Short Synopsis: Ouri continues with his training to not die.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7/10 (Enjoyable)
The fanservice…. wtf… This series was supposed to be subtle. What the heck is up with the new ED? Why does the first scene of this episode start with a naked Makina? Seriously, I don’t mind a bit of fanservice here and there (the first season was pretty much fine here), but this is really becoming too much…
Nevertheless, this episode did well in exploring one of the main themes of the second season (besides the fanservice, that is): the relationship between a Shikabane Hime and her contractor. That’s another advantage of having so many Shikabane pairs as in this series: they all have a different relationship between themselves. They’re also equally important, and it’s not like the lead combo of Ouri and Makina gobbles up all of the attention in this series. The first season also had a number of annoying parts, so there’s still plenty of potential left for this series to work with. It’s a good thing that it’s still continuing to develop its characters, and that’s the most important part here.
I must say that Makina turned out to be completely different in the second season from what I imagined of her. Now that she lost the one she could depend on, she’s really totally lost it. Her quest to avenge her own death gets mixed up with a quest to avenge Keisei, up to the point where she loses sight of what’s best for herself. It’s going to be easy whether the creators can pull the scene between her and Ouri, where she finally accepts him as her contractor, off without any cheese.
I hope the fanservice you’re talking about isn’t worse than it was in episode 1 of Kuro. I thought that amount was bearable, though naturally I prefer less. I still loved the first two eps, and the music in this show is amazing, so hopefully it doesn’t begin to disappoint.
Concerning the fanservice… this is Gainax. It’s to be expected. For better or worse. ^_^’
They’re even starting to throw in “BUY THE DVD’s” Fog. I’m betting they will throw in some more fog-scenes in the upcoming episodes just to try and boost DVD sales 😉
But this is Gainax and not Gonzo we’re talking about, so maybe i’m all wrong here.
And I thought, that nothing could be worse than Shikabane’s first ED… Well, just close your eyes and listen to the music, angela is still great. Gainax must die.) Really, their series were always ruined by unnecessary fanservice. And now it totaly dosen’t match the mood of Shikabane Hime.
Not just fanservice, but MANSERVICE.
Check out the Teacher in the towel in the ending sequence…manly…I guess.. (what is up with those ending images?)
And yeah, i’m surprised at Makina’s reaction. I thought it would all be good and well, but it seems she’s not a predicable person at all. She’s mad enough to attack her naked contractor, it seems.