Ryoko is the undefeated champion at Daimon High but sitting at the throne means there are always going to be challengers trying to knock her down. One is Azumi, who not only wants to kick her ass in the ring but is also vying for the affection of Tatsuya, Ryoko’s high school crush. Ryoko’s other challenger is Kusunagi, who has since skipped school after being pummeled by Ryoko in the last K-fight showdown.
Being the school champion means being feted by fanboys and girls who harrass her all the time, invading her private space. Things really start to get interesting when she becomes an apprentice at the Hiten Buddhist Shrine under the tutelage of Master Tessai. Oh and did I mention that Ryoko also doubles as a demon slayer in a parallel universe?
Yes, as you can probably tell, subplots abound, understandably because it’s a 13 episode series. However nearly all of it is crammed into the first 3 episodes and the resulting pacing can only be described as frenetic. RBHS starts off with a lot of energy but it starts to lose its steam by episode 2 when the focus hops speedily from one plot to another. It can’t quite decide to maintain its gaze on the action packed K-fights or Ryoko’s lovelife, her role as a demon slayer in the parallel world or her apprenticeship at the shrine.
RBHS’ animation style leans towards gimmicky action so it’s all wacky, wacky, wacky, with the comical trademark sweat drops, exclaimation marks and er… cleavage shots? Well, following the zany animation style, RBHS decides to keep with the vibe with plenty of cleavage, leg and panty shots. It’s not quite hentai but there are more than enough gratuitous shots of girls in bikinis, heaving bosoms and white schoolgirl underwear. It tries to be innovative by combining a few comic styles but unfortunately it doesn’t quite pull it off — a more successful example would have been FLCL.
The main problem I found with RBHS is that all the characters fall into the archetypal anime character categories — the impulsive and gregrarious, Ryoko, going from cute to chucking histrionic fits within 2 frames. Then there is her quiet, diligent and dependable best friend, Hitomi. Ryoko’s love interest, Tatsuya is a shy, handsome, upstanding young man who is unable to express his true feelings. The list goes on. Not one character breaks out of the prescribed mould and I gave a good long while before coming to terms with it and giving up on any more character development.
To add to its woes the animation is pretty average, despite the multitude of fight scenes. The creatively staged fight scenes are commendable though and so is the colour styling which is quite vivid and attractive.
I’d go out on a limb to say that there is potential but I’m not holding my breath for it.