Symphogear G

If you've watched the first season of Symphogear then you have a good idea of what to expect from this series; poorly developed characters, a completely bonkers plot, bad drama, bizarre plot twists and general all round silliness. However whilst that may be the case, this series is superior to its predecessor in several key areas, making it a significantly more enjoyable watch. In fact, whilst this series still suffers from the multitude of flaws and failures of the first season, there is the possibility that you may even enjoy it. The visuals are far more consistent than they were before, there will be no sceneswith absolutely atrocious animation or badly drawn faces, and all the fights are competently done, although the budget is still noticeable limited. This is very noticeable with the art, the backgrounds lack detail, are usually completely bare and are nothing in the way of eye candy. The character designs for the girls are diverse and have a lot of charm, whereas those for everyone else have much less thought put into them. If they had more money to pump into the show all of them would have looked much better. At least they have their priorities right with focusing on the female characters. The soundtrack also is an improvement upon the last season, there were a couple of insert songs that may catch your liking, both of which were sung by Takagaki Ayahi, the seiyuu for Chris, who is by far the best singer in the cast. The lyrics for the songs (if you your subs provide them) are incredibly cheesy and are often funny because of that, they rather fit into the spirit of the show. The other seiyuu aren't bad singers, and some of their songs are also pretty nice, however it is Chris that runs away with it. The characters are much more likable this season, and the developments of the characters (notably the three new ones introduced), whilst clumsy and lacking subtlety are markedly better than the random character developments of the last season. The characters are really weak, however despite this they are still quite endearing, to the extent where some of their annoying habits become lovable quirks. In all they are much like the show, really poorly written and lacking any depth, but that's just a strange part of their appeal. Sadly, for all my back-handed praise, they are not characters that you will forever remember, if not for the character designs they are entirely forgettable. They lack the depth to leave a lasting impression. Additionally some of the characters still manage to be annoying on occasion, however those events are few and far between. The plot is disappointing the sense that it does not reach the ludicrous moon-shattering events of the first season, it does somewhat make up for it by being much more cheesy. In any case, whilst slightly more grounded, the writing is still horrendous. For one it managed to make the fairly simple plot convoluted to the point where it was unclear what exactly was going on. Additionally serious plot twists which are sporadically introduced get either dismissed or resolved easily and are instantly forgotten about despite the fact they should be major events, and even some major points which build up throughout the series are effortlessly resolved out of nowhere. The antagonist is also an atrociously written character, his motives are beyond cliché, his actions are inane, and his personality is one dimensional and he has only two emotions, hysterical or cocky. Despite his amazing seiyuu he is an incredibly irritating character towards the end, he was far inferior even to Fine in the first season. So whilst Symphogear has improved in most areas, it is still a very poor show on paper, and indeed if you cannot ignore bad writing, and cannot let go stupid things, then I do not recommend this show, because you will be in for the same experience as you had watching the first season. However if you can embrace Symphogear for the incredibly earnest and cheesy show it is then you may have an enjoyable experience watching it. You will find that there are plenty of things to laugh and smile about; one scene in the latter half had me in fits of laughter, and another near the begging had me smiling at how lovable Chris was despite everything. Having watched the first season you should know well by now whether you will be able to enjoy the show or not even if this season is considerably more enjoyable. Overall, I will say pretty much the same of this season as I did the last; if you can embrace this for the earnestly silly show that it is then you should be able to have some good fun watching it with its somewhat unique appeal. However if you cannot abide watching an anime that does almost every single technical and literacy aspect wrong, then I simply cannot recommend it, because you're going to have a rough time.

When people usually think of idols, the first thing they might come up in their mind is someone who is talented, skilled, and viewed as a symbol of icon. Well, this usually applies to superstars in the music industry. In fact, people who become famous in the real world are often idols that others worship and follow as a legion. However, the concept doesn’t just stop there, not in Symphogear G at least. The superstars in Symphogear G aren’t just armed with talent but also with super powers as they take the fight against a mysterious force that threatens to wipe out their existence. The journeycontinues with Hibiki Tachibana and her friends in this sequel known as Symphogear G. Taking place approximately two months after the first season, she is joined by new characters along with her partner and friend Tsubasa Kazanari. As the second season blasts off, we get to see more of that explosive atmosphere in the world of Symphogear that shines brightly. Or does it... By this point now, it’s clear that Hibiki and Tsubasa have become great friends and comrades. But we also can’t forget about Chris Yukine, a mysterious girl with an even more mysterious ability. The trio stands as a hope against the alien force known as the ‘Noise’. Similarly to season one, they try to save people and fight off the Noise in order to protect their home. However, there’s a problem: the ‘Fine’. Unlike the previous antagonists from the previous series, ‘Fine’ stands as a primary terrorist group with unknown motives. What we do know is that they have the weapons. They have the intelligence. But most importantly, they have the ambition to carry out their twisted goals. While mostly remaining in the shadows with little background, we get to witness how far they go to follow their ambitions in this season. As far as weapons go, Symphogear takes on a more magical girl battle theme with duels between magical girls. This is because Fine not only possesses Noises but also Symphogear users of their own. It puts Hibiki’s team at an unusual rivalry as they are forced to battle skilled users with abilities that matches against their own, if not greater. As far as character goes, they largely remain the same with little change. It isn’t very refreshing to witness their relationship either as the trio contrasts greatly with their personalities. In essence, they are a team but their character dynamics aren’t very compatible. It also stretches towards Fine as well with our new characters such as Maria, Shirabe, and Kirika. This trio poses as a serious threat in this season but often times gets irritating to watch. Why? Well, that’s because it seems like these girls are in this organization to carry out their tasks but often seems regrettably doing so. At the same time, these girls may look normal but are treated abnormally as in the state of test subjects. It’s difficult to be sympathetic with them either because the deeds to carry out with the actions as their proof. Oh, and the trio’s relationship isn’t very heartwarming either. Season 2 does start out with an explosive atmosphere though. It doesn’t drag out in the beginning and gets straight to the point. Their powers also offers an intense challenge for our main protagonists. From there and out, the series bounces between an endless struggle as we also get to witness a mastermind behind the scenes manipulating various events to get what he wants. It’s about as cliched as it comes with the mastermind giving off its mad scientist outlook, ambitions, and his psychopath-like laughter. What doesn’t create much delight though is why Maria, Shirabe, and Kirika continues to follow their orders. They are test subjects so essentially, they are living weapons of war. However, they are also girls with a future especially with Maria and her idol status. At any rate, the frustration of putting up with these girls’ absentminded actions is quite a turnoff. If you want action though, there is action and plenty of that. It wastes no time with it as the majority of the main cast displays their variety of abilities from the get go. And just like the previous season, the girls all go through their transformation scene presented with doses of fan service. For whatever reason, the character also yell out their attacks for some aesthetic purposes. I guess in a way, it shows off their flashy tactics but at the same time becomes bothersome to witness after having to do so on a basis. Perhaps what’s most awkward and twisted is the number of plot twists going on in the series with seemingly no concrete purpose. Well, the purpose is there but hard to justify in a rightful manner. This can apply to several of the characters and even the antagonists themselves. The plot twists doesn’t stop there though as we also learn about Fine’s master plan and what they have in stored for the world. But the catch later comes with the organization’s core members. In many ways, I find it nonsense and revelations spawning out of nowhere. Additionally, it’s hard to sympathize with the antagonists after everything they’ve done. The artwork fits within the science fiction them at least. The girls are designed with battle gear with their armor giving off a dangerous vibe. Unfortunately, most of the characters are designed to look generic and just the way you might expect them to be. It doesn’t stop there with the transformation scenes plastered with fan service. There’s even a case where our mastermind uses fan service itself as a weapon that’s laughable. The Noise themselves also doesn’t look very appealing but does give off that otherworldly look. Soundtrack wise, Symophogear easily demonstrates the strength of this show as one of its more defining features. After all, the girls infuses their battle skills with their voice. The main opening song Vitalization" by Nana Mizukiin has that feeling of intensity as well as some foreshadowing of the events. Throughout the series though, there’s many other songs played during the action scenes reflecting a core theme of this show. In terms of voice acting choices, I would give Ayahi Takagai with her role as Chris Yukine. She demonstrates that feeling of both hope and despair throughout the series that balances her role well. On the other hand, I find Hibiki’s voice to be irritating with her overzealous cheerfulness. Overall, this series is far from great but at the same time not a total disaster. The planet the characters inhibits though are in a disaster so be prepared for some battle tendency. However, with the plot being all over the place, the word ‘disaster’ could also be factored in with that as well. Symphogear G is just another sequel of connecting series together to conclude a brand new story. As far as sometimes sequels go, not everything always works out.

lol, I could care less for the dogpile of deus ex machina that comprises the story itself but damn this show is sexy! buy the blu-rays they come with awesome extras lol! Story 7/10 Well, maybe the most entertaining part about watching the show is to come up with some sharp comeback for every shit that happens *cough*hibiki's past why did you just make it up!*cough* but that's what makes it so great anyway. The story flow seems to be much smoother compared to the 1st season. Every episode leaves you with a cliffhanger so you'll want to know what happens next. Also, a lot of thestory is based right off of the 1st season so you'll probably love the creators if you watched the 1st season. I cried to that episode where Chris-chan gave a performace ;_; Art 8/10 Better than 1st season Sound 9/10 FUH-FUH-FUH-F-ROLICKING Elements Garden i mean, you probably can't be a symphogear lover unless you were also a music lover xD Character 10/10 Hot! I mean, Chris-chan was really orgasmic material. even more so than in 1st season o_O Enjoyment 10/10 I just want to cry to every loli in the show lol. I love them I could care less for how the show ends but I hope they're all safe in the end ;~; cause that's really what matters anyway lol. Overall 10/10 It's actually kind of amazing how well thought out the series is even though it's mostly planned out by one guy lol. I mean, you probably shouldn't have too much expectation for the story since it's mostly being planned out by a musician anyway but then at the same time you can really notice sometimes that hes a real story writer lol. I mean the amount of emotion the story conveys is just phenomenal. Its way too hot to watch without switching on the air conditioner on top of having a fan spinning in max speed in front of you..

Fans of the original Symphogear show likely have come to the conclusion that Symphogear is a fun, but extremely mediocre show that can’t be taken seriously. While it had great music and moments of heart pounding action, it also had some quality issues from a low budget, a string of horrendous writing, and poor character development, all coined together in what looked like haphazard direction. Fortunately, Symphogear G fixes these problems while maintaining the original feeling of bravado from the first season, and it can even be considered, dare say, a great show. The increase in production and quality can be seen from the very firstepisode of Symphogear G. It opens with a fluid battle scene, then as reminiscent of the first season, throws one of the most explosive and amazing looking concerts akin to the ones you can see in AKB0048. Unlike the first season that seemed to have blown all their budget in the first episode then used chump change to gear the rest of the show, the animation for Symhpogear G does not take a sudden drop in quality and stays consistent for the most part, save for moments here and there. In addition, Yoko Hikasa, Ai Kayano, and Tomokazu Sugita, all talented and well-known voice actors come to play an additional role in the show. Especially with the addition of Hikasa and Kayano who contribute songs to Symphogear G along with the previous returning main cast (Aoi Yuuki, Nana Mizuki, Ayahi Takagaki), the show presents a powerful amount of song pieced together with well-orchestrated music. Fans should be returning to this season for some wonderful music; and Symphogear G very much over over leaps expectations. The only unfortunate part is that while there are great pieces of music in the show, there is only really one concert scene in the entire show. Though visually and audibly orgasmic it may have been, there's a feeling of disappointment that other songs did not receive the same treatment. The writing and characters becomes the biggest improvement in Symphogear G. This season takes three months after the first one, where the main cast learns not every problem has been solved from their previous encounters and now face a new terrorist organization that can also use Symphogears. The plot is actually built from the very ground up and manages to reveal the story along the way for viewers to speculate on how events unfold, unlike the first season that seemed to make plot devices up as the show went up and felt like nonsense at the very end. Symphogear G seems to have learned that plot twists are endearing devices to hook viewers up to the show, and it does quite a lot of it this time around that will want viewers to move on to the next episode as quickly as possible. Some of the twists are somewhat obvious and easy to figure out, but nevertheless they succeed in giving the proper emotional impact needed to move on with the show. What really shines are the characters in this season. With the melodramatic infighting between the main characters of the first season out of the way, Hibiki, Tsubasa, and Chris finally form what looks like a real team. Their interactions and relationship development are vastly improved, and the first few slice-of-life aspects at the start give a real endearing feeling. The new antagonists of the show; a crazed madman voiced by Sugita and can control the Noise, an elderly commanding woman, and three Symphogear users, are also given much screen time during the show. During their time, much of their character and motivations begin to change and develop as they attempt to fulfill their plans which have questionable morals. Strangely, they are actually given so much focus that the antagonists themselves begin to feel like the heroes. Apart from the crazy madman voiced by Sugita, whose main appeals seems to being insane and making over-dramatic expressions (Which Sugita really does well actually) to entertain the views, the other members of the terrorist organization have so much of their own internal struggles that the viewer may end up wanting to support them in the end. Coupled with their own character songs which are equally enjoyable to listen to as the songs of the main cast, it becomes very difficult to not like the antagonists. Not many shows can achieve well-written villains that manage to gain the sympathy of the audience, but Symphogear G manages to just this. The obvious problem with this however is that fans coming from the original show may feel like the main cast do not get enough attention. Strictly speaking, this is not true as the main heroes, especially Hibiki, are given their proper development and own internal struggles. However, there may be some fans who feel the main focus should be on the protagonists rather than a shared one with the antagonists, and miss the slice-of-life aspects of the show that are gone after the first few episodes at the start. In conclusion; Symphogear G fixes many problems from the original show while maintaining the silly quirks from the first season (Such as Hibiki punching a train in to a group of enemy Noise) that fans enjoyed. It comes with a bigger budget and actually presents its own original story that will keep the viewer going. Certain fans may feel it loses appeal because the slice-of-life aspect is toned down, but Symphogear G definitely will find a warmer reception with the overall audience. Sadly, the original show may have already lost a chunk of the audience that was interested in it. Those who finished the first season, were disappointed by it, and are wondering whether to watch G or not should definitely give it a shot.