Considering the studio and the writer behind this series, this show should be awesome. So... Why isn't it?
Although the first season failed to impress, I still felt that there was something to Medaka Box... When it wasn't focusing on Medaka, that is. The perfect title character and her ease in getting out of every situation the show threw at her, no matter how crazy, made for a surprisingly boring watch. So when this season seemed to promise some actual challenge towards Medaka in the form of her just-as-powerful peers in the Flask Plan, I was excited.
And yet, it still couldn't completely break away from the problems of the first season. The show discusses what makes a person Normal, Special, or Abnormal this time around, and then attempts to turn the tables by having the Normals and the Specials take out the Abnormals. I say "attempt," because despite all the build-up about the classifications being arbitrary and just a result of how they're viewed in society, most problems are still resolved by Medaka's deus ex machina ability. Add this to bland, dragged-out fight sequences, and you have a show that has some good ideas, but is still too in love with its main character to explore them in an interesting way.
That said, there were still moments that I liked. The continued character development of Zenkichi, the Normal, easily has some of my favorite scenes during the show, especially the sentiment that hard work and determination will get you anywhere. The backstory focus was also nice, since the other student council members basically get thrown to the wayside (even though Akune had a backstory segment too). The reveal of Naze's past was interesting, if cliched, but her unique Abnormality makes up for it and her character arc takes an interesting turn towards the end.
However, while these moments raise this show up to an "okay" level for me, they are completely overshadowed by the end of the second-to-last episode and the final episode. Gainax shows off their trolling skills once again as they give us a brief taste of what Medaka Box is like when it's written well and has nothing to do with its title character. You've got fourth-wall breaking, excellent use of color, light and shadows, and a crazy group of characters who monologue about impossible or absurd things. Now I can believe that this series was made by the creator of Bakemonogatari. NisiOisiN, where have you been this whole time?!
In conclusion, yes, there is something to Medaka Box. Unfortunately, this season doesn't cover it. If this were animated by any other studio then Gainax, I'd wonder why they'd undermine their entire show by putting something good in at the very end, but hey. That's what they do. If a third season gets made (and it probably will--they made this season, after all) and it's as good as that single episode was, I'm in. I'd like less Medaka in Medaka Box.
Images from Crunchyroll.com.
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