OP Sequence

OP: 「Cherish」 by sweet ARMS (Nomizu Iori, Togashi Misuzu, Sadohara Kaori, Misato)

「魔導検警機構」 (Madou Ken Kikou)
“Magical Security Organization”

Even perverts have honor, and enough power to obliterate school buildings when they’re angry, apparently. And then they do something stupid and get slapped in the face, hah!

Ecchi Action Comedy

It looks like this season of Maken-ki! started as it means to go on. I tend to compare Maken-ki! to High School DxD, and for good reason – they’re both ecchi harem comedies with a strong action component, and once you calibrate your expectations appropriately, they’re actually quite good. No, that’s not right–Maken-ki! is terrible in that wonderfully entertaining way that bad movies can become so good. No, that’s not quite right either. What Maken-ki! really is, is a guilty pleasure. If you like this sort of thing, it’s going to be a lot of fun. If you think this kind of thing is stupid, it’s going to piss you off. Personally, I enjoy it, but then again we all know I have terrible taste, ufufu~

A Reintroduction to the Cast & School

This premiere mainly served as a reintroduction to the cast and the setting, and it did that job well. After a quick intro sequence reminding us of the setting, they took us through familiar scenes and gave us a first adventure fitting of Maken-ki’s action-ecchi roots. Once again, if you like that sort of thing then you probably enjoyed the episode, so here were my two favorite things: the entire idea that the culprit was targeting girls based on their increasing bust sizes (and the reactions to this), and the fact that even though protagonist Ooyama Takeru (Maeno Tomoaki) and his best pal Usui Kengo (Tsuruoka Satoshi) are perverts to the core, even perverts have honor! As you can tell, it wasn’t exactly a meaty affair, but I like the characters and it got some laughs, so it worked for me.

Animation and Boing!

On the production side, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but…long live XEBEC! I’m glad you’re gone, AIC! Because let me tell you, the art style and animation are a lot better this season. The first season looked painfully cartoony, the colors too bright like a bad Saturday morning kid’s cartoon. Fortunately this time around the action is nice and the breasts are bouncy. If you’re going to make a show like this, those out to be assumed. I’m glad that once again I can take them as constants, hopefully.

Looking Ahead – Where Is This Going?

Honestly, I’m not sure. For the first season I had the benefit (detriment?) of having read the manga, so I knew what was going to happen, and, subsequently, where AIC screwed up. But I stalled in the manga shortly after where Season 1 adapted to – through no fault of Maken-ki’s by the way…I’ve pretty much stalled on all manga – so from here on out I have no idea. This first episode was mainly a reintroduction with no real hooks for the main plot, and I couldn’t tell from the preview whether the next one will be a shenanigan-of-the-week episode or if the plot will set in. I will tell you that there is a plot to Maken-ki!, even if it’s sometimes lost behind all the boobs.

I have no plans to continue blogging it, but I’ll be watching it because I have terrible, terrible taste. Follow me on twitter if you want to catch my impressions. Until then!

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Oppai oppai oppai! If you like ecchi-combat & boobs that jiggle like the dreams of mankind (& serious back problems), tune in! #makenki 01

Random thoughts:

Check out my blog about storytelling and the fantasy novel I’m writing at stiltsoutloud.com. The last four posts: Stupid monsters, Don’t break the chain, Nerds & the miracle of human consciousness, and Urgency & the rush to come. My current combo counter: Writing chain, 4 days long. Editing chain, 1 day long.

Full-length images: 22, 23, 27, 33, 42.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「Reach for Light」 by Zougou Saeko

Preview

47 Comments

  1. If you can watch a show like this and then complain that shows like Free! should not exist because they are exploiting men and giving people false expectations, then just know I hate you with every fiber of my being.

    Fancydesu13
  2. I have to agree in regards to the increase in production values (Though the girls might be a bit too meaty…).

    Still not even close to Takeda’s level though…

    I refuse to watch season 1 simply because of how badly they butchered the art. For that reason, I won’t be watching this. I just can’t bring myself to watch a sequel without the first season.

    Kuntzy
  3. To those who are saying stuff like “I should start watching S1 now.” or “Like hell I’d watch this shitty show!” I just wanted to say that this and the next episode are NON-CANON. Although yes, S1 was based somewhat from the manga, I personally just hated it purely because it wasn’t being faithful towards the material. So instead of watching a shitty season before watching the second one, it’s best preferred to go read the manga to see what actually happens during AND after season 1 because…

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Plus, besides the huge ecchi fanservice it serves, there is a developing plot behind those H,I and J cups. So why not try to ignore the fanservice and give it a read?

    Kentarou
  4. I dropped S1 after 3 eps so this will probably be my only comment on this show. I usually like ’em big but these girls just look a bit fat and besides the fanservice,the show doesn’t have much going for it.

    MgMaster
    1. Personally, when it comes to breast sizes, there comes a preference that many guys find attractive. To me, when it comes to anime breasts, I don’t really mind, unless they were to become the same size as their own frikkin body. *shudder* But on real terms, I like them in around a B-C cup.

      So yea. In reply, these breasts may look alright in anime form, but if you were to find a women with breasts like THAT, then you’re gonna be throwing up rainbow turds for like a while then. Seriously, real life K-cups are probably horrific to see/have.

      Kentarou
    2. I think of it like anime hair. In anime girls frequently have hair that reaches to their waists or lower, even though this is very rare in real life. It’s an exaggeration, and once you take it for that, you can effectively enjoy the unrealistic portions of it while mentally translating it into what it truly means – a character with waist-length hair would probably only have hair down to her shoulder blades if it was live action, and the girls here would maybe be D-cups at max.

      Stilts
      1. I’m a guy and the longest parts of my hair reaches slightly past my waist (and only after a couple years of just letting it grow to save money from haircuts, lol) ^_^;

        Just make me androgynous and I’d have a blast messing with peoples’ minds. lol XD

        HalfDemonInuyasha
  5. Shows like this one make me wander if I’ll ever live to see the day when certain anime studios realize that huge, deformed breasts are a turn off for many a viewer and something elegant, or simply better shaped and with more realistic size has a lot more appeal…

    Bors
    1. @ Bors

      While I agree with you – in non-fantasy land I much prefer my ladies balanced and not constantly suffering from back problems – remember that this show (and shows like it) aren’t for everyone. They’re making a show for the people who like this sort of thing, and there’s a market for it, so why not? Sure it’s not high art, but when you start making things for everyone, they’re really for no one. Sure there’s a line they could draw that might bring them more viewers, but I guess this is working for them. Hopefully other shows will take that route so you can enjoy them : )

      Stilts
      1. Well I for example trnd to not watch shows if the breast size turns me off and there is nothing else to get me. -2 cup size for everyone and I would probably watch it or at least try a little more than looking on RC if it’s worth watching (as of now it isn’t). Still I wouldn’t buy it and that’s the point. Those that buy such ecchi anime prefer huge alienlike blobs instead of breasts. We just need to deal with it.

        Urizithar
  6. This actually airs on Japanese TV? Who ages is this directed at? I’m guessing high schoolers since this anime takes place in a high school.

    I wonder if Japan has some secret agenda to put as much ecchi into their television because their birth rates are dropping like flies. Trying to sex up the kids young.

    Plot
  7. I wish the real heroine of Maken-ki (Kodama) got treated like it in the anime (and the manga, for that matter). Haruko has no bearing on the main plot. At least so far…

    To change gears completely, Aki-sensei! *drool*

    goldoa
  8. Glad to see there’s a “first impression” on this one. I watched it weekly the first season came out. I’m not reading the manga and I know some things on this are terrible but I watch it for entertainment. 😀

    Ciaossu

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