Rin and Misa race against Jennifer and Emily through a challenging course for a very important prize.
#4 – “My Favorite”
Hmm.
Hey! This Kandagawa Jet Girls show is a sports anime! I thought it was a yuri fanservice vehicle for advertising an ecchi video game! I make jokes here, but we really shouldn’t be surprised that we could have almost a whole episode devoted to one race. The first game tutorial lasted half an episode, so it was clear there was going to be enough material and nuance for this sport to cover a whole race. The subjects covered — how to use a boost, choose a course to suit your jet racer, guns have different modes and ammo usage — are timed well with the recently released game play trailer. The most important thing I got out of this episode is that ramps are fun. Yay!
https://youtu.be/FVByAnz-g4g?t=77
Continuing on with the sports anime formula, Kandagawa saw two more future opponents make their official appearance as Jet Racers: the idols and the flashy gals. Of course, we saw all these pairs in the first episode when Rin took a quick tour around Tokyo before arriving at her dorm, but we didn’t get their names.
One of the idol sisters has a discrepancy on the official website that I can’t square. Ziyu Pan is the romanized spelling of パン•ツウィ, according to the website, but that’s clearly wrong, and not how the characters themselves pronounce her name either. It should be more like “tsuwi.” Ah well. The subtitles can only take their cues from official sources.
From the Kandagawa preview, we’ll be getting to know those idol sisters better next episode, but I’m more interested in the relationship the gyaru have. One seems more worldly than the other and appears to refer to sexy times with men’s nether regions. Considering how yuri this show is supposed to be, I was a little concerned about this hetero intrusion. However, if you put your yuri goggles on, everything Yuzu said could apply to girls-only romping as well. Bisexual encounters would not be out of the question either. Plainly, the main takeaway from our brief introduction to Yuzu and Manatsu, is that the dark gyaru is the one who would have more self-conscious barriers to break down before she gives in to total bliss. Yuzu appears to know this and likes to tease her racing partner. These are fun characters that I’m now impatient to see again.
Heh.
Emily and Jennifer’s jet racing team is “Unkai SURFERS.” 雲海 means “sea of clouds” and that mix of kanji with English matches the duo’s personality well. Rin better finish up that Kandagawa Jet Girls cutesy logo, because “Team No Image” is not a good look.
I see a lot of shaded figures of possibly playable characters from California Coast High School for the Kandagawa Jet Girls game. The mechanic Kiriko is already doing a good job as an exposition device.
Aqua Manjo and Syoco are back doing play-by-play and commentary. The grand prize for this exhibition match is that yellow dolphin strap.
We’re getting a lot of good “backstory” on how this race is run today.
Boost ready! Let’s go! “Wow!” Yay! These girls are having fun! Me too! That one extension in the middle doesn’t look safe for the Shooter, though.
Why would Rin boost right before a turn? I guess she’s still learning. A boost doesn’t stop until the reserve is gone, so this no good for technical parts of a course, just by speed alone, but Syoco says that the boost just stops if a turn is too severe. Another safety feature?
The CG models of the girls didn’t impress me this Kandagawa episode. Oh. A sport-specific strategy here, but it’s really about setting a trap at a choke point. I thought the Unkai Surfers were samurai, not ninjas.
Safety feature! “Shit!” Safety feature again!
Continuity error? Jennifer just got her top blown off, but she has it back on for the fist bump. Ooh! Obstacles! Jump the ramp or race through? Jump! Yay!
Can we choose between 3rd person and 1st person while racing in the Kandagawa game? I think 3rd person view would probably be the way to go…
As I predicted last week, it’s Kuromaru’s turn in the eye catching. Where did that annoying ninja star come from?
Aw. Rin got scared of being shot at, but Misa reassured her. This is a team sport and Misa literally has Rin’s back. Kyu~n! Feeling that big chest of hers… Blammo! Misa can shoot! Timing the shots to spoil Emily’s aim and waste ammo, then aiming for the maximum damage spots to cut the power. This is a racing and shooting game! That’s two times for the Engrish “Shit!”
Goal! Misa fist pump! For the win, or for the little dolphin? I think more for the dolphin. It’s the Kandagawa Jet Girls’s first victory too! Hey, yeah? Why did Misa want that dolphin so badly? Tsun-tsun! She’s not telling! Jennifer and Emily figured out why, though.
Yay! Back to the baths for Jennifer and Emily! Boo! Rin and Misa didn’t join them.
Rin, yellow dolphin get! Achievement Unlocked! Rin’s making sure they won’t be Team No Image any more.
Gals and Idols.
Two more racing pairs made their debuts. Since everyone in town stops what they’re doing to watch these impromptu matches on the Kandagawa River, ‘cuz it’s anime, it was a good opportunity to have future rivals as some of the spectators.
I love the innuendo coming out of the pale gyaru‘s mouth. Yuzu’s suggestive banter serves mainly to embarrass the slightly more innocent dark gal Manatsu. Obviously, they both know they’re way around male anatomy, but they appear equally content with girly fun. What a surprise. The gyaru Yuzu and Manatsu are Jet Racers too.
Ooh. Another pair. And they’re watching the race in their underwear! These are the idols. Ziyu and Dina. Dina and Ziyu have some innuendo too for how to win in the finishing straight,
“Cling to your Jetter,
then defeat the enemy,
by becoming one.”
That’s a haiku! The yuri is strong with these sisters.
