[12 Days of Anime] Day 2: BIRDIE WING’s Bullet to the Brain

While there were a number of entertaining series starting off the year in the winter, very few at the time jumped off the screen in a manner unique from the other. When you considered sports-focused shows specifically, the field narrowed even further–Tribe Nine certainly proved itself creative with its handling of futuristic baseball. However, it wasn’t until the spring with the unveiling of anime-original BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls’ Story- that I felt something truly special. Where else could I imagine something as ridiculous as a shot through a moving train and off a rake to the green, or an underground, transformable, full-size golf course?

Part of me worried that the unexpected gambling angle and surprise golf course were simply meant for shock value. I’ve seen plenty of other shows do something crazy to hook viewers before becoming completely forgettable in later arcs. The anime wholeheartedly resisted this outcome every week all the way through to the end. Not even a mid-point transition to a new setting as seemingly conventional as a high school and a related tournament were enough to knock the show into mediocrity. The story may have cut off early with a single cours, but we’ve been promised more for the future–if you haven’t tried BIRDIE WING, then get off your ass and get to it before the sequel airs!

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Watch on Crunchyroll.

12 Days Blog Participants:

• Anime Ataraxia
• Beneath the Tangles