Best Student Coucil
A New Home
by Pedro Rodriguez
Stop me if you have heard this one: This story is a comical look at highschool life through the eyes of several Japanese girls- already? Let me start over: a group of Japanese highschool girls that fight for- What do you mean strike two? Okay, so in the past few years there have been a number of titles that have been using this formula (Azumanga Daioh, Pani Poni Dash, School Rumble), and you may think that you've seen it all. However, like its predecessors, "Best Student Council" is able to deliver a nice helping of entertainment, by being creative, witty, and most importantly funny.
The first episode is loaded with information and plot twists. Rino Rando has just enrolled at the Miyagami Private Academy about a year after her mom died. A pen pal named Mr. Poppit handled her registration and even set her up with an apartment. Unfortunately the building was burned down by an arsonist, and is only left with her mother's hand puppet, a cheeky little man name Puccan. The next day a classmate named Ayumu Oume finds her at the front gate, and later on, Rino explains the situation to her. Out of nowhere, Ayumu nominates her as the class representative. After winning the election, Ayumu explains that if you become a class representative, there is a chance of being part of the Miyagami Academy Maximum Authority-Wielding Best Student Council (Best Student Council for short). The Best Student Council is a group of girls with unique talents that ensures the safety and well-being of the students. Furthermore, the members are entitled to free room and board. As Rino makes her way to a special meeting, the episode shifts back to the subplot featuring the arsonist where several members that are involved in a chase with pyromaniac, and Rino somehow ends up in the middle of it. The council members surround the criminal, and he decides to attack Rino out of desperation. Just when he strikes, Puccan (yes the puppet) grabs the weapon in his mouth, and then punches the crap out of him even though Rino is still in shock (there's a picture of it in the screenshots, it's timeless). As things settle down, the President arrives, and decides without objection to make Rino the Council's secretary.
As the first episode comes to a close, viewers may be tempted to compare this series with another ADV title Pani Poni Dash, and though they both favor a derailed sense of humor (with some fan service added in), "Best Student Council" is a bit more toned down. In addition, unlike PPD the jokes are not always coming to you abundantly and at blinding speeds. Therefore, while PPD looks to be the more popular choice, viewers that are not looking for such a fast ride might be interested in Best Student Council.
As this wacky parade comes marching down the street, it looks like Puccan the puppet is leading the way. He has a very strange relationship with Rino. At first it looks like she is behind the voice, but as the show progresses, there are more and more issues that become unexplained. It really starts to look weird when a woman from India comes to the school and Puccan claims to know her. The previews for episode six also indicate that we will be going further into the enigma that is Puccan.
It is obvious that Puccan is the primary force, but he is not the only thing that keeps this show moving forward. Much of the success can also goes to the girls and the relationships that they have with each other. The one with the most friction is between Rino and Kaori Izumi. Kaori's frustration dates back to the first episode when our lead protagonist interrupted her pursuit of the arsonist, twice. However, she also upset by the fact that the president spends more time with Rino than with her. Still, as you get to know that Kaori, you learn that she is not all that bad, it's just that her love for the president tends to make her act hasty and irrational.
On the down side, some gags and settings can be a bit overplayed and predictable. The explanations about the Best Student Council in the first two episodes can be a little long and repetitive for some viewers. At one point, Ayumu starts talking about the president and somehow finishes talking about the benefits of being a council member; in the end, it felt more as if they were just filling time. The good news is the explanations are shorter after the second episode, and the has settled to a comfortable pace. Overall, the show does not lose any major points for it.
Once again hats off to ADV for their hard work in bringing us a well-made product. Both the staff and cast were able to localize the series while keeping the original ideas in tact. Kira Vincent Davis did an excellent job in playing both Rino and Puccan; she has played an wide range of characters in her career so she was able to hand both roles no problem. Hillary Haag (Chrono Crusade) played a very animated Kaori Izumi, which viewers will either get or not get. Someone else that stands out for better or worse is Serena Varghese (Kaleido Star's Rosetta). While this reviewer enjoyed her performance of Rein Tsunomoto, more purists might be turned off by the fact that she sounds like a living thesaurus; while some purist might look down on her, it is important to note that Yuki Matsuoka followed a very similar script, and if your own Japanese is not up to par with your English... Getting back to the product, the extras also feature clean opening and closing animation plus a modest character art gallery. With five episodes and a small sheet of stickers thrown in, it seems reasonably priced.
Given that rabid fans are going to be fixated on Pani Poni Dash, they might not be interested in another highschool comedy featuring a group of girls. Nevertheless, it's still a good buy for any fan of the genre. Furthermore if you are looking for something a bit more tone down then try this series out.
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