Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny

Before reading the review of Ikkitousen Dragon Destiny (DD), please go watch the 1st season first as this is a direct sequel to the story of Ikkitousen.

I have to write this down before I forget again. I always question myself whenever I watch an episode of Ikkitousen. “What happen to the school staffs (you know, teachers, caretakers, principles, etc)?” I don’t ever recall seeing them in any school…let me know if you find them anywhere in the series.

Next up are some useful reference for watching this fan-service heavy anime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chibi

The entire DD basically circle around the two themes above. If you know some background history on ... them, you'll not be as confused.

Those who have read my review for the original Ikkitousen will have to bare with me here for a bit as I'll be repeating the same usual stuff again like "IF YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN CHINESE HISTORY (though rather twisted if you ask me), AND IF YOU ARE JUST TRYING TO DIG OUT SOME HEAVY FAN SERVICING ANIME, THEN THIS IS NOT FOR YOU!"

Finally, let us move on to the review of this wonder show.

Story:
Continuing from where we left off in Ikkitousen, the showdown between the Three Kingdoms has finally arrived. The story eventually lead us to a new Battle of Chibi...nothing too original, just ripped out of the real Romance of the Three Kingdom. And according to history, the Battle of Chibi is really the beginning of the Three Kingdom...not quite the same as in DD.

Art:
Great advances over the original Ikkitousen, though there's still room for improvement. Overall it wouldn't kill your eyes watching it.

Sound:
Both the OP and ED are quite catchy, no complains here. Maybe it lacks some good music in between, that's about it.

Character:
Okay….this is perhaps the one thing I really hate about Dragon Destiny (though the first season didn't do such a good job either), it is this….WHY ARE THEY MAKING HONOURABLE HISTORIC FIGURES ACT LIKE BLOOD THIRSTY MONSTERS!?!?!? I am particularly disappointed with how they portrait Sousou (aka Cao Cao) in DD. In the actual Romance of the Three Kingdom, he’s a very wise leader. Not some blood sucker who goes around killing his own men.

Also, similar to the first season, they've once again attempted to include too many characters. This results in many of them being killed right after they are introduced (I find this just plain stupid...you see this guy's name up 10 seconds ago, then you see him lying on the ground).

Enjoyment/Overall:
Again what I said about the 1st season applies to DD as well. I don't recommend Ikkitousen to people looking for fan service. It is better for you to watch hentai. Seriously, there are more than enough scenes in DD that are on par to hentai. However I do recommend this to fellows who might want to see how the story of Romance of the Three Kingdom can be turned into in a modern day Japan. Overall, I enjoyed the anime and had no regret watching it.

Now let's move on to the 3rd season.

Remmeber watching the first Ikkitousen run through and gettin all pissed cause it strayed so far from the Battle Vixens manga, well guess what: THIS ONE DOES TOO!! ....but not so much. Dragon Destiny takes on after the finale of Ikkitousen and actually starts to dwell into the realm of those characters that actually make this story so fun to read in BV. I cant stop thinking about how after Ikkitousen I kept saying watch bout Kakuka and Ryuubi and Myousai Kakouen and Sousou's Dragon and...... you get the point. And for all the Kanu fans...like me, she's has a much better role in this ... one..WOOT!

The theme songs are also great and I hope they keep them around for the US release. 'Garasu no Hana' by IORI is great.

The only fallback is that you either have to read the BV mangas(HORRAY!) or watch Ikkitousen(Boooo..) to understand the roles of these characters cause it just jumps right into it from the original series, but it seems like its gonna be worth it.

PS- all that fansevice stuff is still there too

B+

It's almost a pity that this is a sequel to Ikkitousen and not a standalone series, because fans of the orginal tend to hate this one and people who may not have liked the original could like this one a lot.
A note to people who saw the first series: This series is more plot driven, Sonsaku and the Nanyo gang are not the primary focus, and this series made a lot of changes to bring it more in line with the manga, so many things will seem odd.

STORY: The storyline, while not strictly canon with the manga and detached from the original series, is quite ... good if one knows about Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In Japan, RoTK is like King Arthur is in Western culture; so many subtle nuances would be lost on many viewers. Many events, such a Kakouton's decision regarding Kanu's servitude and Shuuyu's animosity towards Koumei, are clever nods to events in the original story.
One thing people should realize is different right away, is that Ki blasts are normal in the manga and they were readded for this series. So no, they didn't decide to ripoff the DBZ fighting genre.

ART: Nothing blew me away with beauty, but it was solid. The characters didn't always wear the same clothes and the environments changed often.

SOUND: The music for this series was frankly amazing. Few soundtracks I've heard lately have this much energy and quality.

CHARACTER: There was some drift in roles not just between the two series, but also from the manga on the new characters. Ryubi's character was comically homophobic but also had "urges" in that direction in the Manga; in this series she's pretty boring. This series focuses a lot on Kanu and on Kakouton who is a lot more serious in this series compared to the first. His angst at seeing his long time friends die or slowly degenerate into evil is very concerning. His state at the end of the series does not leave a dry eye. Kanu's role is well written and I dare say that she brings dignity to a rare kind of heroine. She in love with Ryubi, but rather than focus on her lesbianism it's more focused on her unquestioning devotion and her attraction is a sidenote that isn't dwelled upon.

ENJOYMENT: This series would have benefitted from a stronger commitment from the studio and more episodes to tell the story. It also could have used more humor and a touch of the old pervert magic that makes the manga and first series much easier on the eyes. However, it's a strong story that ends on a satisfying note.

OVERALL: I enjoyed the series. It's much easier to follow than the first, the intrigues are much deeper, and the characters are deeper. Even Sonsaku develops more character depth in this series. Also Koukin is not a total wuss in this one. Anyhow, this series is worth seeing if you are a fan of either the manga or the 3 kingdoms story. If you are looking for more of what was in the first series, you should probably pass.

So, I like fanservice. Ikkitousen has a lot of fanservice. But oh my god, it is absolutely not worth it.

This season, and most of the series, is a nightmare. The art in season 1 is terrible, but this season takes a significant leap forward. The plot is also so poor. In the end, you find yourself wondering what the point of all their bullshit is, other than simply being compelled via destiny. That is not a plot you grow attached to. The characters are not diverse at all and their names are completely bland and hard to memorize. There are scenes where two characters refer ... to the same person, by completely different names within the same 10 seconds. This absolutely boiled my blood. This mixture of characters that are difficult to distinguish and a uninspiring plot crushes the story and leaves you caring for nothing. I'm sorry, but do not waste your time here. Actually, if you want a decent Ikkitousen experience, proceed to season 3.

Ikkitousen: Dragon Destiny is the sequel of Ikkitousen and continues the story around Sonsaku Hakufu and the battle between the three schools.

Story:
The story is based on the novel "Romance of the three kingdoms". It continues where the first season ended. Of course, there are lots of fights, pantys and breasts^^ But it´s not only fanservice. I liked the story. There may be better animes, but I really enjoyed Dragon Destiny.

Characters:
The characters are mostly girls. Hot girls. I think there´s a girl for every guys taste xD The (a bit stupid^^) leader of Nanyo Sonsaku Hakufu, the cool Seito fighter Kan-u Unchou, the bookworm Ryuubi Gentoku... ... There are only a few guys, like Shuuyu Koukin (Hakufu´s cousin) and Motouko Sousou.

Art/Animation:
I like the art style. The breasts are not really well animated, but I´m a girl - I don´t care xD The characters are good animated. The backgrounds aren´t really something special, but also good.

My opinion:
If you like ecchi animes and/or are interested in the story of the three kingdoms, then this show is for you. If you hate lots of pantyshots and half-naked girls, don´t watch any of the Ikkitousen seasons.

This is the sequel an terrible animated first season of ikki tousen, which i skipped because oh god, i really tried but it lacked so much it was boring and muddy, however the sequel fairs better in tems of animations, characters and a bit more on plot, while none of these 3 are exceptional, they have no doubt improved it might be enough to keep you going.
A lot of people watched you know for boobs and asses appearing left and right a few maybe because of the manga, if you're not into ecchi you might want give up, but if you have no problem or ... even like it it could be a good call and make you keep going.
The plot is a bit weak, it lacks a lot of tension, atmosphere and a strong script, there is a few good scenes, but nothing exceptional, it revolves around warriors of previous centuries now reincarnated into the body of sexy as fuck women and a few guys that really aren't interesting, especially saji and i never will know if ryofu is or not his girlfriend, i wanted these 2 to just die for the love of god, which in reality my wish *spoiler* was actually granted later in the future seasons, because these 2 are a joke of stupid and nonsensical
The characters is might what keeps you watching, i personally love kanu and shiryu, tell the truth didn't initially liked kanu because she was kind of exagerated in terms of power, but i liked her in the end, in fact she is one of my favorite female characters in anime, there are unfortunately stereotype we have seen countless times, but some of these might actually make you want to watch more.
The soundtrack is a bit lacking, however the opening and the ending marked me to this date and are interesting even if a bit idk old.
If you like ecchi especially mixed with fights you will likely enjoy this, especially because of the improvement compared to the first season which was awful and had an vague story, so much i recommend skipping, it's not an ultra complex stor that you will not understand by doing this, on the contrary a quick sum up will help you in that case.

For a long while, I avoided the Ikki Tousen series because I thought Shuuyu Koukin would be treated horribly. "No amount of boobs and panchira is worth the anti-shounen attitude," I thought. "That's why we have adult anime."

I watched Xtreme Xecutor. And then I watched Dragon Destiny and Great Guardians. And while it's depressing to see a bunch of super-strong women with no weaknesses; Koukin's treatment as a character is not Sora no Otoshimono's Sakurai bad. It's not even Ranma Saotome from Ranma 1/2 bad.

The show is mainly doing its best to sell by making sure nothing gets in the ... way of said boobies and panchira. Which is not the main problem if the creators behind anything T&A don't cross over from "being creative talent" to "being jerks."

(Please note that this is a follow-up to my first review of the first season 1, I'd would ask that you would look at that one first before reading this to get the full idea of my opinion, thank you)
So by some miracle of anime, ikki tousen got a sequel that no one wanted, but fortunately this one wasn't as bad as the first season, naturally. With the new art work, people got to see better fanservice than in the first season, the sound art is pretty o.k. and the characters are just as criptice or as stupid for some people (hint hint) as ... they ever were. Some of the new characters like Ruby did managed to keep me into the show, nothing like clumsy and busty to give a few laughs to otherwise a shitty series. However, this by no means justifies the plot and "fate" from the last season that not so surprisingly sticks with the everything else like that homeless guy who keeps asking you for money. Even with all the good they have done to this they just had to keep "fate" involved. In the end you can shine it all you want, but you polish a turd, it still is a turd.

Story is pretty weak but the animation is better. Ending felt very rushed. The show could've used at least one more episode possibly two.

Some characters are thrown aside while others take their place and you're left wondering what happened to the others. Story is kinda hard to follow. Different names are used for the same characters and can be confusing trying to figure out who's who. Wealth of characters but most are meaningless. I stopped trying to remember who was who. You'll still get the story.

The fan service is pretty heavy. White undies are constantly flashed. All the women save one, I believe, ... are very well endowed in the chest area.
If the last two series have taught me anything it's that all women wear white underwear and their hair always fall to cover their breasts. No matter how shredded their clothes are they always cover the nipples. I was starting to wonder if any of the women characters had any because no matter what they were doing they always remained covered lol. Anime has never been a stickler for realism but damn at least try.

Series is worth watching and be sure to watch Ikki Tousen first as this is the 2nd season.

Well well well, look what we have here. If I'm not mistaken, it would seem like season two of Ikkitousen is almost identical in flaws and features to season one! Here we follow the story of the blue-haired one with the eyepatch and a whole array of new characters as we are once again dropped into what might as well have been the middle of the season for all the exposition we recieve! The characters split up into so many groups every episode that you'll never keep track of them, to discover an object called the dragon jade. This dragon jade, however, seems to be ... as useful as a chocolate teapot, with characters giving their lives away left and right to prevent some undescribed "end of the world" event that never comes close to happening. Along the way we follow a friendly four-eyed "fighter" who's more into books than fighting! An outrage indeed. What good will intelligence do in this universe anyway? Our fightless friend calls herself a strategist, yet there is no war or any circumstance that would require strategy in this show! Not a single phalanx, flank or even a measly quincunx formation was sighted throughout the season, leading one to believe that this woman only served the purpose of being lesbian bait - a role she plays more often than team strategist. I'm absolutely fuming! Finally we return to the issue of nudity in this show. While there are more observable oppai than season one, they appear to have been added in post, in a fashion akin to George Lucas' Star Wars: Special Edition. Janky jubblies pop up inconsistently throughout the season, making for an excellent drinking game if nothing else!

Overall this season feels like a lengthier, lazier, lesbian-ier version of season one and, while I am thoroughly disappointed, I still have hope for season 3!

More characters. Lots of more characters. So many characters you'll be wondering who any of them are and why you should care about them. It's a classic case of introducing too much too quickly and not allowing the audience enough time to get invested. A lot of the main characters from the first season are sidelined for the good chunk of the show as well, which doesn't help. Also adding to the confusion is the new art style which has some characters looking mostly the same and others being barely recognizable.

On top of all that you have the ever-present inclusion of Three Kingdoms Chinese history ... you're just expected to know or you will be lost. The world building is just awfully handled, and it isn't until halfway through the season that they even attempt to try and explain the weirdo dragon stuff. It's just a mess from start to finish and you'd probably get more enjoyment watching actual hentai. Seriously if you're just here for the titties or fight scenes there are other much better shows that do either of those things far better. If you got confused and came here for the plot I'm sorry to disappoint, it's not anything different from what you should have expected. 6/10