Thursday, July 24, 2014

Spring 2014 Final Thoughts: Love Live S2, Akuma no Riddle--Idolatry

Love Live S2 Review Screenshot 1

I haven't forgotten about my reviews from the Spring season just yet! The next two shows focus on the girls, albeit with very different motivations--Akuma no Riddle and the second season of Love Live!

Akuma no Riddle Review Screenshot 1

Akuma no Riddle (Riddle Story of Devil)

I always had a feeling. From when this show was announced right to when it premiered, I kept thinking, "You really shouldn't be that excited, self. The odds that this show will waste its premise are very high." But I couldn't help myself. I still got excited. And when the first episode came on and the vaguely lesbian assassins weren't flashing their panties everywhere, I got more excited. Maybe this show wouldn't play the female element just to get male eyeballs! Maybe it would actually dig into its story and characters and deliver what it promised! And in the end, it did deliver. But I was wrong to expect that the show would hit anything above average at best.

Akuma no Riddle Review Screenshot 2 Akuma no Riddle Review Screenshot 3

The show follows a group of assassins gathered at Myoujou Academy for one mission: to kill Haru Ichinose. Only one of them can try to kill the target at a time, and they must make their intentions known by giving the target a notice. After that, they have a set number of hours to kill her. If they succeed, they can have one wish granted. If they fail... Well, the anime doesn't really get into that part. However, based off of one day's interaction with Haru, Tokaku Azuma decides that she's not going to play the game anymore; she's going to protect Haru instead.

Akuma no Riddle Review Screenshot 4 Akuma no Riddle Review Screenshot 5

Most of the episodes that follow are episodic, covering each assassin's attempt to kill Haru and Tokaku thwarting them. These episodes also give a bit of insight into the motivations of the killer-of-the-week, even going so far as to give each episode a unique credits theme for each character. However, the anime doesn't give much room for the characters to act outside of their anime stereotypes, yet treats them like they are far deeper than that. There was definitely time to let the characters grow a bit more, especially with the ones that stayed longer, yet it felt like every character was stuck in a static state until their specific episode came along. It's a shame too, since I found a few of the characters very interesting and wished that they could've had a bit more time to shine outside of their designated time slots.

Akuma no Riddle Review Screenshot 6

But what really sank the show was the ending. The big reveal of the true reasoning behind the assassin contest opened up more plotholes and just didn't make a lot of sense. The final few minutes hit a giant reset button as far as the characters' actions throughout the show are concerned, and as a result the "happy ending" felt like coincidence, not earned. It is a complete story, but I find it hard to recommend since the few things I enjoyed throughout the season's run were shot down by the last two episodes. If you find the premise interesting, then I will say that it's entertaining enough to give a try, but otherwise it's an average series that tripped over its own feet at the very end.

Love Live S2 Review Screenshot 2

Love Live! S2

I remember when the first season started airing and I completely skipped over this show, thinking that it was an Idolm@ster clone and that there were better things to watch in that season. Now I've watched both seasons, had genuine investment in the finale, and can sing the first part of Snow Halation thanks to spamming it on the mobile game. I've turned a complete 180° from when I first heard about Love Live, and I have no regrets!

Love Live S2 Review Screenshot 3

In a way, it has a similar feel to UtaPri, which may be why I enjoy Love Live so much. Both shows feature idols in high school--although Love Live does not have a school specifically for idols, they should get on that--have spontaneous musical numbers, and generally embrace their own cheesiness in the name of pure entertainment. However, one big difference between UtaPri and Love Live is how it handles the themes of growing up and moving on. A lot of this season focused on the fact that three of the members of the group would be graduating, and what the remaining underclassmen were going to do next when that day finally came.

Love Live S2 Review Screenshot 4

I thought that it was handled pretty well (which the hilarious exception that the season ended with a movie announcement), but it does assume that the viewer likes the characters in the first place. If the first season did nothing for you, then this season will not change your mind. Even with the more serious tone shift in the second half of the show, it's still the same happy silly show that the first season was known for. Can't wait to see what the movie will be about!

Images from Crunchyroll.com and Hulu.com.

2 comments:

  1. Riddle's source manga currently only spans 2 volumes, since the manga is only sporadically released in Japan. Vol 1 came out in Jul 2013, Vol 2 in March 2014.
    The ending is anime-original, based on what readers say.

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  2. Ah, that makes a lot more sense. That's not a lot of material to work with in the first place.

    ReplyDelete