Gatchaman Crowds Insight

There are two kinds of sequels in the anime world - ones that are made because the writer has more story to tell and one that’s made to cash-in on the original. And whilst this new Crowds anime played out like the latter during quite a few points, the little man inside my mind always kicked that possibility to the curb whilst saying “Cash-in on what, exactly? It didn’t sell great, it’s not popular on MAL, and had so many production issues it’s a wonder people fell in love with it at all”. Unfortunately, another man who lived in my mind responded with “why exactly ... does this sequel exist then? What is it being insightful of? It feels more like a side-story in the vein of Gat Out of Hell rather than a continuation of what Crowds created”.

I don’t know what happened from there on out, but let’s just say the word “clusterfuck” might have a new picture in the dictionary soon enough. So you’ll have to excuse me if this review isn’t very coherent, but Nakamura anime are tough to summarize in general - unless it’s Tsuritama, in which case we can easily summarize it as coherent whilst also easily summarize it as being awful - so I doubt more than two guys are going to give me shit for this.

So sometime after Hajime absorbed Berg Katze into herself and caused the Crowds system to be widespread, popularity for the current state of things has declined and a mysterious organization called VAPE is causing havoc around Japan. However, things become even more complicated when an alien named Gelsadra (or Gel for short) crash lands on the planet, near a girl named Tsubasa who ends up becoming a new member of the Gatchaman on the basis that she’s basically Hajime 2.0. I don’t exactly have a good grasp of what happens afterwards, so let’s just say that VAPE’s entire purpose is to show that the current system is flawed without making much of a struggle after that’s done, causing the prime minister to resign and Gel to run for his position. From there on, the show becomes a load of idea-slinging as Tsubasa and the other characters do their best to maintain order despite Gel having a personality that makes Steve Carell’s stupidest roles look smart.

Gatchaman Crowds has never been a very subtle show, but that’s not exactly a valid complaint because The Simpsons wasn’t exactly Cowboy Bebop during its time either. What is a valid complaint is the feeling of “hey, haven’t we already done this?” that a lot of the show goes through. Too many of the themes are recycled from the first season or are so similar that it makes no difference, and because the show is mostly focused on the characters trying to maintain things rather than fix things this go-around (there’s literally no main villain in Insight and anything that could pass for one is more an annoyance than a threat), there’s a giant lack of urgency going on in the proceedings. Which probably wouldn’t be too bad by itself, but Crowds’ lack of compelling answers to the issues that it raises hasn’t been fixed either, and the issues it raises are stuff people have talked about multiple times by now. Yes they’re still relevant, but a good story would do its best to hammer in why it’s still relevant.

Does Insight do this? Maybe, but the show lost me around the last third and it wasn't exactly holding my attention before then either, so I wouldn’t be able to tell you either way. All the logic-bombs at the expense of actual story or action that didn't end anticlimactically were more alienating than Ghost in the Shell’s long cold philosophical jargon, and it got to the point that I was no longer a participant in its world, basically becoming Paiman with even less understanding of the situation. I couldn’t tell you what Tsubasa contributed to the story either other than being Gel’s best friend. And I couldn’t tell you what the significance of the Kuu-samas were beyond presenting a conflict that the characters had to solve, although I will say they weren’t the least bit threatening and I can’t recall them affecting much to begin with.

Action was never the point of Crowds, actively rejecting it as a solution whilst using technology and words as an alternative to defeating Lord Zedd, and I respect that. But we have so many western cartoons that deal with all this social satire stuff now in the exact same manner, and they do it way better in terms of getting to the point whilst also being funny to boot. Remember when I said that Prison School felt like a South Park episode that felt stretched out to more than ten times the length? Insight is a Rick and Morty episode that feels the exact same - although aliens have been done in South Park as well.

In fact, the finale of Insight reminds me of the finale of Rick and Morty’s latest season in terms of the final resolution and how the latter was executed so much better. Without spoiling too much, in both finales, an important/beloved character makes an important sacrifice in order to allow the people they love to have a better future amongst their alien brethren in order to end their seasons on an emotional note. However, whilst Rick and Morty decided to let the visuals and overall direction speak for the event's impact itself, Insight ruins it by having the entire final episode dedicated to explaining the sacrifice and what it accomplished despite the fact that I clearly got the idea in the episode prior. And I didn’t even think it was that much of a sacrifice since the show hasn’t exactly established its universe as one where characters suffer any permanent damage unless having to live with Mamoru Miyano’s voice for the rest of your life is considered your personal hell. I’ll give it points for being something new in the Crowds universe, but that’s like praising the most controversial scene in Man of Steel by saying “at least it did something differently to The Dark Knight” and nothing else.

Look, I like the core idea of Crowds fine. But at the end of the day, I just don’t see why this sequel needed to exist. It didn’t fix the problems I had with the first season (bar not being as ridden with production issues) and it didn’t follow-up on anything said season set up, coming off more like an expansion pack rather than a vital part of the Crowds’ canon. Doesn’t exactly help that the characters just aren’t any fun here either. The two new leads did as much for me as a CD drive attached to my television set, mostly because they felt like rehashes of previous characters. And the returning characters’ annoying traits really get exemplified when they’d rather examine the story rather than contributing to it.

Seriously, what the fuck happened to the Hajime from the first season? The one who was always taking charge and leading humanity towards the brighter side of life despite all the complaints directed towards her attitude? The Hajime in this anime is nothing but talk, with half her old self transferred to the new girl and the other half sailed into space.

Now that the series is finished completely, I think it's time to write a review while the ending is still fresh on my mind. Just a quick note: this is my first time writing a review on MAL and English is not my first language, so excuse my poor mistakes and grammar.
Either way, let's go!
Story - 7
As a few others noticed, the second season took a rather different route than the first - Gatchaman Crowds had more of the "heroes fight the bad guys" kinda thing going on while Gatchaman Crowds Insight had more of a "people debate on whether to do one thing ... or another and the heroes step in from time to time". While it didn't really ruin the whole show for me, others, who might be expecting more or less the same thing after the first season could be disappointed, at least a little.
Art - 10.
I couldn't give less than 10 on this one. The animation was really nice to look at, the art style was amazing, and the CG NOTE forms were incredible (unlike some other CGs i've seen). Honestly if not for the story, the show would be worth the watch for the art alone.
Sound - 10
A bit unsure on how to rate this one, because to me the music was incredible. The OP is one of the catchiest I've heard in a while - WHITE ASH (the artist who performed the OP in the first season) did a splendid job.
Character - 6
While the characters were enjoyable (both design and personality wise) and quite believable, after watching the first season (which had one of the best character developments in my opinion), this seasons characters were a bit disappointing. There was some development, but it wasn't as big as in the first season.
Enjoyment - 9
As i said, this show could be enjoyed even without getting too deep into the story, thanks to the amazing animation and music. The comedy was still there, action could be found at times - it's a fun series to marathon (even with the rather emotion-wrecking end). Having enjoyed the first season, i was hyped for the new one, and had a blast watching it with it's flaws and whatnot.
Overall - 8
In the end, the show has it's pros and cons. To me it was really emotional ride - the action and the suspense were still there, which made it so much more enjoyable to me. If you're looking for a light anime with some thrill from time to time, I believe that Gatchaman Crowds is just the one.

Story
Although I think the first season was better that had many highlights was going to give up one 10.No first I thought that the second season would only be focused on Tsubasa (which was a bit) but continued with the same characters and is Hajime with her way. This season expect much of it even though some things have annoyed me kept liking.

Art
I do not think anything has changed, I have to complain about style taste that has this use of two colors.

Characters
To be honest I did not like much of Tsubasa, she has a geito a bit like the Hajime but not captivated me ... like Hajime, but then enjoyed a little more of it. Others Gatchaman remain the same only I had the impression that they were far away, in the first season I felt they were more friends but the last episode and in some small pieces saw that they were the same.

Overall
I really enjoyed watching this 2nd season was really a surprise to have another and apparently not think it will have a third liked but as it turned out was one of the best animes I watched this season.

2nd season of gatchaman Crowds, something like that what happened when with the ignorance of society exceeds the limits.

story

Without spoilers, the anime is a bit slow at first, a lot off story and much conversation, probably this is necessary because we need understand the story. After this, goes the action and the fights without censorship. Within this history shows us the great problems of today's society and what happens when people make mistakes when making decisions...enough people should see this anime before voting... (Nos estáis llevando a la ruina)

Art

Good, but the Cg in punctual situations of the anime should be improved

... Sound

I really up the volume to maximum with the BSO. It is a nice job. Although some tracks was recycled of the first season, really shine and makes you want to download the BSO

Character

This second season have a two new character. The white hair is a little predictable. Eternal hatred that damn trap. The alien was good, I liked this guy. And the really hero is Hajime again.

Enjoyment

If you liked a aliens, politics,

So after the first season's focus on social networking and gamification, the series has moved onto tackling democracy and mob mentality. The results are more mixed than last season. Part of the problem is that it feels like the first several episodes spend a lot of time twiddling their thumbs and not really going anywhere. The Gatchaman are famous now, they got a new member, a friendly alien has shown up, and it doesn't feel like much happens with them for a while despite there being a new enemy. Then it feels like they rush into the major event that drives ... the rest of the series, and it feels really contrived and oversimplified. I know any series like this tackling something like that is going to be a little bit, and I've see criticism of the last season along those lines, but it feels like it's done poorly enough that it really takes away from the impact of what they were trying to say. However, the last 1/3 or so finally gets back into the swing of things and is the sort of thing you wanted out of a followup to CROWDS. It's just a shame it takes so long to get there. I still think this is worth watching for fans of the first season, but don't go in expecting something as good as CROWDS again.

Honestly speaking, this season of Gatchaman Crowds was a huge disappointment compared to its prequel. Dont get me wrong, the issues addressed in this are very relevant in the modern world, and it really hits back home to us audience. However, despite the good plot, it was a disappointment to me because of the introduction of the empty, superficial and disgustingly irritating new main character, Tsubasa.

Seriously, I cannot even bear to call her Hajime 2.0! She is so immature and useless, and yet she tried to do stuff her own way, screw things up for everyone and including Geru. On top of this, even after ... she realizes her mistake, she doesnt have the GUTS and CAPABILITY to deal with the troubles she herself caused! And Hajime, who was attempting to stand aside and watch over her junior warmly, also probably (just a speculation) trying her best to deal with Katze in her body (which I cannot imagine to be an easy task no matter how she did it), has to risk her life in order to clean up the mess Tsubasa created. At the very least, when Hajime tries to do things in a different way from others, there was a reason behind it and she was always able to solve the problems (when there actually was one) herself. So, I just cannot bring myself to recognize Tsubasa as Hajime 2.0.

It is a real pity because to me, whether the characters are lovable and interesting enough to catch my attention is often more important than the plot elements itself. Despite the good plot, the character Tsubasa stops me from rewatching the anime again as her character is just that physically and mentally revolting to me.

However, I still love the original characters, including Hajime and Katze. OMG i love Katze and Miyano Mamoru does an awesome job as usual voicing this character. Throughout the anime, I find myself calling for Katze to come out once again in order to destroy the world and Tsubasa LOLOL.

So well, my personal opinion on this, it is okay to watch it the first time, but I cannot bear to rewatch this anime DESPITE the other cute characters like Katze cos of one irritating character. It is a real pity.

If you're here, presumably you've already watched season one. Gatchaman Crowds Insight is a suitable extension and an improvement on what's established in the first season.

As in season one, Hajime is privileged as the character with the perspective that seems to be "correct" in the end, but it takes her a lot of time, deep consideration, and input from the people around (or... inside of her), whose views conflict with hers at times, but she values nonetheless, in order to figure out the correct course of action.

Gatchaman gives us a character to look up to in Hajime. Her admirable traits: her open mindedness, thoughtfulness, sense ... of responsibility; her belief that views that contradict hers have their own merit, that conflict itself is good (as long as it doesn't lead to unnecessary violence); her belief that the sides of people that they're ashamed of, their darker thoughts, their ignorance and stupidity, their fears and selfish desires, also have a place in the intricately woven fabric of human social and psychological reality. These views represent a complex ontology that her can-do, optimistic attitude and charming, goofy sense of humor totally belie. Or maybe it's not all that complex. Maybe it's quite simple. I don't think you need to read Republic or Phenomenology of Spirit to believe in the value of having a dialogue, or of the confluence of and struggle between clashing opinions; or even of finding some kernels of truth buried in discarded or disproven ideas. Her creativity and optimism let her stare humanity's darkness, foolishness and misery in the face and come up with a productive solution to the problem she faces, one that doesn't merely try to ignore those facts of human nature or sweep them under the rug.

Hajime embodies a formula for having a true sense of self worth, self awareness and personal responsibility, and it's through everyone trying to be a little bit more like Hajime, a little more aware and honest, that the experiment of democracy is most likely to succeed.

Speaking of "the experiment of democracy" that's just the type of apparently boring and stuffy, but deeply pressing subject that Gatchaman touches on and dissects with its vibrant cast of characters, each with a unique voice and contribution to the conversation. The viewer hardly realizes as the series progresses that they've waded knee deep into the conversation, too. The show asks: should technology be banned if it can be used for evil? Can't all technology be used for evil? How can we regulate its use? Should we regulate its use? Does democracy work at face value, or in this post internet, media saturated era of information inundation and political propaganda, do people need to be more conscientious about how they act on their political concerns? What are the responsibilities of politicians and media entities? Maybe we have to be the ones to take some responsibility, instead of casually leaving it up to others with more power or authority to decide everything for us.

Gatchaman Crowds (Insight) offers truly piercing insight into the nature of our social reality, the power of the Image, and how our relationships with each other and to images are mediated by increasingly powerful communications technology. How easy it is to just take the path of least resistance, give into peer pressure and marketing, and create a dictator or a hegemony through our passivity and willingness to let others decide for us. In this regard, in its cultural critique, it belongs somewhere in the lineage of Serial Experiments Lain, Ghost in the Shell: SAC, and Paranoia Agent. Few series characterize our problems and conditions so plainly, and manage to make a compelling story around them, to boot. Insight contains refreshing suggestions about how we should approach this bizarre life at its core.

(Spoilers ahead)

The climax of this season features a simulated battle between humanity's chosen heroes, the Gatchaman (I mean humanity literally voted that Gatchaman should save the day however they so chose) and a "villain" they've created, a supernatural dictator humanity inadvertently granted permission to commit unwitting genocide by constantly choosing the path of least resistance and voting thoughtlessly based on whatever the popular consensus was in their immediate social circle.

The spectacle of the villain's defeat is enough to satisfy humanity, but the violence of its defeat disturbs them, as they recall that their "dictator," a kind, sensitive alien named Gel, has really just all along been doing exactly what they asked for, and at his heart is just a boundlessly generous and optimistic being with no ego of his own.

The fascinating thing about this climactic battle is that to some extent, though we are clued into what's really going on at moments (as we don't have reason to really believe the Gatchaman squad would kill Gel if they could avoid it; we last saw them seeming to prepare to hatch a scheme, the details of which are unknown to us; someone in the audience during the fight says "Where's Hajime?") we really have no idea if we're really watching Gel's ruthless, violent assassination at the hands of Gatchaman.

Because of Tsubasa's love and allegiance to both Gel and Hajime, when she loses resolve and defends "Gel" in the middle of their fight, it could just as easily be Gel or Hajime. In this scene, we are in the same position (more or less) as the spectators watching the fight on TV or on the internet. WE are watching this fight on TV or on the internet. We also are wondering "Isn't this going too far," perhaps second guessing if "Gel" is really Gel, feeling that there's something unnatural about the violence the Gatchaman are dishing out, but of course not anymore capable of learning what's really going on than the audience in the anime.

It turns out just the simulated battle, the apparent assassination of Gel, is enough to force us to confront our true nature and think more deeply what we really want, what we really think is best for humanity beyond our immediate fears and desires. As the audience in the series wakes up to this realization, perhaps the audience watching Gatchaman Crowds Insight wakes up to it as well. This sophisticated manipulation and involvement of the viewer is another one of those things that makes Gatchaman Crowds and Insight so special in the field of contemporary anime, and makes Kenji Nakamura such a standout showrunner.

What makes heroes? I keep questioning myself as I’m watching and finished the series. Well, the plain answer will be getting a power and protecting people from danger or some evil that come to us. It’s a good answer but, is that what heroes really need to do? Or is that hero’s responsibility to do that job? Of course, you can argue that they have superpower that beyond human capability but to me, even without superpower, we can be heroes.

Gatchaman Crowds/ Gatchaman Crowds Insight totally show me a different perspective view about heroes, what kind of opinion, characteristic and their justice in each main ... character. When I start watching this series, it gives me a vibe like “Mawaru Penguindrum” since they are using symbolic like poem, riddle and arts to express the explanation for viewers.

The story:
At the beginning of the story, the story seems kind of boring since it needs to introduce some new characters and events but eventually lead us to an un-expecting development. When I’m watching the series, I always set my brain into thinking mode since event itself will blow your mind sometimes. What I like about Gatchaman is not about their power, but the relationship between the character and their power since their transformation portray their personality. In my opinion, the story and character development are one of the best traits in the series.

The animation:
To be honest, the animation is not their strong point but I would rather say the animations are pretty decent with a detail of each character, the CGI and the transformation of each character. They really did a good job handling fighting scenes and to make it look more intense.

The OST and music:
Well, the anime are about heroes so of course you would expect a theme of heroes like power rangers, kamen rider, ultraman or something like that. The soundtracks are good to hear and some of them are pretty much intense. The OP of this anime is what makes the anime much more interesting like “Crowds” in Gatchaman Crowds. If you listen carefully, the lyrical is nonsense and too messy like “crowds”, I believe it means to tell us that world of Gatchaman is mixed with story, characters and the event that will become ‘crowds’.

The conclusion:
Gatchaman Crowds/Gatchaman Crowds Insight is one of the anime that makes me do a lot of thinking while watching the series and that makes me really like about it. I do enjoy the series although I need to digest a little bit to fully understand the series, but I can tell you, Gatchaman will try open your mind to make you think a little bit further and shows another different kinds of heroes and what kind of perspective that makes someone as a heroes. Beside all of the thinking, I think you will like the series in terms of their fighting and their character development since they are some events that make you exciting. All of that, I give it, 10/10.

Gatchaman Crowds insight is a show that represent and deal with mob mentality and peer pressure environments that creates fear of isolation.

The problem arises when Gelsadra runs as a candidate for the position of the prime minister. At the beginning Gelsadra is making out to be the best prime minister Japan's people has ever seen, listening to all their request. Thus starts the unification of mentality within people, as everybody agrees and supports Gelsadra.

This ultimately backfires with Kuu-sama making an appearance. Kuu-sama is the representation of fear of isolation. This in turn, forces those with different ideas unable to voice their opinions.

There is an uneasy ... atmosphere, with the fear looming over many people of Japan. And Gatchaman now comes to save the day, but not to fight the mob mentality, but to make people realize themselves that they were in the wrong.

Having same opinion is fine where there are no conflicts, however forcing others to have same opinion is a different scenario.

In terms of art direction, it was on same high quality as previous entry: very colourful in design and presentation.

The narrative was more well fitting than before, with the Gatchaman fulfilling their role as a superhero, solving the issues from its roots, while self sacrificing.

Tatsunoko managed to integrate lots of details into a homogeneous whole. With this in mind, it felt like the previous instalment was just a setup to insight. Tatsunoko managed to tell a stronger narrative story than before with the superhero theme being a powerful tool.

As a disclaimer, I am biased as bin when it comes to superhero content.
Should you recommend Gatchaman Crowds insight?: Yes, only if they powered through the first one

I watched the first season and I continue on to the next season and still I feel somewhat lost when watching this series.
It's a miracle I haven't dropped it.

Short Summary:
After a year since the "Tachikawa Incident" in summer 2015.
CROWDS, a system that turns the mentality of humans into physical form; from Berg Katze to Ninomiya Rui after taking his NOTE, has now spread among the public. The Prime Minister; Sugayama backs the plan but not everyone agrees with his policy.
A mysterious organization attacks Sugayama's vehicle, marking the start of a series of new conflicts.

So as I was like in the first season, I was ... lost with the plot in the second season.
However it was less confusing than I thought!
This season focuses on the "atmosphere" of society which really intrigued me as the situation in the anime exists in real life!
And boy do I love it when animes are relatable to reality.

Well none the less I enjoyed another season of Gatchaman!
If you've watched the first season, you will enjoy the second season. From my point of view the second season was less confusing than the first

The most disappointing thing about Gatchaman Crowds: Insight is how similar the story evolves here compared to the first season of the series, it's just that in this season the anime picks up some new themes, eventhough generally Gatchaman Crowd: Insight still mainly tries to make statements about society ,politics and social media like in the first season already.

The statements it makes are nothing breathtaking or new, even for it's time and sometimes I found it even hard to take the anime's messages honest since the way it portrays politics and even society sometimes is just too inane. I sometimes wonder if a more realistic ... setting would've helped conveying the statements Gatchaman Crowds makes better.

After having watched the pre-season Episode 0 for this season, I was hyped up to finally see some more fighting and action but also here I got disappointed. It's just that like in the first season things only start to really spice up towards the last third of the season. It's sad, because the Gatchaman have all been getting their unique abilites and I even liked the designs of the Gatchaman suits a lot, yet you barely get to see them in real action.

There is also absolutely zero background story about the Gatchaman or JJ in this season either, which I would really have appreciated. But in the end many questions regarding the Gatchaman and what JJ has to do with all of this still remain unanswered.

But I don't only want to sound like I'm hating this anime, because it has it's strenghts aswell. The soundtrack is amazing and easily one of my favorite ever. And also character-wise I fell in love with some of the characters. The different ideals of Rui and Rizumu clashing together was really interesting to watch.

In the end Gatchaman Crowds: Insight is fine. It can sometimes feel like a bit of a copy pasta of the first season and doesn't answer some questions I would've liked to be answered but it's still a enjoyable show that picks up some interesting themes, even if sometimes for my taste, a bit too silly.

Even when you watch a lot of stuff, it's rare that a show comes along that just hits you exactly where it needs to, to just capture you in a very specific way. I hadn't quite realised it when I finished the first season, but about halfway through 'Gatchaman Crowds insight', I realised that this was one of those shows.

Of course, the broader details of what I loved about the first season carry through; as a tokusatsu fan, this show pushed all those buttons perfectly, including adding a couple more phenomenal costume designs, and the action was just as top-quality as the first season. I ... love the overall style of the show, too; its slightly psychedelic colour pallette and general approach to set design reminds me of lots of shows that put it in good company; the Monogatari franchise and Kiznaiver are the two that immediately spring to mind. And the sequel's OP is just as much of a high-octane earworm as the first one.

But, like the first season, it's the finer details of the story that tie it all together and elevate it to impressive heights. 'insight' is just as dripping with thematic weight and complexity as the first season, and I actually think it's going to take a little while for me to really process all of the themes and ideas found across these two seasons. It expands on so many of the societal ideas that I found so fun to see in the first season, simultaneously validating the core of the show's themes while giving room to give those ideas a truly critical eye. It's a timely story in a lot of ways, exploring ideas of mob mentality and online culture in ways that, while taken to an absurd extreme, feel incredibly relevant to the world we're in now, while never feel preachy, and while giving a truly balanced, nuanced view on the issue that I wouldn't have expected from a goofy superhero show.

And, like the first season, the person tying it all together is Hajime Ichinose, who has thoroughly cemented herself as one of my all time favourite anime protagonists. Like the first season, she's the heart of the show, and her hyper-optimistic mindset, the way she always thinks the best of everyone in every situation, despite all evidence saying otherwise, is something I feel like people could genuinely learn from. But this season continues to add to that, matching that optimism and open-mindedness with an always surprisingly measured and thoughtful approach to the situations she's in. Genuinely, and I don't recall ever saying this about a character, she is someone I would aspire to be more like. And, like the first season, it's her who pulls the threads together to give this show, both seasons of this story, one of the most thematically successful and satisfying climaxes to a story I've seen in a long time.

This is the sort of show I want to write essays about. It's a show that I probably will. It's a show that captured me in a way I didn't expect it to, and which I feel comfortable giving pride of place in my 'nines' list, the works I consider to be my favourites, the shows that connected to me in a way most don't. I've loved every second of this ride, I'm a little sad to be done with it, and I'm glad I finally gave it the time to give me that opportunity.

Gatcha!