Familiarity Breeds Happiness
- Episodes : 12
- Genre : Comedy, Magic, Parody, School, Slice of Life
- Airing Date : April 2018 – July 2018
- Producers : Studio Comet
Contains Spoilers
Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei Bu Happy Kiss! (Cute High Earth Defense Club Happy Kiss!) Introduction and Story
With a new set of magical boys taking center stage, Studio Comet is back with a spin-off of Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu LOVE! Even if the Earth Defense Club's members may be different, the parody anime's premise and style of humor remain chiefly unchanged from its previous incarnation. As before, the five heroes end up running into a magical creature, this time named Karls, who bestows them with the power to spread happiness, while the domineering student council is recruited by Karls' fearful brother Furanui. With both aliens contending for the right to take over Honyala Land's throne, the Earth Defense Club must prove that happiness beats fear!
Why You Should Watch Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei Bu Happy Kiss! (Cute High Earth Defense Club Happy Kiss!)
1. Music For The Soul
This might be a weird place to start, but Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu Happy Kiss!'s opening and closing themes are fantastic! Overflowing with cool imagery and backed by infectious tracks, this is one of those series we recommend not skipping the intro or outro to. As a parody of the magical girl genre, some of the funniest gags can be found within the opening and ending. If nothing else, Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu Happy Kiss! begins and finishes with a bang! On a slightly related note, the “Are You Happy?” transformation song is also quite good.
2. Charmingly Safe
By definition, a spin-off should take a brand in a new direction. There is no reason for the creators to follow the blueprint established by the main series. Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu Happy Kiss! opts to stick relatively close to its predecessor, with the story being a near carbon copy of Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu LOVE!
Should this be seen as a negative? Well, it depends on whether someone is searching for a fresh or familiar experience. Formulaic to a fault, each episode of Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu Happy Kiss! boils down to the student council transforming an angry student into a monster, leading to a battle with the Earth Defence Club. After a transformation scene and a bit of banter, the heroes introduce the villain to a world of happiness. Luckily, the characters are charming enough to make this pattern fun.
3. Magical Boys
Obviously, it is impossible to not compare the anime's five heroic teenagers with Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu LOVE!'s Earth Defense Club. Besides being dressed in far uglier magical costumes, the spin-off's core cast is not quite as entertaining as its ancestor. Nevertheless, the characters are still funny and endearing. Studio Comet resisted the urge to just copy and paste the original five's personalities, as the new members are clearly their own people.
Why You Should Skip Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei Bu Happy Kiss! (Cute High Earth Defense Club Happy Kiss!)
1. Same Old Song And Dance
Even though the basic formula works well enough, Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu Happy Kiss! struggles to escape its predecessor's shadow. Simply put, Studio Comet's spin-off lacks the punch of the original due to the fact that we have already experienced a variant of most of the anime's running gags. A magical transformation sequence with guys instead of girls? Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu LOVE! did it. Abstract monsters whose problems generally amount to senpai not noticing them? Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu Happy Kiss! nearly never treads any virgin ground.
2. Missed Opportunity
While the Earth Defense Club consists of mostly likable dudes who are distinctive enough from the previous members to be interesting, Studio Comet missed an opportunity to center the series around the far more engaging student council. Consisting of three members, the anime's high points coincide with a shift in focus to Ata, Taiju, and Maasa. Considering this is a spin-off, why not take a chance and switch the roles of the club members and the student council? Even if the latter had to remain the antagonists, there is no reason that Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu Happy Kiss! could not have been from their perspective.
Final Thoughts
For those new to the franchise, Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu LOVE! is definitely a better place to start, although prior knowledge of the Earth Defense Club is not required to enjoy the spin-off. Fans of Studio Comet's series should feel right at home with Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu Happy Kiss!, but we recommend limiting one's expectations!
Did you agree with our review? Is Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei Bu Happy Kiss a worthwhile spin-off? Please let us know in the comments below!
Author: Mark Sammut
