In Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk (currently streaming on Crunchyroll), incoming (hic) college freshman, catches her RA Tonami Ibuki enjoying a whiskey highball at a spring festival. Ibuki, who is something of an alcohol otaku, only drinks alone because…she hiccups a lot when she drinks and has a complex about it. Botan is charmed by her (hic) regardless, and the two end up as drinking buddies, and perhaps something more…?

It turns out Botan, who took a convenient gap year so that she’s of legal drinking age (burp) as a freshman, turns into a big flirt after a drink or two–no surprise, given the title of the show. Thankfully, she’s not the handsy type, but there’s an odd purity to the dynamics here. I’m not asking for sloppy drunken makeouts in a pile of empty Yebisu cans…OK I kinda am, I remember what it was like in college. (hic) Really, Botan just got the big ol’ doki-dokis for Ibuki, and her RA is just a bit too overwhelmed by her forthrightness. But also, the show does twist itself into knots around Ibuki’s hiccup hangups. It is (hic) mildly annoying to me as a viewer when you know the show is going to find a way for every other character to leave a scene just so Ibuki can be alone with Botan and feel comfortable drinking. (hic)

Three other girls round out our small cast: the quick-tempered Yaeka Kitamori, her travel-partner-cum-possible-musician-girlfriend (?) Akane Yusa, and Kanade Gujou, the cigarette-smoking (hic) grad student with a failgirl crush on Ibuki. As of this writing, there is a sixth cast member who has yet to arrive, I assume to pick Gujou up out the smoking wreckage that she made for herself trying to get Ibuki to (hic) notice her. They are all perfectly fine, though they are all fairly one note so far.

Here’s the thing with this (burp) anime: not a lot happens. The girls in various permutations find themselves traveling, drinking, or often both. Some light flirtation occurs, maybe some mild yearning or angst. End scene. A character-driven story this is not; I know more about series creator HEY’s taste in music from one scene in episode 4 than I do about any of these (hic) girls. But there sure is a lot of product placement, mostly of alcohol (note that the anime had its own sake collab), but also Yamaha music equipment.

The Botan Kamiina anime is a spiritual successor to the Bocchi the Rock adaptation. My evidence:

-pink-haired protag ✅
-yuri/yuri-ish elements ✅
-animation showcase ✅
-Yamaha guitar product placement ✅

— Matt Marcus (@hyperartmarcussan.bsky.social) May 2, 2026 at 9:52 AM

If you are expecting fireworks, you will find it in the animation flexing that inexplicably shows up in (nearly) every episode. Much ado (hic) has been made online about the intentional changes in art style and direction between each episode, with different staff leading the production week to week. Mostly I find this successful, but occasionally it can be VERY distracting (looking at you, Episode 3). If nothing else, it covers for the otherwise (burp) languid development of anything you’d call plot. I will say though that the OP, with a song performed by yonige and made to look like handheld Super 8 footage, is gorgeous, as are the watercolor-styled ED sequences that do a strong job fleshing out each character’s backstory. There is a lot of craft being put into this anime, but the substance of the story itself is (hic) fairly thin.

It really is hard to pin down this (hic) show. It’s not hobby enough to teach you about brewing or mixology; it’s not travelogue enough to be a guide book (although people have already made their own); it’s not quite Yuri enough to do more than whet the palate for something more. For me, personally (burp), I don’t want to just see Botan sip delicate sakes or infuse upper-shelf single malts. I want to see her wax poetic about the top notes of Mad Dog 20/20. I want to see her do Edward 40-hands with Steel Reserve. I want to see her drink like a college student, damnit! (hic) Also where do they get the money for all of this.

If it sounds like I’m damning with faint praise, fear not. I’m enjoying watching this series every Friday night, with a drink (or two) in hand, as you might have been able to tell. (hic) Bottom’s up, y’all.

Art – 7 Knocking off a point for ep 3
Story – 5
Characters – 7
Service – 3 Bartending is service, right?
Yuri – 5

Overall – 7

Botan Kamiina is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Fridays.

One thing to note: there was a recent blow-up on social media around HEY’s bookmarked art on Pixiv, particularly at least one that included Botan in a (seemingly) non-yuri scenario. Whether or not that crosses a boundary of good taste or morality is something that everyone should decide on for yourself. Having looked into it myself, I am personally less bothered by the fanart and more troubled by some other choices, but nevertheless I will continue to follow the series.

Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network. You can find him mostly reskeeting Yuri posts and sports takes on Bluesky @hyperartmarcussan.bsky.social

by Matt Marcus, Staff Writer

Your butt is mine, gon’ tell ya right

So opens Michael Jackson’s 1987 mega-hit “Bad”. I’ve always found this line risible, like a 7-year-old trying to sound cool. Don’t get me wrong, the song is a certified banger, but no amount of buckles or hip-thrusts were going to convince me that MJ knew how to throw down.

Even less convincing is Yuu Yuutani, the titular so-called Bad Girl,streaming on HIDIVE. You see, she wears earrings (that are actually paper clips)! And she doodles on the bus window! That will definitely catch the attention of her beloved senpai and public morals committee member, Atori Mizutori, won’t it? Turns out she’s very bad and being…well, bad. But despite this, she gets her wish, as Atori finds herself fascinated with this small scared animal who follows her around.

Every character is an easily identifiable archetype: we have the socially inept lead; the grumpy gyaru best friend with a crush; the conceited clout-seeking cutesy girl; and the well-admired and respected senpai. Not much in the way of surprises here, although aside from the “school idol” girl they are likeable enough.

Nothing about Atori’s sudden interest in Yuu makes a lick of sense aside from the fact that there wouldn’t be a premise without it. You can’t look at Bad Girl and expect anything resembling verisimilitude or character growth—it’s simply a vehicle to deliver well-worn jokes around our lead struggling to communicate yet failing upwards. There is also a layer of lewdness to the gags that feel very calculated, starting with the OP that includes several moments of our cast posing with each other in the nude for no reason.

The animation is solid, the comedic timing is tight and punchy. It’s a well-executed version of what it is: a gag manga adaptation with few fresh ideas. To paraphrase Wesley Snipes: it ain’t bad.

Art – Cutesy. Very cutesy
Story – Goofy and fluffy
Characters – Here just to be silly
Service – Kya-hoo out of 10
Yuri – Should’ve called this series Down Bad Girl

Overall – It’s not bad, but it’s not particularly great either

You can watch this series on HIDIVE, if you’re bad enough

Matt Marcus is a cohost of various projects on the Pitch Drop Podcast Network, as well as the writer for the blog Oh My God, They Were Bandmates analyzing How Do We Relationship in greater depth.