Peach Beach Splash - 09 - True Shinobi

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this video are those of the host and not of Operation Rainfall as a whole.
NSFW Warning: The following video contains slippery sexy shinobi spraying sensational showers skillfully. Or, in other words, this is Senran Kagura, why would you watch this at work?

Episode 09: True Shinobi

Welcome back to more Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash!

Last time the Crimson Squad did their best to secure some new jobs by trying to get noticed on NewTube. The results were… mixed, to say the least.

Yomi’s stomach was the first major casualty, and Mirai was embarrassed beyond belief thanks to Haruka being a dick. About the only thing that went right was we learned Hikage can rap. Huh…

However, danger lurks in the shadows of PBS. After getting taking a rather serious job on, Boss Homura has to lead her team to victory in PBS and prove that the Crimson Squad are the truest of shinobi.

Time to lay it all on the line in this episode of Peach Beach Splash!

Additional Thoughts and Notes

Well, this was an interesting episode in retrospective.

For clarification, this was the last episode I recorded before taking a break. After Jet-R & Jet-K, I needed one. Plus I used the opportunity to do some grinding, which I’ll go over next episode. That said, let’s talk about the Crimson Squad.

Thinking back on this arc, I can understand why people may find this to be the best one, but I think that requires looking at how this arc develops the Crimson Squad over the entirety of Senran Kagura. Basically, this the Crimson Squad’s graduation of sorts. It’s the culmination of their entire struggle and proof they are True Shinobi now. Hence, why I titled the episode the way I did. In that sense, this is well done. In the context of this game though… not so much.

Really, from a writing standpoint, this story feel unbalanced. The Sōji stuff really felt pointless, and while the NewTube thing was kinda amusing, it also is just there for comedy. Which made the entire first half of this story kinda pointless. I hate to compare it to Hebijo, but this game seems to like mirroring stories for some reason.

Hebijo was, just was a well-built story. Everything really kind of matters there and feels important. Sure it has its comedic bits, but we establish there’s tension early on thanks to Murasaki’s troubles. In contrast, Crimson Squad feels like another day at the office as the girls try and find work. Plus while Hebijo’s growth could be considered more subtle, everyone did grow from it. Here, the group does grow as a unit, but not individually. Part of the problem I think is that I haven’t played Burst or Deep Crimson but consider if this was someone’s first Senran Kagura game?

While some may scoff at the notion, keep in mind this is a Western-focused title and an unusual shooter for that matter. It’s gonna catch some people’s interest who normally wouldn’t play the franchise. If you were in their shoes, you’d probably find the Hebijo storyline more interesting, I think, since it’s a complete story. I’ve always been of the mindset that while a sequel should build upon what came before, it should also be accessible enough that anyone can jump in and enjoy it. That way you get people interested to go back and play the previous titles instead of being intimidated that you have to play five other games to understand what’s going on.

Anyways, that’s all for the first four stories. Next time we begin the Climax!

Thanks for watching! If you’re looking for more Peach Beach Splash Goodness then check out our review of the game and our interview with Kenichiro Takaki:

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