.

Eve withdrew from school with the “help” of chloroform, and now Ichina needs to leave. BIRDIE WING needs to have a golf reform school for delinquent girls. Ichina will be Eve’s caddy in Europe! She’ll be fine because she can speak English. This scene feels like Reiya and Ichina are following a ritual to check off boxes that the coach asked the right questions of a departing student. Eve has a new competition for Aoi: the winner joins the pro golf ranks first! Hey! Eve has an Arios logo on her driver club head now. Isn’t this a huge spoiler? Even Aoi has an Athena logo on her driver. Remelda’s logo is on the golf ball at the end.

Eve has a meeting with Grandpa Burton. She’ll be a pro golfer exclusively using Arios’s equipment in the European Women’s Open. That’s the setting for the BIRDIE WING season finale. In exchange, she needs to pass a test, more like a trial. The Burton group knows about Catherine’s bounty on Eve’s head! The mobsters came to an understanding: Eve needs to beat Catherine’s golf champion at the usual place in sudden death match play. Do you know what that means? The Golf Death Star is back! Remelda, the best American pro underworld golfer, makes dramatic entrances. I have a feeling Eve will steal her spotlight soon enough.

Yay! Ichina has a joyful reunion with Eve! Partially. Ichina sizes up Eve’s companions. They’re bad people! Yes, yes. Japanese women look younger than their ages. But not to other Japanese people! Don’t feel bad, Ichina. Eve doesn’t remember anyone’s name. Does that gate say 51? As in, Area 51? BIRDIE WING has never been subtle. Yeah! The Death Star of Golf! Eve knows how to push Catherine’s buttons. The mind games of underground golf have already begun. Hahaha! Ichina can speak English! Hoho. Remelda knows about Leo’s Bullet System. She wants twice as much money now! Remelda claims to have a secret weapon, but Ichina is Eve’s.

Launch the Gundam! Ah. I mean. Let’s play golf! Oops. Right into the bunker. Remelda likes to act as if she’s helpless, but she has just set a trap for Eve’s putt. Which Ichina saw through. Leo wasn’t impressed with Remelda’s cheap tricks, either. Aisha has a little devil skull on her golf ball. We’ll see that soon. Leo called Remelda’s golf “a sham.” That’s the reference to the BIRDIE WING episode title. Eve can chip that ball in right in the cup!

Yes. It’s time to complete the rainbow! What does Eve’s Indigo Bullet do? It skips the golf ball on water like a flat stone! Steal the spotlight and finish it off with a Rainbow Shot. Now Eve can stop playing “fake golf.” Time to play real golf!

Next time, Aoi earns her wings. Such a sweet, innocent angel.

BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story- streams on Crunchyroll and VRV in Japanese audio with English subtitles.

Did you like the MILF vibes coming from Catherine and Remelda? Check out the J-List selection of MILF-related products in the store if you did. I’m partial to Tsuki Uzaki’s figure… and the Tsuki Uzaki Figure — SUGOI knitwear ver figure on preorder! What does she have underneath that Virgin Killer Sweater?

How do you feel about Death Star Golf? Were you excited to see that supervillain-type lair again? How about Eve’s complete Rainbow Bullet collection? Let us know in the comments below or online on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.