405th G-View: Kandagawa Jet Girls

In 2018 the anime world was blessed with an anime about beach volleyball, guaranteeing that most, if not all episodes would be beach/swimsuit themed. In 2019 a similar show premiered, only this time it was centered around jet ski racing and was set in what I like to call Kenichiro Takaki’s “Ecchiverse” (Senran Kagura, Valkyrie Drive etc.). This meant the sexiness was of the highest quality and a bit over the top…hence from the very start the show is not recommended to “Good boys and girls” (or “loli-holics” to put it nicely) who cannot handle shows that prioritize fanservice (especially the uncensored broadcast). However, as longtime fans of the “Ecchiverse” know the anime and especially games are more than “tiddy waifu games”. The question was what would the following show bring to the established universe to set it apart from its predecessors? That is what we are about to find out as we take a look at Kandagawa Jet Girls.

Genres: Ecchi, Racing, Sports, Tournament

Themes: Combat Racing, Jet Ski, Shooting, Water Guns, Yuri

Number of episodes: 12

G-Rating: 10/10

Plot Summary: Rin Namiki’s mother was a legendary PWC (Jet skis with water guns combat racing) champion and she dreamed of one day becoming a great racer like her. Years later she moved from her Southern island to the big city in hopes of becoming a jet racer. Fortune smiled on her when she met the cool and serious beauty Misa Aoi.  Thus began their tale to become the best of the best…and maybe something more.

Rin (yellow) and Misa (blue) in action.

Let us get the obvious out of the way first. The KJG anime is pretty much a commercial for the video game of the same name (released in Japan a week after this review was written), and it did an excellent job showing viewers what to expect. Without going into detail it is about sexy girls racing in pairs of two (one drives and the other shoots) competing in jet ski combat races. This being an “Ecchiverse” series expect clothes getting blasted revealing the ladies’ fantastic bodies of various shapes and sizes. Here this action is called the “Safety Feature”. The show does a pretty good job showcasing that along with other features such as the “Boost” and the arcade racing game tradition of weight classes (Light, Medium and Heavy) which affects racers based on their combined height and weight. That or the weight of the jet skis. Races occur sporadically instead of the previously expected one race per episode. The races are all excellent, thrilling and have stories to tell, be they revolved around our protagonists and/or their rivals.

Highly recommended watching/looking up the uncensored version of the show. I do not know if the uncensored episodes are still available on HiDive or are timed exclusives.

The pacing of the show has one/two episode/s dedicated to fun times, sexiness and character development followed by an episode where half or most of it is the race. The “Wet and Wild” tagline applies to both the action and ecchiness during races. When not racing the sexiness is of the typical PG-13 caliber so those who thought the ecchi in Valkyrie Drive Mermaid was too much need not worry. It is not borderline hentai at all. Like its fellow “Ecchiverse” predecessors races are triggered by our heroines having something to prove or the simplest of reasons such as the right to claim a charm.

“I want the charm!”

“No I want it!”

“Let’s have a race for it!”

Non-racing episodes feature Rin and Misa meeting the other teams as they along with viewers get to know them better. Unlike previous “Ecchiverse” shows no one’s lives are at stake so apart from competing the ladies do their thing from the twin sisters Dina and Ziyu’s idol work to the foreign girls Jennifer and Emily having fun wherever they go.

On to the presentation. The animation excels where it counts most, the racing and sexiness. The races, some CGI here and there, are very well animated and the girls bless viewers with all their glory on multiple occasions. Some will make viewers wait but rest assured the wait pays off big time. The OP is one of my favorites of Fall 2019 and the year overall. The ED and the rest of the soundtrack are quite nice. #KickAss

As always this is the part of the G-View where we get to what readers look forward to most here in my humble abode.

Dina and Ziyu.

The twin sisters Dina and Ziyu make up the popular idol group Hell’s Kitchen. They are nice in front of the camera and public but like any idol working their butts off consistently they have a bit of a mean streak deep down. When not working or competing they have a very intimate relationship.

Jennifer (pink) and Emily (tanned blonde).

Jennifer and Emily are the fun loving foreign students. Like most anime foreigner archetypes expect plenty of glorious Engrish and in Emily’s case samurai and ninja honorifics. They are the least intimate couple but they make such a great team they need not prove their bond. It is clear as day they are set for life.

Manatsu (dark skin) and Yuzu (pale skin).

Next are the gyaru couple. They are the “We’re sexy and we know it” couple, especially Yuzu. Manatsu is the cool one (with a gentle heart) and Yuzu the seductive one. Stylish, trendy and coquettish, again Yuzu especially. Like Jennifer and Emily they are friendly and fun to be around but the difference is they enjoy showing off how sexy and awesome they are to rivals and followers. Unsurprisingly Yuzu is the “top”.

On a personal note Emily and Manatsu were my two most hype girls and both surpassed my expectations.

Inori and Fuka.

The miko couple are up next. While they are the first to show Rin and the viewers their full power they are formally introduced last. They are an interesting couple indeed. So much so that I will not give away their personalities and relationship dynamic. Readers will have to see for themselves.

Kuromaru and Lady Kaguya.

Lastly we have the champion couple of Lady Kaguya and her P-Cup maid Kuromaru. While Kaguya shows viewers what kind of lady she is near the end of the show it was made clear long before that. Every time Kaguya and Kuromaru are on screen viewers can already tell what kind of characters they are and what kind of relationship they have. Oh and Valkyrie Drive Bhikkuni fans will notice the resemblance Kuromaru shares with a certain other maid.

At long last we come to the REAL main attraction. While the goal of the anime is to promote the video game…

…the real main plot is the relationship between Rin and Misa. Rin’s sexuality is made crystal clear the moment she arrived at the big city seeing all the girls around her whereas Misa slowly realized her feelings for Rin the more time she spent with her. Rin is a super friendly and energetic (heavily armed) puffy hug monster. Her cuteness and hugs are very powerful weapons that take her very far in life. Few girls, especially Misa, are strong enough to resist Rin’s power and those who do exert A LOT OF ENERGY. Misa is a mix between ice princess and (kind of) tsundere who is very shy deep down. She has her reasons. As she spends more time with Rin and struggles with her true feelings the ice around her slowly melts. In fact, the symbolism around Misa’s development is so simple it can be missed on the first viewing. Misa’s actions, the lighting, shadows, colors, observation, surrounding and much more. Everything about her development is so excellently executed. As for Rin, she may be more open than Misa but even she has some trouble sharing or understanding things at first. Those not used to the “Ecchiverse” were surprised to see this but longtime fans know this is par for the course. Behind the torn clothing and big gunns are the hearts of teenage and young adult ladies with their own thoughts, feelings, ambitions, struggles, victories and defeats. Just because shows like this are heavy on the ecchi does not mean they ALL lack depth. The best ECCHIMANIA shows are ones that go beyond sexiness and readers who have the mental fortitude/tolerance to see it through may end up having a SMALL BIT of respect. Granted this kind of fortitude/tolerance takes years of training to master and even some who have seen this stuff many times still lack the willpower to tolerate them. Them and loli-holics.

Point being Rin X Misa’s romance is SO DAMN PRECIOUS and arguably one of the best of 2019 anime yuri alongside powerhouses like ShamiMomo and GreAnne!

Overall Kandagawa Jet Girls is a blast, provided viewers can handle the strong ecchi content. Those who can will be rewarded with a cast of delightfully sexy yuri couples, some great jet ski combat racing and fun ecchi content topped by a wonderful main couple. Highly recommended to fans of the “Ecchiverse” and ecchi yuri that has more than just top notch T&A.