Ranked #887

Shinryaku!? Ika Musume

I'll come right out and say it; I enjoyed the first season of Ika Musume very much. But I'll try my best to stay fair throughout this review.

Ika Musume season 2,like the previous season, provides 2 short stories/situations for each episodes. The show did a pretty damn good job at keeping each episode fresh with a different topic. Being limited to the beach, it's surprising how they can keep up with new things. Despite the fact that the setting was something that was prone to become boring quickly, Ika Musume season 2 pulled it off nicely. (well, so far.) I have to admit that the overall story is repetitive (Ika musume mistakes something for something, learns that it's actually something, while sanae stalking her blahblahblah) But in a way it is what strengthens character attachments. But I'll be honest, there's nothing to "wow" about. It stays in the borderline of plain and exciting.
Now I'm not sure if the show was aiming for children, but the thing I appreciate about Ika musume is its absence of sexual content. I'm a bit tired of seeing ass shots every 5 minutes, so Ika Musume gave me a bit of a break from that.
On a side note, the mini ika "series" were a bit of a pain to watch. It's just too sudden and forcefully cute.
You want my true opinion? 10/10 because it gave me an excuse to watch more of Ika Musume.
(Story: 8/10)

There's not much to say about the art except that it adapted to the manga extremely well. Not the best, but not the worst either. For the animation, it's easy to notice that some parts weren't made with effort. But really, I can't complain. I honestly don't think the art should be the focus point of a comical show. (although it should be addressed if it's goddamn horrible or godly) If you have a phobia of choppy animations, this is the part where you let out a sigh of relief.
(Art 7/10)

Same goes with sound. I didn't find anything particularly amazing. It'd say its mediocre to a point that its almost unnoticeable. Nothing catchy but nothing horrible to rape my ears. The opening music was a bit of a disappointment, but the ending music compensated for it. Overall, nothing special to point out here.
(sound 6/10)

Characters are the shining point of this show. Already with the fact that Ika Musume is a unique character (well for me at least), the characters tend to stay distinct. There is always something else that can be described of the characters rather than just bluntly "nice" or "cute".
I'd say that Ika Musume's ignorance of the surface world is portrayed very gently. I'm glad that Ika Musume's idiocy wasn't shown like those cliche air-heads supposedly aimed to be "moe". With a more realistic tone, Ika Musume does what any normal person would do with curiosity; go out and search for an answer. Her independence keeps the show fresh and entertaining. The way her knowledge piles up is pretty interesting as well. Indirect experience that gives you a feeling of progress I should say. But really, it's a personal opinion and I would appreciated if you wouldn't point fingers at me after watching it lol.
(Character 8/10)

(Enjoyment 9/10)

Overall, it's safe to say that Ika Musume season 2 is much like its previous season, except the fact that the stories are new and fresh. Which comes to a conclusion that you'll have a hard time watching this show if you dislike its setting and characters (well I guess that goes for every anime lol)

Don't be afraid to point out statements that you disagree with. And stay skeptical readers, this is my own bias opinion. read more

After a year of absence, Ika Musume returns once again to invade the anime world, bringing along with her all the gags and skits of the first season back for another run. For those who have watched season one of Ika Musume, this is definitely a must-watch. But even for those who haven't watched season one, you won't be missing anything if you jump right into the second season. All you need to know is that there's a squid girl "attempting" to invade the land. Shinryaku!? Ika Musume is essentially the exact replica of the first season except with different stories so don't go into it expecting something totally brand-new. So, let's begin the review ~de geso.

Art (7/10)
The artwork for the show has always been simple but good. The characters and backgrounds generally look lively, with the designs taking a more comedic style once in a while. It's nothing to cheer about but it's watchable and does what it's supposed to do.

Characters (7/10)
Surprisingly, there weren't any new (and notable) characters this season. Even though I was glad that the entire cast from season one returned, I can't say I wasn't disappointed at the lack of new faces. The characters have barely changed - Ika Musume is still the center of attention and comedy, Chizuru is still extremely creepy when she's mad, Sanae is still obsessed with Ika Musume, etc. I guess the idea of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" was in the mind of the mangaka as he continued Ika Musume after realizing it was successful.

Sound (8/10)
Like last season, Ika Musume opens with a fast-paced and upbeat OP that readies one for the comedy in next twenty or so minutes while the slower and softer ED wraps up the episode. I personally liked both songs, with the OP slightly getting the edge over the ED. As expected, the same BGM and seiyū from season one return for season two. Not many changes to note in this category.

Story (6/10)
While the first season was generally plotless, I was more forgiving considering that the series was still new to me. However, with the second season now finished, I'm starting to wonder if the original premise of Ika Musume invading the land has been completely forgotten. It's actually not the lack of plot that bothered me this season, but how unfitting the show's title is. Sure, maybe the question mark is there to hint that the invasion may not happen after all, but I'm still quite confused as to why the word "Shinryaku" is even there in the first place. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the three skits (or "stories", if you prefer) in each episode. They were generally entertaining and amusing.

Overall (7/10)
To be honest, the second season of Ika Musume didn't live up to the first season. I think it's the repetitiveness of it all that made it lose its charm. Still, that is not to say it was bad in any way. In fact, I am slightly looking forward to a third season, though I have a few doubts here and there. And with that, we bid farewell to squid girl once again and wait to see if she'll appear again next year. read more