Ben-To Review

There was problems with this series getting a physical release in English and word about it getting a dub was all the way last year over a year ago. That was the first time hearing about this series for me. Time and time again I ran into either a new season or a show I wanted to check out more. This show has been on my to watch list since then, and much like some of the older shows I will soon be reviewing, this one finally I was able to watch. The question is was waiting over a year and finally getting around to it worth it for this comedy action series? So, without further ado, let’s get started.

The Plot:

One day Yo Sato is coming home one day from school, in a state of hunger he grabs for a half price bento. Unknowing he then finds himself in a battle in the supermarket for the half priced bento. The costumers battle each other for the meals. He soon learns that people take part in the bento battles are known as Wolves. Knowing that the school money for food is low he begins to take part in the battles for delicious food. He joins the school club Half Priced Food Lovers Club by one of the top fighters in the area Sen Yarizui, codename Ice Witch. The two as well as a few others compete in the battles.

The Characters: 

Yo Sato: The main protagonist of the series. He is a recent high school freshman who finds himself dragged into these bento brawls unknowingly when he broke one of the unspoken rules of the bento brawls. He also is a huge fan of Sega games which can be seen on posters in his room and some of the games he plays. Later in the series his title becomes known as the Pervert, I will not say why, but I will let you find out if you check out the series.

Sen Yarizui: She is the main heroine of the series and is the current club president of the Half Priced Food Lovers Club in her second year of high school. She is known as Ice Witch and is among one of the strongest wolves in the western territory. She at times can be a little stubborn and forgiving at times and does not hold grudges.

Ayame Shaga: She is Yo’s half-Italian cousin (since seemingly anyone with blond hair is not Japanese and it is usually stated at some point or another where they are from) She is known as the Beauty of the Lake. Much like her cousin she is an avid gamer. She however does not go to Yo and Sen’s school, but one in the eastern territory where she is among some of the strongest there. She shares a friendly rivalry with Yo and Sen.

Hana Oshiroi: She is an easily excited girl, often fantasizing about BL, which she writes about a lot. She is also a member of the Half Priced Food Lovers Club, although mostly in name and does join the bento brawls on occasions since she does not fight. Her childhood friend is Ume Shiraume, who she is clueless about the fact Ume is obsessed with her.

Overall Thoughts:

In all honesty this summer there have been a few shows that I got really into, most of them I will be reviewing. Out of them all this one I finished in less than sixteen hours, mostly because I had to go to bed after starting it and there was a break between lunch the following day. All the others were either just over twenty-four hours, or where more than one season. I am actually glad how I found it enjoyable. As of right now before the minus and bonus points are added I have to say one of the biggest downsides to this series is that there will not be a second season, the light novels ended over a year ago. At one point watching it a part of me did not want to continue knowing this fact in order to give the series time to rest. Anyway besides this the series was still enjoyable and there was no cliffhanger or anything that begged for another season other than the fact it was enjoyable. It is also apparently according to some people a series that does not get as much attention as it deserves. The plot may seem like something that would be stupid so people would naturally overlook it. But it is not that, the story although revolving around battles for food, each arc is wraps itself up in a few episodes and is done in a nice manner. It is still a pleasant series to watch and is surprising enjoyable with the premise it has.

Bonus and Minus Points:

+ There is not much in terms of fan service, so I always view that as a good thing, although the title cards at the half way point can sometimes be, although that is only one, but yeah there is little fan service throughout.

– The series feels a little short since it is only a single season and being enjoyable and wanting more can leave some a little sadden by the end.

+ The characters are rather enjoyable as well as each having their own different style of fighting.

+ The fight scenes are over exaggerated, but are pulled off well at some points, like bouncing off the ceiling or using chopsticks to block shopping baskets or the people in charge of the store thinking nothing of the fights.

– Depending how you are with long running jokes some can be tiring since there are several.

+ This series is easy to get into if you are a fan of action comedies.

+ Despite being only a season there are not really any underdeveloped stories

? Really am having trouble thinking of what is bad for this series.

– The plot is different to the point where it sounds like it would push people away

+ The plot does something different and makes something that might not sound good for a plot or something that might get stale quickly turn into something so much more.

? Good yuri and yaoi jokes and moments.

Overall Score: 90/100

I live tweet a lot when I am watching shows so I am not the only one that says this series was good and seemed to get a little attention than it should have. So I would recommend to check it out for yours to see what you think.

This series is licensed by Funimation in North America.

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As always I am curious on people’s thoughts if they have seen the series or if they are now thinking they want to watch the series. I hope you enjoyed.

– Joe