Rider Kick
Tiger & Bunny is a new anime program current airing weekly in Japan and simulcast on Hulu and Viz Anime. Produced by Sunrise it's directed by Keiichi Satou (best known for his work on Big O). The series revolves around a couple of super heroes who fight crime while driving ad revenue and product placement for a hero themed television program.
Snyopsis
It's Baraby's birthday and he wants nothing to do with it! Tensions run high between the leading duo following a costly fine levied against Tiger after a rescue results in expensive property damage. Barnaby has grown tired of Tiger's meddling and the impact it's had on his performance.
Upon finding out that it's Barnaby's birthday Tiger decides to throw him a surprise birthday party. None of other heroes are interested in joining until Sky High steps up to support the idea. Together they craft a scenario to lure Barnaby away and give him a great surprise. He would otherwise have spent the time at forever alone, enjoying some delicious pound cake.
Their plans quickly go awry and become entangled with a wealth thief out to nab an expensive relic. No, this is not any normal thief, but a NEXT who's able to cover his entire body in diamonds.
When faced with their first NEXT villain, Tiger and Bunny will need all of their good luck and teamwork to get their man!
Review
This was the weakest Tiger & Bunny episode to date. The story felt like filler and missed a golden opportunity to expand into Barnaby's past a bit more. It was nice to see a bit of Sky High but I wasn't sure how they wanted to portray him. At first he seemed to be a proactive leader but following the birthday rehearsal he seemed a lot more passive. I really hope they dedicate an episode to expanding his character like they did with Blue Rose prior (and it seems Fire Emblem in the upcoming).
Speaking of Fire Emblem, I noticed that during his brief in-costume cameo he was partially drawn drawn with regular cel animation v. the awful CGI from episode 3. Definitely an improvement, why they won't just stick it the cel animation is beyond me. I also noticed that during several sequences they opted to traditionally animate the costumes instead of the usual CGI. Budget concerns? Were they not able to get the position and proportions right with the CGI?
Unfortunately the effort they put into the suits apparently distracted from the character animation. Here and there it seemed like they had an off week and didn't care about maintaining proportions. It felt rather loose in this episode, almost QUALITY level. I also think they phoned it in with their villain. Jewels for eyes, really? Seems someone thought they should go with Emma Frost's powers yet forgot about her good looks in the planning meeting. Even the fight sequence lacked momentum. Here I thought the community had moved beyond the DBZ-ish, "I'm going to stand in one place while you hit me with a flurry of repeated kicks and punches to little effect."
Derp
Their 'birthday special' finishing movies though flashy, were out of place. Tiger & Bunny hasn't been built like so many before it, with throw away suit up sequences and finishing movies. I can understand that they might be paying homage but the sequences themselves didn't fit the feel of the series. The suit up scene on its own was rather lack luster. I'd wager much of the episode's budget went into that finishing sequence.
What the episode lacked in plot or animation it made up in subtle humor. Tiger talking to the stuffed bunny during rehearsal was great, as was the touch of Barnaby hobbling off with his over sized foot at the end of the episode.
At the very end a sinister character walks way from the scene. Could this man be the unidentified character in the opening sequence? Their toughest enemy yet?!
(Okay, sorry for playing things up a bit in this review. It's not like I had a whole lot to work with here)
