Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru – 05

「この中で一番いい乳袋だからじゃん？」 ( Kono Naka de Ichiban Ii Chibukuro da kara jan?)
“It’s Probably Because This Is the Best Boob Bag Here”

Anime knows what sells. Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru has got it, so it’s no surprise that it’s turning into a major hit. But from what I know about the manga, the anime is pretty faithfully adapting it – including the money shots. So that sort of amounts to what this series is, pretty much. Cosplay, fanservice, more cosplay, more fanservice, more fanservice. Maybe a bit of romance thrown in for good measure, though we’ll know more about that in future episodes and the inevitable second season.

That Bisque Doll so earnestly depicts the passion for cosplay is certainly a mark in its favor. It’s not a hobby I care about all that much, but I appreciate the celebration of being passionate about something (whatever it is). For Marin it’s cosplay, for Wakana it’s Hina dolls (another thing I don’t much care about, but that’s fine). My concern here is mainly the same one I’ve had from the beginning – namely, that Marin seems like such an idealized otaku fantasy. And the way the camera leers at her for those long, lingering shots doesn’t do anything to dispel that notion.

In a way this show is kind of a John Lennon (“Double Fantasy”) scenario – Marin’s geeking out over cosplay is a selling point for that demo, and Marin with her sparkly eyes and boob bag and sweaty thighs is a selling point for another. There’s certainly nothing new about girls this young being sexualized to this degree in anime, but is it too much in this case? I guess that’s in the eye of the beholder but to be sure, there are times when it gets pretty close to the edge for me.

I suppose the reason this mostly works is because Marin is pretty authentic even as she’s being objectified (a comment on LiA asked if she was a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and at this point I’d have to say yes). Anyone who’s a big fan of anything understands the “I have at least 50 #1 favorite characters!” moment – we’ve been there (and maybe still are). My passion for anime vents itself in a different direction (mostly writing about it) than hers, but I totally get her. And while it’s part of what makes her come off as idealized sometimes, she’s a very non-judgmental and positive person. Wakana isn’t exactly a card-carrying member of her social tier, but Marin appreciates that he too has something he’s an otaku over (and she gets free labor out it, besides).

I still feel like Gojou is mostly in doormat mode, though it’s not Marin who puts him there but Gojou himself. If Sono Bisque Doll is going to level up as a story, much less a romance, there has to be more balance between these two characters (though most series never really achieve that). Right now he’s pretty much an accessory – necessary, but only to a point. At the cosplay event he basically disappears into the shrubbery as Marin becomes the center of attention (for his work, true), only becoming relevant when she starts spilling out of her boob bag and showing signs of heatstroke. He supports her of course, and is appropriately embarrassed at her lack of self-consciousness, but it’s all reactive.

If this sort of episode is all this series is, it would have a pretty limited upside for me. But it keeps dropping anvil-like hints that more is brewing here, like Wakana calling Marin “beautiful”, and her remembering his past words on the subject. One-sided anime romances are like eggs on closeout, a dime-a-dozen, but ones where both parties are fully-formed individuals as rare as hen’s teeth. I don’t know which end of the chicken Bisque Doll is yet – it could still go either way – but there’s enough here to make he hopeful at least, if not outright confident.

Full-length images: 11.