D.C.II: Da Capo II

If I were to choose just one word to describe this anime, it would be "pleasant." The episodes literally fly by, they're very easy to watch and easily enjoyable. As someone who's new to the Da Capo franchise, I still enjoyed it very much, so if you've never seen any of the previous installments, do not let this discourage you. The series can be enjoyed as a stand-alone experience, at least I did. This review will be spoiler-free.

The Story: 6
To be fair, the story is not the strongest point of the series, but it's certainly nothing to frown at. The plot progresses at a comfortable ... pace, and it is a heartwarming tale for the most part. Some events are a bit predictable, but it's never boring, and it doesn't drag on. If you're looking for an epic tale, look elsewhere, but for a harem, it's quite good.

Art: 8
The art and visual are very beautiful. The whole team of sakuras and the lively colors used throughout the series really do enhance the mood. The character designs are fantastic, which is what first drew me to the series. Aesthetically, it is a very pleasant experience. It is a harem, after all, and seeing beautiful women is always a plus.

Sound: 7
The opening theme is very good, I think they chose a very fitting song for the series. The background music mostly good as well, some of it memorable, and some it just blending into the background. I personally thought the ending could have been better, though.

Characters: 8
The characters often make or break a show, and Da Capo was no exception. I already mentioned the wonderful character designs, and this extends to their personality as well as their appearance. The male lead isn't perfect, but he is quite likable for a harem lead. Almost all of the female "contestants" are just lovable and cute, but each of them have their own special charm. Amakase was especially entertaining to watch, a great character.

Enjoyment: 7
It was a pleasant and enjoyable experience. It kept me entertained, and I grew attached to the characters. It is a high school harem, and it's pretty hard to stand out in this genre, but I think Da Capo did a good job of making a show that's both enjoyable and memorable. It wasn't out of this world, but it was good, and I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't have a strong bias against harems.

Overall I gave the series 7: Good and enjoyable. I'm looking forward to enjoying the second season, and I hope you will too. Thanks for taking the time to read my review and happy watching.

I decided to change my review because I didn't liked it anymore, and I have other things to say now.

Story
I still say that I can't give the story higher then a 6. I think I'm going to sound very negative now, but I can't help it, sorry. The story is just.. boring! The whole series is about the Koko x Yoshiyuki relationship which isn't going anywhere! We also see some episodes about Minatsu, again, I'm not really interested, but other people can like it. After some episodes I was really forcing myself to watch it.. Like I said, one word: B-O-R-I-N-G.

Art
I can say something good ... about this, at least.. There's nothing wrong with the art, we could also see that in the other Da Capo series. Bright colors, nice characterdesign, you can see that this anime is kinda new, that's a good thing, isn't it?

Sound/Seiyuu's
Nothing wrong with the sound, you can hear it very bright, so.. we can't say bad things about that either. But now we come to the seiyuu's. Some of them.. ANNOY ME!
Examples:
Yoshiyuki: If my boyfriend had a voice like that, I would say: Goodbye! That was really harsh, isn't it? Okay, maybe I won't, if I would really love the guy.
Minatsu: The most annoying voice ever, does she always have a cold or something?! Maybe her seiyuu was sick or something?!

The rest of them, they're fine. Some of them are really good, others are normal, think you understand me, right?

Character
I like most of Da Capo II's characters. Good ones: Otome, Yume, Nanaka, Anzu, Sakura and the rest who aren't with the bad ones. Bad ones: Yoshiyuki, Koko, Minatsu. Why I don't like Yoshiyuki, Koko and Minatsu? They are the worst main characters they could choose, and the story is mostly about them. Yoshiyuki is way too dense. Koko is annoying and thinks that Yoshiyuki always will see her as the first place, selfish brat. Minatsu acts like she don't need help, so people will feel sorry for her. And WTF is the thing with the bananas? I mean, she (Minatsu) says that she hates them, but she needs to eat them to survive. I mean.. BANANAS! How do they think of something so stupid! Did they ask the greengrocer for help when they thought of this! Horrible.. That this still can get a 7 is because of the 'good ones', and because I'm way to nice! :-)

Enjoyment
Do you like boring stories with two people who are in a relationship which never will work out? Do you like robots and bananas? Then Da Capo II is the anime for you! Okay, forget what I said.. I can't believe that this crap is from the same makers as the other Da Capo series. Where is the drama?! Even the end s*ckt very badly! We don't know anything yet... I'm not sure if I want to watch the second season of this, it needs to be VERY good otherwise I will drop it right away. But maybe some people enjoyed this, I don't know, I think that there was a episode where Nanaka sings, that one wasn't very bad.

Overall
I'm sure some of you are wondering why I gave such good notes, because I was really negative if you ask me. 1. I'm way too nice.. 2. Other people may like it, I wanted to watch at their point of view a little..
My real OPINION: I wasted my damn time on this sh*t! BUT, I'll give the second season ONE chance, maybe they will make up for the crappy story/ending and all the other things. If they won't, I wasted my time even more.

Thanks for spending your time to read this review! Some of you didn't expected Erisu to go evil, neh? :-)

Da Capo II presents itself to be a harem romance but does not deliver by departing from the usual harem story line. It tries to imitate the original series but the characters feel rather familiar and the scenes seem disconnected. Although the plot eventually turns out to be more intricate than ordinary it still differs from the common harem clichés.

The cast, led by Yoshiyuki Sakurai, attempts to deviate from the usual high school harem protagonist, but ultimately fails to break the mold entirely. The female characters, while introducing new tones to the story, still bear too many similarities to their predecessors, adding little freshness to ... the narrative.

Rather than the customary harem dynamics, Da Capo II concentrates on individual character arcs and overriding themes. Nevertheless, its plot lacks fluidity sometimes and seems disunited, which gives a rough viewing. Furthermore, its connection to the original series only serves to highlight gaps in continuity and unresolved plotlines.

The quality of animation is a letdown, not reaching up to the required 2007 anime quality mark. The 1080p visuals seem to be upscaled and rendered fuzzy, lacking sharpness. While character designs retain the original Da Capo style, the resemblance is often too striking, blurring the lines between the two series.

The opening and ending themes are nice but they cannot make up for the disappointing anime band performances and the inconsistent background soundtrack. While the Japanese voice acting remains consistent, it does little to salvage the overall viewing experience.

In summary, Da Capo II may attempt to offer a fresh take on the harem genre, but its deviations from the norm result in a disappointing and disjointed narrative. With flaws in animation quality and narrative coherence, it struggles to engage viewers, offering little more than a mediocre viewing experience, even for fans of romance and slice-of-life genres.