Well, I got out the first of many new additions to the Heavy Metal Otaku. Obscurus Metalus is going to become a pretty standard review series, if it gets enough positive comments & such. Today’s post is another one of the new additions I’m planning, and I’m hoping it’ll get popular. Getting back onto topic, let’s look at the very first of potential “Episode Reviews” posts, and today’s takes a look at the guilty pleasure known as Summer! Sea! Swimsuit Festival!!. Also known as Bleach 228. Let the review begin!
It’s a vacation day for the Women’s Soul Reaper Society! After their pool was destroyed (Because it was placed where it could be seen), it was decided that perhaps a trip to the world of the living would be a treat. Roping in Ichigo & his friends, not to mention some of the men from the Soul Society, it’s fun in the sun, with hot & sexy women, and plenty of goofy humor (Not to mention a little fan service) to go around. Get on your sun screen, and prepare to hang ten!
Yeah, as you can tell, this isn’t exactly a deep story. In fact, this is a typical case of Bleach filler. It doesn’t move the story forward, it doesn’t more the characters forward (Or backwards, in some cases), and in general doesn’t have any substance. This episode takes up space, plain & simple. If you despise filler, then you’re not going to like this!
Overall Mood
Despite the filler nature of this episode, I loved the overall nature of this episode. It’s not serious, dramatic, or overly dark in anyway. Summer! Sea! Swimsuit Festival!! is the kind of filler episode you watch when you want to laugh & smile. It’s the kind of filler you watch when you want to have a good time, and enjoy a lighter side to the characters of the show. You can’t go wrong if this is what you want.
Characters
Despite the presence of the male characters (Ichigo, Renji, etc), Summer! Sea! Swimsuit Festival!! is not the episode you watch for them. No, you watch this episode for the women. This doesn’t advance their character in any way, shape, or form. You’re watching this episode for the looks, and the fan-service that is surprisingly well placed. You got the typical swimsuit tropes (Cleavage, form-fitting clothing, etc), but there’s some more lighthearted dirty moments here & there, and even something a little on the.....adult side of things. To spoil it would be to ruin the last few minutes of the episode. Suffice it to say, if you aren’t laughing your ass off, then something is wrong with you.
Animation
In a slight change of pace, 228 has a more colorful look about it. Considering that this is a beach episode, you expect to see more color around. There’s a distinct lack of gloom in this episode (There’s a certain kind of gloom in certain episodes), and instead a more palatable look & feel as been put in place: the beach is bright & tropical, the water of the ocean looked like something you’d fine in the Caribbean, and the various patterns & colors of the swimsuits is striking & lovely. If you want an episode of Bleach that’s a little more charming in terms of appearance, then Summer! Sea! Swimsuit Festival!! is for you!
Final Opinion & Rating
The filler nature of Summer! Sea! Swimsuit Festival!! is perhaps the biggest detriment to it being a memorable episode. Filler is always something that can hurt an anime, and Bleach is definitely no exception. That said, filler can be good once in a while, and this episode (At least for me) is a nice example of a filler episode. You got a typical filler story, but it’s filled with the typical Bleach tropes, yet at the same time those tropes are more laid back than usual. If you need the kind of filler that won’t waste your time, then this might be for you.
Summer! Sea! Swimsuit Festival!! gets a 7.5 out of 10.
Hope you liked the this first example of “Episode Reviews”. Leave enough comments about what you thought & what I can do to improve things, and maybe I can doing more reviews like these a little more often. The next post will take a little more longer to do, but trust me when I say it’ll be worth the wait. See you then!
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