Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation

In the year 2027, the video game Phantasy Star Online 2 is all the rage at Seiga Academy. Every student is on board the fad—except for Itsuki Tachibana, a well-rounded student who doesn't play video games. Due to its popularity, the game is currently under review at Seiga Academy to see if it has a negative impact on the students. Consequently, this causes Itsuki to catch the attention of Rina Izumi, the perfectionist student council president who aims to prove that the game is not to blame.

To accomplish her objective, Rina recruits Itsuki as the student council vice president and tasks him with learning to play the game while keeping his grades up. Now obliged to report his daily findings of the game to Rina and analyze its merits, Itsuki carries the fate of Phantasy Star Online 2 in his hands.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit

Background

Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation is the eighth project in the franchise, commemorating the fifteenth anniversary of the Phantasy Star Online video game franchise. The anime series features a completely original storyline and all-new characters.

Episode Videos

Edit

Related Anime

Other:	Puso Ni Comi
Prequel:	Phantasy Star Online 2: Episode Oracle

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Tachibana, Itsuki

Main

Aoi, Shouta
Japanese

Izumi, Rina

Main

Suwa, Ayaka
Japanese

Suzuki, Aika

Main

Ichimichi, Mao
Japanese

Matoi

Supporting

Satou, Satomi
Japanese

Quna

Supporting

Kitamura, Eri
Japanese

Patty

Supporting

Asumi, Kana
Japanese

Tia

Supporting

Iguchi, Yuka
Japanese

KID

Supporting

Inoue, Kazuhiko
Japanese

Zeno

Supporting

Kimura, Ryouhei
Japanese

Casra

Supporting

Kamiya, Hiroshi
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Kawaguchi, Keiichirou

Director

Iwanami, Yoshikazu

Sound Director

Nagaoka, Yoshitaka

Episode Director

Yamada, Taku

Episode Director

Edit

Opening Theme

"Zessei Star Gate (絶世スターゲイト)" by Shouta Aoi

Edit

Ending Theme

"Rare Drop☆KOI☆Koi! One More! (レアドロ☆KOI☆こい！ワンモア！)" by Rina Izumi (Ayaka Suwa) & Aika Suzuki (M.A.O)

Reviews

Nov 11, 2021

Lulech23

Recommended

This may be one of the most underrated shows I've come across in a while. I held off watching PSO2: The Animation for *years* because of its low review scores, but after recently getting back into PSO2 the MMORPG, I decided to finally give it a try. And oh boy, I was not prepared for what a treat this is.

**This review is spoiler-free**

PSO2: The Animation is something of a victim of its own marketing. The premise of an anime created by Sega where a real-world Sega videogame enjoys universal popularity feels pretentious, as if the whole thing were nothing more than an extended commercial. But ... while the anime's existence may indeed be advertising, its plot has far better motives. In fact, remove PSO2 and you'd still have a nice story, albeit nothing groundbreaking.

Contrary to fans' hopes at the time of release, PSO2: The Animation is not an adaptation of the game's story. (We later got PSO2: Episode Oracle for that.) Instead, it serves as a *prequel* to Episode 4 of the MMORPG--and a rather critical one at that. At its release, Episode 4 provided a jarring tonal shift for the series, and at first glance, The Animation only adds to the shock. In hindsight, however, it was clearly intended to do the opposite. Viewers are presented with the gentlest of on-ramps from a typical highschool rom-com to the sci-fi world of PSO2 itself blended with reality in some genuinely interesting ways.

What's more, the execution of both sides of the coin is unexpectedly competent. The highschool drama may play off familiar tropes, but it does so specifically to create contrast with its more original elements. And more surprisingly, it manages to avoid the cringey pitfalls typically ensnared by the setting. The main protagonist, Itsuki, is neither a flat nobody nor an untouchable god. The love triangle is not overplayed nor sustained on contrived misunderstanding. His friendship with both leading heroines actually makes sense, and each character contributes something unique to the story.

Then there's the red herrings, which are, in a word, brilliantly played. Without spoiling anything, I can only say again that the tropes here are used as a plot device, not a crutch, and the writers are very aware of their audience's awareness of them. While the outcome is nevertheless predictable (this is a PSO2 anime, after all, and PSO2 things are bound to happen) the payoff is so satisfying when it comes that it nearly feels like a second season packed into one.

In addition, the way the show incorporates elements from the game demonstrates real understanding of players, right down to self-deprecating humor that any veteran will appreciate. The way characters interact with each other and with the game is possibly the most lifelike of any MMO anime I've seen--especially important considering this is aimed at players of a real-world MMORPG. The attacks, the sound effects, the locations, and even play styles are faithfully represented without ever being too on-the-nose. This does of course mean that prior experience with the game is an absolute prerequisite to follow the show's plot and cameos. But this only serves to demonstrate that advertising was a second priority for Sega. PSO2: The Animation is a love letter, first and foremost.

And no more clearly can this be felt than in the original soundtrack. While a few PSO2 tunes make an appearance to capitalize on key moments, a majority of the time your ears will be treated to something completely different. And I do mean "treated"--the main theme in particular immediately caught my ears, and the piano rendition is now one of my favorite anime tracks of all time ("POTENTIAL ABILITY -Heart-"--look it up!).

PSO2: The Animation could very easily have wound up a simple cash grab to shove PSO2 the MMORPG in your face. In fact, by all rights, that's all it ever *should* have been. Instead, it's one of the most successful videogame anime tie-ins I've ever seen, and it may just be the highlight of the entire Episode 4 arc. Whether or not you're a fan of PSO2, you've seen everything here before. But if you are, there's something special about seeing it in this context. The Phantasy Star series has long held a quiet influence over pop culture at large, and The Animation handily stands on its own amid the franchise. So long as you happen to fit in its rather specific demographic, it'll put a contented smile on your face from start to finish.

Open

Gift

Mar 12, 2019

SeireiAki

Mixed Feelings

PSO2 is amazing! The story is just great and I always love to relive it. . . . The game that is.
When it comes to the animation . . . all I can say is it's average.

The story focus on a character that is not relevant to PSO2 and only mentioned like 3 times in 'Episode 4' (The EARTH arc in the game).

PRO:
+ PSO2 Anime
+ Some characters from PSO2 show up

CON:
...

Open

Gift

Jan 5, 2020

Tzystiq

Not Recommended

This anime is basically just an ad for the game Phantasy star Online. Not a good ad. At times, the dialogue is completely horrible. It feels almost like there is NOTHING in the entire Japanese country, but this one game, our Protagonist has to review, and that game is, as you might have guessed Phantasy Star Online 2, which is, if you didn't know a real game. Conveniently, to advertise the game, everything our dense Protagonist writes about the game is unrealisticly Positive. Well, for the story, the anime actually has one! But... the story after the secand half makes the story completely irrelevant, also ...

Open

Gift

More stacks

Interest Stacks

MMORPG anime series

by kitoha

21 Entries · 16 Restacks

Adaptations of Video Games (No VNs, Part 1 - JRPGs)

by Cheeeeze

50 Entries · 33 Restacks

Gaming & Romance

by Hanede

10 Entries · 13 Restacks

More recommendations

Recommendations

More news

Recent News

'Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation: Episode Oracle' TV Anime Announced for 2019

At the Phantasy Star Kanshasai 2019 event on Sunday, Sega announced a new TV anime based on its Phantasy Star Online 2 game series. Titled Phantasy Star Online 2: Ep...read more

Mar 10, 2019 2:16 PM by Sakana-san | Discuss (19 comments)

North American Anime & Manga Releases for March

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for March Week 1: March 7 - 13 Anime Releases Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation Complete Collection DVD Pha...read more

Mar 6, 2017 10:25 AM by Sakana-san | Discuss (12 comments)

More discussions

Recent Forum Discussion

It makes sense that they'd make this series... vigorousjammer - Sep 19, 2015	4 replies	by Lucifrost »» Jul 17, 2022 2:37 PM
Poll: Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation Episode 3 Discussion Stark700 - Jan 21, 2016	35 replies	by Shikkakku »» Dec 11, 2020 4:07 AM
Poll: Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jan 14, 2016	51 replies	by Shikkakku »» Dec 6, 2020 6:25 AM
Poll: Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Jan 7, 2016	132 replies	by Shikkakku »» Dec 6, 2020 12:56 AM
Poll: Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Mar 31, 2016	64 replies	by TechOtaku »» Apr 29, 2020 9:22 PM

Recent Featured Articles

Behind the Many Video Game Adaptations of Fall 2019

This season is packed with servants, warships, maidens, ikemen, and more from a diverse assortment of video games. Here's everything you need to know.

by Shymander

16,516 views

Top 15 Best RPG Anime That Prove The Genre is Real

Whether they were pulled into an MMORPG that they were playing or simply found themselves stuck in it, there’s something weird happening to anime characters. One way or another, they just keep landing inside RPGs. Here are 15 RPG-themed anime that helped define this budding genre.

by samcook

752,111 views

Analysis Background Analysis Games Game Adaptation

Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Tachibana, Itsuki

Izumi, Rina

Suzuki, Aika

Matoi

Quna

Patty

Tia

KID

Zeno

Casra

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-