School Rumble Second Term
After the 'nearly-got-10/10-from-me' first season, in comes School Rumble 2 to try and muster enough stuff to get my elusive marks. And in some respects, it manages to do things right but also manages to hiccup in some areas.
First off, Anyone who loved the first season would find somethign loveable about the second season, whether its the confused relationship between HarimaxEri/Yakumo or the random displays of comedy by the various characters. Or even the drama played out nicely in some parts of this anime, there is something for everyone here.
Last season, i complained that the lack lustre ending episodes and inconclusiveness of the main relationship between HarimaxTenma, which prevented it from getting a great 10/10. Now this season, the ending is much better to a degree (yet still fails to meet high expectations) and the relationship is now less ocnfusing and futile than before. Its really about the relationship between the characters which gets the highest marks for me, coupled with the obscene comedy and sketches the anime plays out. HarimaxEri/Yakumo are always a joy to watch because of the somewhat awkardness they both display, still the same attitude as the first season but worth watching again in the second season.
What pays off nicely in the romance and comedy department, where the only repetitive joke is Lala and Imadori, the anime suffers with far too many characters and not enough screentime to know them. The people in the basketball team and class 2-C are rarely shown aside form the odd arc and more were needed from them considering they were needed to a degree in this anime where seeing the same old characters is a big hit and miss for me.
Considering what i said about the relationship, the story goes .. uhh.. nowhere, i suppose, it does develop undoubtedly but ultimately it never feels concluded and thankfully, a third term is upon us and that will be the time to show to me that School Rumble can finally acheive my highest mark of 10/10. But for now, this season is just as good as the first season, its wacky, randomness is a blessing in diguise, its great characters make the show, and the comedy is one of the finest ever shown on anime form. School Rumble for the win!
Overall: 9/10
Grade: A
-----
Honey and Clover 2
From last year's anime which received 10/10 from me, it was going to be tough to make a sequel and match it in terms of visuals/audio/story-telling/character development/entertainment etc.. and in many respects, Honey and Clover 2 (HnC2) matches the first series just as well.
Granted, this short 13 episode TV series is just a mini-season compared with the uber greatness of the first season, im that, the exact same style and compposure are used, what with the characters ongoing development that is more true to life than most anime shows, and with the same art style and similar OST which gets the series moving along in a swift pace. This is a mini-me of the first season in self-respects..
.. Which is not a bad thing since i loved the first season so much because of reasons i explained i above. But, its hard to say this but this season's flaws are really on the (necessary) flashback episode at the beginning, the somewhat decidely short length of the series and theres that hunger of wanting more despite a decent closure to the end of the anime.
Did i just say closure? Despite the first season's open-endedness of the story, the second season decidely have gone more progressive on the relationships and stuff and it acheives that with a fanfare, and STILL, these closed stories still leads to questions on whether its either right or wrong, how your actions affect other people, etc.. this is still a life-symbolic anime with a lot to love and a lot to think about.
HnC2 is a great show, both series, if you want to learn more about philosophy and more about different challenges in life. HnC2 can shed some light in the whole subject and also makes you think about it yourself. Intellectual and entertaining, HnC2 is definetely one of the best anime seires you will ever see!
Overall: 9.5/10
Grade: A+
Reference: HnC got 10/10 from me, i just had to give this one a lower mark.. slightly.
Quote: Because something that will disappear isn't the same as something that never existed...
No comments:
Post a Comment