Super Cub

It’s finally here! A few months prior, I started watching my own mini trilogy of cute girls doing cute things, bike version. It was in anticipation of me planning to watch Super Cub. Just like how the light novel of the same name was given the anime treatment at that time to celebrate and commemorate the success of Honda selling its 100 millionth unit of its most successful motorbike brand in the world. Or at least in Southeast Asia where it is a popular mode of transport and sturdy workhorse. Time to enjoy the slow ride…

Episode 1
Wow. We’re starting off on a depressing note already? Koguma narrates she has nothing. No life. No hobbies. No money. No parents. No friends. F*ck. IS THIS HOW THEY’RE STARTING OFF PROMOTING THE HONDA CUB?! One day as she leaves school, she sees a bike zooming by and decides to change her mind and go to a small bike shop. She wants a bike but has no money. Old dude Shino will get her a second hand one. Sits on it. Likes it. I’ll take it. Eh? I thought she said she had no money? Well, well. Shino sells her for a song. A fraction of the price. Why so cheap? This bike killed people. OMG. KILLED 3 PEOPLE. OMFG! Koguma: I’ll take it anyway. Wait. DOES SHE EVEN HAVE A F*CKING LICENCE? Yeah, as she is brought in to fill the details, she realizes she doesn’t have one. He gives her a book for the licence. Questions always the same. And just like that she now has her licence! Shino kind enough to teach her the basics. Then off she goes on her Super Cub. Great feeling. Reaches home. Biggest smile she puts on seeing her Super Cub parked outside. Yeah, clean it well. It’s her new toilet seat after all. Even riding in this countryside might be dangerous because bigger vehicles pass her. So to practice more, night riding! Yeah, danger of another kind. The night ride is fine until she stops at a convenience store to refresh herself. When she is ready to go, her bike won’t start. Oh dear. Panic. So she’s just sitting there? Until some trucker dude asks what’s wrong. No, it’s okay. I’m fine. Okay then. Only then she remembers Shino kept the user manual in the compartment! YOU NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT?! Okay, gotta be patient. She is a newbie in bikes. So why can’t it not start? OUT OF GAS?! HOW DID SHE EVEN GET HER LICENCE?! Okay, once again be patient. Newbie. When she puts it to reserve fuel only the bike starts. Thank goodness. Like relieving yourself after taking the biggest dump, eh? HAHA! Just kidding. Heads to the nearest petrol station to fill it up. Reaches home safely. Phew. What a scare. Next day, she makes all the proper checks. Yeah. That was a good experience, huh? She notes that up till today she has nothing. From now on, this Super Cub is something she can call her own. So… She does have SOME money, huh?

Episode 2
I guess Koguma didn’t read everything in her manual. Because only after she sees a guy put his helmet, she refers to the manual on how to put her helmet in the holder. And then in class, suddenly she announces she rode her bike to school. WTF?! Everyone surprised and start hounding her! Is this the kind of attention she wants?! Oh, just a thought in her mind. Phew. During home economics class, the students are to make some bag. Koguma chooses a fabric that will be a neat bag for her helmet and gloves. Since this also has her admit she rode a Super Cub to school, this attracts the attention of her fellow classmate, Reiko. She too rides one to school and after class she hopes she can show it to her. Reiko is impressed with Koguma’s bike so she shows hers. Honda MD90 Postal Cub is an old post office bike but she has modified it to run faster. Weirdest conversation ending thingy because it’s like Reiko says she took too much time blabbing about her bike, so it’s time to leave. Bye. Rides away. Leaves Koguma behind. HUH?! Next few boring scenes show Koguma carrying on with her mundane ritual in life. You know, go home, sleep, wake up, go to school, rinse and repeat. One day Reiko decides to eat lunch with her on their bikes as they talk they could go anywhere with their Cubs. Yeah, why not, right? More boring scenes… And Koguma narrating that instead of going straight home like she always does, she could make turns and detours that would lead her to unknown places with unknown sights to see. Well, no sh*t. Japan’s a big place, you know.

Episode 3
After hearing how Reiko could just store anything into her box, Koguma thinks of installing one too. You mean she didn’t think about it at first until now? Hence Reiko makes a call to an old acquaintance. He has got an old bike that is up for scraps. Since its box is still in good condition, the girls dismantle it before putting it on Koguma’s Cub. Yeah, Koguma couldn’t stop grinning. Extra bonus: A teacher heard this and gives his front basket to her for free since he doesn’t use it anymore. Double grinning. As she rides home, the faster she tries to ride, the wind gets into her face. Okay. Next set of problem. Yeah, look at that rider having a full face helmet. Getting ideas now? Back home, she thinks of covering this front area (DUH?!) and she stumbles upon the manufacturing place of this helmet. Saitama, huh? So what it’s got to do with the visor she wants?! Next day, she has Reiko show her helmet and tells what she needs. Are such helmets expensive? Well, let’s just say it’s the price you pay to keep your life safe. So what’s the way to go look for a visor? The internet! If only Reiko can stop doing her own online shopping first. Once that is done, they look through all the helmets but it’s too pricey or fancy. Koguma then notices a painter nearby and asks what he is wearing. Safety goggles. Cheap and hardy. Can get them at the hardware store. And just like that she doesn’t need the internet anymore! Aside from the goggles, she also gets chains. Now she can ride comfortably with the wind blowing in her face but her eyes protected. Yeah, it’s that grin again. She can also sleep safe, knowing she chained up her bike. Wow. She even dreams of riding her Cub! While it makes her happy, it just shows how boring her life is!!! Even Reiko can tell from that grin and starts telling the time she got her first helmet. Do we care to listen? Reiko then gives her contacts to Koguma to call if anything comes up. Man, it must be so boring that they had to play Liszt’s Liebestraum! You bet I prefer to listen to this classical than hear Koguma monologue about words of a fellow Cub rider is trustworthy! And other boring stuffs about her life we don’t really care! Can go anywhere with your Cub? I’m going to hear this piece again if you don’t mind!

Episode 4
The teacher calls Koguma. Knowing that she rides to school, he has a part time transport job for the summer. She’ll be paid of course. Reiko explains to her the courier job that she is about to undertake. Does she have to make it sound so grand like delivering secret diplomatic papers? Reiko will be doing her own delivery job for the summer. Anyway, what’s a girl with no life got to do but to accept the job? After all, she gets to ride her Cub more, right? But first, she goes to get an oil change from Shino. Then her first day on the job. Delivery goes smoothly. Almost forgot to take back some documents for the return trip. First pay. Nothing uneventful. So this goes on for a few days until she is quite used to it. Since she has ridden over 500 km, time for another oil change. Shino checks her oil. Wow. She’s ridden her Cub very gently. That’s supposed to be a good thing, right?! Same ol’ job continues. Until it rains. Damn. First wet misery. Hence she has to go buy a rain suit. Oh damn. Expensive. But remember, this small investment goes a long way. And good for her because now she doesn’t need to be miserable in the rain. Once she has surpassed 1000 km, this time she changes the oil herself. Damn, she got all the tools! But no strength to unbolt the nut! Is this supposed to be funny?! Then she sees a guy cycling a bicycle. She gets an idea to use her feet as strength. It works! I’m just worried if she has the strength to screw it back… Anyway it ends well and you can tell from her smirk on her face. And those oil marks all over her fingernails. Proof she made it through her first battle! Koguma does her final delivery and gets her final pay. She’s saved up quite a bit now. Now she wants to go farther, huh? Time to invest in a bigger bike then…

Episode 5
Reiko lives all by herself because she wants to climb over that unseen wall. So she really lives all by herself in this cabin out in the woods, huh? Koguma goes to visit her after her courier job is done. Now it’s time to see what Reiko did for summer. Looks like loading up some goods… Nothing extraordinary. And then what’s this? Suddenly she races up the hill on her bike?! OH F*CK?! Hard rock music playing in the background to boot!!! OMFG! Is this some action battle sequence?! And then she crashes! I don’t know if that’s supposed to be funny… You see, it is her goal to ride up Mt Fuji on her Cub. Some book influenced her. She asked around and apparently not many do so anymore because of the stringent laws. But she still wants to do it so she checks up the internet on some bike modifications. Hence she took up this job which requires her to stay at the foothills. Her job is to ride up and check the trail and weather. Her job entails her to a certain station but her boss says she can go higher if she wants. Yeah. All that and Debussy’s Reverie playing in the background! Each time she tries, she crashes! Some broken parts here and there but the Cub can still move and Reiko suffer no major injuries. I don’t know, but is it me that she is racing up?! If she is going that fast of course she is going to crash!!! So after her boss gives some advice, Reiko realizes she missed the most important aspect of it all: To have fun. But it still looks like she is racing up… This time she doesn’t give up, wheelies each time she tries to fall, more hard rock music!!! Eventually she falls! Thank goodness she didn’t roll all the way down… But I guess it’s game over as her bike is now leaking oil. Although she didn’t get to the top, at this height it isn’t so bad. Koguma thinks that dream of hers is silly but Reiko believes she will one day conquer it. Reiko then quashes rumours about Koguma’s bike that killed others. Turns out the first one died from drinking too much, the second ran into debt and skipped town, the third just lost his licence and parted ways. All nothing to do with the Cub. Koguma wants to go home but it is pitch black outside so Reiko has her stay here. Next morning, Koguma intends to get a full bike licence considering the one she has is holding her back. Reiko checks online and bombards her with all the technical stuffs. Sorry, I don’t understand it too!

Episode 6
The class will have a trip to Kamakura. Everybody looking forward to it. Except on that day itself, Koguma has a fever! Oh damn! Have to miss the fun. Oh well, she still has her Cub, right? Of course she will not be beaten and hence decides to ride her Cub there! Hey, she is looking pretty alright now. I guess that excitement burnt her fever away, huh? So she studies the map to Kamakura and starts her journey. She calls Reiko about it but do you think she’ll listen if she says not to do something this dangerous? Yup. Thought so. Maybe next time. Because at this rate Koguma will be reaching their inn way earlier than the rest, Reiko suggests she can her own sightseeing. This includes climbing up some trail up Mt Fuji. After a certain station, I think that’s it. Back to the journey. And here, have this wonderful piano rendition of Erik Satie’s Je Te Veux waltz classic! More sightseeing as she makes her journey until she arrives at the inn at the same time as the bus! Such perfect timing. You bet all the students are shocked to see her here. Koguma gets scolded by the teachers for doing something dangerous but good thing nothing untoward happened. Reiko heard she took the Shonan Bullet Road and gets jealous she took it before her. WTF? Next day, Koguma and Reiko sneakily have their own excursion as they ride Koguma’s Cub. Yeah, just make a few modifications for a pillion and voila! After all, Reiko bought her own helmet just in case. Reiko says her Cub is done for. Nothing works and it is beyond repair. She plans to get a new Hunter Cub that is famed for being used in farming as it could go up mountain roads. There are newer models but she doesn’t like them electronically controlled and prefers the old style which stopped production in 2012. Koguma hopes when she gets her new Cub, she’ll let her ride it too.

Episode 7
We’re starting off with Erik Satie’s Gymnopedie No 1 because Koguma’s narration of having her Cub for half a year is going to be as boring as f*ck. Yeah… With autumn arriving and the winds getting chillier, Reiko’s glove has holes so Koguma will accompany her to go get replacements. Too bad Reiko got distracted and couldn’t make up her mind to get one. Returning to school, the class will be doing a café for the cultural festival. Shii Eniwa seeks volunteers to help do decorations. However they soon hit trouble because their teacher who is supposed to drive and deliver the equipment has other commitments. How? Time for Koguma to step up for the job. Can she and Reiko carry all the requested equipment on their bikes? Well, make a few adjustments like adding a cart! Genius. Wow, even putting some balancer so that it won’t spill, huh? So they go get the stuffs and return with everything in order. Shii shows her appreciation by giving them a free cup of coffee. Shii would like to ride a bike but can’t because she can’t even balance herself on a bicycle. So stay safe and don’t do anything dangerous, okay? Yeah, Cubs are made so you want to ride them or they won’t let you! That’s the Cub spirit!

Episode 8
Shii invites Koguma and Reiko to her home since her father wants to thank them for helping her out at the festival. Her family runs a diner. Hmm… A Japanese family running a French named diner that serves German bread and Italian coffee and has its interior setting of that of a British sandwich stand and American diner. Is that international or just chaotic? Shii and her papa ‘argue’ the better Italian or American coffee they want to serve to them. But they’ll just take both and share. It’s free, right? After that, the duo continue their mission of shopping for new gloves for Reiko. This time Koguma has to be a little strict before Reiko gets distracted by something else. Ironically it is Koguma who gets distracted with a tin mess and decides to buy it. And then a cover for the bike handles since winter is coming. Seeing how much these covers work, even Reiko too purchases one. One day they visit Shii’s place again. But when it reaches a certain time, Shii needs them to leave because it’s going to get crowded at this hour. However, papa wants them to try his German rye bread and because Reiko wants to, they stay, much to Shii’s chagrin. Turns out Shii doesn’t want her friends to see her mom who is a foreigner?! She’s even trying to hide her face?! WTF?! I’m sure this British lady won’t bite and is in fact quite friendly with her friends. See? Nothing wrong!

Episode 9
How boring it is to see Koguma start her Cub on a chilly morning? So boring they had to play a classical music! Didn’t recognize this one, though. You wonder why if it’s so cold, Koguma and Reiko eating lunch outside in the bike shed. Can’t let their bikes be lonely and cold? Or by being with their bikes somehow magically warm them up? Even Shii joins in. Because of the coat Shii is wearing, they wonder if she is cold. She’s not. Shii notices Koguma doesn’t have much to wear from the cold and that she can help. Papa has a coat made out of abrasive wool. He hasn’t had much use of it but since Koguma likes it, he gives it to her. Although its maintenance is lots of trouble, that Koguma it means it is reliable. However it needs some sewing. Since nobody has the necessary skills, they have to rush back to school for the teacher to help out before it closes. Not sure why everybody was looking at Reiko and expect something out of her. So Shii becomes a pillion rider. Not sure how ‘slow’ Reiko was doing but to Shii that was freaking scary fast! As the day gets colder, Koguma needs to get a gear that will help her during the chilly weather. However Reiko is so against it because it looks ugly and would rather lock up her bike rather than use it. Anyway, they head to the store and that gear is a windshield. Oh my. Pricey. Then some guy took it. Oops. That’s the last stock. They ask the clear if they have anymore. Nope. But an affiliate store has and he can order for them. WTF now they say no? I don’t get it, was it all just a joke?! I don’t know how Shii’s talking about the coffee maker during the festival inspires Reiko to change her mind. So she goes to her friend’s place to try a bike that has a windshield. Well, the only one left is broken in many ways. Test riding it, looks good. So they save up and both get their windshields. Now looking fine and dandy. Ready to go. And it’s an investment that paid off because they’re so comfortable riding with it, they’ve been riding even after sundown!

Episode 10
Not sure what Koguma is saying. Because I’m enjoying the relaxing Liebestraum! Okay, song ended. Back to mundaneness. What now? Oh. It’s snowing. How can she ride in the snow, right? One day, Reiko calls her to get her ass here right now. At first Koguma doesn’t want to but after seeing the picture, she’s coming right away. And nope, it’s not some cute snow bunny or anything like that. Reiko has fitted chains onto her tyres. Yeah. Looks like fun. You bet Koguma wants to try it too. Apparently Reiko got it from a business that is closing down. After fitting them, they ride out. So, how did Koguma ride here before that? Must be a real careful ride, huh? Because now we see them ride so freely in a wide snowy plain! Oh damn, they’re doing a few mini jump stunts! Don’t worry if they crash. Because it’s snow and soft under, right?! Isn’t that why they take off their helmet and jacket?! When that’s over, snowball fight! Koguma playing dirty, revving her tyre to kick up snow onto Reiko! And when all that is done, they wind down with great Italian coffee at Shii’s place. Gotta love this life. Yeah, Shii wanted to join in too but I guess her bicycle won’t do any good. Reiko even hinting of putting petite Shii in her box to bring her to places! Koguma is no better. She can try to fit her in her front basket! One day as the duo patron the place again, Shii isn’t around. Her father says she is trying to be more like them and has been spending more time riding her bicycle since. Good for her, right? So while I am enjoying Liszt’s Consolation No. 3 and not give a hoot about what Koguma is narrating about, suddenly she receives a call from Shii. Hmm… A very faint sound of calling for help… OH SH*T! Shii has crashed her bicycle and is stuck in a shallow creek!!! OMFG! IS THIS THE MUCH NEEDED DRAMA THAT THIS SERIES FINALLY NEEDS???!!!

Episode 11
It’s Koguma to the rescue! F*ck, why did Shii not call her parents?! WHY KOGUMA?! Anyway, I’m enjoying Vivaldi’s Winter from The Four Seasons too much to pay attention what the f*ck is happening. And so Koguma arrives. Must be a small creek so she knows where Shii has crashed, right? So why doesn’t Koguma call for help? I understand she doesn’t have Shii’s parents’ number but at least Reiko. Or at least even the ambulance! Is she going to be a heroine and save her all by herself?! Yeah, she did. Because Shii is as light as f*ck. Phew. Thank goodness. More heroics from Koguma because she did say she won’t call for the ambulance and bring her home to warm her up. I don’t know how long Shii has been exposed to the cold, but shouldn’t she be in hypothermia now? Whatever. Now Koguma calls Reiko and tells her what happened. Koguma then puts Shii on her front basket and rides home. Hey, she’s lighter than the newspaper stack she delivers! OMFG. While, another harrowing ride for Shii! This isn’t her day! As Shii takes a warm bath, Reiko comes by. Yeah, her role was taking Shii’s bicycle out from the creek. It’s done for. And then the trio have a nice warm dinner and as Shii washes the plates, Reiko tells her the truth about her bicycle’s condition. Damn, WHY IS SHE WASHING IN THE DARK?! Save electricity?! Is Koguma a stingy person?! I mean, earlier on Reiko took her eggs from the fridge and shared it with everyone and you could see Koguma’s face of displeasure. Of course, the dark is good to hide her tears as poor Shii can’t contain her emotions. Can’t blame her if she lost her mind because she is begging to Koguma to save her with her Cub. Take away this winter and turn it into spring! OMFG. Is Koguma or the Cub your God?! Well, better than asking God to reschedule winter for spring! HAHAHA!!! Okay, not a good time for jokes. Next morning, Shii’s parents are grateful for their help. They give them a pass for free coffee and bread for an entire year! Wohoo! Life returns to normal. Shii gets a new bicycle but it is bigger in size so it doesn’t really fit her well. As spring is around the corner, Koguma suggests hanami. Shii lights up and wants to go. Koguma realizes that she has always been chasing after Shii as she was always looking forward of what’s ahead of her. It is actually her who inspired her to get her Cub. The one who gave her empty life meaning. So it’s set. The trio are going hanami to capture spring and escape the murderous winter. Oh you girls…

Episode 12
Koguma wakes up early to a beautiful morning. Enjoying the scene? Well, I’m mostly enjoying the great classical piano BGM here! She then goes to meet up with Reiko and Shii. Today is the day they’ll start their journey to seize spring, right? Shii’s mom is worried but Shii assures her that Koguma will protect her. And who will protect Koguma? Super Cub of course! Oh yeah. So assuring. Super Cub > God. So as they start their journey, they don’t have any set route in particular. So they just ride along and enjoy the sceneries and all the stops they made. It’s not going to be a day trip but a tour that lasts a few days and nights. Damn, is this a mini Discovery Channel because we see them pass through certain famous natural wonders of Japan like Lake Biwa and the Tottori sand dunes. It’s amazing how far Cubs can go, right? So wanna see how far theirs can go? Not sure if they make the entire whole trip around Honshu but they reach the supposed farthest end of Japan just in time to witness the cherry blossoms. Yes, spring has arrived. Thank Koguma for blowing away the winter blues, right???!!! Sighs, God didn’t even get any credit for changing the seasons since Earth was born… Anyway, with the trip over, they return home. Spring comes springing another surprise: Shii has bought a new Little Honda! She’ll pay back dad after graduation. Looks like the Cub mania club has increased in its members. Koguma and Reiko give some advice but Shii is too infatuated with her new bike to listen. So watch out people. When you see a group of 3 cute girls on their Cubs riding around town, they’re not Hells Angel but Cub Angels! Forever Super Cub! Hooray!

Easily Boring Rider…
YAAAWWWNNNN… ZZZzzzZZZzzzZZZzzz… Oh wait, what?! It’s already over?! THANK GOODNESS!!! It was unreasonable for me to expect something exciting or out of the ordinary to happen in the end but I guess it is a happy ending when everybody is happy enjoying riding their Honda bikes. Boringness is only perspective, right? Don’t forget to service it thoroughly after a splendid and long journey throughout Japan. Did they forget to remind us of that and instead spam Koguma’s positive vibes just to end the series? Well, at least I’m still not as eager to get a Super Cub myself. Sorry girls, won’t be joining your mini club anytime. Nor do I hope this will get a sequel. What are they going to do? Add more Cubs to the collection? So crazy it might happen…

First thing’s first, let me say this: I don’t see how this series promotes the Super Cub! It feels a lot secondary here. I mean, it’s a good thing that they don’t spam the brand in your face for every 5 seconds but the way this slow slice of series is going, I just don’t see it promoting the bike. Hence, I can’t really claim that this show is one really long advertisement for the Super Cub at all! Damn, ruined my plan there. Heh. Hmm… Maybe I misinterpreted the series from the start. The series was indeed to celebrate and commemorate the milestone achieved by the Super Cub, but it never did explicitly say that it was to promote the bike. After all, Super Cub is already a well-known and popular brand in many countries, so why the f*ck do they need to spend more on ads and make it even more popular?! Yeah, I see I realized this too late as I write this paragraph.

Of course there are some hints and tips about the bike itself but I feel those are just very minimal. This anime wouldn’t be so if we don’t see Koguma tending to her bike like fixing it up or doing her usual maintenance. Yeah, I see she does better maintenance than many people in real life! But don’t worry, Super Cubs are tough mothers, right? They’ll still go on till the very last moment after all the abuses and non-maintenance. So if you are really enthusiastic and care about your Cub or any other bike you have, you’d be doing your own research and put in your own effort. So uhm, Koguma’s gentle use of the Super Cub makes it the most underused and underutilized Super Cub ever in the world?! I can foresee why her Cub will last forever… No wonder it gave her no problems during that trip to catch spring. Remember people, treat your bike right and it will treat you right in return.

However I read there were a few controversies brought up about on how Shii rode her bike that broke a few laws. Especially when Koguma got her licence and the law states newbies cannot carry a pillion for a year. I think the producers commented on it that they were just following the source material faithfully. And of course if you do remember the disclaimer at the beginning of the episode, this is a work of fiction! There’s your loophole. So all you angry people angry over nothing, please calm yourself down. It’s just a calm and relaxing (and mostly boring) anime, that’s all! Of course I also find some of the riding to be silly and dangerous. Remember that snow one? Yeah…

So as you could have guessed from my sentiments, this whole series is just FREAKING BORING!!!! Oh my God… I don’t know how many times I have caught myself losing concentration in every episode and get distracted by something happening else outside my monitor screen. I was thinking that this series could at least be on par with Aria The Animation or Amanchu but unfortunately it is so boring and dull, I have to rank it way lower than those aforementioned anime series. The whole thing really feels dreary and lacklustre from start to finish. Basically the world’s most boring and gloomiest girl who has nothing to live for, found the meaning of life via a bike. I mean, I won’t laugh at that because I’m a boring person too with no life (at least by societal standards). If I really wanted to watch something as boring as this, I would’ve watched flashbacks of my life instead. You get what I mean?

So it’s just really weird (and boring) to see Koguma living the most exciting days of her life after getting a Super Cub. Well, good for her. I mean, in this sleepy town, what else is there to do? This series isn’t exactly promoting the brand and Koguma isn’t that sort of wild girl. Add them together and you’ve got, wait for it, one of the most boring animes I have ever watched in my life! Yeah, looking back in hindsight, the mini trilogy of cute girls doing cute things, bike version is even much more fun than this. I mean, this isn’t anywhere near the crazy and exaggerated Bakuon, but this is certainly nowhere near the calm and relaxing level that I hoped for either. Can’t say I regret watching this because I made the decision of watching this despite reading the synopsis and knowing what I’m getting into 100% beforehand. I just didn’t think it would be THIS BORING! Sheesh. Save for the part where little Shii fell into the creek. It was like the much needed tension to wake up you people dozing off into dreamland. But of course, everything went well and nothing untoward happened. Sorry for Shii’s bicycle, that’s all. But Shii herself is in good spirits, no long term health side effects. Oh damn, Koguma must be her God or at least guardian angel, huh?!

With the story so boring, the same can be said for the characters. Especially Koguma who is the main character, she’s just freaking boring. It doesn’t help when she has this very monotonous poker face as she herself is a gloomy person. Yes, her life has a bit of colour after she gets her Cub. But overall, she is still gloomy. I’m not saying she puts on that kind of face 24/7. At times she does eke out a smile or gets annoyed. However… She looks weird in that! I don’t know, I have mixed feelings about this. When you see Koguma smile, her face gets all weird up as her mouth line start to resemble some wavy curves. I don’t know, is she a Peanuts or Charlie Brown character? With that kind of smile, she gives me the impression that she is having some sort of orgasms in whatever she is currently enjoying doing. So I don’t know, should I be grateful for Koguma to put up more of her gloomy poker face or should I let her keep this weird smile of hers?

Faring a bit better than Koguma is Reiko and she is a lot more outgoing than Koguma. I won’t say that they are on polar opposites but in terms of personality, I would prefer Reiko to Koguma. She has her own quirks and dreams. But I don’t feel that Koguma and Reiko are really biking partners. Just so happen that they are the only ones who ride bikes to school. Naturally, birds of the same feather flock together. They’re only close because of their shared interest and commonality in Cub. Otherwise, just regular friends. And finally there is Shii. Slightly lively and optimistic girl and yes, still better than Koguma in terms of personality. It makes me wonder if she too harbour dreams of owning a Cub like them because she has been hanging out more often with them after the cultural festival. There’s always room for another member. Because Shii is small so I believe she can fit in nicely and with lots of room to spare! HAHAHA!!! Okay, sorry for the bad joke. But you get what I mean, right? My only curiosity about her is how light she weighs! It’s rude to ask a girl but I really want to know how light she is! I wonder if she is lighter than shadow. Just kidding of course! And dreams do come true in the end since after that harrowing bicycle accident, she decided to ditch that 2 wheeler and upgrade herself with a motor powered vehicle. Blessing in disguise? More is better. If you’re a Honda Cub fan.

To reflect how boring this series is, even the art and animation are so. Well, at least the hues are in very drab and monotonous colour. It really gives a very gloomy feeling. However, I am left to wonder if this was just some sort of effect in the sense that this is what the world feels and looks to Koguma. Because when Shii agreed to Koguma’s hanami suggestion, suddenly the colour and hues drastically change to a very bright and livid tone! OMG! Has Koguma’s world finally light up?! If the series had this kind of colour and hue tones in the first place, maybe it wouldn’t have felt so boring. Even the sceneries are okay to look at but with the said boring colour and hue tones, it wasn’t really enjoyable to look at. Except for the final episode since it was like a mini travel show and those places of interests looked better. As for the bikes, they’re given some details but nothing fantastic or super shiny that’ll attract your attention. Hey, it’s just a Super Cub. After all, Honda had a hand in supervising its design. And it goes without saying that the character designs are just drab. Yeah, the characters look one kind boring. And I’ve already said about Koguma’s smile making her face looking weird and all. This anime was done by Studio Kai who did Mushikago No Cagaster. I think there are some CGI but those are very minimal and doesn’t really stand out. After all, everything already looks boring, right? Hey, it could’ve been worse with bad CGI quality, you know!

You know what I enjoy the most out from this boring series? Yup. It’s the myriad of classical music, baby! I guess this is proof of how drab this anime is going to be if they’re going to add those classical music into every episode. Even more damning proof if viewers like yours truly have more fun in hearing them rather than what Koguma has to say or even paying attention on what is going on in that scene. My only gripe for this part is that there are some cool classical music that I have not heard before and this is the problem when a song has no lyrics because you can’t just Google them! Worse, the credits do not seem to state them and that’s why I have a hard time trying to identify or find them. Is it because these classical music are already in public domain so one is not obliged to credit its author/composer? To be fair, there is a couple of websites that do compile those classical music featured. This playlist site and also this YouTube playlist. So it really helps reduce my searching time and not waste my precious time to watch more anime! Also, thanks to these sites, I guess there are a handful of classical music that I were once unknown to me, now I know! A million thanks. I believe there are a few other modern BGMs too and they’re nice to hear as well.

Voice acting is pretty okay. It’s that kind of genre so not really much to shout about. Especially when the cast is so small and they’re using unknown seiyuus in the line-up. The casts are Yuki Yomichi as Koguma (Serene in Megami-ryou No Ryoubo-kun), Ayaka Nanase as Reiko (Shizu in Assault Lily: Bouquet), Natsumi Hioka as Shii (Tsukuyo in Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism), Takahiro Miyamoto as Shii’s father, Mariko Tsutsui as Shii’s mother and Ken Uo as Shino. I’m not saying I like the opening theme song, but the pop rock outfit of Mahou No Kaze by Akane Kumada is way livelier than the overall series itself. The same can be said for the pop-like ending theme, Haru E No Dengon by the trio of Koguma, Reiko and Shii.

Overall, this isn’t a bad anime. It is just BORING! B-O-R-I-N-G! I doubt that this series will have any impact on the sales of the brand nor would it alter the general perception of it. But anime wise, it’s just about a girl who found happiness in her bike (I suppose she’s not going to marry it someday, huh?) and nothing to do with the brand name. It’s a mixed baggage I read from the comments over the web. Some were like me who find it totally unexciting while the rest love it for its simplicity and relaxing nature. Sorry folks, Super Cub is not my saviour and it did not save me from all the boringness that I have watched through. But hey, still better than all those mind numbing and ubiquitous isekai tropes out there! But maybe… Super Cub can help save the anime industry from that. Nah! We’ll just ride into the sunset with it along with this series.

N/B: Point to ponder: Will a sequel be released once they sell its 200 millionth unit? Well, the waiting is going to be a long ride…