I Just Thought You Should Know That There’s an Anime Series About a Girl Playing in Shady Golf Matches To Take Care of Orphans
This is NOT the golf girls' story I had in mind
Spoilers for Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story episode one
When the spring anime season started I wrote that Fanfare of Adolescence was one of the most wonderfully ridiculous sports anime I’d seen. With its pop idol turned jockey premise and “there’s no heterosexual explanation for this” moment in the first episode, I didn’t think anything else would top it in “what the hell did I just watch?”
Then I was reminded of Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story, a series I went into for two reasons, 1) sports anime, and 2) sports anime WITH GIRLS. I didn’t even watch a trailer, I just looked at the poster and decided to dive right in. In hindsight, I probably should’ve read the synopsis, but honestly? I think it was more hilariously enjoyable because I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.
Synopsis
Eve is an underground golfer who supports poor street orphans with the money she makes from illegal golfing matches. But her life is about to change forever when she meets a young golfer who’s just arrived from Japan …
Do it for the orphans at the bar
Okay. So um. That synopsis escalated quickly, huh?
By looking at the poster, I’d assumed that this would be a story about girls trying to make a name for themselves in the golf world, maybe with a few “women aren’t focused on as much as men” athletic hurdles to face. At most, I expected Eve to be the underdog with the amazing potential who isn’t “like the other girls” because she didn’t get prestigious training. She gives off a “rough around the edges” vibe on the poster compared to the other main focal point, Aoi.
That could still be the case, after all, I’ve only watched one episode, but I was still completely taken off guard when that first episode revealed that Eve is an underground golfer??? She takes part in these uber illegal matches for cash, going so far as to pose as other golfers who hire her to place at a certain spot in matches they themselves can’t do.
Why does Eve do this? Well, because she’s helping out a bar owner and a group of orphans so they don’t have to live on the street. Did I mention the part with the corrupt cops that keep harassing the bar owner? There’s even a sepia tone music video in the middle of the episode to REALLY hit on the “Eve’s got it rough, but she’s in it for the kids” plot of the series. I’m not exaggerating. We get an insert song and shots of Eve just … hanging out by graffiti-covered walls in sepia tone. It’s fantastically over-the-top.
Don’t worry, the ridiculous sports anime tropes are still there
The plot itself starts to go in a direction you expect out of a sports anime when Eve meets Aoi. See, Eve’s only in golf for the money, but Aoi respects the sport as is. This wouldn’t mean much to Eve except for the fact that Aoi has a killer shot that surpasses her own. I predict that, eventually, Eve will start to see the joy in golf or whatever (by being shipped with Aoi, because that’s just how sports anime do).
Before that, the anime never really gives you a chance to come down from the “LOL WHAT” of underground golf and opponents wearing jester masks. That’s because it has to take a moment to show off just how good at golf Eve is. Complete with a flashback of a young Eve being pushed to the breaking point with golf, her golf swing is treated like a gunshot – and even does the impossible by zipping between train cars. Who her trainer was, we’re not sure, but considering the “we live on the other side of the tracks” narrative it could be, like, her father, or some guy who took an orphaned Eve in and showed her the ways of hustling folks out of their golf money. LOL, what a time to be a sports anime fan!
With a cry of “Direct Shot, Blue Bullet,” Eve (with some glorious rainbow-colored animation) ricochets the golf ball off a rake to get on the green. Because nothing says “sports anime” like dramatic animation for the character’s moves AND said moves being treated like a maxed-out super meter in a fighting game. The combined efforts of “wtf is this plot” and “can a golf ball be hit so hard it smashes through a tree branch” might be pushing sports anime to the limits of absurdity, which is my way of recommending that you, at least, watch the first episode so you can say, “Wow she wasn’t kidding, this really IS bonkers!”
You can check out Birdie Wing: Golf Girls’ Story over at Crunchyroll!
(Image: BNP/BIRDIE WING Golf Club)
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