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For a little while, Franxx really was right on edge of greatness. It really could've been something special, a show that would've become a "must-watch" for anime fans. But after a rushed, bizarre final quarter or so, I was tempted to give Franxx a score I'd merely call average. Eventually, I decided that its early success was enough to qualify it as a solid 8.

Story:7

The story itself was simple enough to start. Boy-girl pairs pilot massive robots to defend the few remaining human colonies against bizarre alien lifeforms that live under the earth. That's how Franxx began and remained throughout much of its run. First ... 6 episodes pretty much stick to this with our protagonist slowly being worn down by his powerful partner, or the flagship pink-haired girl you've probably seen around even if you haven't watched the show, Zero Two. This part of the story was fairly interesting though not anything we haven't really seen before, and probably gets a 7 from me.

The next 5-6 episodes functioned as a slice of life world/character builder and while some people may have dropped it in this period, I think this risk really paid off. It gave the large cast more individual depth and really brought some questions into the world of Franxx. Yes, it may have bogged down the pacing a bit, but I think the benefits clearly outweighed the cost. These were a good 8.

Episodes 12-15 were probably the highlight of the show. You really would feel the emotion and struggles, and sometimes, you'd be touched by how the show was portrayed. These episodes were easy 9/10, probably close to what I'd consider a 10/10 even. But after Franxx's peak here, it slowly deteriorated.

The next 5 episodes continued to world build a bit, but pacing wise could have been accomplished in maybe 2-4 and just really set up a crunch time-wise. These episodes were a 7, or fairly average. And finally, the last 4 episodes were a mess. The story itself was absurd and totally unexpected, not in a good way, and on top of that, it felt as if they ran out of time. I don't like to criticize the plotline of shows, but I can't help but feel that a less out-there ending would've remedied both the bizarreness as well as the pacing issues. Episodes 21-24 deserve a 5.

Art: 8

Franxx looked great the majority of the time. Maybe a few battle scenes, especially near the end, were subpar, but the artstyle worked and it was satisfying to watch the battle scenes.

Sound: 9

Catchy opening and ending themes, and nothing bad voicing-wise. Not a ton to criticize here.

Character: 9

The protagonist, Hiro, initially drew a lot of comparisons to Shinji, but we saw him develop his own character and overall was a fairly interesting main character. The development he, as well as the female lead Zero Two underwent was well done, not really feeling too rushed, nor did it really feel like they did things "just for the hell of it". They acted in character and changed in a good fashion. Franxx earned its 9 here because of how it was able to develop and shine spotlight on almost all of the side characters. Slice of life-esque episodes 7-11 arguably hurt pacing as I mentioned before, but the payoff in helping us see these characters in a different light was well worth it in developing and helping them interact with one another.

Enjoyment: 7

Franxx, for me personally, was a delight mostly. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 20 episodes, and couldn't wait to see what happened next. I probably enjoyed following Franxx as it aired more than any other show I watched weekly. But with how the ending was handled, there were times when I just shook my head and chuckled at how weird or unexpected it was. I was initially going to give Franxx a 5 or 6 here because of the way they played out the final stretch. But I couldn't bring myself to give a show I enjoyed so much the majority that low a score, and it gets a 7 here.

Overall: 8

Franxx is the equivalent of getting consistent A/A- grades on your assignments and then getting a C on the final. It probably deserves a B+, maybe even an A- depending on how much you weigh it, but at the end of the day, it still drags down your grade. With a good ending, Franxx would've been an easy 9, but with the way it stumbled down the final stretch, I couldn't bring myself to give it more than an 8 overall.

Where some anime have a poor story to tell while having outstanding art, Inferno Cop has one mindlessly entertaining story with poor art. If you look at the first few seconds of the first episode, you'll definitely think "WTF is this shit?" or maybe laugh a little. But that's besides the point. Aside from being less than an hour to watch all the episodes, it's one of the most entertaining things I've seen.

STORY: 6/10

The story moves along, and is about as thoughtless as you can get. Not going to win any awards here.

Art: 3/10

Virtually no art. Still better than Mars' Destruction though.

... Sound: 7/10

One guy voicing it all isn't half bad. Soundtrack actually isn't bad either.

Character: 5/10

Much like the story, there's not much here. Just Inferno Cop kicking ass.

Enjoyment: 10/10

Maybe it's the near nonexistent art. Maybe it's the fact that one guy did all the voices. Maybe it's because it's something that's not cliche, and actually tried to do something that nobody else has. But trust me, you'll enjoy this. I can't think of any reason I should have. But dear god, this was more entertaining than anything I've seen in the last year.

Overall: 9/10

Open your mind, and just watch this thing. Is it for everyone? Maybe not. But you'll enjoy it, whether due to the voicing or the sheer stupidity. Trigger knew what they were doing. Some anime are lesser than the sum of their parts. Inferno Cop is so far out that that it shatters what it should be and becomes something that you'll never forget.

With the ending of the 2nd season finishing as I write this, I think it's fair to say that Asterisk is pretty good within its genre. Not life changing or anything, but within the battle harem type genre, it's probably among the best I can think of at the moment. But first, make sure you watch the (inferior, I may add)first season... now then, let's begin.

STORY: 6/10

If you watched the first season and are still watching it now, you get the whole idea of what's going on. Pretty much more of the same, with the Phoenix Festa continuing and the MC continuing to overcome the ... odds. The story isn't especially thought provoking, but it makes sense, is easy to follow, and the characters aren't complete idiots as they are within similar shows. The story does its job, and is fairly enjoyable. The arcs move fairly smoothly from one to another. I found it enjoyable, nothing more, nothing less.

ART: 8/10

The budget was solid for this show, and it shows. The battle scenes are well executed, with fairly good CGI and it's not completely overused either. Outside of it, Asterisk does have a style that's a little different, and while I found it off-putting at first, I've grown to enjoy it. Well done as a whole.

SOUND: 9/10

The soundtrack added to the show, most definitely. As both a doujin composer and an anime watcher, I was thoroughly impressed by the soundtrack. Matched up with what was happening quite well. Definitely a strong point.

CHARACTER: 6/10

Within a harem-type setting, characters are often a weak point of the show, and Asterisk does suffer a little bit from it. The first season set the characters and their goals, and the second season doesn't really develop those goals a whole lot aside from the MC. If anything, the characters aren't total archetypes, and you're bound to find a character that you enjoy watching. It suffers from being a harem though, with each girl needing a little bit more development to flesh them out, especially one character shown in the middle that doesn't really appear too much. Many people wanted to see a lot more of her. Could be better.

ENJOYMENT: 9/10

If you add up all the parts, Asterisk season 2 isn't a particular standout by any means, but I sure enjoyed it. It brought more enjoyment than the sum of its parts. And really, isn't that most important thing?

OVERALL: 8/10

If you know this isn't your cup of tea kind of anime, don't watch it. It's not going to change your point of view. If you enjoy this type of show, you're in for a treat, with this show being fairly well developed and having a good production value. And if you're, like me, someone who goes in with an open mind, you'll probably enjoy it more than you'd like to admit. I know I did.