While I'm not inquiring into this audience disconnect as a reason to rush out to view this series, since I can't justify most of its content as anything noteworthy, I still do think that it registers high on the pulpy side of "turn your brain off" entertainment for those with a mild interest in checking it out. Well, that would have been my response had we been discussing the first season, as for this follow-up installment, there are a few shortcomings that it falls victim to that lessens its viewing experience. Where the first season played up the suspense of imposing figures lurking out in the vast vacuum of space, season two temporarily abandons that, and for what you may ask? Well, a gender-fluid harem... IN SPACE!
Picking up from where we left off, we follow our pussy-magnet Tanikaze as he continues the uphill battle against the threatening amalgamation of creatures known as the Gauna. And when he isn't fighting for the future survival of mankind, Tanikaze is winning women over with his autistic boyish charms. Thankfully, there's more going on this season than just that, as we're introduced to a new character that disrupts the status quo of Sidonia's community. The character in question is a chimera named Tsumugi; a Gauna/human hybrid made for the sole purpose of aiding humanity in the fight against the Gauna threat.
Similar in appearance and anatomy to the malevolent Red Gauna of last season, what separates Tsumugi from that anomaly (or any other Gauna previously introduced) is her humanistic tendencies. Having the behavioral pattern and intellect of a prepubescent teen and a sense of empathy equal to that of a human, she's essentially a girl stuck in a Gauna's body. Half of the intrigue of this season comes from the implications of including a species that, up until this point, were humanity's greatest threat towards continuous survival. A not-so-ironic twist on the matter that's immediately shown when the onboard crew is introduced to her, responding with abject horror at the partnership proposal announced by their superiors. Unfortunately, the ramifications of such a dynamic team-up were quickly glossed over. And as you've probably guessed by now, this was where the gender-fluid harem came into play.
This is perhaps the show's biggest downfall. Instead of the promised "Battle for Planet Nine" that the namesake alluded to, no such thing ever happens. What we got in its place was rom-com shenanigans and a small-scale skirmish towards the latter half of the season. No "battle," no epic full-on assault, just a damsel in distress mission and an excuse for Tanikaze to build up his harem. While there were a few cliffhanger moments and general "spookiness" revolving around the Gauna threat, the meat of this season ended up being unneeded slice-of-life pulp. A majority of the episodes were dedicated to introducing new future concubines-to-be that fawned over our lead, even when he exudes the behavioral shortcomings of a socially inept beta-male. This would be fine if it had led to something, but that never happens. It just became a series of cock-tease vignettes, all the while placing the actual Gauna intrigue as a mere backdrop.
Thankfully, the last handful of episodes brought the focus back to the core conflict. We may not have gotten the promised "Battle for Planet Nine," but at very least, the focus shifted away from the harem that hijacked the show up to this point. It was still an enjoyable viewing experience, but nothing ever quite hit the same "edge-of-your-seat" moments found in the first installment.
For anyone that followed this past season one, the mixture of CGI and cell-shaded animation shouldn't need much elaboration. At this point, it's become the trademark style that Sidonia is known for. For the most part, the animation output was relatively the same, although it should be noted that the frame-rate for the character movements themselves were improved upon. It didn't stop the uncanny valley effect from being any less distracting, but it certainly made the viewing experience far more palatable than what was previously offered. It's still not on par with any other series, but for the show's in-house standards, it was a step up.
Where Sidonia truly shines is with the CGI fights themselves. By not being bound to the limitations usually presented with 2D animation, the CGI artists were given the liberty to play with the character and mechanical models with far fewer restrictions. Since these battles are carried out by mechs and the Gauna creatures—two things with very otherworldly appearances—the computer-generated imagery complemented the fight sequences. There was weight behind every fight. A sense of tangibility that 2D animation often has difficulty emulating.
As previously mentioned, all the character suffered from uncanny valley, so naturally, they were far from appealing-looking. Just a bunch of creepy mannequins dressed up as "people." Coincidentally, this very issue ended up working out particularly well towards the Gauna's benefit. Being rendered entirely in CGI meant that the creators could make them as grotesque as possible. With a flaky yet malleable cartilage-like substance being used as their exoskeleton, these ungodly monsters had a dilapidated look about them that the likes of H.P. Lovecraft would take delight in. It's not that often that we get monsters with such fantastic screen presence. They're definitely some of the best that the 2010s has to offer.
Another area where Sidonia strutted its stuff was in the sound department, more specifically, the sound effects.
Everything, from the haunting choir wails of the background vocals to rumbling gargle of the rocket-thrusters, had volume behind it. Whether it was the deafening roar of explosions on impact, or the granular screech of laser weaponry cutting through metal and monster flesh alike; every sound in this anime was amplified, bringing the environment to life and placing you in the middle of the action. Whatever shortcomings the show may have had visually, it more than compensated in the audio department.
And like last season, the voice actors all turned in a suitable performance, with the biggest standout this time around being Aya Suzaki's voice acting work for Tsumugi, as she added a certain bubbly-childlike charm to the role. Her interaction with the other characters also meshed quite well despite being new to the ensemble.
And speaking of the characters, the second season carries over the same problems that plagued show from day 1.
There's only truly one character in the entire lineup, and that's Tanikaze. Everyone else is just reactionary NPCs. For any female character in the support role, that means being treated as mere love-interest variants awaiting the moment that our innocent Gary Stu woos them over. The only real difference in the lineup is the addition of the chimera, Tsumugi, but even she is reduced to being another love-drunk female infatuated with our protagonist. You read that right, even the Gauna/human hybrid want some of dat Tanikaze D!
Tanikaze's harem game is strong as fuck! If Kirito is the king of harems, then Tanikaze is the undisputed God! Nothing with a vagina can resist his awkward autistic charms. From chimeras to full-fledged Gaunas, if it's sentient, the urge to drop their coochie on him is too strong to withstand. He even made asexual people change their gender to female just for a chance to be with him. He's HaremGOD-sama, and he's coming fo yo bitch!
But despite potential love-interests crawling out the woodwork to greet HaremGOD-sama at every turn, the creators at least had the common decency to keep its focus on that of the appointed centerfold Izuna and her growing relationship with our primary lead. Of course, there wasn't any actual advancement between the two, but choosing to hone in on the initial sparks that started in season one at least showed that the creators understood that its audience had an invested interest in where their relationship status was heading next. And who knows, maybe with a third season, this too will come to fruition. Not that I'm holding my breath for that to happen. This show's character handling is far from anything I would even deem "riveting." But that's neither here nor there and what we got was one Gary Stu surrounded by a stockpiled harem brochure dressed up as "characters."
With a healthy dose of violence, harem misadventures, and occasional monster encounters, season two never had a dull moment, if only falling victim to multiple brain-cell reducing plotting along the way.
While not up to snuff with the first installment, season two of Sidonia still had its moments of effectiveness. It may not have been as consistent or nail-biting as anything season one had to offer but it's still a nice attachment to the franchise and one I recommend to those that were followers of the first.
