Here we pick up with our protagonists of the original series, Kazuki, Minashiro and the rest of their generation are now a few years older and we get introduced to the next generation of pilots - these new characters pale in comparison, but are still pretty good.
Intermittently narrated in a past tense by Minashiro's intelligent and honest voice, you'll get the ominous sense of rising dread. "Something bad is gonna happen and humankind will be dragged kicking and screaming to their doom." Was a thought which never floated far from the surface all throughout and more so into the next series.
Regardless for its mediocre art style, the sound track was ever more magnificent. Whenever I felt like pulling the plug and never coming back, the music continued to draw me in - it was the intro which made me wade through the original Fafner in the first place.
In many ways, I believe this is better than the prequels, however, you'll need to watch them in order to make any sense. It still suffers from the unexplained, but once you've got the hang of it, it's an enjoyable, comprehensible, emotional experience.
The characters are great. The music is great. The art isn't dislikable. The story is pretty good and it manages to maintain the same foreboding nature all throughout. If you've got enough time, patience, an appreciation of the abstract and a somewhat sadistic nature which doesn't mind seeing your favourite characters dragged through a painfully slow hellish experience, I recommend it.
