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Mar 7, 2012
This sequel has blown me away...
And not in the good way, either.
Yes, it is true. The first season of Seikon No Qwaser started out great and ended with a decent cliffhanger. However, the continuation of the series (Seikon No Qwaser II) follows Sasha and Hana as they search for the Magdalena of Thunder, supposedly inactive and hiding within a girl at the Roman Curia Surei Academy. Sounds interesting, right? In the first six episodes, Sasha is dressed as a woman in an all girls school where the technology to expand and focus your mind has been used as a way to bait girls of
...
various backgrounds to attend the Academy. Members of the Adepts start to show up to complicate matters and things begin to get heated as the presence of the Magdalena of Thunder is revealed to be inside the Academy, hidden deep beneath the flesh of a young woman. The idea is promising...
...Until the episodes following the sixth just begin to drag. Disappointing, really. This is where the show really began to nose dive into a downward spiral - and frankly, suicide!
Most of the episodes were fillers with no real intention to further the plot of the story. Every now and again, a character would slightly develop or would come to a sudden realization surrounded by a clusterfuck of fan-service. A COLOSSAL AMOUNT OF FAN-SERVICE.
BOOBIES... EVERYWHERE.
You want cleavage? YOU'VE GOT IT!
You want boobies that jiggle for no reason? YOU'VE GOT IT!
You want breasts of every shape and size? YOU'VE GOT IT.
Unfortunately, the clusterfuck of fan-service actually killed the plot of the show. It felt as though in every episode, the mangaka left a pair of boobs lying around purely for the sake of his viewers to sit around and gawk at them. A little fan-service is good, yes, but it became more of a hassle to finish the series as the show very slowly progressed.
The last episode was engaging and yet, it felt somewhat rushed. Most of the action and deepening of the plot took place within the last 24 minutes of the series, leaving yet another cliffhanger at the end.
ART :: The art of the show was the same as the previous season's. A few times, the author had failed to correlate speech with lip movement in minor scenes or forgot to draw a movement to a sound, but nothing too serious. The detail of the characters and their wardrobe has improved since the last season, but the background is still rather average.
SOUND :: I highly enjoyed the opening and ending themes. Upbeat, funky, and melancholy, the song "Rasen, Arui wa Seinaru Yokubou" by Faylan was well done, but definitely does NOT compare to the first season’s “Baptize” OP. On the contrary, "Metaphor" by Shoujo Byou, the ending theme, is my favorite from the Seikon series by far. If anything, the ending OP adds to what the anime is trying to define as the atmosphere of the show.
CHARACTER :: Not much development, if very minimal. Aside from the goofy and unnecessary fan-service of the show, there were hardly any slots open for serious character interaction. What has developed between the main characters in the first series stays relatively stagnant throughout the production. New characters emerge from the foreground, but are eventually shouldered to the side after the recovery of the Magdalena of Thunder; this, despite the maturation of the characters. Only one character from Surei Academy appears throughout the remainder of the episodes, but her appearances are primarily reserved for Ekaterina.
OVERALL ENJOYMENT:
Not much. I rated this a 6 [enjoyment & overall] because the story lacked any real meat, there was hardly any action or development of the plot, the characters were static, and almost everything was sugar-coated with filler episodes. Seikon No Qwaser II ended up becoming a giant boob-sucking travesty, rather than a form of entertainment.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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May 27, 2010
"Watch your damn mouth... cause I'm coming for my father."
This OVA begins some time after the original series of AfroSamurai where Afro is tired, sick of all the fighting knowing that it is an endless cycle. "Kill or be killed, there is no option". We see Afro in a little hut, accompanied only by a Buddha statue and multiple wooden figurines. Peaceful, but lonely.
So, when Jinno appears on a motorcycle and drags Afro by his hair through the tundra, it is appalling. In the previous installment one takes Jinno to be slayed, but he has returned along with is sister Sio who vouches
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revenge on Afro for making her family, and herself, suffer. For killing mercilessly. To do this Sio takes Afro's father's skull and disappears, promising to make Afro tremble by brutally tormenting his father and himself. However, before departing, she takes up Afro's number one headband and sends him on a journey to recover the second.
The art was similar to the previous episodes, this time portraying Afro as a war-stricken man who seems to have gone through many tumultuous events. The lighting is spectacular, giving you a feel for the scenery and making significant symbols jump as they are supposed to and details are down to a tee. The viewer is never disappointed, the gore assimilating perfectly with every slash and vengeful strike. The sound and music fit the anime down just right. However, it is rather difficult to discern some words that are spoken and takes you a good minute after rewinding the anime to figure out what was said.
Some of the characters, like Afro and his imaginary pal are just as awe inspiring as the previous anime. There is substantial character development but some, like Sio, will end up pissing you off in the end. Sio may look ample and plumped up, but her vendetta ends up driving her up the wall. Over and over again she speaks of revenge for the pain Afro caused and it gets really tiring after a while. After an hour into it, honestly, I just wanted to smack the bitch.
More characters are presented into the story and reveals a little more into Afro's past.
Overall [7]:
My enjoyment and overall score would have to be rated a 7. There were times when I just wanted the OVA to end, and there were times when I was anticipating what would happen next. The plot is good but a little used up. Certain things will surprise you, especially the events that happen near the end of the animation. I was rather disappointed by the way the mangaka presented the anime in this sequel, but, all in all, it is not bad to watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Dec 23, 2009
Hayao Miyazaki is a genius and it really shines in this masterpiece. I've watched this movie countless times and it never gets old. It is still just as magical, intriguing and amazing as ever!
Story: [10]
The story begins with ten year old Chihiro and her family on their way to their new home and decide to take a short cut. In the beginning, you see little Chihiro as a bratty little girl who is too scared to do anything without her parents. Later in the story you see this character develop beautifully. She becomes a brave, enlightened little girl who looks forward to new adventures.
Stumbling
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upon an abandoned theme park, her parents decide to help themselves to a meal laid out in a stand and are turned into pigs by the angry spirits! It is then that Chihiro receives a warning from Haku, a young boy, to leave before the lanterns set but is too late in doing so and ends up stumbling into a sea of water. Forced to work in the spirits bathhouse owned by the wicked Yu-baaba, Chihiro overcomes many challenges and meets new friends along the way.
Who could Haku be? What does he have to do with her past? How is Chihiro going to save her parents and go home? Will she ever go home?
A very unique, compelling story!
Art: [10]
The art is breathtaking and absolutely incredible! It gives you a real feel for the characters and setting.
Sound: [10]
The voices are crisp and fit the characters right down to a tee.
Characters: [10]
Character development and unique personas are present, overall. My favorite characters would have to be Haku, Kamajii and Chihiro. Haku seems like your typical guy, trapped to be Yu-baaba's servant and forced to fulfill her dirty deeds all the while seeming arrogant in public, but gentle towards Chihiro. Kamajii, the boiler man, and Chihiro, the young human girl, surprise you as the story progresses. Lin, No Face, Zeniiba and even Yu-baaba become delightful characters.
Overall: [10]
I give this anime a 10 out of 10. I really enjoyed watching it and actually feeling involved in the characters dilemmas. This is the type of anime that keeps you on the edge of your seat in suspense, but also keeps you craving more in the end. It WILL surprise you. ;]
This could very well be one of Hayao Miyazaki's best works. To all of you Miyazaki fans out there: cheers!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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