HERE'S A VIDEO VERSION IN CASE YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THIS WHOLE REVIEW!
https://youtu.be/3zsmcmewhgy
When it came to the Fall 2016 anime season, this was really the only show I kept up with. I don’t know if you can’t tell, but I don’t usually talk about trending topics and that’s usually because I’m not on top of the 10’s of shows coming out each season. I was kind of looking forward to this season because I wanted some closure from the cliffhanger that was the first season, but what I got was… unexpected to say the least.
Just to recap my season 1 review, which you can watch right here if you click on the card icon on the top right corner of the video, I basically said that there were quite a bit of problems when it came to the pacing, storytelling, tone, and the fact that the show felt way too black and white. Some of the plot lines ended poorly and the detective episodes were quite poor.
Well, some of these problems continue through to season 2, but season 2 also improves on a lot of these issues quite a bit. It also adds a couple more problems that I may have not picked up on, but it was an overall improvement. There’s a lot to get into so let’s get into it.
*transition slide into story*
I really have to split all of the parts of this review into 2 parts: The first 4 episodes of season 2 and the rest of the season. That’s because the first 4 episodes of season 2 are completely disjointed from the main conflict of season 2 because it’s a backstory to how the Agency was created and Dazai’s time in the Port Mafia.
Let’s give this a bit of analysis before we jump into the main story.
*transition slide into First 4 Episodes*
The story follows a character named Oda who’s a low level member of the Port Mafia. Though, there are a couple things that are special about Oda. He’s the friend of one of the top members of the Port Mafia, Dazai Osamu and another random guy, Ango. He’s also gifted with an ability that lets him see a few seconds into the future, which is why he’s one of the best members of the agency even though he isn’t on the top.
The set up for these 4 episodes is basically a detective story, but actually done right for the first time in this show’s history. That’s because the show has more time to set up the events of the mystery, have time to get sidetracked and explore some subplots, and give a good amount of characterization that makes me really like the main character.
Even the side characters got some exploration and motivation as to why they do what they do. Some of these ideas connect to the main story, but the majority of the events don’t. These 4 episodes had more of an emotional impact because they added so much to the characters without overstepping the bounds of the story.
The pacing in these 4 episodes is divine. They kept each event on screen long enough for the audience to understand what’s going on, but nothing overstayed its welcome. It managed to do in 4 episodes what the whole first season couldn’t do in its run time.
The tone of these 4 episodes was always more serious and more focused on the plot. The show never broke into a different art style for the comedic scenes and even the scenes where Dazai was making suicide jokes were pretty toned down. It really felt like the show I wanted this whole show to be.
The ending also left me quite satisfied as it closed up all of the subplots and created a direct link between Dazai in the Port Mafia and Dazai in the agency. Though there are a couple issues with these 4 episodes.
I may not have noticed this in the first season, but this show really over explains every detail at points. Characters go on endless internal monologues that seem quite unnecessary because they show the same information on screen. It feels like a failsafe in case people didn’t catch onto the details on their own. This problem also exists in the rest of the series as well.
Another issue is that the main motivation for what occurred in the final episode of this arc was quite weak. It was based around characters the audience barely ever saw and it was only implied that there was a close relationship between these characters. You’ll know what I mean if you watch the 3rd episode of season 2. It’s similar to Kyoka’s near death scene in season 1, but done slightly better. There’s just more room for improvement with the execution of this plot point.
So, the characters and story are better overall compared to season 1, but what about the music? Well, the music is superb. Every track fits the tone quite well and there are many memorable songs that add to the mood. The opening scene of the show displays this perfectly and really lets the audience know what they’re getting into.
The creativity with lighting and the use of credits in the OP of the show adds a couple bonus points in my books too since it shows that they weren’t being lazy with the execution of this backstory. It’s a shame that the OP’s got less creative as they continued since there are 3 OP animations that all go to the same song.
The overall animation is nice and the director’s choices add an oomph that I didn’t expect. This can specifically be seen in the flashback scenes and in the final fight scene for the anime. The aesthetic for summoning abilities in this show changed from Japanese characters to English letters. It adds some more variety to the visuals as the words are moving to create a sense of explosiveness when summoning abilities.
The themes explored in these 4 episodes laid some of the groundwork for later in the series. One of these themes had to do with grey morality and how it’s really tough to see who’s in the right most of the time.
All of this combined compels me to give these 4 episodes a 7.5/10. Too bad the rest of the series brings this score down a little. We should get back to the rest of the series for the rest of this review.
*Rest of the review card*
Many of the points I’d make for the rest of this show has already been stated in my season 1 review. The tone switches too much in this show, though it was better in this season by a bit. The comedy gets in the way, but less often. The show is paced at a super speed so it feels like you’re getting 2 episodes in one.
There’s a huge problem with over explaining details the show shows on screen and the detective episode is quite weak. Unlike season 1, less characters are explored and less characters are given characterization. This makes it hard to care about the conflict when the villains seem 1 dimensional and stale.
Actually, the conflict in this season is a plus compared to last season. The show turned from a 1-dimensional conflict that was barely explored to a 3-way war that has stakes and loss. There are alliances, traps, and more. This also adds to the grey morality I mentioned earlier, but as I said, it isn’t as good as it could be because of the weak characterization of the American and European writers.
There are also random shonen power-ups that ruin the tension because every time there’s a conflict, there’s a random power-up that makes everything an equal playing field. It makes the show feel like a wannabe dragonball Z, especially when the power-ups look like a budgeted version of a character going super saiyan.
The character dynamics are quite improved and there’s a decent bit of character development. Two specific instances of note are between Dazai and his old partner in the Port Mafia as well as Aktagawa and Atsushi. The first dynamic has so much chemistry within itself since these characters knew each other for so long and it shows in how they fight.
The second instance shows a lot of room for growth since these characters never fought together before a certain point in the show. It’s just too bad that the show left off on a cliffhanger for an even bigger plot line that seems to have been foreshadowed for quite a while. The worst part is that there’s not a confirmed season 3 so it really hinders this show.
The flashbacks of Atsushi and the repetitive dialogue of how Kyouka killed 35 people also make the show drop in value as it’s unnecessary because the audience already knows about these events. I mean, we don’t need to see Atsushi’s backstory more than twice as a maximum because it never adds anything new to his character.
I already talked about the music and animation in the “first 4 episodes” part and all of that stays true here except for the fact that the visuals for the OP in these episodes lacks creativity. The title card is placed poorly and what started as a gritty world turned into a generic shonen. It really doesn’t hold up to its seinen tag that is has for some reason.
Overall, this show has tons of problems and some problems that bother me now more than they did when I reviewed season 1. The cliffhanger is bothersome and the weak characters make the conflict less compelling. The character dynamics are better and have more room to be explored while the themes are explored poorly.
The pacing is a bit too fast, but it makes the show feel like it’s always progressing. The arc of this season ends decently, but ends with one of the biggest deus exmachina’s I’ve seen in a while and the explanations of simple ideas make this show harder to watch. Even with all of that, I give this show an 8/10… in terms of my enjoyment.
It was one of the few shows I kept up with this season and it kept me hooked. On a critical level, the whole series is now a 5.5/10 because, as I said, some of the things I noticed as a problem in season 1 became bigger issues, like telling instead of showing. There are a few stand-out moments in this show that get overshadowed by the mediocrity.
Season 2 alone is a midrange 6 out of 10 since it has the 4 episodes that are just great.