Super Gals! Vol. 1: Gals Gotta Have Heart 2001 ADV Films Official Japanese Website Buy It Now

Super Gals is one of those series that when I first saw the preview, I had no idea exactly what to expect. Sure, my wife certainly did, groaning in disbelief and asking aloud, "Why do kogeru have their own anime?" Certainly, I have no real answer on this one. Marketing? It seemed like a good idea at the time? Anime creators had nothing better to do? There's plenty of answers, none of them legitimate of course, but I could sit for hours and come up with some reasoning behind it, but the truth is, I have no idea. Super Gals though is in a league all its own, and is one of the most unique looking, and certainly strange premises that I've come across in quite a while.

The plot of this series . . . well, that's a difficult one indeed. Super Gals doesn't' have one of those definite plots going for it. Despite the title, it isn't about girls trying to save Tokyo from super villains, nor is it about women trying to learn the ways of piloting a mecha in order to stop an evil menace from the stars. No, Super Gals is about life itself, and you'll get a chance to live vicariously through three Japanese high-school girls. There's Ran Kotoboki, the "leader" of the group who is much more interesting in finding guys, getting her nails done, shopping, and just about anything else instead of things like studies. Ran has two friends as well, Miyu Yamazaki, someone who is very similar to how Ran thinks, though not quite as wild, and then Aya Hoshino, the good girl that Ran has decided to have join up with their group instead of going out on subsidized dates.

So, you're probably wondering just what sort of adventures three Japanese girls could have in Tokyo, or more specifically, Shibuya. There's plenty actually. At the start of the series, it's just Ran and Miyu, but due to Ran discovering what Aya is up to, her whole "dating" scheme, they get one more added into their group. Most of the time, Ran is chasing after guys, GL's to be more exact, but with limited success. Miyu on the other hand already has her boyfriend, Ran's brother Yamada who also happens to be a cop, just like everyone else in Ran's family, although it's a desire that she doesn't have. Aya on the other hand, she's a bit shy, something that makes her cute of course.

Most of the episodes are self-contained to an extent, although they occasionally reference something from earlier on. Ran's obsession though is a high school grand prix champion who all the girls are after: Rei Otohata, but he wants nothing to do with her. However, his friend, Yuya, is completely obsessed with Ran, but since he came in second place that seems to be his lot in life, as Ran lets him know repeatedly by called him "Second Place" (or "ni" in Japanese.)

So, that's pretty much the whole idea. It's just a slice of life series that is completely out of control. This isn't necessarily a serious piece at all. You've got plenty of mild girl fighting violence, outrageous antics, and of course, comedy. Ah, but there's a few things that make this a little different. First off, there is slang, plenty of slang that is very exclusive to the life of the kogeru. Now, Ran and her friends aren't necessarily of the kogeru brand, and instead are more of the kogal type, but the idea is there. If you've never actually seen a kogeru, they're quite a frightening creature to behold. Most of us men, and some women, know that for the most part, Japanese girls are cute, but the kogeru are much different. They have bleach blond hair, skin that is tanned far beyond what should be allowed by law, tons of make-up that just looks horrible, and are just scary. It's a fad from a few years back, and one that fortunately is starting to fade out, but there are still a few of their number that exist to this day. You'll see a few of them pop up in the series, and yes, there are actually ones that wear blue wigs. Mainly though, it's to teach all of us about their slang, and from what I'm told, even native Japanese really don't have a clue as to what they are talking about.

The animation itself doesn't fit one certain style. On one hand, ran and her friends are done in a more elongated style, sort of like Lupin. The backgrounds are occasionally replaced with patterns, and even the characters sometimes go from being what passes as normal for the series to being a bit more simplistic, depending of course on the situation and their mood. It's very strange, but easy to grasp what's going on, and I would assume, done for the original Japanese viewers that probably have no idea about this strange lifestyle.

Some of the extras on the disc you expect, others are a bit more exclusive to the series. There's the clean open and close, and you knew that would be there, it just has to be. There's also a feature called The Super Gals Explain it all, giving you more information on the slang and cultural references of the series. Also included is a poster, this one featuring the Gal herself, Ran, backed with plenty more notes on the slang and some other information that, trust me, you're going to miss along the way.

As I mentioned, Super Gals really doesn't fit into any one real place when it comes to anime, and it's very special, but not like the short yellow bus kind. It's one of those things that you're either going to love, or you're going to hate, and I don't think that there is really going to be any middle ground on this one, or people saying, "Yeah, I kind of like it." My wife, well, being originally from Japan, she just finds the whole thing annoying, but as for myself, I'm a bit fascinated by it, even thought I really shouldn't be. At least give the Gals a try before writing them off, they might surprise you.

Episode 1 - The Worlds Greatest Gal! ♥ Go! Go! → Ran Kotoboki
 
Meet Ran, Shibuya's number one gal, at least she believes that she is. Her and Miyu are the best of friends, but there's always room for one more, and it looks like Aya may be the next member of Shibuya's own Super Gals.

Episode 2 - Shibuya ♥ Thrilling! → The Great Dragnet!

In an effort to get his daughter more interested in becoming a police officer, Ran's father offers her a slight exchange. If she'll catch criminals in the Shibuya area, he'll reward her with money, once she reaches her goal of course. But, when someone is posing as Ran and shaking down businessmen for their cash, she's out to clear up her good name.

Episode 3 - A Girl's Feelings ♥ Hearts Pounding →  Red Streak

Miyu has herself a stalker. One of her classmates has a crush on her and will do anything to be with her. That's where Ran comes in though, and is prepared to stick up for her friend no matter what.

Episode 4 - Have It? ♥ Don't Have It? →  Luck With Guys!

It looks like Ran's bad luck streak with GL's might finally be over. She's found herself an awesome guy, and everything seems to be ideal for her. The thing that ran doesn't know is, he's been paid off to date her, and there may be some bodily harm involved in the whole dating scenario as well.

Episode 5 - Heart ♥ Pieces → Is It Over With Aya!?

Aya's grades are slipping, and there seems to be one major cause of it, and that's Ran. She decides that it's time that they went their separate ways, but not before Ran has her final say, and it may be just the thing that Aya needs.

-mike-