Let me ask something first, does anyone really care about the story of Maken-Ki that much? As other reviewers keep stating, the first season had some plot and developments, while this had little to none of it. However, does that mean the plot of season one was any good? Not really. It had a generic and inconsequential plot that amounted to very little at the end, presented alongside intrusive fan-service that distracted from any potential immersion that could be had.
What I appreciate in season two is that it’s honest. Without a story to follow, the fan-service ceases to be the distraction, and becomes the focus. Rather than shove together two elements that don’t mix, season two dedicated itself to shameless titillation alone. No story could be deflated by the fan-service, and by extension no fan-service could feel intrusive, since there was nothing to intrude on. I think the first episode is the perfect example of fan-service actually playing a role in what’s happening, where the key to solving a series of attacks lies in the pattern of the girls’ breast sizes. In the history of ecchi this might be the first time I’ve seen the perverted main character’s interest in breasts come in handy, something that I felt made it more true to the premise.
It goes without saying that constant fan-service is only a short-term solution to keep fans interested. The lack of an overarching story, romance and a seductive tone to balance out the ridiculousness gives the audience little reason to return to the series in the long run. Thankfully I never thought Maken-Ki deserved a longer running show to begin with.
Overall, Maken-Ki! 2 is fast-food media in its most distilled form, doing a decent enough job of being balls-to-the-wall exploitation, with good fluid animation to make it a feast for the eyes. I can only recommend it to those that are looking to fulfill their most basic needs, which they could get much easier by just looking up some hentai.
