Ben-To - Episode 1

The Ice Witch

Episode Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

Huh? I have no idea what I just watched but it was quite interesting. Amidst all the random fighting for half-priced bento, this show seems to be your typical slice-of-life anime, a genre which I tend to enjoy a lot. Now that there's a "unique" element added, I'm going to have to see how it goes. So far, I have a bad feeling that the main protagonist is going to turn out to be one of those cowards who let the girls do all the fighting. On the other hand, the "Ice Witch" seems to be a mysterious but interesting character whom I will continue watching this series for, hoping that she'll provide some good entertainment. Mostly everything, besides the idea of bento, is generic so far. This is one of those rare cases where I can't really say if I liked the first episode of a series or not. One thing's for sure though, the background music in that supermarket was amusing.

The start of the series is quite a weird one as we see the protagonist, later introduced as Satou You, down and out, lying in the middle of a supermarket in a pool of his own blood. He then gets up and, as he reflects back on what he believes is a pointless life, he sees the Ice Witch, Yarizui Sen, mouthing something to him as she stands outside the store before she walks away. With only a pack of fish cakes left in the discount sections of the store, You fantasizes about what might have been a possible confession from Sen. Unfortunately, his active mind, on top of his injuries, causes him to pass out from exhaustion - quite lame if you ask me. The next day, upon exiting the hospital, he makes his way to school and is stopped by Oshiroi Hana, an overly-talkative girl who apparently met him last night although he does not remember it. When she finally realizes that You doesn't remember her, Hana bursts into tears, startling the injured boy for a moment, before regaining her composure and laughing hysterically. I believe I was just as confused as You about this girl’s behavior.

At school, You ends up seeing Sen who ends up requesting (more like demanding, I guess) his help in throwing out some trash bags filled with empty bento boxes. Because of Sen's seemingly cold personality, You's attempts at striking up a conversation with her end up failing. The only thing useful he gets out of her is her warning to never go back to the supermarket again. But, like all dense-looking protagonists out there, it's obvious that You will not listen - more on that later. During lunch that day, You has an encounter with another new character, this time in the form of Shiraume Ume, the girl who volunteered herself as the class representative. After delivering two painful-looking slaps to You's face because of matters regarding Hana, my impression is that Ume is a yandere for Hana.

Like I said before, You was obviously going to disregard Sen's advice and, just as expected, he ventures into the supermarket that night, with Hana showing up as well. Along the way to the half-priced bento area, Sen passes the two of them and seemed angry at You for showing up. Shrugging that off, You waits for the half-price stickers to be applied to the bento before rushing into the fray. Unfortunately for him, Sen’s warning shouldn’t have been taken lightly as he gets mobbed by the others who were also waiting for the bento. At the end of the scramble, a beat-up You begins to remember that it was Sen who gave him the severe beating last night before falling unconscious. Later that night, he gets woken up by the splash of cold water on him, courtesy of a store employee. The man then explains the concept of Dogs and Wolves, with Dogs being people who are still not aware of the value of the half-priced bento and Wolves being those who put their lives and pride at stake for the bento. After a long, hectic day, You tops it off by microwaving some “SoyJoy” (some candy bar, I think), causing the power in the boy’s dormitory to go out.

Despite a few more slaps from Ume the next day, You decides to go back to the supermarket that night, this time, with a confident look on his face. Along with Hana, the two once again make their way to the battlefield. When the store employee finished sticking the half-price stickers on the bento, he makes eye contact with You before walking back to the staff room. And with that, the battle begins as Wolves start jumping out of nowhere, doing whatever it takes to get their hands on the bento. While Hana stares in awe at the scene, You attempts to grab the bento that he had set his eyes on. Unfortunately, his third beating in as many nights awaited him and, in the end, he failed to get anything. However, I believe Sen took pity on him and suggested that he come to Room 501 of the school the next morning at 7:30 if he wanted to have a chance of surviving the battle. The next morning he does just that and is Sen introduces herself as the sole member of the Half-Pricers Association. The next episode seems to expand on why Sen does what she does. Seems interesting enough so I’ll look forward to it.