The class of 2-F returns just in time for the school festival. First on the agenda is a Chinese-style cafe, where the class has to serve up orders while dealing with a team of seniors that wants to shut them down. Afterward, the action picks up with a summoner tournament, where the stakes are high as the class’s equipment budget hinges on their victory,
Picking up where Season 1 of Baka and Test left off, it is time again for the zaniness and high energy that comes along with this series for a tried and true school festival. Has it been done countless times? Yes, but the fact of the matter is that, while the concept has been done before, it doesn’t mean that it is a chore to watch or that it can’t put its own little spin on this classic trope. The first episode focuses on been there done that idea of a theme based cafe. But, being that this is Baka and Test, there are some unique aspect done to the school festival. One such example is the use of Chinese style dresses instead of the standard maid or cat girl type uniform. It is not all fluffy fun as the series also throws in some dramatic elements towards the end of the episode. While the franchise as a whole handles dramatic elements well, the writers dropped the ball. A kidnapping that could have been great dramatic fodder was ruined, as it was revealed to be little more than a fake cop-out.
The second episode focuses on the summoner tournament and is easily the stronger of the two episodes. The tournament gives ways to the franchise’s signature avatar battling system which takes center stage. While this episode is more action orientated that doesn’t mean that there cannot be comedy thrown in for good measure. The humor lies in watching the two male leads use various underhanded tactics to win against much stronger teams and these scenes are quite funny. One of the better comedic moments involves Yuji, one the lead characters, being knocked out. With Yuji incapacitated Hideyoshi ends up doing some ventriloquism to convince Shōko, Yuji’s childhood friend, that if he wins the summoner tournament he will marry her.
While this is an OVA series, the art style and quality is similar to the first season. It’s colorful, cute, and appealing to look at. The music is also unchanged from the first season, and like the art style it works for the series. Much like the first season there are a few script changes to the dub which keep the meaning of the scenes but alter some of the jokes to fit better in English. The English dub is similar in quality to the Japanese dub.
The Baka and Test OVA isn’t going to the set the world on fire, but it doesn’t attempt nor aspire to either. It succeeds in being a fun way to spend on hour of the day. While having a few more episodes would have been preferred, it is still an enjoyable trip while it lasts.
