I still think this is the best comedy anime airing at the moment.
But the best part about T&B? It’s actually about something. The anime just doesn’t shove a bunch of high school students into a single room and ask them to make countless self-referential jokes. Why do I prefer situational comedies more? Well, even when the comedy fails to deliver the laughs, at least there’s a plot to follow.
This week, however, T&B delivers more than just plot. Oh sure, this episode is the definition of filler, but that doesn’t mean the entire episode is necessarily a lost cause. It was always peculiar to me how Sky High was the number one hero but he rarely got any screen time. Well, this week is his story.
Sky High had fallen out of the limelight ever since Barnaby subdued Jake Martinez. Even worse, his feelings of inadequacy are starting to affect his performance. In the latest Hero TV, Dragon Kid and Origami Cyclone farmed all the points. As for Sky High?
Well, that’s not a pretty sight, but instead of confiding in his fellow colleagues, Sky High turns to a taciturn girl he randomly meets on a park bench.
The unnamed girl never utters more than a single word to Sky High, but our oblivious hero pours his heart out to her anyway. Eventually, he falls in love with the woman even though the only thing she ever says is “No.” Without context, that would sound kinda creepy.
Meanwhile, Kotetsu and Barnaby have become the latest craze. As a result, their boss busies them with interviews and embarrassing photo shoots.
During an interview with a group of kids, Barnaby reveals more about his parents. They were involved in robotics with the hope that their research would one day assist mankind. Uh oh, you can tell where this is going.
After one particularly angsty storytelling session with Sky High, our quiet girl is leaves with a strange man by the name of Rotwang (*snort*). When they drive by a sign featuring Kotetsu and Barnaby, she goes haywire. Kotetsu and Barnaby just happen to be on the scene, but they are unable to subdue the girl.
At first, they thought she was just another NEXT, but Rotwang shows up and explains to Barnaby that the young girl is an android. Barnaby soon recognizes Rotwang as one of his parents’ former colleagues. Oddly enough, Barnaby stands idly by to listen to Rotwang’s story the android is beating the tar out of his partner. So much for their new found teamwork!
As Kotetsu and the girl fight, her human shell starts to fall off. She eventually defeats a depleted Kotetsu and flies off into the sky. Barnaby gives chases, but Sky High suddenly interrupts him and requests that he be allowed to take down the renegade android. Sky High sadly has no idea who he’s fighting.
Sky High emerges victorious, and with this new accomplishment, his attitude also perks up. So he buys a bouquet of flowers, waltzes himself out to that familiar park bench, and starts waiting. Cue the ED.
Meanwhile, Kotetsu wonders why his power has been running out so quickly as of late. An old friend calls him out to lunch to deliver some ominous news: some NEXTs will eventually lose their powers.
I half-expected Sky High to look deep into the android’s eyes and reach out to her or some corny nonsense in their fight scene. You’ve seen it in other stories when someone goes nuts. A loved one will always have to pull him or her back from the brink. Surprisingly, T&B didn’t opt for this cliched route; instead, Sky High gets to live in a zero sum world where a lucky break is always followed by an equal tragedy. Still, why does he get to have both a pathetic and depressing side story? It’s also too bad that other than Kotetsu’s fading powers, the anime will never bring up the events of this episode ever again.
Sad face dot jay pee gee. His face is all like okay.jpg + imokaywiththis.jpg, but then the viewer is like qq.gif:
fyi,
BROSKI YOU KILLED YOUR WOMAN
Don’t be too sure on this story not surfacing later. After all they did pull that invisible Blue Rose stalker from previous episodes
Well, you’re right — the robots may return, but I really meant more Sky High’s sad sack love story. Will he ever realize he fell in love with a robot? Probably not.
“I still think this is the best comedy anime airing at the moment.”
Ah well, different strokes for different folks a guess. For me it’s Nichijou.
I’ve sworn myself off any show with a cast of wacky high school girls doing cute, wacky things.
Man, you’re right. Feels bad.
Still, why does he get to have both a pathetic and depressing side story?
T&B built him up to be untouchable and untarnished, of course the writers were going to savor the feeling of bringing a good man down. Joking aside, I felt really bad for Keith. He’s the very definition of a superhero, he’s constantly on the watch and is an good guy all around. But at the same time, he lives a lonely life and probably never had anyone to talk to about his worries for various reasons.
Geez, just talking about it is depressing. :(
Especially when you consider the treatment that the girls on the show got; their stories weren’t remotely depressing. We really don’t know anything about Kotetsu yet, but Barnaby’s parents were murdered and Ivan failed to help his friend during a robbery so the friend went to prison. Makes you wonder what they’re gonna do when it gets around to Mad Bull? Is it gonna turn out he gave his family mad cow disease and thus he’s been a loner all this time? Karina’s problem? Boo hoo, being a hero isn’t rewarding like being an idol.
It’s almost peculiar in a way that they would loft such soft ball problems at the two girls to deal with, but the guys are all facing serious problems. But the last time I insinuated sexism in T&B, people jumped down my throat!
But the last time I insinuated sexism in T&B, people jumped down my throat!
Man, the way people react to things is just bizarre. Most of the time when posts like that come up people accuse the poster of ‘reading too much into it’.
I’m actually really attached to the ‘girls’ in T&B and none of them are getting the attention they deserve (which is a shame because they’re great supporting characters). Also, look at how Nathan is treated. Apparently he owns his own company but you never hear about it ever again. Well, damn.
Karina’s problem? Boo hoo, being a hero isn’t rewarding like being an idol.
And ‘I have the hots for an older man!’. I like her but come on.
People tend to whitewash anything they enjoy. Plus, refusing to acknowledge any possibility that sexism exists is just classic stonewalling.
http://stonewallchampions.org/
I bet they are stonewalling champions. (Just the first hit in Google for stonewall champions… for some reason)
I found this really good for a filler episode. And yeah, it was about time to have an episode focusing on Sky High. While it is a bit depressing for Sky High, I’m glad that this episode didn’t take the easy and more cliched way out, as you alluded to.
Strongly agree with you that it’s best for a comedy to be about something because that something can help out when the jokes just aren’t clicking (for example, with Nichijou, I’m either amused or bored; no other possibility is there, really).
I consider Tiger and Bunny more of an action-drama than a comedy, but hey, if it’s the anime you find the most amusing right now, I can’t blame you for calling it a comedy, lol. ;) I myself often chuckle at certain scenes in it.
Oh, I dunno, I feel the thing T&B does best is comedy. The drama is too silly to take seriously and the action doesn’t exactly wow me.
This episode of T &B was downright Grecian. Sky High’s fall from grace, highlighting his flaws, and the tragic irony of knowing his girlfriend was a robot all made me flash back to reading Oedipus and Antigone. The only difference is, Sky High never found out, which almost makes it sadder.
Still, while sad it was pretty funny that Sky High would fall in love with a monosyllabic robot. It seems to fit with his milquetoast personality.
Man, you must be far behind in your anime watching to have just seen this episode just now.
The only thing missing from your Greek analogy is Sky High actually trying to escape his fate. Tragic heroes always hear some ominous prediction and swear it’ll never come true. Sky High, on the other hand, is just too damn oblivious.
I’m liking the recent turn in T&B. The last two episodes have been extremely solid. Speaking of which, there’s one coming up tomorrow.
Yeah, I went on vacation right as the last season was ending. So by the time I got back I had the episodes left to finish Spring AND all the new summer shows pouring out. I generally don’t have time to watch during the week thanks to summer classes, so most of it got pushed to the weekend by which time ANOTHER week of new shows had started to come out. Then A Dance with Dragons the 5th book of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin came out sooooo I’ve been trying to juggle a few things at once. The good news: I’m 400 pages into ADWD. The bad news: There’s still 500 pages to go and I’m 2 weeks behind on anime.