There's this sense of "trying too hard" that I get with Binbougami ga! that's almost too much to bare at times. It isn't that terribly wacky or extreme (it's rather tame by standards today, actually), but it tries to pass itself off as such, almost recklessly so. The first two episodes drastically grasp at straws, trying to be so edgy and otaku pandering that most of all that we get most of the time are references to other anime and manga  and no real punchline. Remember the last time someone tried to tell you a cake joke from Portal? Yeah, it's kinda like that for 25 minutes.

The real tragedy is that I would absolutely forget about this show if I didn't like it for almost everything else. There's a fair bit of laughs thanks to some dry humor to hold me off from cynicism in between some groan-inducing segments, and the more this show dips into action, the more I like it. Character designs focus on simple color patterns and almost elegant lines, which make the "roundness" of faces, bodies and backgrounds stand out without relying too much on shadowing and detailing. 

The characters themselves and how they act, particularly Momiji, are actually the best part. I can't stress enough how much I love the voice acting in this show... Sakura (voiced Kana "Bring the Boys to the Yard" Hanazawa) definitely has range with her girlish, perfect student persona while dealing with fanboys and her gravelly, annoyed "I'm going to kill you" demeanor when confronting Momiji, which is perfect for a comedy/gag series like this when a quick reminder of how the main heroine feels is needed without getting in the way of the "funniez".

Momiji, on the other hand, while a tad bit overkill at times with references, I fell in love with. By far one of the best parts of the show (other than Bobby the Monk in episode two), her attacks on Sakura and the back-and-forth dynamic the two pull when getting back at each other is what sells it for me. Relentless in letting things go, the two are very willing to ruin the others' life, though the fact that the two hesitantly still live with each other and talk to one another regularly (while a bit cliche is anime like this), it's quite a friendly rivalry if you think about it for a while... though that doesn't make it any less destructive.

Other cool things about this show: the OP and ED were a bit catchy, though it's more eye-candy than anything else. I dig the omake inserts in the episodes that break up some of the lamer moments with more fast-paced, quick laughs. I would have loved it if some of the jokes weren't dumbed down and explained as often as they are, because nothing kills my joy faster than to shove down my throat why I should be laughing.

Binbougami ga! is really juvenile in its humor, though sometimes the show itself acts that way too in terms of polish and consideration. To be able to laugh along with an anime like this one is an easy enough task, though sometimes Binbou, even in its short two episode span, has shown that it's not quite up to the challenge of being something better without resorting to making fun of otaku and anime. I try to look for the best in anything I watch, and what I saw in this show is something that's going to have to take a few more episodes of watching to decide if it's right enough for me. Nothing great, nothing terrible, but something that a "wait-and-see" approach might actually be our best bet for.