Birdie Wing -Golf Girls' Story-

Playing golf is an enjoyable and fun outdoor pastime. On the other hand, watching a golf game on TV is usually pretty boring. So, I guess I should appreciate anything that can make golf on TV appealing and entertaining. Well, yeah, but even after thirteen episodes, I'm still trying to figure out if it’s appealing because it's a decent sports shonen anime that reminded me of the early days of Megalobox for some reason, or if it's because the writers were sneakily pandering to my baser instincts and used a lot of hidden sexual tension, yuri bait, and fan service. You don’t have to go further than the opening to encounter scenes where the two main characters are subtly making ahegao faces in the background, which says a lot about the show. Plus, some dialogues and situations in the show are more like a horny teenager’s wet dream than a sports anime. "And what can you offer me in return? --- My body!" But maybe I'm wrong and it’s not like that at all. Well, I'm going to check out the second season to decide if I like or dislike it. So far, I’m giving it a 5/10. SPOILER ALERT The beginning intrigued me, although I found the mafia games a bit far-fetched. I also found it hard to believe that Eve arrives in Japan somehow mysteriously speaking the language without it being explained. "You speak Japanese? – Yeah, I guess so..." Plus, she's immediately accepted into an elite golf school with no problem using forged papers. END OF SPOILER The whole story progression just needs to be taken with a massive pinch of salt. The golf itself is nice and colorful, there are even some strokes named like in the most typical sports anime. I also grew quite fond of some of the characters, including the main pair. I like the animation style too (especially the characters). The setting (golf courses) sometimes looks a bit artificial and empty, though. (2023.02.27)

I did enjoy the second season a little more than the first. There was less of that weird juri bait that the first season was filled with, and there was more likable rivalry between the main heroines. I was thrilled in the last episode when their shonen golf abilities literally fused together. The familiar old opening song remained as if the creators knew it was trending among fans and that no one sings the chorus like "Venus Line...". It's a shame that the first half about the loss of memory and forgetting who is whose child felt like something from a bad Mexican soap opera. It did make sense and spiced up the relationship between the two girls, but as a plot twist, it just felt kind of cheap... The second half also had its big drama, which was a cliché for a sports anime, but I don't want to criticize it too much here. When it's about health problems, I can relate much better to the story, and it gives the series a bittersweet touch, making the happy ending stand out even more. The excellent finale almost made me give it a weak four stars, but in the end, with a clear head, remembering the unexciting first half, I decided to give it a strong three stars. 6.4/10 (2023.06.24)