Reviews for Seikai no Senki II (8.99) 636g6l

Senkai no Senki is one of the few series which I would rate so highly.

Animation-wise, the art retains the crisp colors from its predecessors. Character designs are beautiful. The sharp angular look of faces have been refined somewhat. The use of dark colors like black and blue lend to the atmosphere of a space anime rather convincingly. The battle scenes, thankfully, do not resort to 3D (a la Vandread) completely, which many have found jarring and artificial. Fight scenes are kept simple enough to be understood. Spacecraft design is nothing to scream about, but there are a few technical details for those junkies. Any dislikes would boil down to individual tastes after this. Besides, if you want exquisite character designs, go for CLAMP.

Music is of the grand, classical type, going heavy on the woodwinds, and befitting for the grand scale of things. I realised that they rehashed a lot of the original sound from Monshou and Senki, but I have no complaints because the music really adds to the atmosphere, whether it be a light-hearted moment, or a tension-filled one. As it should for a proper space anime!

Assuming you have been following the story from the prequels, Seikai no Monshou and Seikai no Senki, Seikai no Senki II's storyline is riveting. Even if you have not watched the prequels (not recommended), the emotional scenes and strong story should induce you to watch episode after episode. We are treated to the inner anguish of the main character, Lafiel, as she struggles to find balance between her official duties and personal feelings. A complaint may be that the story develops too slowly in the beginning, but generally it is well paced. The storyline does not pretend to be too convoluted or deep; the characters' actions are believable and realistic. Senki II has more action scenes than its prequels, and it is mostly on land this time. It brings you closer to the main characters and allows you to see up close, the cruel realities of a degenerate society. While not exactly a sociological model, it does have its merits.

New characters are developed as much as possible in the short span of 10 episodes. For fans, the main characters are already well developed, and Senki II charts the development further, bringing relationships to a new level. I like the director's style of putting in the ending at appropriate places, though it could get theatrical at times.

Senki II provides relatively little light-hearted moments. There is still the jousting and teasing between the iral and her bridge officer, but it is much reduced. In fact, it is a downward spiral into melancholy straight from the word "go".

Senki II is one of those rare series that does not fall into the trap that most sequels do. However, I sense some dragginess building up already, and if not handled properly, future sequels may not fare as well. 3 is a good number for a sequel (it is technically the 3rd in the Seikai series).

Senki III (the novel) is already out; there is promise that Senki III will be made into an anime as well.

I must say that Senki II has given me the same level of enjoyment that its predecessors have. Building on the same winning formula, Seikai no Senki II is a joy to watch. A must-watch for sci-fci and space anime fans!

It's hard to rate a show like Seikai no Senki II. First of all, it's based a novel series. What does that mean? It means that inevitably parts will get cut out, some parts adapted, fans of the book will cry bloody murder, and those unfamiliar with the novels will likely be left wondering what in the world is going on.

Thankfully, the Seikai no Senki anime series does a surprisingly good job in its adaptation. Unless someone told you, you'd probably never guess that the series was based on a novel. (only the excellent narrative might tip you off )

Second of all, this is series #2 in what is currently a 3 part series. What does that mean? Well, if you haven't seen BotS I, or CotS, two previous series with the same characters, you'll probably wish there was more of an introduction. The series jumps straight into the story with only a brief narration introduction that provides a segway for those already initiated into the series. So if you haven't seen CotS or BotS I, well, don't watch this. You'll be left confused and your enjoyment of the series as a whole will suffer for it.



Now, for those of you who have already met Lafiel and Ginto, well, what are you doing reading a review? Just go watch it!


Animation:
Great for its time, but it has aged a bit (as of 2007). They also reuse scenes a little too often.. which is really annoying. But its still good overall.

Sound:
They have the same handful of soundtracks as the previous series, with a little bit of flavor added.. It's good, but I wish they'd dish out for some new tracks.

Story:
why only a 9? well, as good as it is, it's still just very good. A 10 would be something like Mushishi, for reference.

Characters:
ahh... the reason why we watch this series. This is a true 10. My other scores are a little inflated, I'll it. That's because I won't want this show to get a low average, lame, I know. But this 10 is truly deserved. Few shows have characters like these. LafielxGinto is always a treat to watch.

Value/Enjoyment:
One of the best if you like good character development and plot.

A fitting sequel to Banner of the Stars, Banner of the Stars II is another dramatic and enjoyable adventure in the lives of Jinto and Lafiel. This time, they are assigned to become the Territorial Ambassador and Deputy Ambassador to a newly conquered planet as Operation Hunter proceeds ever onward.

The animation is good; nothing too different from Banner of the Stars, though there is less space battle scenes and some ground fighting scenes. Character models are still well-done and facial expressions showcase emotions subtlely and efficiently. The sound, likewise, is very good; though the reuse of the opening song again (even though I love that song and that opening) is getting a bit repetitive. Voice actors did a terrific job.

The storytelling in this anime was great; the use of the "Tarantino" style of storytelling made the story much more intriguing as we wonder what happened to Jinto, what he said to Lafiel, and what happened to him afterwards. Also, the dynamic between the different sections of Lobdas II and the political and personal intrigue that occurs between the different factions is very entertaining.

I especially enjoyed the contrast between the Abh's lack of concern for surface Landers and their affairs and the fact that the entire story revolves around the affairs of a meaningless planet. This contrast is shown especially in the conversation between iral Spoor and Lafiel, and Spoor's conversation with her Chief of Staff afterwards.

As for the characters, the relationship between Jinto and Lafiel is further explored, which is a tremendous accomplishment for the storyline as there is very little actual interaction between them. It is through their time apart that this anime explores their relationship. The new side characters introduced, especially the leaders of each of the 4 factions on Labdas II; their motivations and personalities are explored, particularly through their interactions with Jinto.

I would reccomend this anime to anyone who enjoyed the first parts of this series, especially for those who wish to see more development in the relationship between Lafiel and Jinto.

This series is great and frustrating at the same time (). They manage to leave each episode hanging, forcing you to watch the entire set in one shot. The suspense in this set is rather unravelling, but its a great story. Again, they did a good job of developing a new arc of the story for this set, so it doesn't seem like you're just seeing the same status quo from the previous episodes (Seikai no Monshou, and Senki I)

If you've gotten attached to the characters from watching the previous series', you'll definatley wanna watch this one. If you haven't seen the prequels, you definatley need to watch this stuff in order, or you'll just ruin everything for youself.

And DONT watch the last episode first!
You know who you are.