Reviews

Dec 31, 2014
With the new season coming in the Winter 2015 season, I thought to myself, hey, why not catch up on this quaint little series and the joy that it holds? And so, with the totally unoriginal title, here's a review of Dog Days Dash. (I assume the next one will be called Dog Days Dash Dash or something like that.)

Story (7.11/10): The story of Dog Days follows up from its predecessor with a couple changes. Compared to the previous season, our main protagonist Sink returns back to the magical land of Flonyard with two of his companions, his cousin Nanami, and his childhood friend Rebecca. It is here where the three go to the world where Sink spent some time in, and have a good time in the process.

To be blunt, this season really doesn't have much to offer. It plays similar to a slice of life where it plays out without any drama or really dire events, which plays in huge contrast to the previous season where they added a plot and some drama. The show sort of goes through a day by day process of storytelling where our three foreigner characters, them being Sink and his companions spend time with these nekomonomimi-type characters and spend their time as the heroes of three separate kingdoms. By no means is this bad for the series, as the quaint day to day way of storytelling is well done and definitely fits the laid-back style that this series has, but it's not really something that we haven't seen before.

That being said, this season does bring in some new things and characteristics about the world of Flonyard. As the audience, you do get to see more about this fantasy world and learn a little bit more about it. The fact that the show built up the world that it was presenting to us a little bit more, made this season a little bit more developed than the last one.

Overall, Dog Days Dash doesn't really build much after the first season aside from bringing in new characters and new scenarios. The same idea of war that Flonyard has, as well as the relationships that the characters share stay relatively the same with little to no change. If you've watched Dog Days, the series' first season, the second season is essentially the same, but with less drama.

Overview:
+ Good laid-back feel
+ Show builds up the world a little bit more.
+/- Day to day storytelling is nothing new

Characters (7.35/10): Now, I could go on and on about the characters in this series, but there's honestly just too many to really explain or detail. So, here're a couple overviews on the characters.

Dog Days is one of those series that has an absurd amount of characters. We have Sink, the princess of Biscotti Millefiore, Eclair, Ricotta, Leo, Gaul, Nanami, Rebecca, Couverte, etc. And those are only the "main" characters. As far as depth goes, you won't really know very much about who they are as a person. Since the show mostly focuses on a day to day style of storytelling with characters spending time with each other, the only thing you really witness are the characters interacting with each other. The characteristics for everyone is really only skin-deep, with very one note traits like Eclair being a tsundere, and Gaul being competitive as all hell. However, even though these traits don't go beyond that one trait, it doesn't really impact the series very much.

In addition, the show hosts A LOT of supporting characters like Yukikaze, Violet, the three members of Genoise, the captains of each kingdom's guards, as well as a couple new side characters added to the mix. Similar to the "main" characters, these guys don't really have traits beyond a singular one that defines their personality. Once again, it's not that this style of storytelling is bad, seeing as how the show regardless was still enjoyable to watch. There is however a drawback to this.

The drawback I can see with this season's characters compared to the first season, is how little focus there is on one specific character. Compared to last season where Millefiore and Sink were the prime focus of the season, Dog Days Dash puts basically every character on equal ground, with main characters getting sometimes as much screentime as the side characters, and supporting cast getting more screentime than they previously did. This bothers me a little bit due to how Sink, the supposed main character of this series, feels a little numbed down in terms of character importance.

Overall, the cast of Dog Days is wide and expansive, with every character getting relatively equal ground now rather than being put high above the other. What I also find interesting about this cast is how easy it is to recognize them. Usually with shows that have such an expansive cast, you would only be able to recognize maybe 5-6 of them rather than maybe 20-30 characters here. They're all surprisingly easy to recognize and remember, which is definitely a plus for this show.

Overview:
+ Easy to remember cast
+/- No real main characters

Art and Sound (7.22/10): The art for this series is what you would call very colorful. Everything is done in a very bold color scheme, going towards the lighter side in order to give off the show's nonchalant feeling. The art itself is not really extraordinary. It's aesthetically pleasing, but it's not really a standout quality of the show.

In addition, Dog Days does have its own brand of ecchi, which is somewhat odd in all seriousness. Every so often, the show basically disintegrates the clothes off of its female characters, leading them to basically be out in the open wearing nothing. Compared to the previous season, this doesn't happen that often, but it happens often enough to be completely unnecessary.

The soundtrack for the series is really nothing to write home about. There aren't any standout tracks for the series, and everything sort of follows a very calm tone that follows the flow to the series. They're decent tracks, but they're not really memorable.

Overview:
+ Decent art
+ Decent soundtrack
- Unnecessary ecchi moments.

Personal Enjoyment (8.38/10): Flonyard is an interesting place. It has chocobos, wars that are basically like sport, if you're a hero, you get treated like royalty, you can have overpowered abilities, and everyone there likes to get petted like a pet. Above all, you can be in Sink's place and be surrounded by girls from all kinds, and even get to sleep next to some of them. Hell, I want to live in this place.

Did I like this show?

Yes, I did. This show was an enjoyable watch. While there are no standout qualities about it, Dog Days Dash did follow its predecessor in making a more calm and relaxing story similar to what I anticipated in the first place. Overall, it was a nice show to watch, and there really aren't that many negative experiences from watching it.

What didn't I like about this show?

Honestly, there's not really anything to dislike. Every episode features something new, so you're never really bored. Above all, it's a laid-back show, and it really delivers with an atmosphere and feeling that reflect what the show was trying to do.

Would I recommend this show?

If you're looking for something kind of laid back but still action-packed, or you're just a fan of animal ears like me, then this is a show for you. Note, this is a sequel, so watching the first season first is advised.

Overall Score: 7.44/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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