Battle Girls: Time Paradox – Review

Battle Girls: Time Paradox isn't going to make you think and it's not going to make you cry. Okay, so the premise of this show is basically "famous Sengoku warriors as sexy women." Sounds a lot like Samurai Girls, doesn't it? The difference is, Battle Girls actually keeps its fanservice rather restrained. The plot revolves around a modern-day middle school girl Hideyoshi, who is mysteriously hurled into a world resembling the warring states period of Japanese history, only this time it's inhabited only by women.
Do not expect any tactical genius, or any magnificent fight scenes between two warriors. It is not that kind of anime. There are some fight scenes, but they are more shounen style than realistic. There is also magic. There's a lot of familiarity to what goes on here as it does follow the genre fairly well, but it's in the execution of it that it works. The characters of Battle Girls are very simplistic in nature. Nobunaga desires conquest, Shingen and Kenshen just want a good fight, Yoshimoto wants entertainment, Akerin wants to be loved by Nobunaga, and Tokunyan has a clear subversive motive which I will not spoil here.

It's hard to stop comparing Battle Girls to Sailor Moon as it really feels like a classic 90s show. The story is told in a straightforward and convincing fashion. The characters are clearly defined and well established. The story is Inuyasha or Fushugi Yugi (they were the same anime, boys watched inuyahsa and girls watch fushugi) and this one is definitely made for boys. Considering the leader of the back in time group has a suit of armor that doesn't even cover her breasts leaving her far too exposed for a warrior. Its not even in her character to dress that way, she just does!

There are some funny moments where our protagonist try's to get service for her cell in feudal japan, and when she agrees to help the feudal girls find a magic suit of armor because in the modern world she was a fan of fashion. If this comedy is continued further on into the series than it might be salvageable, but the fanservice needs to be toned back or we'll just end up with another High School of the Dead. I've seen enough anime to have a general grasp of what happens in anime with large groups of women doing random acts, but even so, I was often surprised by the events of Battle Girls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjIFCBG3GKA
I mentioned earlier that Hideyoshi has a rather polarizing character type. Although this kind of cutesy/clumsy girl can be endearing at first, she also runs the risk of getting stuck in a moe rut and becoming entirely extraneous. Overall, I would recommend this anime. There is a bit of filler that I definitely could have done without, but for the most part, it follows a central plot of a journey and has a sweet character development. This isn't a show for everyone. Those who don't like simple, slick stories or clumsy moe characters will likely find Battle Girls a tad too bitter for their tastes. In the end, it's not too shabby and a series worth your time if it fits your mold.

The real Battle Girls are here ...

ABBY POBLADOR