B Gata H Kei: Yamada’s First Time | A Review
You Too Can Bag Your Very Own Cherry Boy
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Animation / Comedy
Release Date: January 20, 2010
Available on: Crunchyroll
In, “B Gata H Kei Yamada’s First Time” we are introduced to Yamada, a cocky and confident high school girl who aspires to sleep with 100 different guys. The problem is this is easier said than done. To make the challenge even greater she wants her first time to be with a “cherry boy” (virgin). She finds her cherry boy, Kosuda, in a local bookstore and from there we follow her awkward attempts to seduce him. It doesn’t take long to realize that Yamada is quite conceited but does not possess the abilities she thinks she has. Even though she is quite attractive she finds it somewhat hard to seal the deal with Kosuda.
The brilliance of the show stems from the unconventional nature of the characters. Usually you have the guy trying to get the girl but B Gata H Kei flips the script and instead we have the egocentric yet charismatic Yamada looking to get the guy. Kosuda is a willing victim in all of this but similar to what you would see in real life they are just nervous inexperienced kids. They have no idea what to do or how to deal with their feelings. However, their bunglesome attempts to have relations are largely humorous.
The show is very funny and sweet. The main cast is great but the supporting cast is wonderful as well. Yamada will consult her friends to try to get pointers on how to get with Kosuda. There are other characters as well such as Kosuda’s big bosomed childhood friend Miyano who is just as maladroit as Kosuda when it comes to the opposite sex.
I was blown away by how culturally relevant some of the references and lingo were. Some sayings I’d never even heard of, such as, “Two pump chump,” so I really have to hand it to the writers for keeping the show interesting and fresh. The animation is full of visual gags such as the “Ogre Brand” condoms, tissues and anything else dirty you can come up with. The characters show a wide range of emotions which also enhances the comedy. The animation was fitting and I enjoyed the overall look of the show.
I usually watch my anime subbed but for some reason I found myself watching the English dub and it was excellent. Brittney Karbowski does an admirable job as Yamada. Scott Freeman also sells the awkward cherry boy aspect of his character. In fact every role in the show seemed to be well done.
There aren’t many complaints I have about the show except that it ended too soon. It was so good I wanted additional episodes. But I suppose it is better to go out leaving the audience wanting more than less. In any case I was pleasantly surprised by this semi raunchy high school comedy. I’d recommend it to most anyone who’s not easily offended by this type of humor.
