「イリヤgrow up!?」 (Illya Grow Up!?)
“Illya Grow Up!?”

The second season is here, and it’s good. The animation, the soundtrack, the laughs, they’re all there–but how far can the season go?

Taking It Slow

The biggest thing I noticed about this episode was the pacing. I hesitate to call it slow because I was never bored; I’ll call it deliberate. They luxuriated over ever single detail, taking things slowly and letting us enjoy everything that happened. If memory serves–and correct me if I’m wrong, because I usually am–this covered the first chapter of the manga, with some additions, and that brings a concern screaming to mind…which isn’t something I’m used to having for Prisma Illya.

How many episodes will this season have, and how much of the manga will it cover? I didn’t realize this when I previewed the series–unlike season one, I’ve only read part of the Zwei manga–but the Zwei source is about twice the length of the original. If we suddenly find out this is 2-cour, I will be jumping for joy like you wouldn’t believe, but if it’s not then we might be in for some serious cuts on the horizon. This episode was good and enjoyable, and I always prefer deliberate to rushed, but I hope the axe won’t fall later on.

Animation & Soundtrack

The animation this episode was stunning. Other than some odd CGI water in the bog, everything was lovingly animated, with Silver Link going so far as to animate all the realistic (but expensive) little movements that we humans do (Ex: When Illya & Miyu were sitting up after being pulled into the limo, around minute 11). That’s expensive folks, and I can only hope they keep that up, and continue to luxuriate over the action sequences like they (mostly) did during season one.

The soundtrack, too–honestly, I hardly ever notice the soundtrack, but when Kato Tatsuya is at the helm, I do. Not that it puts itself too far forward, but it enriches a great scene, building it to such a beautiful crescendo that it just barely emerges into my consciousness, and that’s how I like it. I wasn’t even listening for it, but during the cave scene I noticed it again. The production values are here.

The Hilarity Continues!

Slower pacing can be poison to comedy, but that didn’t happen here. (Disclaimer: I’m heavily invested in these characters, so I’m not objective. That always makes the jokes hit harder.) My favorites: When Illya (Kadowaki Mai) almost kissed Miyu (Nazuka Kaori) after the latter came to wake her up, Miyu refusing to eat Illya’s ice cream until she said “Ahn~!” (or really, the entire ice cream scene), the limo kidnapping (“Omawari-san!”), the entire bog scene, and anything Tatsuko (Kato Emiri) did. I especially loved how Rin & Luvia kept screaming through Illya & Miyu’s transformation sequence, HAH!

Oh, and every time Miyu showed how gay she is for Illya. You can argue “They’re just friends!” until the cows come home–and certainly they are to the onii-chan loving Illya, save for when Miyu shows up in a meido uniform–but Miyu was giving out clear signals of some sort of infatuation. “Actually…nothing.” Ruby (Takano Naoko) knows what Miyu was thinking about!

Black Illya Appears!

This was largely a reintroduction episode, designed to get us warmed back into the setting, toss out a few laughs, and remind us why we care about these characters. And on that count, mission accomplished! But it also introduced us to a new character in Kuro Illya (Saito Chiwa). Since I have read at least this far in the manga (though not much farther), I can’t say much without risking spoilers, but please allow me to be insufferable for a minute: This is gunna be gooooooood! Trust me, you’ll all like this new Illya. Whatever else she is, she’s a lot of fun! Plus, voiced by Saito Chiwa? *shivers* Well played, Silver Link. The seiyuu cast you have here is truly impressive.

Looking Ahead

Next time, Kuro Illya calls Original Flavor Illya “Onee-chan”! *nosebleed*

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – A steady start, with luscious animation & plenty of jokes. But how much of the source will they be able to adapt? #prismaillya s2e1

Random thoughts:

  • Daaaamn, Miyu really sucked that stick dry! Erh–it’s not what it sounds like. She really did. Go watch the scene again. I’m not a pervert, I swear!
  • That temple looks familiar.
  • Sapphire-chan (Matsuki Miyu), don’t talk about hiding the bodies, help them! Though if you were going to hide some bodies…*shakes head* No! Squabbling Rin (Ueda Kana) & Luvia (Itou Shizuka) are way too much fun to get rid of.
  • Forgot to mention: I didn’t get to blog it because I only realized it existed a couple of weeks ago, but season one had an OVA, and it was funny. Get your hands on it and watch it!

Check out my blog about storytelling and the novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: Disorganized ≠ creative, Don’t make customers regret their purchase, Anchor, and Expectations & different types of stories.

I’m looking for an artist for some commission work. If you’re a talented illustrator, email me at stiltsoutloud(at)gmail(dot)com with some samples. If I like what I see, I’ll explain what the job entails. (Or if you’re just really curious.) And yes, this is a paying gig.

Full-length images: 01, 22.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「TWO BY TWO」 by 幸田夢波 (Kouda Yumeha)

Preview

End Card

64 Comments

  1. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

    *coughs* I mean… I’m very happy season two is here, and I hope and pray and beg and supplicate that they will give it all the episodes it needs to properly adapt the source material.

    Only objection: they actually toned down the morning kiss scene. We don’t get a close up, but in the manga it seems fairly clear that it wasn’t an “almost” kiss, and both parties reacted… much more strongly (as suits their own personality) shall we say.

    But hey, Kuro Illya is here, and Fun Times™ will be had. I cannot wait.

    Wanderer
    1. Withdrawing objection: I’d forgotten that they actually did the kiss scene I was referring in the end of the last episode of season one. Technically it was supposed to be here, since it was in chapter 1 of the 2wei manga, but since it wasn’t actually omitted there’s no need for me to complain.

      Wanderer
      1. Aye! This one had a different connotation. The first was surprise, while here it was of Miyu having apparently decided that she was totally okay with kissing Illya even though she now knows (sort of) how friends are supposed to ask. Progress! Delicious, yuri progress :3

        Stilts
  2. The best character is here! I’ve been waiting for Kuro’s arrival since the announcement of the first season. Things are about to get funnier. And gayer. Mostly the latter. F*** YEAH!

    fragb85
  3. That temple looks familiar.

    A cave near the Ryuudou temple where important magic rituals are performed that tap into the ley lines… where have I heard that before?

    Wanderer
      1. Hahahahahaha!!! …….*sigh*..so TRUE…but dude i coulda sworn the original holders of the wands seemed more mature looking the way they were drawn last season. I was like ” is this a new technique to push loli to its limits!?!?!” Reverse aging, while pushing forward the timeline!?!?…………if it is? Consider that envelope pushed!!

        BROOKLYN otaku
  4. Oh god I’ve missed this, I love the art style used for this series (the eyes, especially Illya’s), it’s so damn cute. So bloody saccharine I’m going to have to start slamming Jaegerbombs just to counteract the sugar levels my eyes are experiencing. In between Miyu’s attempt at controlling her inner yuri loli lust for Illya, Rin and Luvia’s squabbling, and gender bent Archer Kuro Illya this is already going to be ridiculous(ly fun) ride.

    Disagree with the early morning wake up call being the best part though Stilts, that Rin/Luvia screaming during the transformation sequence tops it completely 😛

    Pancakes
  5. No screenshot of Illya Archer using Rho Aias? I am disappoint.

    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20kaleid%20liner%20Prisma%20Illya/Fate%20kaleid%20liner%20Prisma%20Illya%20Zwei!%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2030.jpg
    Not the drills, Miyu! Anything but the drills!

    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20kaleid%20liner%20Prisma%20Illya/Fate%20kaleid%20liner%20Prisma%20Illya%20Zwei!%20-%2001%20-%20Large%20Preview%2003.jpg
    Kuro kitaaaaaa!! Also, Caren spotted. And meido megane Rin as well.

    This is gonna be good. Whether this is 1-cour or 2-cour, we’re still set for 9 months of Fate with this and Fate/stay night in Fall that’s sure to be 2-cour.
    It’s nice to be a Fate/TM fan this year.

    belatkuro
  6. Hearing that the Zwei manga is a lot bigger than the previous one is cause for concern. After all, the previous season only had ten episodes. They can’t seriously repeat that again in this case, but whether they actually got a second cour? The last thing I want is for this second season to turn into a rushed mess, would be such a waste of potential.

    On a more positive note, it’s good to see this show again. Truth to be told, this was actually one of the shows I was looking forward to the most this season. While the first season wasn’t perfect, it was a lot of fun and seeing more Illya is never a bad thing. And while this episode did start off a bit slow, it had one hell of a cliffhanger. Not to mention we have Chiwa Saitou voicing Chocolate Illya, which could be a lot of fun.

    Not complaining about the more overt yuri-overtones either. After all, which magical girl show would be complete without them?

    Dvalinn
    1. No one knows at this point, but it would be surprising if this cour only had 10 episodes considering the popularity and the return of FSN next season. Might be a split cour if they intend to maintain a reasonable pacing.

      Pancakes
      1. Actually from what I’ve heard this season is also only going to get ten episodes. Apparently information about this season’s Blu-Rays/DVDs is already out and there are five of them with two episodes each.

        Jason
  7. So apparently Magical Girl transforming happens in real time, and Illya and Miyu sure took their sweet time while their masters were sinking in the bog. Certainly wasn’t expecting a lot of screaming during a transformation sequence. Also agreed that the ice cream and kidnapping sequences were great. Mimi whistling for a policeman was cute.

    Zhinvu
  8. My only issue if this is 2 cour is I have a feeling watching this simultaneous to the new Fate Stay/Night could lead to weird whiplash between the two versions of Illya lol. Split cour so we get 3 straight seasons of Fate material maybe? That would be sweet.

    spike
  9. Ah yes, so it begins. Well Stilts I’ll say it now, you’re going to love Kuro. If you’ve alredy read a little ahead you know a little bit why and I’m not going to spoil it, but she’s an awesome character who will bring a lot to the table this season.

    The_Green_One
  10. Probably the funniest Mahou Shoujo transformation sequence ever, proofing that the entire sequence being shown of our girls suiting up is really happening in real time, as evidenced by Rin and Luvia bitching in the background as they (nearly) drown in that pool of (Grail?) mud. lol

    https://randomc.net/image/Fate%20kaleid%20liner%20Prisma%20Illya/Fate%20kaleid%20liner%20Prisma%20Illya%20Zwei!%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2017.jpg
    Miyu sure likes to suck ’em hard… I meant Illya’s ice cream of course.

    echykr
  11. I’m not particularly big on the loli fanservice but I’m willing to give this second season a go. I can’t say i liked the first that much but from what i hear this season ought to be better.

    leatherhead333
  12. -between the almost-kiss in the morning daze and the ice cream stick sucked completely dry, yuri is strong in this one… even the classmates were spotting it
    -oh and Rin x Luvia frienemity is hilarious as always, double that when both got stuck in that bog
    -but the sudden arrival of second Ilya really knocked me out! One Ilya is 90% lethal dose of cutenesess, but TWO?

    ewok40k
  13. Ep 02:

    I have only 1 question. Was this Ecchi really necessary in this Episode? The Kissing and all that naked stuff?

    Your are turning this from Moe to Ecchi… and i dont like it

    Germanguy
      1. Oh, then the Story is thin, around this Blade Girl… And the Ecchi is to fill the Plot gaps.. nice… i wait for ep 03…

        But right now it is on the brink to drop… seriously

        Germanguy
      2. …That is one of the stupidest things I’ve seen you say around here. You don’t have the slightest clue what you’re talking about. The STORY is deeper than 99% of the stuff airing right now. Be quiet and watch it rather than jumping to conclusions.

        Wanderer

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