The Phoenix Festa is currently underway, Ayato and his harem fight their battles, and, all the while, trouble brews in the background.This season is split up into roughly two different arcs. Gakusen Toshi Asterisk 2nd Season also scared me, but in a completely different way.Asterisk returns for the continuation to its split-cour. I rushed into the hallway, breathing in more so than usual, thankful for my newfound safety.ItвЂ™s nearly Halloween, so I figured I would recount a scary event from my life. For at that moment, the doors opened and our seatbelts unfastened. Their creepy eyes and wicked smiles practically laughed at our impending demise.вЂњThey need to get us out of here!вЂќ My voice croaked.Someone, somewhere, listened to my frantic cry. And when the lights came on, scary props of all kinds stared back at us.

A shot of Julis breasts and butt as sheвЂ™s constricted by ropes of talisman in the middle of a fight or a view of KirinвЂ™s exposed bust in her revealing dress still do not add anything to the show, but, due to more fighting and less downtime, the anime cuts back on these unnecessary inclusions.It was also nice to see the anime capitalizing on events from its first season. Unlike last season, the amount of ecchi scenes that did nothing but detract from the narrative are pretty much gone. The last three episodes center on the groupвЂ™s visit to Lieseltania, JulisвЂ™s home country, that also has its own set of conflicts.Some positives first, though.

The group must keep their weapons in their rooms rather than bring them to the ball. Ayato is not allowed to use his main weapon before Flora is saved. For many of the fights, there just-so-happens to be a reason why they cannot go all out from the get-go. So, in return, she does her best to relay information to him when he needed it most.One of the more noticeable negatives is the constant reliance on a handicap.

One can surmise the format of the other tournaments, what the different motifs per group are, and even what people do on a recreational basis, but these are superficial traits. The anime alludes to other groups, areas, and information but does not explicitly explain or explore these avenues. Ayato asks to see his sister and Julis gets a lot of money to give to the orphanage she looks after, but these outcomes are not exactly powerful.The last three episodes are filled with numerous problemsMoving on, improper world-building returns once again. And two, the overall outcome of the matches has low impact. The twins and the robots do not mean much to Ayato and the others on a relational level. One, who they are fighting matters very little.

She appears out of nowhere, happens to have this convenient ability, and, worst of all, she does nothing else following her help (except for a wink during the award ceremony).Yet Asterisk really shows off its sloppy execution with its last three episodes. But it all lacks cohesion. She is a singer and formidable adversary who helps out Ayato in discovering FloraвЂ™s location.

Despite all of the build-up the anime had given towards her whereabouts, how much she meant to him, and the general mystery behind her disappearance, she is revealed all willy-nilly to Ayato. While the beasts are mythological in origin вЂ“ a cool trait вЂ“ theyвЂ™re more flashy than purposeful вЂ“ a not-so-cool trait.Another problem is the revelation of AyatoвЂ™s sister. He just summons a bunch of beasts.

The animation is neither nuanced nor notable, but it at least remains passable throughout the season.Similarly, the inclusion of CG models does not take away from the showвЂ™s action or art in general. The hydra whirling its heads around. One of the twins using talismans. The robot hurling his massive hammer. The same goes for their foes. JulisвЂ™s giant fireballs, KirinвЂ™s swordplay, and SaysвЂ™s laser guns provide different levels of movement and moments of action.

вЂ“ as do their all-white outfits with magenta coloring. Their color symbolism persists вЂ“ JulisвЂ™s pink for her fiery personality, SayaвЂ™s blue for her cooled behavior, etc. Yet to reiterate at this point, the anime does not do anything special here.The character designs follow the same course. The futuristic city and the trip to the rustic country of Liseltania switches up the backgrounds, but thatвЂ™s all they do.Lighting and cinematography are at least looked at, such as with the shadow assassin and with the fights being depicted clearly. A lot of the season takes place within the arena and nearby facilities вЂ“ both of which are rather plain in detail. To this end, the it is once again not very impressive.

Granted, this вЂњdevelopmentвЂќ entails nothing more than him standing still and thinking very hard, but he at least no longer has to worry (now for up to an hour) about using the extent of his power.Julis surprisingly doesnвЂ™t progress her relationship much with Ayato вЂ“ even when she is asked directly by her brother. They are simply meager for what they are.This season, the characters of Asterisk still do not have much strength.Ayato does unlock some of the chains that bound him mentally, meaning he does, however slightly, develop as a character. Again, though, their designs are not captivating or gross.

To be fair, this conflict is arguably minor when considering the bigger picture, but she at least has her own plotline that she contends with.The same cannot be said of Kirin, for she does not receive much attention during this season besides the occasional words on wanting to grow as a swordsman or the oft cute moment she takes part in. She always talked about these separate parts of her life, but, this season, the audience actually gets to see her care for them explicitly.SayaвЂ™s angle this season focuses on proving the strength of her fatherвЂ™s technology, and she does so through her fight against RM-C. She cares for Flora, her country, and the orphanage she had grown up with.

Saya crying on the rooftops from being frustrated with their tournament performance or Julis trying her hardest to save her вЂњlong-lostвЂќ childhood friend are nice examples that back up this statement. At this point, Asterisk needs to do more than just less-than-par development or extra characterization.Leaning on one another becomes an important theme for the castWhich is unfortunate since the anime had those more personal moments. On another level, this season is the вЂњsecondвЂќ season (for this split-cour).

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