***Warning, the following may contain
spoilers for Seitokai Yakunidomo Season Two. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
Welcome back
to Osai Academy, the once all-girls school turned co-ed.
The new
academic year has started. This means new freshmen, new challenges, and new
opportunities. Serving to ensure the betterment of student life is the ever
dedicated Osai Academy Student Council.
Another year
older, another year wiser, we're greeted by the same familiar faces. President
Shino Amakusa (voiced by Yoko Hikasa). Vice President Takatoshi Tsuda (voiced
by Shintaro Asanuma). Secretary Aria Shichijo (voiced by Satomi Sato).
Treasurer Suzu Hagimura (voiced by Sayuri Yahagi). These four perform their
duties in an environment filled with shenanigans and innuendo.
The coming
year promises to be as outlandish as the last. But Osai Academy’s student
council's prepared to meet any challenge and all…probably.
Series Positives
It's still Seitokai Yakuindomo. If you liked the
original, there's no reason not to watch the second.
The Supporting Cast
Everyone
returned and that was fantastic. I expect everyone to come back. Yet not in
such a profound way.
The student
council’s chemistry was as strong as ever. They continued to make the show
because they are the show. They were the focus. They were the fuel. They
remained front and center. As they should.
Except it
was the supporting cast who played a much more prominent role. A lot of the
situations couldn't have worked without these characters. I could
spend this whole review detailing why everyone was essential. But I’m going to
keep it to three.
The first's
Takatoshi’s younger sister Kotomi (voiced by Asami Shimoda). Her mere existence
was brilliant. Adding yet another perverted character might've been boarding
overkill, that wasn't the case. Kotomi was a wonderful addition to the
Shino/Aria team. She was the one person who should've had a mental filter, but
didn't. Her being Takatoshi’s sister made what she said in his presence all the
more awkward. Thus adding to the hilarity.
The second's
Uomi (voiced by Chiwa Saito). In terms of increased importance, she was the
greatest by far. In the last season, Uomi was as minor as they come. But here
she was a major player. While Aria was Shino’s best friend, Uomi could pose as
Shino’s twin sister. The two were almost identical. Again in most shows, this
would've been too much. Yet Seitokai
Yakuindomo* made it work.
Shame on me
for not even mentioning this character in my last review. For she was one of
the funniest aspects of the entire series. I'm of course talking about Hata
(voiced by Satomi Arai). She was the comic relief. And yes I am aware of how
little sense that makes. I don’t know how else to describe her, though. Hata
was just that funny.Series Negatives
The positive
section wasn't that long, as you can see. But there's a reason for that. The
biggest thing going against Seitokai
Yakuindomo* is the towering shadow of the original.
Don’t think
of this as a list of negatives. Instead, this is a list of reasons why this
season didn’t measure up to the first.
Reactionary
If you
recall what I said about Takatoshi in my last review, I loved that he was very mellow.
He was a great straight man because he didn’t freak out over the things that
came out of everyone’s mouths. He may have been disapproving, but he wasn’t
shocked. This time around, the show had a tendency to drop that.
There were a
few times when Takatoshi gave more of a reaction. In any other anime, this
would have been a non-issue. Yet, since we've seen the alternative, which was
far better, these reactions stood out. They weren't as funny.
A Once Trick Circus
What made
the first series so great was the absurd amount of sexual and immature jokes.
But these weren’t the only tools in the toolbox.
This season
tried to cram as many penis jokes into thirty minutes as it could. As it turns
out, that's quite a bit. And it got old. There was less variety. There was less
interest to try other things.
Again for
most anime, this balance would be fine. Except this season had a hard time
matching up to the standard its predecessor set.
Romance
I am a
romantic, this is a known fact. Yet one of my favorite aspects of the first
season was that it stayed away from becoming a harem anime. To be fair, there
were some indications of interest, but nothing more. Not this
time around.
Seitokai Yakuindomo* wasn't a harem. It
still never crossed that line. Unfortunately, it got closer to doing. A blind
man could see Takatoshi’s ever growing number of admirers. The two biggest
being Shino and Suzu.
This wasn't
needed at all and I don’t like imagining the possible routes this could lead
to. Sadly, I don't think there any turning back from this. Should the series
continue, and I hope it does, a romantic plot might have to get explored.
Final Thoughts
Seitokai Yakuindomo is a very special
series for me. It may have something to do with it being one of the funniest
shows I've ever seen. It may be because it has some of the most memorable
characters out there. Or maybe, just maybe mind you, it might have something to
do with it being the first anime I ever reviewed.
Whatever the
reason, when I first heard of the second season, I was overjoyed. Now that it's
come and gone, where does that leave us?
While not as
good, everything I loved about the first series was here. It remained funny and
it only got better with every episode.
If you are a
fan, watch it. If you're new, you have the luxury of watching the entire series
from beginning to end.
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