Episode 25 — “The Promise Revives”
Hmm.
Eve, the Ringer. That’s how the golf girl played pro golf before — as an impersonator. We saw that in the first Golf Girls episode. Why should we be surprised Eve can mimic Aoi’s Shiny Wings? But at that time, Eve was impatient and almost gave away her ruse by playing in her own style. Fast forward to today, and we can see how much Eve has matured in BIRDIE WING. She slowly accustomed her swing to Aoi’s long shaft driver and then unleashed her version of Aoi’s Shining Wings. I would have preferred to see a kiss on the cheek for Aoi, but the combined superpowered swing was the metaphorical golf sex scene we’ve been waiting for. Yuri lily flowers bloomed!
Heh.
The dream is over. Eve and Aoi won’t play together in the final round of the British Open. Juha is still all business. Aw. The Golf Girls opening title sequence is a montage of scenes from the past 24 episodes. Aoi woke from her happy fantasy. Now what can she do? Eve bucked her up in a hurry. Aoi needs to come after her as the defending champion after she crushes Juha. Eve has never lacked confidence in BIRDIE WING!
Uh oh! Karen spoke to the manager! What a fitting name for Juha’s caddy. Remelda took revenge on Eve through her underground golfing past. Juha disapproved of Karen’s actions because they might have given Eve desperate motivation. She still thinks she can beat the upstart, though.
Surprise! Aoi kept her promise to play with Eve in the final pairing at the British Open! Somewhat. Aoi will be Eve’s Super Caddy! Dramatic Golf Girls plot twist! And Eve will use Aoi’s 48-Incher! All the sponsorship rules flew out the window. I love Grandpa Burton’s reaction. Ooh! Eve’s golf logo is now a pair of wings! Shining wings? Eve is gambling again on the golf course.
Juha shifted into the next gear of her golf game. Does Eve have another weapon besides Aoi’s longer driver? Whoa. Next phase? Eve combined Aoi’s Shining Wings with her Rainbow Bullet Burst! Eve could always mimic other golfers’ swings, but this is different. Golf Girls Gattai, like a Gundam! Cool name, BIRDIE WING: Shining Rainbow Burst! Eve caught up to Juha before the eighteenth hole. No one is supposed to chase down Juha’s lead on the last day of a golf tournament.
Ha! Eve doesn’t care about Juha because she’s playing against Aoi’s predicted score. This is like the third episode! Lily wants all the Gunpla she can buy with Eve’s prize money. So close! Eve almost eagled.
But Karen ruined Eve’s day. Golf officials declared Juha the official winner of the British Open and suspended Eve’s pro license for three years. Eve and Aoi will have to wait again to keep their promise.
Ichina became a pro caddy. Three years later, colored bullets fly again! Wow. A lot happened in four years. Aoi’s golf-wasting disease disappeared after she found a cure. The final round of the British Open again, but Eve has a one-stroke lead. Who wins? We don’t know! The golf girls of BIRDIE WING teased us all through to the end. Play the video game to get your own answer!
Final Thoughts.
I had only two quibbles with the production choices of Bandai Namco Pictures (BNP) for BIRDIE WING: Golf Girls’ Story. First, the recycled animation sequences of Eve’s golf swings never changed the mechanics. We saw skin and fashion changes, but Eve’s body movements stayed the same. I understand keeping them in as a directorial choice to pay homage to Gundam transformation scenes and weapons firing. However, they got stale through 25 episodes. I appreciated the heart-pumping music during those sequences too.
Second, the Golf Girls’ story dangled the promise between Eve and Aoi of playing golf together for too long! On the bro side of golf rivalries, Leo and Kazuhiko tied their rivalry up at three apiece. But Eve and Aoi never played against each other for eighteen holes in real life. The fun costumes of the virtual reality episode didn’t make up for that. Plus, Eve’s motivation to play against Aoi’s score was a repeat of how Eve played one round in Aoi’s Under-15 tournament in Nafrece. The writers ran out of ideas to keep the star-crossed golfers apart.
But those are quibbles with BIRDIE WING. Everything else about Golf Girls as a reboot of a Gundam season through a golfing filter made me smile. Bandai Namco leaned into its toy manufacturing and video game properties with an unapologetic tongue planted firmly in its cheek. From Lily as an obsessive Gunpla collector, to the Pac-Man on Aoi’s golf ball, to the reunion of legendary voice actors playing the golfer versions of their famous Gundam characters, BIRDIE WING gave the audience enjoyable easter eggs. It was an old-fashioned anime that was merely a twenty-minute commercial to sell themed merchandise. I felt nostalgia as I watched a new original property.
Gay Golf Girls!
BIRDIE WING was a rainbow celebration! Whether Aoi and Eve felt genuine yuri attraction for each other doesn’t matter. This anime was a sports tournament vehicle with yuri subtext, context, and plain text written all over it. Ichina made one joke about lilies blooming because Aoi wanted a kiss on the cheek, but that was as overt as it got. The imagery and references were enough to “gild the lily,” as it were. I enjoyed Eve as the dominant vixen and everyone else as her yearning harem. Aoi was her number one, of course! I hope BNP will order an OVA to visit old yuri friends in the middle of their golf careers. Meanwhile, you can relive the rainbow magic by rewatching episodes or in the video game or mobile game.
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