Enen no Shouboutai: Ni no Shou – 01

OP Sequence

OP: 「SPARK-AGAIN」by (Aimer)

「消防官の戦い」 (Shōbōkan no Tatakai)
“A Fire Soldier’s Fight”

Enen no Shouboutai is back full force with our favorite funky cast of characters, new types of enemies, and a treat for the eyes. Looks like there’s an attempt to reach a larger audience this season. There’s no easing your way back into the story here. If you missed the first season, be sure to catch up before you sit down and indulge in this premiere.

I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to have this show return this season. Despite its misses, it’s a refreshing breeze in light of 2020 events (both personal and on the global stage). Enen no Shouboutai is like my home away from home, my personal solace. Shinra, Arthur, Iris, Maki, Captain Obi, and the rest of the team’s familiar faces offer comfort for my soul. That alone doesn’t mean the season will meet all expectations, but it ensures I’ll continue to enjoy the enigmatic story.

But yeah, let’s get to it. I remember watching the series premiere with so much awe. I rewatched the opening scene with the igniting infernal over and over because it was so beautifully executed. Although the second season didn’t open with a similar spunk, it definitely offered a fantastic reintroduction of the much-loved action we were accustomed to in the first season. If you read my previous posts, I apologize for being so repetitive; but who knew fire could be designed in so many different forms? It’s as though each flame we’ve encountered in this anime has its own DNA, designed independently from one another.

I’m going to skip the shopping spree and jump into said action scene that jolted me right back into the fun that is this show. The new foe, entirely different from what we’ve ever seen before, sets up the perfect moment to reintroduce us to all the members of the 8th Brigade. Maybe this reference is too old for some, but those ‘re-intro’ character cards recalled the A-team intro from so long ago. A retro way of reminding us of each of their abilities as well as the role they play within the brigade. I’ll list them here for you as a reminder/reference:

• Kusakabe Shinra (Kajiwara Gakuto): A fiery young man with the sole goal of curing the world of infernals, not by destroying them but restoring them to human form.
• Akitaru Oubi(Nakai Kazuya) : Leader of the 8th Brigade, strong and boastful.
• Hinawa Takehisa (Suzumura Kenichi): A little ‘off’ as a person but extremely resourceful and perceptive (outside of himself)
• Oze Maki (Kamijou Saeko): A beast woman.
• Iris (Kobayashi Yuusuke): An enigma really. A little conceited with a ‘knight’ complex.
• Kotatsu Tamaki (Yuuki Aoi): A reformed member encouraged to switch over to the 8th Brigade to rehabilitate herself after having been an involuntary accomplice in Rekka’s destructive plans.
• Victor Licht: To be honest, I completely forgot he was part of the team. Still confused about this one.
• Vulcan Joseph: An engineer with pecks and guns of steel.
• Yū: Vulcan’s assistant and friend, saved by the 8th Brigade.

That’s one thing I’ll give the first season. It did a stellar job at connecting viewers to characters, allowing empathy to take place when it was most needed. Each of the characters (even in supporting roles) was given some kind of back story that tugged at your heartstrings. But all this good came with some bad. More often than not, we were left with a load of questions trying to link random bits of information together to build a full picture. The plot was convoluted and didn’t necessarily look to fill the holes it left in its wake. Now, will the second season do a better job at filling these gaps, or at least creating less of them with Minakawa Tatsuma having written the script? Let’s hope so because I need to know who is subsidizing Shinra’s many many pairs of shoes.

And finally, without getting too deep into the fan service, it looks to me like the pendulum has swung to the other end. But whether it’s the women or the men of the 8th Brigade at the forefront, one thing I have enjoyed is watching this family of fools work and play together. There’s a weird kind of balance that sets into the episodes. It doesn’t matter how dark a battle is, or how victorious the team was. They always keep their morale up by simply being with one another. It offers some good comedic relief in light of the dark, twisty tale weaving in the background of Enen no Shouboutai.

This season definitely looks promising. New foes, new characters (6th and 4th Brigade), and new stories are around the corner. I’d be happy to know what you thought about this first look at Enen no Shouboutai‘s second season.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「ID」by (Cidergirl)