Firstly, I will not be talking about the excessive fan service and other related aspects of this Anime. Other reviewers have done this to death, and inspired themselves more than enough !
Secondly, I will also not talk about the surface plot; it has also been done into the ground by others.
There are however, matters that have not been discussed; that I think needs some words.
1). The Sekirei
These people are off-world aliens, in cold-storage. Some back-story about them, in their own right; would have been nice. But there is none. Their aged vessel is discovered by college students. Were the Sekirei sent to help the Mankind they found? Were they sent here to conquer us? Or did they just crash-land, and just never get woke up, by the onboard computer (which is shown still running)? More importantly, in the vein of the resurrecting of the Sekirei, by Minaka Hiroko and others; what would the Sekirei have been if they were never "adjusted"? We will never know. Is there any larger lost opportunity?
2). The descent into pure evil.
Minaka Hiroko is not the genius he is portrayed. Anyone can back-engineer someone else's technology, and then become a profiteer on the backs of the superior creators of the technology, in the first place. Did Minaka create anything new? No. Did he use the gene-pool he discovered, to advance the intelligence and capabilities of Mankind (including himself)? No. When we realize that genetic modifications not only change the living, in their own time; they also change the next generation and the next. The changes tend to be permanent.
But Minaka had a better idea. Let's use the modified Sekirei to promote a game, which ultimately ends in the death of all Sekirei. They die, for a purpose that is obviously a huge lie. The viewer should not accept Minaka's premise. There is no prize, he knows they're all going to die. No win, no way out, pain and suffering for everybody connected.
WHAT A WASTE!
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In other words, Sekirei is a snuff-anime. It's not about Life. It's all about Death. Heroic moments in the story line do not forgive the fact that ultimately, Minaka Hiroko will find a way to force the Sekirei to kill each other. That was his original aim, his process during the game, and his plan for the ultimate outcome. It's all about the Game, for his amusement. He might as well have been a audience member at a Roman Circus, Gladiators murdering each other and all. No other value is possible, for Minaka. He even hands out strange gifts, to the viewers and participants; like the Roman Emperor used to do when he offers Bread and Wine to the viewing throng, for their amusement and edification.
The artwork is quite good. The music is mediocre at best; I would have expected other reviewers to have higher standards. The interior music, in support of plot points, is more than adequate.
The acting dialog is above average. For some anime, I like sub-english, because the Japanese actors fit the characters well. But in this particular case; both the sub and dub versions are more than adequate. I happen to be a fan of several dub-actors: Colleen Clinkenbeard, Stephanie Young, Jamie Marchi, Clarine Harp, Brittany Karbowski; and many others. All are in attendance, in Sekirei. And all are inspired.
In the end however, Heroic deeds, and Heroic strains of Music; cannot take away from the basic component of Sekirei.
A sadness beyond all description.
I give Sekirei, and it's second season "Pure Engagement" a 7.
