Baka and Test

 
 Baka and Test (バカとテストと召喚獣 Baka to Test to Shōkanjū^?, lit. Idiots, Tests, and Summoned Beasts) also known as Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts is a Japanese light novel series created by Kenji Inoue and illustrations by Yui Haga. The first novel in the series was released on January 29, 2007, and as of June 30, 2011, a total of thirteen volumes, including volume 3.5, volume 6.5, volume 7.5, and volume 9.5, have been published by Enterbrain under their Famitsu Bunko publishing imprint. A manga adaptation by Mosuke Mattaku started serialization in the manga magazine Shōnen Ace on April 25, 2009. Another manga adaptation by namo started serialization in the male oriented web comic magazine Famitsu Comic Clear on October 30, 2009. An anime adaptation by Media Factory was announced the same month. A promotional trailer was released for streaming in August 2009.^[1] An anime series adaption began airing on January 7, 2010. Funimation has licensed the anime for release in the United States under the title Baka and Test – Summon the Beasts.^[2] A board game/adventure game for PlayStation Portable titled Baka to Test to Shōkanjū Portable is set for release in December 13, 2012.^[3]

Main article: List of Baka and Test characters

The story centers around a boy named Akihisa Yoshii, also known as the idiot or "Baka" of the titled anime. He attends Fumizuki Academy, a school where the staff rigidly divides the students based on the results of their academic scores. At the start of the school, students are academically sorted by entrance exam test grades. The higher the grades, the higher the class, and the better the benefits. In this case, Class A is filled with the highest-scoring students; therefore, their classroom was filled with many prestigious items (air conditioners, fancy seats, laptops, a free snack bar, etc.), while the state of Class F is the complete opposite of that, representing the "bottom of the barrel" amenities, such as mats and wooden tables.
This academy has something special, where all the students manage to call forth Summoned Beings (Shōkanjū, or "Avatars" in the official English translation^[2]). These Beings are used for battles between classes with the goal of capturing (or retaining) the best classroom facilities. Since Class A is filled with prodigies, they all have strong Summoned Beings, while Class F has drastically weak ones in comparison. A teacher must authorize/supervise each battle, and the health and strength of each summoned being is based on the student's last test score in that teacher's subject (i.e. Math, History, etc.). The beings lose points when struck by an opponent, and should the point count reach zero, the being and student are disqualified, and must take supplementary tuition with strict remedial teacher Nishimura (nicknamed "Iron Man"). However, if the student can leave the battle before reaching zero, these points can be replenished by taking a supplemental exam. The student's being may then return to the battle.
On the day of the placement test, an intelligent girl named Mizuki Himeji suffers from a fever and is unable to complete her test, hence her reining in a score of zero. As a result, she is pigeonholed into Class F together with Akihisa. Akihisa, who dreams of the day when the academy would no longer be divided by grades, pitches an idea to his class to rule over the higher-level classes by doing a Summoned Being War for both Mizuki's sake and to get more and more privileges. Aside from Mizuki (who happens to be the second-ranked student in Year 2), there is also the class representative Yūji Sakamoto, the bishōnen Hideyoshi Kinoshita, the perverted Kouta Tsuchiya, and the tomboyish Minami Shimada (who, as Akihisa claims, is his worst enemy, but actually has a crush on him, but is reluctant to show it).

Media

Light novels

• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 1 ISBN 978-4-7577-3329-9 (January 29, 2007)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 2 ISBN 978-4-7577-3505-7 (April 28, 2007)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 3 ISBN 978-4-7577-3682-5 (August 30, 2007)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 3.5 ISBN 978-4-7577-3979-6 (January 30, 2008)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 4 ISBN 978-4-7577-4236-9 (May 30, 2008)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 5 ISBN 978-4-7577-4518-6 (November 29, 2008)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 6 ISBN 978-4-7577-4827-9 (April 30, 2009)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 6.5 ISBN 978-4-7577-5040-1 (August 29, 2009)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 7 ISBN 978-4-04-726195-2 (December 26, 2009)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 7.5 ISBN 978-4-04-726313-0 (February 27, 2010)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 8 ISBN 978-4-04-726727-5 (August 30, 2010)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 9 ISBN 978-4-04-727031-2 (January 29, 2011)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 9.5 ISBN 978-4-04-727332-0 (June 30, 2011)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 10 ISBN 978-4-04-727647-5 (January 5, 2012)
• Baka to Test to Shōkanjū 10.5 ISBN 978-4-04-728351-0（September 29, 2012）

Anime

See also: List of Baka and Test episodes

A 13-episode anime adaptation produced by the animation studio Silver Link and directed by Shin Ōnuma^[4] aired in Japan between January 7 and March 31, 2010. On March 4, 2010, Funimation Entertainment announced that it had acquired the anime and streamed simulcast subtitled episodes days after they aired in Japan under the title Baka and Test – Summon the Beasts. Two OVA episodes under the title Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu: Matsuri.^[5] were released in two BD/DVD volumes: the first on February 23, 2011 and the second on March 30, 2011. Both OVA come with 2–3 different ending sequences. A second anime season under the title Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni! began airing in Japan in July 2011. In November 29, 2011, Animax Asia acquire the anime for its first season premiere. In May 6, 2012, Animax Asia re-aired the anime as part of Animax Asia's Shounen Sunday. In July 12, 2012, AXN Asia, the sister channel of Animax Asia began to air its first season in the Philippines as its exclusive programming. As of July 25, 2012, Animax Asia have anounnced that they will air Season 2 on August 16, 2012 under the title Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts 2 as well as the OVA that has announced will air on September 4 & 5, 2012.
The first anime season had three pieces of theme music: one opening theme and two ending themes. The opening theme is "Perfect-area Complete!" by Natsuko Aso, composed by Kenichi Maeyamada. The first ending theme is "Baka Go Home" by Milktub and BakaTest All Stars. The second ending theme is "Hare Tokidoki Egao" by Hitomi Harada, Kaori Mizuhashi, Emiri Katou and Tomomi Isomura. The Matsuri OVAs had one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is "Ren'ai Kōjō Committee" (恋愛向上committee^?) by Natsuko Aso, and the ending theme is "Getsuyō wa Kirai" (月曜はキライ^?) by Milktub. The second anime season has one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is "Kimi+Nazo+Watashi de Jump!!" (君+謎+私でJUMP!!^?) by Larval Stage Planning, made up of I've Sound singers Airi Kirishima, Nami Maisaki, and Rin Asami. The ending theme is "Eureka Baby" (エウレカベイビー^?) by Natsuko Aso. Funimation has also licensed the second season and the Matsuri OVA's, as with the first, they will simulcast the second series, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release this year.^[6]
The series made its American television debut on August 1, 2011 on the Funimation Channel.^[7]