FX Fighter Kurumi-chan Episode 1 Reviews A Bleak Setup
The first episode devotes itself to the mundane fallout of online gambling, then surrounds that story with jiggle framing and merchandise-ready opening art, leaving the show's intent unclear.
Reporting from 1 source: Anime Feminist.
Kurumi Fukuga's mother lost 20 million yen on high-risk investments in the 2012 financial crash and jumped from a roof not long after. Kurumi studies forex, determined to win back 20 million in her mother's memory. The premiering episode shows a 15-year-old parentified by a depressed mother and an absent father, then loses her savings as soon as she can trade legally.
The opening episode spends most of its runtime inside the family aftermath rather than the trading itself. Kurumi's mother quits gambling but cannot care for herself; her father works hours long enough that he does not question his wife's new job. Kurumi blames herself for a fight before the suicide.
The framing around that story is the problem. A legal disclaimer about forex trading opens the show, the credits art pitches a soft and fluffy alternate version of the pursuit, and the camera stops for jiggle shots several times an episode. The episode closes the circle: Kurumi loses her savings the moment she can trade legally.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime Feminist FX Fighter Kurumi-chan – Episode 1