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Heaven's Lost Property: Forte Sora no Otoshimono Forte
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
300 mins. - 12 episodes
$39.98 (2014) Blu-Ray/DVD
$64.98 (2013) Blu-Ray
$59.98 (2013)
ISBN 704400058783
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Hisashi Saito
Studio - AIC
Synopsis: Tomoki Sakurai was a regular high school student living in a boring town who just wanted to enjoy a quiet existence. All of that ended when he discovered the Angeloid named Ikaros one evening. She fell from a place called the Synapse and became Tomoki's servant. To make matters worse she was followed by another Angeloid named Nymph. Both Angeloids now live and go to school with Tomoki. There go his chances for any peace and quiet!
Ikaros attempts to get close to Tomoki...with disastrous results
The Angeloids can fly, are extremely durable, and each have special abilities. In her former state Ikaros was a fearsome Angeloid called the Uranus Queen with highly destructive capabilities. It appears her memories were suppressed from this time and her emotions are purposefully stunted. Nymph is a walking supercomputer and has highly technical abilities (although she is much weaker physically than Ikaros).
Nymph laments the loss of her wings in the first season
Tomoki's friends help him deal with the Angeloids and their antics. They include his next door neighbor Sohara (who has a secret crush on him), the eccentric Sugata who is head of the New World Discovery Club (he's pretty much the only member), and the sadistic student body president Mikako (her family are Yakuza). Together they try to learn about the Angeloids and the Synapse while getting into outlandish situations.
Tomoki devises an ingenious system of peep holes - how long until he's caught?
Another Angeloid is sent to Earth to eliminate Tomoki! Her name is Astraea and she is one of the strongest Angeloids, but woefully clumsy and not very bright. She also has enormous boobs. She remains on Earth and plots to somehow destroy Tomoki, but keeps hanging around his house to mooch food. She gets sucked into all the goofiness happening in Tomoki's life including - Mikako's snowball battle girls vs. boys, Tomoki's panty robot pedal bicycle (don't ask), a mock game show to prove Tomoki is despised by all the girls at school, the forbidden eating of Ikaros' watermelons, Mikako's mock fishing contest where the 'fish' are busty girls who have been tied up, Tomoki's peeping network and more.
Astraea comes down from the Synapse to snuff Tomoki!
Another Angeloid is sent from the Synapse and she's a next-generation model called Chaos. She is ultimately powerful, inadvertently evil, and emotionally still a child. Will even the combined might of Ikaros, Nymph, and Astraea be enough to stop her? The evil master of the Synapse will stop at nothing to destroy the rogue Angeloids and their 'master' Tomoki.
The Angeloids face the fearsome Chaos - the next generation of Angeloid!
Pros: Great animation and backgrounds, every episode ends with a different song/closing credits based on what happened in the episode, tons of comedy moments and funny situations, even more fan-service than the first season, some very small character development and plot reveals (particularly Nymph), Chaos is a suitably dark and scary nemesis for the Angeloids in this season
Tomoki pulls his best prank yet
Cons: Female characters are ridiculous and wear collars with chains on them, Ikaros has zero personality and usually just stares blankly at stuff, plot barely moves forward (not much revealed about the Synapse), Chaos is fairly annoying, a lot of really silly episodes
We learn very little about the evil master of the Synapse
Mike Tells It Straight: The first season of Heaven's Lost Property (reviewed here) started out as your typical harem anime and eventually won me over with its outlandish comedy situations. I was impressed with the unique ending credits and songs for each episode. It stood out as a decent show with good animation and the serious parts were mildly compelling. Tomoki is an unrepentant horn-dog and the mystery of the Synapse was mildly compelling.
Sugata meets the mysterious Daedalus who built the Angeloids
This second season continued the tradition of unique ending credits and nice animation. The show is all about the ecchi/fan-service and this theme grows exponentially. Entire episodes seem to be dedicated to Tomoki's lecherous ways, ridiculous contests surrounding boobs, and Tomoki is often sporting a boner or completely naked (with little graphics covering his parts). It's crazy!
Nymph runs a diagnostic on Ikaros after she falls ill
I wish the series spent a little less time on Tomoki's massive porn collection and focused more on the mystery of the Synapse. We get some new information, but nothing on the actual master of the Angeloids. This was a letdown along with the annoying childlike Angeloid, Chaos. She would have been practically unbearable if it weren't for her sheer scary evilness! The battle with her was pretty wicked and overall Heaven's Lost Property Forte was a zany show. It kicks the fan-service (no explicit nudity just lots of groping) and comedy up a notch while sacrificing plot development. Even more of a guilty pleasure than the first season ;)
Ikaros manifests her full powers as the Uranus Queen
The Irresponsible Captain Tylor Musekinin Kancho Taira
The Right Stuf International
Complete Collection - 4 discs
650 mins. - 26 episodes
$39.99 (2013)
$49.99 (2009) Remastered
$99.99 (2005)
$34.95 (2001) Vol. 1-4/ea.
$129.95 (2000)
ISBN 742617200526
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Koichi Mashimo
Studio - Tatsunoko Productions
Synopsis: Justy Ueki Tylor is an aimless young man who decides to join the United Planets Space Force (UPSF) because he thinks he can ride out a cushy desk job and then collect a pension for the rest of his life. His timing is terrible as it appears the UPSF is heading for space war with the Raalgon Empire. It appears luck is on his side when he gets assigned to the military pension office until he delivers a pension to a bed-ridden former admiral who is being held hostage by terrorists! Tylor somehow foils the terrorists plot despite or possibly because of his blundering headlong into the situation. He gets promoted to ship's Captain as a reward even though he has absolutely no qualifications or experience. The ship is the decrepit old destroyer the Soyokaze and is filled with a crew of derelict soldiers considered to be at the bottom rung in the UPSF.
Jusy Ueki Tylor is an aimless youth without a purpose in life
Tylor makes a big splash on board with his careless and disorderly command style. He tells the crew they can do what they want and it starts a mutiny! The motley crew is made up of insubordinates, buffoons, and a few diligent officers trying to make a name for themselves.
From left: Emi and Yumi Hanner, Kojiro Sakai, Kyung Kim, Makoto Yamamoto, Captain Tylor, Yuriko Star, Harold Katori, Sgt. Cryborne, Lt. Andressen, Nurse Harumi, and Dr. Kitaguchi
The crew includes:
First Officer Lt. Commander Makoto Yamamoto is strait-laced, determined, and completely inept. He's a career military man who dreams of becoming captain one day, but doesn't have the smarts to pull it off. Torn between his duty to follow the military chain of command to the letter by supporting the Captain's wacky decisions and his need to blow the whistle on Tylor's disregard for protocol, Yamamoto is perpetually chasing his own tail.
Lt. Commander Yuriko Star is another upright military officer and she's not afraid to call out her Captain for breaking the rules. He's a constant source of aggravation for her and she's always trying to restore order to the Soyokaze. It doesn't help that Tylor finds her attractive and seems to ignore her reprimands.
First Lt. Kyung Kim is the communications officer of the Soyokaze and preoccupied with her good looks. Regardless she proves to be a versatile crew member able to handle unexpected situations. She doesn't know what to make of the new Captain and usually doesn't take him too seriously.
First Lt. Harold Katori is the ship's navigator and cool under pressure. He's a very centered individual who takes in stride all of the new Captain's quirks.
Emi and Yumi Hanner are the daughters of the admiral Tylor saved and are hopelessly devout to their Captain. They followed him into the UPSF and are endlessly enthusiastic. The pair are very cute, but inexperienced.
Second Lt. Kojiro Sakai loves his space fighter more than anything else in the universe and spends countless hours polishing it. He's a total hot-head and gets into arguments with the marines stationed on board. He's also very awkward around women.
First Lt. Andressen leads the marines on the Soyokaze and he is a rough man of action. He's not afraid to buck command and engineers the first mutiny against Tylor.
Master Sergeant Cryborne is a tough customer and the scars on his face are a testament to his iron will. He's as insubordinate as they come and earned his place on the Soyokaze.
Naval Surgeon Kitaguchi is a complete drunk and only a competent physician when he's inebriated.
Staff Sergeant Harumi is assigned to the Soyokaze and makes an immediate splash due to her fetching good looks. Every man aboard is instantly smitten with the new doctor's assistant and makes up some excuse to see the nurse. What is her daring secret and how does it involve the Captain?
The destroyer Soyokaze (yes, the flag waves in space)
On the opposite side of the galaxy the Raalgon Empire is in transition following the recent assassination of their Emperor (the UPSF is blamed). The Raalgon are a proud race who value strength and conviction above all else. The Emperor's daughter Azalyn ascends to the throne, but she's barely sixteen and unaccustomed to ruling an empire. Furthermore, she's not allowed to openly grieve for her father's death as it's not acceptable for an Empress to show weakness. She's torn between her duty, grief, and wanting to feel normal again. To make matters worse, the Emperor's advisors are back-stabbers (quite possibly in the literal sense) who want to control the inexperienced Azalyn and are rallying for a complete attack on the UPSF. Azalyn has only one confidante in Captain Ru Baraba Dom who truly cares for the Empress.
The Empress Azalyn rules over the war-like Raalgon yet privately mourns her father's passing and yearns to recapture her lost childhood
The Soyokaze immediately stumbles across a Raalgon advance fleet and Captain Tylor is put to the test. Can the crew put aside their differences and rally behind the Captain to save the day? Captain Tylor barely recognizes the true danger he's in from both within and without. Only a miracle will keep the Soyokaze in one piece, but can Tylor's uncanny luck possibly continue? The UPSF top brass want Tylor to fail miserably and he's not making a good case for himself. How will the Raalgon's Empress react when she meets Tylor? Can the most irresponsible man in space stay in one piece?
The Captain of the Soyokaze is not your typical ship's captain
Pros: Great ensemble cast of characters, some genuinely funny moments (my favorite was Empress Azalyn's sixteenth birthday), fun homages to other sci-fi series (like Macross, Gundam, Space Battleship Yamato), unique showdown between the two space fleets (UPSF and Raalgon), Tylor definitely has his moments of genius, good ending
One of the marines wears a hockey mask and is named Jason...wait a minute!
Cons: Tylor really acts like a fool and it can get a bit tiresome at times, plot and situations are completely ridiculous (on purpose), opening/ending theme songs are bland, older animation, not very exciting, some boring episodes, the whole 'Paco Paco' thing with Empress Azalyn
The ship's doctor is a raging alcoholic (although he does perform better when drunk)
Mike Tells It Straight: This series originally aired in the early 1990s and I finally got around to watching it after having the collection on my shelf for a few years. It was definitely a mixed bag with some good points, but also a lot of parts which left me scratching my head. First off it's a comedy/space opera. The main character, Captain Tylor, mostly acts like a nonchalant moron with very little regard for structured authority. He's incredibly lucky and seems to blunder his way through difficult situations with ease. It can be slightly amusing or extremely annoying at times. Some of the situations are absolutely hilarious, but many are downright lame.
The crew of the Soyokaze support their Captain in his time of need
The supporting cast was the highlight of the series and each character contributes in some way to the overall story. Their interactions with the Captain make the series much more enjoyable. The series definitely grows on you and the ending was actually pretty good. Some of the episodes were total duds, but a few were great. I really disliked the whole 'Paco Paco' thing with the Captain and Empress Azalyn. It was corny, but the episode with her sixteenth birthday party was absolutely hilarious. I liked the episode with the space confrontation between UPSF and Raalgon fleets. The tension and build up was cool.
Shia Has - because alien space-faring races wear bikinis
It's an older series and the animation shows its age. I liked how the Soyokaze and some of the character designs were homages to other space opera series (like Macross, Gundam, Space Battleship Yamato). The opening and ending animation/music was weak, but the episode soundtrack was good. This series is just okay - it has a few funny moments and is lighthearted, but Tylor's character can get tiresome. I can see why it sat on my shelf for so long, but I'm glad I finally watched it. Somehow it seems to grow on you and the last few episodes are pretty darn good. Now I've got the sequel OVA sitting there and I'll have to check it out to see if the story gets better. Stay tuned!
Heaven's Lost Property Season One Sora no Otoshimono
Funimation
Complete Collection - 5 discs
350 mins. - 14 episodes
$39.98 (2014) Blu-Ray
$64.98 (2011) Blu-Ray/DVD
ISBN 704400058844
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Hisashi Saito
Studio - AIC
Synopsis: One evening Tomoki Sakurai witnesses a strange object fall from the sky. He's a regular high school student who lives in a small town and is perfectly happy with pursuing a quiet existence. His life goes completely upside down when the object that fell from the sky turns out to be a beautiful girl with wings! Her name is Ikaros and she is an Angeloid fallen from the Synapse. Making matters worse she declares herself Tomoki's servant and begins living with him.
Tomoki just wants to have a normal, quiet life
Poor Tomoki is stuck with Ikaros and has no idea what to do with her. He's a typical horny teenager and she's a beautiful creature, but obviously not quite human! He can't bring himself to lust after her. She ends up going to school with him and it's a complete disaster. Her wings stick out of the back of her clothing and people stare. Tomoki just wants to have a normal, quiet existence and Ikaros is ruining his chances.
Tomoki recovers Ikaros after she falls to Earth
Ikaros has no memory or personality calling herself a 'pet-class' Angeloid yet she possesses incredible strength, endurance, and durability. Tomoki confides in a small group of classmates who attempt to help him. They include:
Sohara Mitsuki - Tomoki's next door neighbor, the two were childhood friends, a bit of a tomboy, has a great rack, and is not shy about smacking Tomoki when he acts like a perv
Eishiro Sugata - odd student who is head of the New World Discovery Club which has only one other member (Mikako), he is highly intelligent yet risks life and limb attempting to perfect a form of flight (usually hang-gliding)
Mikako Satsukitane - student council president and childhood friend of Eishiro, she is the daughter of a crime family and actually pretty scary, her intentions are mostly self-serving as she enjoys tormenting people for her own amusement (who doesn't?)
Ikaros totally makes a scene at Tomoki's school and embarasses him
Later another Angeloid joins Ikaros to live with Tomoki and her name is Nymph. She calls Ikaros an alpha-class Angeloid while Nymph herself is beta-class. Through Nymph we learn of the Synapse and its cruel Master. What is Ikaros true purpose and why did Nymph follow her to Earth? Is the Synapse actually Heaven populated by Angels? Tomoki just wants a mundane existence in his quiet town, but thanks to Ikaros his life will never be quiet again!
Sohara walks in on Tomoki...not doing anything perverted to Ikaros...
Pros: Great animation and backgrounds, every episode ends with a different theme song (seriously!) and animation based on what happened in the episode, neat character designs, some funny comedy moments, a ton of ecchi/fan-service (like practically all of it), underlying story of Ikaros being on Earth is eventually brought to the surface at the end, some character development
Ikaros loves watermelons!
Cons: Ridiculous female characters, Tomoki treats Ikaros like crap, plot is slow and slightly convoluted, Ikaros has no personality, ending episodes get pretty dark with Master's treatment of Nymph, too much super-deformed character scenes (like every time Tomoki acts like a pervert), never been a fan of anime where female characters wear collars
Tomoki seeks help from Mikako and Eishiro
Mike Tells It Straight: Yes, I wrote this series off as another cheesy harem anime after watching the first couple episodes. It's very rare that I quit a series outright so I continued watching. I found myself actually starting to enjoy the series due to the comedy (the fan-service wasn't too bad either). Don't get me wrong, this series is all about fan-service and the female harem surrounding Tomoki, but the story becomes more engaging and the characters slightly more endearing by the end.
Nymph followed Ikaros down from the Synapse and enjoys eating junk food
The animation is great quality with nice backgrounds and interesting character designs. There's an overuse of portraying the characters as super-deformed (SD) and cutesy for comedic effect. It happens all the time and is a signature of the series. I was very impressed that the ending theme song and animation changed on every episode! That's a lot of extra cost and it was pretty cool.
The group goes swimming, from left: Ikaros, Nymph, Sohara, and Mikako
The fan-service is pretty obvious and this series reminded me of DearS. That series had female 'slaves' with metal collars around their necks as well. I'd say Heaven's Lost Property is slightly better, but that may only be due to the fact it's newer (using better technology). The male lead in DearS (Takeya) was also a jerk to the female lead (Ren) which was a similar turn off to Tomoki's harsh treatment of Ikaros here.
Some very unfriendly Angeloids come down from the Synapse to retrieve Ikaros
I enjoyed the comedy and outlandish stories in this series. The cast is pretty funny and Tomoki is a complete horn-dog. They get up to some zany antics in every episode, but then things get a little more serious at the end. Nymph's sharp wit is a great contrast to the befuddled Ikaros, but Nymph's origin is pretty sad. The greater mystery of the Synapse was a nice complement to the overall comedy/fan-service (it almost validated the series, but not really).
Ikaros unleashes a hidden power!
If you like fan-service and comedy then this series will be a good watch. I'm not a huge fan of harem anime because they tend to be boring and predictable. Heaven's Lost Property doesn't completely escape this problem, but puts a fresh spin on old tropes and gives a little extra in the story department. Nothing really new or exciting happens in this series to move the genre forward or push me to give it a high recommendation. Just pure guilty pleasure.
Knights of Sidonia Shidonia no Kishi
Netflix Original Series
300 mins. - 12 episodes
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Kobun Shizuno
Studio - Polygon Pictures
Synopsis: In the distant future the Earth has been destroyed by a fearsome alien species called the Gauna. It has been one thousand years since humanity became adrift in space on massive colony ships. They travel the galaxy looking for a new home and trying to stay one step ahead of the Gauna. The ships were spread out in hopes of being harder to track and to improve chances of finding a suitable planet. One such ship is the Sidonia and it could quite possibly be the last human population in the universe.
Tanikaze Nagate trained in the underworld to be an expert Garde pilot
Human culture and science have evolved on the Sidonia. To bolster and safeguard the population cloning has been accepted and even a third, asexual gender was developed which adapts to their partner. All humans now photosynthesize to conserve resources aboard the ship and are only required to eat once a week. Even anthropomorphic animals exist and participate in the workforce. Everyone wears a belt with a clip to attach to safety rails throughout the interior buildings when the ship performs maneuvers.
The Sidonia is a massive ship build around a fragment of the Earth
The Gauna are large alien creatures which can survive in the vacuum of space. They are highly self-sufficient and can self-propel through the airless void. Their bodies consist of an impenetrable core surrounded by a malleable proto-mass called Ena which can be manipulated to different needs of the core. They remain a mystery, but one thing is clear - they are a near-impossible enemy to defeat and have pushed humanity to the brink of extinction.
The Gauna are a terrifying alien race which seem to be pursuing the human race
The Sidonia has not encountered a Gauna for almost a century after a hero from the last generation drove them off piloting a Garde Type 17 called the Tsugumori. A special substance was discovered which could pierce a Gauna's core and destroy it. Now nearly every able-bodied youth is trained to become a Garde pilot and defend the Sidonia. Civil unrest has become more commonplace as protesters claim the Gauna are a hoax of the government.
The Sidonia is guided by the Immortal Council
Tanikaze Nagate was raised in the Underworld (the unpopulated areas of the Sidonia) by his grandfather, but is captured when venturing out to find food. He has trained exhaustively on a simulator to be an expert pilot of the Garde Type 17, but has no social skills. He is enlisted into the Guardian program to be a pilot when the Gauna reappear on his first assignment. Now the Sidonia must send another generation of pilots to battle an impossible enemy for the survival of the human race.
From left - Midorikawa Yuhata, Shinatose Izana, Tanikaze Nagate,
Kunato Norio (background), Hoshijiro Shizuka, and Ren Honoka
Pros: Epic storyline as humanity teeters on the brink of total extinction, some exciting plot twists and reveals, Gauna are a fearsome enemy, character deaths are meaningful and tragic (Yoshiyuki Tomino would approve), killer opening theme and good ending theme, some actual science fiction with cool concepts (cloning, humans photosynthesizing), good series ending, suspenseful and made me want to watch each new episode immediately
Cons: Character animation looks awkward and artificial due to full CG rendering, characters and some mecha have too dark black flecks on them meant to look like weathering (too harsh, where's the color rendering?), looks kind of CG cheesy when a Gauna's body disintegrates after its core is destroyed, plot progresses a bit disjointedly and too many questions raised with few answered
Hiyama Lala is the bear lunch lady who takes Tanikaze under her wing
Mike Tells It Straight: Let's set the record straight - this series originally aired in Japan and was licensed by Netflix for broadcast distribution. Netflix added a dub (for its various international audiences) and premiered it outside of Japan (the same way Funimation licenses anime series). When I first saw the 'Netflix Original Series' label I thought they had produced the series and were moving into original animated content, but it's not true. They're just cutting out the middleman (i.e. Funimation and other anime licensing companies) and doing the dub/sub themselves. Netflix is a billion dollar company and depending on how successful this first series performs then they could become a player in the anime distribution game. Could impact Funimation, the biggest anime licensing company, and possibly Cartoon Network, one of the bigger anime broadcasting channels. Time will tell, but I think KoS was a good gamble.
Tanikaze gets in big trouble early on with the female pilots
While the series may only be available through streaming, rest assured it will eventually hit Blu-Ray/DVD soon (House of Cards did). It was highly suspenseful and kept me enthralled to watch the next episode (binge watching fodder). The series is based on the manga by Tsutomu Nihei (Blame!, NOiSE, Abara) and follows it very faithfully. The manga is still ongoing and ending date is unknown. In Abara, Nihei's protagonist is a Gauna who can form bone armor and weaponry from his body. The Gauna in KoS appear to be a nod to this previous series. Nihei is known for his futuristic storylines and unique art style which were both present.
Human cloning is now commonplace to bolster the population count
I found the series very enjoyable and had to watch the next episode to find out what happened next. It was addictive and fun, but mildly disturbing as well. The show is fairly mature and I don't recommend it for younger viewers. The Gauna are a fearsome opponent and the pilots have a high mortality rate. Yoshiyuki Tomino (creator of Mobile Suit Gundam and well known for killing off the majority of the main cast in his works) would definitely approve. The science fiction concepts were pretty cool - humans photosynthesizing is a first, clones, and a third gender (transgender). The mecha designs were decent and CG rendering was great. Loved the opening theme by Angela and good soundtrack. Characterization was well done and suspense was killer. Reminded me of Attack on Titan which is high praise.
Tanikaze is an expert Garde 17 pilot as seen by this simulation footage
- too bad the current generation of mecha is the
Garde 18 with significant interface changes!
What didn't work for me were the CG character renderings, these were mostly terrible. Movements were unrealistic, jerky, and the only way to tell characters apart were their hairstyles. The characters and mecha had these black marks on them which were meant to be weathering/wear, but were just harsh black lines and too simple. The plot progressed in a non-linear fashion and more questions were posed than answered. I guess it sets groundwork for future reveals which will probably be spectacular. I've read many complaints about Tanikaze's bland personality and I can rationalize his demeanor as being caused by living underground his whole life. I wasn't very happy to see a makeshift harem forming around him which is an anime genre I'm not really into.
Hoshijiro and Tanikaze are shipwrecked in space after a battle
- Hoshijiro photosynthesizes while Tanikaze nervously looks away
Despite its flaws KoS was an epic series and I was hooked from the first episode. It's mature and carries a sense of urgency as humanity fights for survival and characters die. A nice mix of science fiction and storytelling among many familiar anime themes. Tanikaze is the epitome of a last, best hope (at least he trained for it and it's not just inherent to his being). I rank it among the new breed of anime which strives to surprise and engage the viewer instead of carrying down the familiar path. If you have Netflix and enjoy anime then give it a shot. Looking forward to the second season when it gets released.
The Gauna find a way to demoralize the human pilots by
using the fallen Garde pilots against them
Synopsis: Minato Sahashi has joined the Sekirei Plan as an Ashikabi. He was just a regular guy having trouble passing his college entrance exams when a beautiful girl bumped into him. Her name is Musubi and she is a Sekirei. The Sekirei are numbered (up to 108) and must battle each other according to the Sekirei Plan which is a run by the clandestine MBI Corporation. Musubi has chosen Minato as her Ashikabi, the human partner who can amplify a Sekirei's power through a kiss.
Musubi and Tsukiumi have a hardcore rivalry on who can shop fastest
The pair's bond has been tested through battles with other Sekirei/Ashikabi pairs as well as MBI's cruel Discipline Squad. They have become stronger as a result and Minato has proven himself a confident individual. He and Musubi live at a boarding house, the Izumo Inn, filled with other Sekirei. Most of them have chosen Minato as their Ashikabi and compete with each other for his attention. They include Musubi (who uses hand-to-hand combat), Tsukiumi who considers herself Minato's actual wife (she wields power over water), Kusano is a young girl who plans to marry Minato when she gets older (her ability is plants), and Matsu the computer-genius.
It's always party-time when Kazehana is around!
The Inn is also home to a few mysterious Sekirei including the ridiculously well-endowed Kazehana (she controls wind and drinks a lot of sake) who develops a keen interest in Minato, the secretive Homura who hides a chilling secret (yet is a Fire Sekirei), Uzume who hides the fact she is a Sekirei (what is her true goal and who is her Ashikabi?), and the frightening innkeeper Miya whose roots reach back to the birth of the Sekirei Plan. We also get to meet Minato's mother who actually works for MBI - will she protect her son or choose her employer?
Homura doesn't like getting interrupted in the bath. Mystery or
just common privacy?
The Plan progresses and peripheral participants are forced into the forefront by MBI's maniacal chairman, Hiroto Minaka. This includes Uzume, Homura, and even Kazehana. Minato and the girls are thrust into action to oppose MBI and the Sekirei Plan. Events take a serious turn as friends are pitted against friends in a battle to the death. Can they stand up to the Discipline Squad and the other Sekirei, or will they be torn apart?
The original Discipline Squad has a few familiar faces
Pros: Decent opening theme music (ending theme is just okay), this show is all about fan-service and there's a lot, good animation, Minato is a stand up guy and not the typical harem genre wimp, more action than the first season although perhaps less fan-service O_o, we learn more about the Sekirei Plan and MBI, set includes the OVA "Two Gossip Topics"
Tsukiumi warns Kazehana to keep her giant boobs away from Minato!
Cons: Story is not very deep or compelling, more attention is given to the peripheral Sekirei and not as much to the Musubi/Minato relationship as the first season, MBI's chairman is a ridiculous jackass, the plot moves slowly forward without many real answers, I'm always annoyed by DVD/Blu-Ray combo packs (seems like a waste)
Not this douchebag again!
Mike Tells It Straight: I watched the first season of Sekirei and despite being heavily focused on fan-service I found it to have a good heart. The growing relationship between Musubi and Minato was charming and I was really impressed at him being an atypical harem-genre male protagonist. He actually had a spine and stood up for the girls in his 'harem' which was very refreshing. The plot wasn't so great and it was more about girls losing articles of clothing during battles (or the ample bath scenes), but showed enough promise to make we watch this second season.
Kazehana must rescue Minato from the current Discipline Squad
The story picks up as the Sekirei Plan moves forward and MBI's chairman forces Sekirei/Ashikabi pairs to participate. Focus shifts to the mysterious Sekirei living at the Izumo Inn as we get the story of Kazehana, Homura, Uzume, and Miya. I was a little let down by the overall story progression of this season despite and maybe because these peripheral characters take away the focus from Minato/Musubi. I found the firs season's best aspect was their buddy relationship and the 'harem' aspect of the show blocked them getting closer.
Who is the Veiled Sekirei?
Focus shifted toward the story vs. the fan-service in this second season, but there's still plenty of busty half-naked girls. It felt more serious and one of the peripheral cast is taken out. MBI's chairman is a total chump and not a menacing villain at all. I really hope there's a third season because the finish of this season didn't resolve the story. If you liked the first season then check this one out (you should obviously watch the first season before this one), but if fan-service and ridiculously-proportioned women are not your bag then steer clear.
Each year the Sekirei submit themselves to a physical examination
by the MBI Corp. Yeah, it's pretty hot.
