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(Watch+ or Rent-) (All episodes watched): Uh-Oh! That was my first reaction when I learned that new seasons of this show had been made. I recalled that it had been a sometimes ugly, vaguely misogynistic show, worth watching but one which left a sort of bad taste in my mouth. I re-read my review of season one and was reminded that Naofumi has mellowed somewhat from the jerk that he originally was. Sure enough, episode one of season two wasn't nearly as obnoxious as I had feared. Another girl, Rishia, volunteers to become his slave, but he now seems to discourage that. The new problem is a monster known as the 'Spirit Tortoise' of all things; apparently this is not a joke. Episode one refreshed my memory somewhat regarding who's who, and neither thrilled nor repulsed me. Episode two was not exactly exciting. It is basically 23 minutes worth of doing research on the tortoise (do they hold some special significance in Japanese or Chinese mythology?) and putting a plan to deal with it together. Apparently this creature could have been an ally in fighting the Waves but it has gone berserk--if a tortoise is capable of that. But I couldn't help feeling that this tortoise business was feeling like a waste of time and I wished we would get back to the Wave problem. What the plan is remains unclear (they agree that cutting it's head off ought to work), but all I know is that I am annoyed by this video-game reality in which whole armies of conventional soldiers get stomped on while a handful of 'heroes' can do pretty much anything. Thank God we don't really live in a world like that, because it could easily become a might-makes-right system in which the higher ranked characters could do as they pleased to anyone else. I wound up considering dropping this show from my viewing schedule. But I did watch episode three, in part because I was exhausted at the time and needed something that wouldn't demand too much brainpower. And it was fairly exciting. The battle with the Spirit Tortoise takes place, and even if a somewhat more frightening opponent might have been concieved this action is fairly furious. Why ordinary soldiers are used at all when 99% of all fighting power resides within a handful of heroes and heroines is beyond me. Actually, I know the answer: it's to demonstrate just how vicious the monster can be if given weak opponents. Anyway, the battle is fairly realistic, or at least it seems like what would happen if such a bizarre monster and plentiful use of magic existed. I had hoped that we would get back to the business of dealing with the Waves, but there's reason to believe that the Tortoise hasn't been completely defeated after all. Basically, Ost, a beautiful woman and supposedly a familiar of the Tortoise, hasn't died, so the Tortoise must not have either even though its head has been severed. How does a 'familiar' actively work against the creature it is supposed to serve? How is the Tortoise possibly still alive? And above all, why are we still pursuing this angle rather than the Waves? Maybe there is some sort of connection between the two, as we encounter several characters who I vaguely remember from the first season(s) of this show several years ago. And when did the other three heroes get captured by the Tortoise? I thought they had refused to lift a finger regarding it. If I'm not crazy, I get the impression that in a way the Tortoise may have been protecting humans from the Waves, at least until it went berserk. But it is all very confusing. And then we get a shocker about Ost's real relationship with the Tortoise. It isn't complete nonsense, and has some entertainment value, but at times I can't help wondering if anyone knows where this is going. It turns out that the main villain wasn't the Tortoise at all, but some foul-mouthed magical fighter guy ('Kyo', I think) who escapes scot-free after vowing to take revenge upon Naofumi and his girls for stymying his plans. So, I guess that was why this arc was included(...). So, will we get back to the business of fighting the next Wave? In episode seven Naofumi, Raphtalia and Rishia find themselves trapped in some sort of mind-bending labyrinth where they meet a fighter, Kizuna, who claims to be a Hero herself, apparently from L'Arc's world. This is probably Kyo's work as his revenge against them for blocking his plan. In general, I was finding the plot of this show to be modestly entertaining but also uninspired and therefore difficult to remember and keep track of. That is only to be expected; I would be in deep trouble if asked to provide a detailed synopsis of season one off the top of my head. Raphtalia becomes separated from the rest and not only finds her way back to them but her status improves greatly in a surprising way. She, and the other girls as well, have grown enough character that I wouldn't really describe this show as a 'harem' anymore. More and more, Naofumi and his girls are cooperating with L'Arc, Therese and Glass, who had once been their enemies in what had seemed a relentless fight that could only lead to total annihilation of one side or the other. Again, I wish the story was easier to follow. We learn a surprising secret L'Arc has been keeping in episode 11. This is a show which has some good points but the plot in general is hard to fully understand and get excited by. The giant tortoise/Kyo arc ends with episode twelve. Who, exactly, was Kyo? I either forgot or it was never made clear. Nevertheless, it was cathartic to see Naofumi get some official thanks and recognition of his efforts and I remained curious what would happen next. An episode 13 is available, so I guessed we would go straight into another three-month season, but it was actually a sort of omake one in which the characters recall some minor adventures, like the girls shopping for clothes and Kisara in the Infinite Labyrinth before Naofumi's team arrived. At the very end is a statement that the story will continue, but no specifics are given. I guess in the end I didn't mind watching this show to completion and despite its problems even looked forward to new episodes. My favorite line: "It seems that breaking and entering is all I do lately" --Kizuna Last updated Wednesday, July 06 2022. Created Friday, April 08 2022. | ||||||||
