D.C.II S.S.: Da Capo II Second Season

Da Capo II SS is a continuation of Da Capo II except this time it focuses on the Asakura sisters and Sakurai (finally!). If you were waiting for more of the sisters' involvement in the series, your wait is over. This does mean that the other characters (i.e. Koko, Nanaka, etc.) get very little air time so if you were rooting for more of those, you're better off re-watching the original Da Capo II.

I think this sequel might even rival the intensity of the original series, though the Jun'ichi & Nemu combo is pretty hard to beat. As demonstrated by the series image, this series ... takes a dramatic turn in the latter half and is concluded by a somewhat abrupt ending. Despite this, it still holds its own thanks to a great character cast and a superb animation.

Animation:
The animation is greatly improved over the original Da Capo (having gone back and watched a bit of that). It is pretty similar to Da Capo II but we also meet (gasp) grandfather Jun'ichi. As mentioned before, you're going to get a lot of Yume and Otome in this one, and so I believe my younger self upped the score here.

Sound:
Unlike the original Da Capo II, I found the opening theme quite refreshing and very in tune with the original Da Capo. The BGM is vibrant and reflects the mood of the series very well. As for voice actors, you get the same great cast as the original Da Capo II but since Otome and Yume get a lot more airtime, you get a lot more of their voices too. Both characters are very dynamic in this series and the seiyuu do an outstanding job at portraying the appropriate emotions.

Story:
The second series picks up right where the first series left off. I'm assuming that the people interested in this have watched Da Capo II already so I won't give much background info. Sakurai has decided to break up with Koko and is to some extent a free man. Again the series takes on a slice of (school) life approach similar to the original Da Capo II but with an expanded role and appearance of the sisters. We find Sakurai being pampered with his sisters fixing his clothes and eating with him.

The first half of the series is pretty light-hearted showing Sakurai having fun with his sisters and (occasionally) his other friends from the original series. There is a lot of evidence of how much he means to his sisters in the middle of the series, as a foreshadow of things to come. There is also a puppet play in the middle that also blatantly foreshadows what is to come (and sadly takes away the shock of what will happen near the end).

The second half of the series follows the formula of the original series in which we find the main characters in anguish and unable to deal with a perplexing and painful situation. My major problem with this portion is the fact that they way overdid the sadness (similar to how it took forever to explain how powerful an energy ball in DBZ was) to the point where a happy ending would still not feel very happy due to the overwhelming period of sadness before it.

The conclusion does give a twist to the series but is condensed into a single episode, the first half of which was still very sad. In other words, it felt as if the series was following a sad trend with a sudden tiny burst of happiness near the end. Regardless, I felt the ending could have been much smoother.

Character:
The viewer gets to learn a lot more about the talented Otome and brash-acting (though actually very timid) Yume. They have both inherited some magical abilities and use it/them throughout the series. One of the highlights is when Yume and Otome get "drunk" off of a non-alcoholic beverage. There is wonderful development of the two and the viewer really can tell that they care dearly for their brother.

There were two peculiarities that I found while watching this show. First of all, an entire episode was essentially dedicated to Anzu Yukimura despite the fact that she plays an otherwise minimalist role in both series. Second of all, all of Sakurai's school friends from the first series end up being completely stagnant. We barely even see Nanaka and Koko compared to the original series. This difference felt a little unnatural though I'm not complaining since Yume and Otome more than make up for this.

Value:
Overall, the series came out very strong and will be a good watch for all Da Capo fans. If you were thrown off by Da Capo SS (Aisia...) or Da Capo II (Minatsu), you'll be happy that the main females are once again Asakuras (and they don't disappoint!). This series exceeded my expectations and is well worth a re-watch.

D.C.II.S.S is a future story about Yoshiyuki, the new main protagonist of Da Capo. In the first episode, it was only a review to help us remember the characters of this anime. But we can tell that Yume is currently fall in love with Yoshiyuki and jealous if her sister, Otome, have fun together with him.

Asakura Jun'ichi will be appeared again after 50 years as Yume and Otome's grandfather.

Well, I think this anime will be a excellent choice to collect since the story isn't too hard to understand and the tsundere Yume is very cute.

It would be the best if you watch it from the ... very first series (Da Capo)

The original anime was set on a modern-day Japanese island. However, the story takes place 53 years later, and it appears that not much has changed. The only significant difference is that robots are now a thing, but not everyone accepts them. There are riots from people who worry about being replaced by robots. Robots are uncommon and have limited functionality, with no free will, thoughts, or feelings. Meanwhile, phones remain the same as they were in the early 2000s.

The story is not a typical harem anime. It actually feels more like a love triangle. The main focus of the story is not on ... romance but on Yoshiyuki's relationship with one particular girl and Minatsu's awakening as a student in a world where robots aren't accepted by everyone. The plot is predictable at times and confusing at others, but it's a refreshing departure from typical harem anime. The conclusion is satisfying, and there are no sequel baiting or cliffhangers, despite the existence of a second season.

However, the 53-year gap between the original anime and this one has caused some debate. The continuity is questionable, and there are potential plot holes. For instance, Sakura hasn't aged a bit, and Suginami appears to be the same as he was in the previous season. Yoshiyuki himself has a different surname from his sisters, but no explanation is given for this. It's also unclear how he is related to characters like Sakura and the Asakura sisters. Nanaka Shirakawa is likely Kotori's daughter, and Maika Mizukoshi is the descendant of the Mizukoshi sisters. The surname discrepancy suggests that there may have been failed marriages or single mothers in the family line.

The animation style in the show is similar to the original Da Capo, especially the female characters, who look almost the same. This similarity is somewhat justified as some characters are descendants of those in the original. However, the overall quality of the character designs is disappointing, as they appear too similar to the original ones. This made me think I was watching the original show by mistake. Only Sakura looks exactly the same as in the original, which annoyed me a little. I wish they had made her age appropriately instead of following the same plot as the original.

This show is not a harem one, as a choice is made early on, and the plot is actual. However, the romantic aspect feels slice-of-life-like and is not the main focus. There are some issues with the connection to the original Da Capo, and some things are unexplained, which I found annoying. If you enjoy romance and want to avoid the typical harem tropes, this anime is worth watching. However, don't expect everything to be perfectly resolved in the end.