DOG DAYS / First Impressions

「空陸一騎打ち！」 (Sora-Oka Ikkiuchi!)
“One-on-One In The Skies and On Land!”

Oh-ho, oh wow, just wow. That is one BIG sword.

Funny how things worked out. I’d imagined the show was gonna go full-on drama with us after last week’s shebang, and next thing you know, an episode with nary a plot in sight and jammed-packed full of glorious action. You know what? I should get out of this speculating thing, since I can never seem to get it right. Well, at least with this, I got my answer to where the budget went last episode when the show had a dip in quality. From start to finish, this episode was a non-stop action ride.

Well, yes, there was that tiny moment in the show where we get a cute little Becky and Millhi scene, about how her feelings have gradually warmed since coming to Flonyard. This is where Nishimura shines, giving his characters a touch of that emotional honesty that I’ve come to associate him with.

But for the most part, the fighting is really all there is to this episode, leaving very little to actually talk about. Well, okay, very little I would want to talk about. I mean of course, the fights here were brilliant, no doubt. Quite possibly the best the show’s put out in the entirety of what we’ve seen from Dog Days’. We get to see some fantastic bit of choreography, zipping action, a crapload of magic blasts and beams, and yes, the huge honkin’ sword in the middle of all that. Isn’t that just spiffy? This is especially so of the fight between Nanami and Bricohe/Hina – my favorite scene in the entire episode – which plays the hero abilities of Nanami to some thrilling effects as she meticulously tries to get the better of the overpowering Duchess, even succeeding to some extent. “Galette Spirit!” And next to that is the equally impressive aerial battle between Millhi and Rebecca, as well as the dragonball-rock-columns-smashing-esque fight between bishie Cinque and Gaul. Fantastic work from Seven Arcs, who shows that despite everything, they still got that bit of touch in them to put out such a decent spectacle. This episode was an enjoyable romp, the way Dog Days’ and its wars have always succeeded at.

And hopefully, it gets better from here, what with Adelaide pulling a Sailormoon reference right in our faces and joining the fray as Hero Mask. Seeing her in some proper combat is going to be a blast, that is, unless my predictions fall off the wayside and we’re back to the drama again. I really should stop speculating with this show.

Full-length images: 02, 13, 14, 16, 34, 36.

End Card

16 Comments

    2. The thing about Dog Days is that even if there is no plot, there is just so much fluff that makes up for it.

      It can really do no wrong, since it embodies an almost child-like innocence. The characters are all having fun, so as the viewers we also get caught in their fun-loving pace. It’s like watching a playground full of children. You don’t go and tell the kids how to properly play on the swings and slides, you just sit back and watch them have fun, and you naturally feel warm and fuzzy inside.

      MasterDragonKnight
      Reply

    1. Because this season seems to be filler only.
      It doesn’t help that with only one cour and the already large cast from season 1 they decided to throw a lot of new useless characters.
      Remember that training episode? Could you have imagined that Noir was so delicious back then? Is it a bad idea to keep focusing on those characters who didn’t have much spotlight? Well now you have lame peeping tom demon lord, a bunch of magical girls and those guys from Pastillage…

      Ananas
      Reply

  7. I really like the idea that everyone loves it because it feels and acts like kid on a playground. I almost think this is like setting things up for a third season though… Might be me though.

    Dorian
    Reply

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