REVIEW: ‘BUCCHIGIRI?!’ Episode 3 — “Love at Fist Fight! The One and Only Quail in the World”

Bucchigiri?!, MAPPA’s original animation from director Hiroko Utsumi (FREE! and SK8 the Infinity ) and screenwriter Taku Kishimoto (BLUE LOCK), is the right kind of weird. Arajin Tomoshibi’s (Genki Okawa) greatest wish is to lose his virginity. He has awakened a Honki Person who is helping in Arajin’s quest. Being a delinquent and joining a gang is necessary for Honki City. Across the past two episodes, Arajin has been stuck between Siguma Squad and Minato Kai. Now, in Bucchigiri Episode 3, “Love at Fist Fight! The One and Only Quail in the World,” Arajin is a full member of Siguma, and it’s not going as he had planned.

In Episode 1, Arajin did everything he could do to avoid his childhood friend Matakara Asamine (Yusuke Hoshino), a member of Minato Kai. In Episode 2, he attempts to impress his crush, Jin Mahoro (Anna Nagase), by fighting the head of Minato Kai to make up for punching her brother, the Siguma Squad leader, Jin Marito (Nozomu Sasaki). And now, in Bucchigiri Episode 3, Arajin has joined Sigma Squad despite Matakara’s protests.

With Marito deeply in love with Arajin’s punch, he takes Arajin under his wing. In doing so, he promises Arajin a party of debauchery. Which Arajin naturally assumes is filled with girls thanks to his ultimate cherry-popping quest. But the “debauchery” in question was actually “da punches,” a party where each member of Sigma Squad punches each other in an attempt to get the other to turn their head.

The bulk of Bucchigiri Episode 3 is all comedy with some action. Arajin is an absolutely dumb main character and somehow keeps getting himself into more absurd situations. Driven by his wish to not be a virgin anymore, he forsakes his old friend and any common sense. That said, if it wasn’t clear from the first two episodes, the BL theme is pretty apparent. Arajin is obsessed with Marito’s sister but his declaration of his wish every time he fights seems to have made every guy he punches fall in love with him.

It’s a hilarious consequence that the series is leaning hard into. Marito is queer-coded, like other Taku Kishimoto antagonists. From his rainbow rebrand of Siguma to how close he is to his gang members and his love for him, it’s all clear. This makes his love for Arajin after getting hit for the first time in years make more sense. But, Arajin is absolutely unphased and unaware of all of it. Instead, he’s obsessed with making Morhoro fall in love with him.

Bucchigiri Episode 3 packs in a lot of world-building exposition into its punchfest at the same time. Honki City is a haven for delinquents, with every building covered in graffiti. But the lore behind the three main gangs is slowly unfolding. In the blue corner is Minato Kai, the green corner is Siguma Squad, and now the mysterious NG Boys have come into the frame.

The NG boys gave Arajin a tough time in episode 1, but the audience hasn’t learned much about them. They clearly go to a different school based on their uniforms, but everything else has been a mystery. In Bucchigiri Episode 3, we get to learn a little bit more as the gang becomes the villain of the season.

Run by the Emporer, a long-haired and sharp-dressed leader we only get glimpses of, the NG Boys are mostly mysterious. The only clear thing about them is that they dish out violence without any thought. Be it regular students or delinquents, the NG Boys are a menace that seems to be orchestrating something larger. While Minato Kai and Siguma are rivals, they leave honor when fighting each other. NG Boys don’t abide by anything as they stoke a violent flame between Minato Kai and Siguma.

The gangs are becoming fleshed out with characteristics of their own. Siguma Squad brings candy-colored chaos. Minato Kai is more focused on traditional gang tropes from anime. That said, Marito and Kenichiro (the Minato Kai leader) were once friends. But that foundation proves shaky as the gangs seemingly begin to attack each other without honor or provocation, with the NG Boys standing in the background.

Bucchigiri isn’t some grand act of storytelling. But its yankee focus is one that pays off as it embraces absurdist humor. That said, Morhoro is the worst part of the series so far. Why? Well, she loves her brother a little too much. Angry that Arajin hit him and focused on having her brother all to herself, she’s not as kind as she seems. After being a jerk to Matakara and manipulating Arajin to remain in Siguma to take over for her brother, Mohoro is weirder than Arajin’s tramp stamp.

Her purpose as a character seems to be just to exploit the weird “brother-sister” relationship that I thought anime had outgrown. To be honest, I’d rather her exist as an object of affection than have any personality if this is where we would end up.

Even with the Morhoro, Bucchigiri Episode 3 dies down, the series remains fantastic. Putting comedy first, the gang rivalries and action moments are really something to be excited about from week to week. With Marito confronting Kenichiro in the last moments of the episode, the lead-up to the next part of the season is something that promises to be exciting.

BUCCHIGIRI?! Episode 3 is streaming now on Crunchyroll, with new episodes every Saturday.