Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story

Infamous among those who gamble on golf games, Eve uses her exceptional skill in the sport to earn a living—by betting and winning against various opponents. Known as the "Rainbow Bullet," she vows to beat her foes and conquer the world of underground golf using only three clubs. However, the universe where Eve knows no defeat is shaken after she plays a clean game with Aoi Amawashi, a golfing prodigy that came to the country of Nafrece to enter a golf tournament. Armed with talent and born into the perfect environment for golf, Aoi the "Innocent Tyrant" calmly crushes her enemies with a bright smile on her face.

After their game-changing match, Eve and Aoi become intrigued with each other and promise to battle again someday. As Eve's aggressive and risk-taking approach challenges the elite and steady playstyle of Aoi, the two geniuses may just manage to bring golf to unexpected heights.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Evangeline Main

Kitou, Akari Japanese

Amawashi, Aoi Main

Seto, Asami Japanese

Aleon, Rose Supporting

Yukinari, Toa Japanese

Saotome, Ichina Supporting

Fujita, Saki Japanese

Vipère Supporting

Nazuka, Kaori Japanese

Lipman, Lily Supporting

Sekine, Akira Japanese

Clara, Klein Supporting

Kinoshita, Sayaka Japanese

Millafoden, Leo Supporting

Ikeda, Shuuichi Japanese

Amawashi, Seira Supporting

Kaida, Yuuko Japanese

Iijima, Kaoruko Supporting

Ichimichi, Mao Japanese

Sekiyama, Akihiro Producer

Fukuda, Kouhei Producer

Inagaki, Takayuki Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Takakuwa, Hajime Sound Director

Reviews

Jun 8, 2024

SSJ-SUP3RM4N

Recommended

The idea of a golf anime, for some, may be hard to comprehend. Golf is not the most riveting sport in the world (I actually quite enjoy it, and even I admit it is not the most exciting). That said, what better place is there than anime, where any and everything can be taken up to 11, to make such a non-riveting sport into a wacky, fun story all about it? Enter Birdie Wing.

As the synopsis suggests, the intertwining of the arcs of the two MCs, Aoi and Eve, is the focal point of this story. The contrast of their prefaces is hardly ... original between Aoi, the renowned child prodigy, and Eve, the disgruntled vet who fought her way to the top. As it is with most facets of this anime, the golf motif makes such elements feel quite original. What makes this duo, and many others like it, so endearing is that though they're both so different in circumstance and personality, they get on the same wavelength in a very natural way. In this case, they are both unstoppable forces in the world of golf, but are such forces in entirely different ways. They both respect each other's game highly and quickly recognize their differences when it comes to their play styles, making for a fulfilling rivalry. The yuri bait starts to pile on at points, but such tends to be the nature of anime sometimes with a two-girl MC duet.

The story across these 13 episodes exists in two distinct halves. For spoiler reasons, I will avoid covering the exact topics. The two halves are quite different, with the first expressing a sense of urgency and emotional intensity that is lacking in the second. Though some darker topics are touched upon, the story itself is not particularly deep or profound. Both main girls are introduced right at the very beginning, but Eve is the main driver of the story early on. The first half ends in a way that leaves some of its plot points open to potentially return to in Season 2. Though the second major arc lacks the intensity of the first, it is still decently enjoyable. Aoi and Eve start to share the screen more and their chemistry really starts to take off. In addition, a whole new wave of characters is introduced, helping keep things fresh. That said, the change in story direction from the first to the second half is quite jarring, especially considering how much more emotionally packed the first half is. When considering the two halves as an entire package, many elements feel disjointed. This change is also felt in the cast of side characters introduced in the beginning and those introduced at the second half. There is a good variety to the cast, but there are many sorts of characters that will never meet, simply due to how separated those two plot points are. That notwithstanding, there is a big positive in that, the spin on the actual golf being played is different between the two, keeping the on-screen product from getting stale.

Since this is a sports anime, it is very important that this distinction is made now. This is a golf anime, but this is one of those entries where keeping the on-screen product factually accurate to the sport it is portraying is never a priority, a practice done in the same vein as entries like Kuroko's Basketball and, more recently, Blue Lock. That said, it is not so far gone that it lacks the finer strategies of golf, mainly thanks to the visual and audio cues. While some may find issue with this, it could also be seen as this show's greatest strength. This show is not afraid to express its unconventional ideas in the slightest. The characters’ actual playstyles are not too unique, using the tried and true method of ‘shonen-ifying’ for lack of a better word, meaning their playstyle is expressed as some sort of supernatural power. Again though, the X-factor this show has in this regard is due to the golf devices. I have never heard of a golf swing being so rigorously compared to firing a gun, and I doubt I will hear such a thing anywhere else. Other story beats, like the mafia settling business through games of golf, are just as fanciful. Those elements and others all feel wacky and almost nonsensical, but at the same time, the all-encompassing style of golf gives this show a feel of fun as well as its own flavor that is hard to easily replicate. So many elements here are so out-of-the-box that they feel fresh and exciting, leaving a novel sense of anticipation. On the other hand, such an approach leads to the more serious parts of the story feeling almost out-of-place at times.

Visually, this anime holds up. The art style is clean, if not a bit generic. The fidelity and detail are passable, though there is a general low-bugdet feel to a lot of the backdrops. The balance of color is mostly clear and consistent, though it can be a bit over-saturated at times. Given that the cast is almost entirely female, there is good variety to the designs. The sense of fashion is also solid, with the golf motif once again leading to some more unique designs. The aforementioned contrast between Aoi and Eve also applies visually, helping set in that sense of variety. The visual aspects of the golf being played are not consistently dynamic, but they are good enough to get the point across. Characters' swings are fluent and smooth for the most part. The distinct visual effects that accompany players’ 'powers' that come with were also fine albeit a bit generic. In terms of the courses, there are some more realistic designs and some completely not so at all, but both types looked good. The shades of green across all of the courses, realistic or absurd, are steady and consistent, helping maintain the color balance and keep the saturation between the character designs and the backdrops consistent.

Sound design is also solid. The voice acting is very good. Though many of the side characters are voiced by names not too familiar, Asami Seto and Akari Kitou are two super-heavyweight names who both bring their A-game here. Their respective performances as Aoi and Eve truly take this pairing to the next level. The music is good but not as much so, though Venus Line is a banger of an OP. The OST is good and has a decent variety of sounds, but it needs more songs. There are some serving as character themes of sorts, but others are rehashed with not enough consistency to when they were used. The sound effects have decent depth to them. The metal clang of the club hitting the ball, the soft thud of the ball hitting the green, the swaying of the wind as the ball travels through the air and many other effects all almost serve as the main devices that remind the viewer that no matter what foolishness may be occurring on screen, it is still at least some form of golf. The ‘powers’ also get their own effects, which have a similar sort of strong 'pop’, but some do not feel as surreal as they could or should be.

As enjoyable as this show is, it hardly moves the needle in any substantial way. A common theme in this review has been the golf themes and motifs are what make this anime stand out. Though this could be interpreted as its major strength, it could also be seen as a fresh coat of cherry-red paint hiding a dull gray interior. It does take some dissection, but a lot of the story beats can come off as quite generic with the golf removed. Again, generic does not mean bad, so though it is not a non-issue, it is not a problem that detracts too much from potential enjoyment. It also helps that the second season actually does not have this issue, as the story starts to come full circle there, but that's for a different review.

Though this show will hardly make any sort of great wave, Birdie Wing is a perfect example of simply having a good time with an established set of ideas. It takes a lot of risks with its novel spins on tried-and-true ideas and reaps the rewards. This anime has a strong sense of its identity in the face of its unorthodox progression. Even with some of the scenarios lacking in true originality, credit is due for the creativity applied to still succeed in making them feel unique, as outlandish and even downright nonsensical they can get. Though generic it may be after taking away the ‘golf’ skin, the execution still works out well here. There is no shortage or substitute for the excitement in the watching experience, even with the all-around mid-budget feel. The characters are fun and their developments are unpredictable and enjoyable. The audiovisuals are not ground-breaking by any stretch, but have a consistent quality. Even with how much there is to like, in all honesty, though the show itself is quite good, there's not too many elements to it to truly draw viewers in. I found this anime because I was interested in the golf motif and I would definitely recommend it to those with a similar sentiment.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Oct 16, 2023

xXDAGGERHEARTXx

Mixed Feelings

Birdie Wing is a surprisingly engaging show about the world's most boring sport; golf.

I'm surprised how engaged I got with all the matches and genuinely cheering for Eve and hoping she could get out of her bad circumstances with her family. The stakes of them losing their only home gave what could easily feel like repetitive golf matches the necessary tension. With the addition of her beginning to reach higher and care for her craft Eve was given plenty to work with as a character. Gave her some good depth.

The characters definitely are the highlight of this show. They're all very charming with unique, eye ... catching designs. Golf clothes are typically stereotypically ugly in things so it was fun to see the actual types of designs that professional golfers would wear. Well, for the ones who were normal golfers anyways. As much as I liked Vipere she is an outlier clothing wise lol.

I also went into this not expecting it to be angling towards yuri, I hope it continues in that direction as I loved Eve and Aoi's friends/rivals relationship and would love to see it get expanded on more.

My only real complaint is that the first season feels like half a season. It ends really abruptly and at a strange point that feels like it should be midseason rising tension. I haven't had a chance to watch the second season yet but if it ends the arc successfully I'll probably boost this first season up to a 9.

Edit: Season 2 is a hot mess, score adjusted accordingly.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Aug 10, 2024

uiorwejklfsd

Not Recommended

This might honestly be one of the worst sports anime I've ever seen. The characters are absolutely insufferable. Who are we supposed to be rooting for here when the MC is a shallow nasty person. She has golf super powers from the first episode so no buildup whatsoever. What is the even the plot? She wants to prove her golf swing is better than other random golfers? The whole thing is so ridiculous I don't know how anyone could take it seriously. If you want a really good golfing story then watch Rising Impact. If you want a good sports betting anime then watch One ... Outs.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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	Poll: Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jun 28, 2022	67 replies	by HiljainenSipuli »» Oct 31, 2:59 PM
	Poll: Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jun 21, 2022	54 replies	by HiljainenSipuli »» Oct 31, 2:29 PM
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	Poll: Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - May 31, 2022	57 replies	by HiljainenSipuli »» Oct 31, 12:50 PM