"Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts" (2010) "Baka to tesuto to shoukanjuu" (original title), TV series 2010-

Director:

Shin Onuma

Writers:

Katsuhiko Takayama (screenplay)
Kenji Inoue (original story)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

6 January 2010 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Cast

Jamie Marchi

...

Shouko Kirishima (13 episodes, 2010)

Series Directed by
Terri Doty		(13 episodes, 2010)
Shin Onuma		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Jamie Marchi		(2 episodes, 2010)
Kenji Inoue		(unknown episodes)
Katsuhiko Takayama		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Kousuke Nakanishi		(unknown episodes)

Series Production Management
Hideaki Muraoka	....	assistant production manager (2 episodes, 2010)

Series Art Department
Miyuki Kibata	....	color designer (unknown episodes)

Series Special Effects by
Ayumi Kamo	....	digital works: D-Station (unknown episodes)
Eri Ohtsuka	....	digital works: D-Station (unknown episodes)
Kazu Sato	....	digital works: D-Station (unknown episodes)
Yasuyo Yaegashi	....	digital works: D-Station (unknown episodes)

Series Animation Department
Miwa Oshima	....	character designer (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Cospa
• Lantis
• Media Factory
• Silver Link
• T.O Entertainment

Distributors

• AT-X (2010) (Japan) (TV)
• FUNimation Entertainment (2010) (USA) (all media)
• FUNimation Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (DVD)
• TV Aichi (2010) (Japan) (TV)
• TV Osaka (2010) (Japan) (TV)
• TV Tokyo (2010) (Japan) (TV)

Special Effects

• D-Station (digital works)

Other Companies

• C-Station  second key animation
• Hangzhou Flying Dragon Cartoon  animation finishing
• MSJ  animation finishing
• Studio Road  animation finishing

Also Known As:

"Baka to tesuto to shoukanjuu" - Japan (original title)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

South Korea:15 | USA:TV-14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (VHS/DVD rating) | UK:12 | Australia:M

Company:

Cospa

Movie Connections:

Followed by Baka to tesuto to shôkanjû: Matsuri (2011) (V)

Enjoyable if somewhat silly high school anime

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

At the Fumizuki Academy the standard of equipment a class gets is dependent on test results so the top students in Class A have the most comfortable chairs and a fully equipped classroom and the idiots in Class F have furniture which is so shoddy that it falls apart after a couple of episodes and they are left sitting on the floor and using boxes as desks. In order to encourage the lower classes to improve and to keep higher classes on their toes one class can challenge another to a test where the winner gets the losers furniture. These aren't usual tests; the students summon avatars to battle for them although the strengths of these avatars are related to the strength of those summoning them. The people in Class F are determined to acquire Class A's equipment although before doing that they battle against each of the other classes first. To the other classes surprise Class F doesn't demand a change of equipment when they win... is this because they are truly idiots or is it part of a greater plan to beat Class A.

This was a pretty silly series, but that didn't stop it from being fun, the characters in Class F were a good laugh and they aren't quite as stupid as they seem, one of them should really be in Class A but she panicked in her exam and failed. Other members of the class include a class representative who is trying to avoid the attentions of a Class A girl, a boy who everybody things is a girl and a boy who is constantly trying to get inappropriate photos of any girl. The last might suggest there is excessive fan service but in reality there isn't too much, although some people might be disturbed by the protagonist Akihisa's sister who seems a little too close to him for his liking. I liked the basic story although think it would have been better without the whole summoning of avatars thing and just had the students compete against each other.

The subtitled version of whole series can currently be watched legally on line at Funimation's YouTube channel so I'd recommend checking it out there, I believe a second series has been commissioned and if so I look forward to seeing it.