Ben-to – 1

Well I decided to pick Ben-to up after hearing a few reviews and seeing a few screenshots. From what I’ve heard it seemed really interesting. So why not pick up another on-going show in my list of 7 other animes I’m in the middle of watching!

Summary

This episode starts off with a guy in the middle of a deli floor, beaten up and bleeding; all he says is “Where’s my bento?” then there’s a sudden camera jump to some girl’s legs. Hmm I like this already. After that the guy who got beaten up tells how normal his past was in a series of flashbacks, he gets up from the floor and starts walking out of the grocery store while seeing the grocery store’s shelves are empty.

Looks like the grocery store on the week of thanksgiving...

Eventually he sees some girl with silver hair who mouths something to him from outside the grocery store glass. While walking out he faints after thinking some perverted thoughts. A great way to go out if you ask me!

The ambulance picks him up then it comes to a scene of him walking to school. Turns out this was the before his first day of high school, I know right? Wish my first day was that interesting. Well while walking from the hospital to school some meganekko hiding behind a light pole reveals our protagonist’s name is Satou.

Making a long story short his meganekko knows Satou through the grocery store (which he doesn’t remember much of). Unfortunately Satou doesn’t remember her so she starts crying but then she says “So you’re a man without a past?!” and instantly gets super excited. Yeah <_< so much going on…

The meganekko and Satou get to school then Satou sees the silver haired girl who mouthed something to him earlier carrying some garbage. Satou eventually remembers then the meganekko gets stolen by some girl with long black hair.

Welp there she goes... she gonna get raped.

The silver haired girl then recognizes him and asks him for help through putting one of the trash bags in his face, even though there’s trash in his face Satou agrees. While walking to the trash bins Satou deduces through the silver haired girl’s uniform scarf that she’s a year above him. It’s also revealed that she’s part of a club which one though isn’t shown.

When Satou brings up seeing her on the other side of the grocery store’s window then she tells him to never go there again. Ominous huh?

Bringing it back to the black haired girl that stole the meganekko it turns out she’s the president of Satou’s class and her name is Shiraume. During the first day of class she volunteered to be the president of the class and won by default I suppose.

It looks like Shiraume has the hots for the meganekko whose name turns out to be Hana Oshiori. I say has the hots for because when Satou accidentally implies he and Oshiori did something together he gets a big smack across the face.

For being so oblivious... he deserved it.

The scene then transitions to Satou explaining that he goes to a private high school, so he lives within the high school’s dorm rooms. The dorms only serve breakfast but not lunch and dinner so the students have to scavenge for their own food. Since Satou is just a high school student buying his own food is pretty difficult for him.

Well Satou then decides to go contrary to the silver haired girl’s advice and comes back to the grocery store. Oshiori seems excited to see what’s going to happen next. Yeah… this can’t end well. So the silver haired girl passes him and tells him, “You shouldn’t have come here” while Satou stands by.

Looks like Satou is gonna get another ass beating!

After that ominous encounter Satou becomes overjoyed by the half-off price on the bento some employee put out. He jumps for it then gets his ass beaten down again… You think he’d learn. He again faints only to see the silver haired girl’s legs. I guess she was the one that knocked him out from the beginning. Some other dude whose fainting along with Satou calls her “The Ice Witch.”

That's one tasty Ice Witch...

After getting knocked in the head Satou remembers what happened last time he was at the grocery store, he got his ass beat by The Ice Witch. Then he’s awaken by the buff store employee that explains everything to Satou. Turns out why everyone’s fighting for is some half priced bento.

I suppose the best way to explain it is that it’s a fighting tournament and the prize is some half priced bento. It also turns out that The Ice Witch owns that “territory” the grocery store is in which is why Satou keeps getting beaten up by her. Hearing this Satou but he just accepts the madness and goes home with Oshiori.

The next scene then shows Satou in class, he’s confronted by Shiraume and asked what his relationship with Oshiori is. Satou is confused by her question and tells her so. He then gets slapped continuously…

I'm kinda jelly of Satou. Looks like it hurts soooo goooooooood.

Then some weirdo otaku looking nerd puts his hand on Satou and gives him a nod of approval. Dammit a character I can relate to. Afterwards Satou decides to go to the same grocery store he got his ass beaten in not once but twice with Oshiori. What is wrong with you Satou?!?!

Well it turns out Satou goes there simply to see what’s going on there, so rather than running towards the bento he studies what’s happening. The employee eventually comes out to put some half price stickers on the bento then leaves, everyone then goes berserk.

Now this is some Extreme Couponing!

Satou at first is shocked while Oishiori admires everyone else beating the crap out of each other. Overwhelmed by hunger Satou decides to go for the bento but he almost gets defeated by some other guys when the Ice Witch comes in to save him. Well sorta, after she gets the guys who were attacking Satou down she and some others totally kick his ass.

The Ice Witch makes sure not to leave before telling Satou he’s weak and if he expects to get some half off bento he should visit her club. Worth it? Well just to get close to her I think so! After credits Satou does visit the club which is named Half-Priced Food Lovers Club. The Ice Witch then introduces herself as Sen Yarizui.

So ends episode 1 of Ben-to!

 Thoughts

This episode of Ben-to made a very good first impression on me. At first I was curious to see how this sort of ridiculousness would play out since I knew tidbits of the storyline such as Satou getting beaten down by a mob for some lunch. So far I think it’s playing out very well.

Satou is funny since he has very little perception and is pretty perverted, this leaves a lot of room for character growth. The meganekko Oshiori seems normal enough but she loves to see men fight although isn’t much of a fighter herself, she’s also viciously protected by Shiraume. Shiraume has the same aura of the Ice Witch Yarizui, she’s in control and protects only what she wants (Oshiori lol), everything else seems irrelevant to her. Then last but certainly not least Sen Yarizui or the Ice Witch, elegant but deadly, she is the strong Japanese woman who fights for half-priced bento not for the half-priced bento itself but for the glory of battle! Or maybe… it is for the bento.

These characters are all unique in their own way and have a lot of dynamic to them. It’s going to be very interesting to see how they interact with each other through out the series. So character wise so far I give this a top grade!

As for the storyline thus far it seems really questionable but then again Ben-to doesn’t take itself seriously so it’s oddly acceptable. Seeing a whole mob of people battling it out for some half-priced lunch seems ridiculous but after some explanations it becomes understandable. Either that or I’m just charmed by the thought of people battling it out in the middle of a grocery store. Still if that charm exists this anime shouldn’t be too bad.

I think there are many laughs to be had in Ben-to, as for whether or not I should (or it wants me to) take it seriously is another question. Within the first episodes so many questions arose and a couple of them were answered. Still there’s the question of why does everyone decide bento is the thing to be fighting for rather than anything else? Also how will Satou’s training from Yarizui The Ice Witch go? Will we see some awesome yuri from Shiraume and Oshiori?

I guess we’ll have to find out later! Till then I’ll just get started watching some of the other seven animes I’ve been working on ^^