Tentacle-Free Anime: "Please tell me! Galko-chan" (2016)For once I don't have much of an opening monologue to give. I've been supremely busy as of late. Hoping that will all die down soon so I can find some time to relax. Other than that though, I hope you all are doing great. Please enjoy this short review.
If ever there was a show that's primarily about passing the Bechdel test then this is it. Now, that may sound like I'm short-changing Please tell me! Galko-chan but it's really the exact opposite. This is 2017 after all, and that we still don't have many great examples of a show that features at least two women sharing screen time together and talking about something other than a man, which is impressive. Not in a good impressive sort of way, but impressive nonetheless.
Promo image.
However, building an entire premise around doing that very thing is not only even more impressive, but Galko-chan does it in spades by having the characters primarily focus on the very things most boys either don't want to hear about or imagine that girls don't talk about. And the show does it so flawlessly that you don't even find yourself thrown off by witnessing something that you're definitely not used to seeing. This is a show that, in only 8 short minutes – as the episodes are each about that long, save for the 30-minute OVA episodes – sets up a question that some people have probably had about the female body and then goes on to let our characters explore that very thing in interesting conversations and hilarious situations. The show does all this while showing clear character growth, building the world and side characters to the point to where everyone in this school class gets a decent amount of screen time, and allowing each and every person to feel real. In a way, Galko-chan is a perfect series in how it tells a compelling story featuring many different players, but also keeps itself incredibly lighthearted, purely episodic with no over-arching plot, informative as many of the things taught in this series are actually helpful in understanding girls – and boys to an extent – and also showcasing 3-dimensional characters (practically anyone who is named). And there's an extensive list of named characters. 
Women of all shapes and size are represented here.
Focusing on just our main three, we have Galko-chan herself. The gyaru, or “gal” of the show who is essentially the butt of many of the jokes as a simple-minded but truly kind-hearted girl who is often judged as being a slut based solely on her unique appearance. Though everyone actually does like her, she is often questioned on whether or not she regularly sleeps around. I did find that hard to get behind but chalked it up to how much I was picked on by my friends growing up. There's a difference between not knowing someone and jumping to conclusions about them, and deeply caring about someone and giving them a hard time. Which is more of what we see in this show I think. Otako is a studious girl who generally has all the informative answers on what's going on when someone asks a question that needs a scientific answer. She's also a closet pervert who loves to joke around in sexual tones. She's never sleazy about it however, and not once does she come off as a textbook otaku who of course is incredibly knowledgeable but loves perverted things. As she's just a normal girl who also happens to find interest in these things. And really, that's all she needs to be compelling. And then there's Ojō who arguably has the least amount of characterization of these 3 girls. We still get to know her plenty well as a wealthy girl who doesn't understand everything about what the other two often discuss, but she's nowhere near empty headed and in fact does add to the conversation from time-to-time. She loves sports and seems to be good at any of them she puts her mind to. This all is a bit stereotypical as the “prodigal heiress” archetype, but none of its ever thrown in your face. Which is great. There's a ton of other characters as well but we're not going to discuss them here. Just know that Galko-chan's class is filled with very interesting people. Getting back to the Bechdel test for just a minute however, there are some guys in the class and while we do have the reverse where those guys are often discussing the girls any time we see them together, I think the one time two girls in the class talk about one of the boys is a moment when they're discussing both one of the boys and one of the girls in the class together. That is pretty damn cool. 
Netflix and chill works best when you watch the whole show in one sitting.
While there's no overarching story per se the characters definitely grow as the series goes and things do move along a timeline within this world. The single OVA episode takes many of the plot threads that aren't necessarily left hanging, but brings them up again and ties them all into a neat little bow that adds a nice little cap to the series. Though it too is made up of a bunch of short stories, we still get to see them all culminate into something resembling a sort of ending and I really enjoyed that. The animation, though simple, is really nice and perfect for a series like this. It's colorful, vibrant, all the character designs are fantastic and different. The world feels alive and very kinetic and very the “still imagery” that is apparent in most of these short budget shows is used to great effect in enhancing the narrative of any given episode. Please tell me! Galko-chan is an incredibly fun and an even funnier comedy slice-of-life series that you can watch in a few short hours and have a great time all the way through. I found myself balling with laughter each and every episode. This is a damn good show and if you haven't checked it out yet then you really should. Trust me, you will not be disappointed. Final Score: 5 Different Body and Personality Types out of 5 Seen the movie? How did you like it? PLEASE TELL US! 
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