Knights of Sidonia: Battle for Planet Nine

It's truly perplexing to see how often anime enthusiasts overlook Sidonia no Kishi (Knights of Sidonia). It's a show with a tried-and-true formula for mainstream success. With a dense bishounen protagonist that catches the fancy of all the female characters, a premise that warrants lots of over-the-top carnage and narrative twists, a simple setup that requires very little qualifiers to buy into, and even less thought process to grasp; it's easy to watch, easy to merchandise, and made for mass consumption. But for reasons beyond comprehension, it's only viewed by a few stragglers that come upon it by happenstance, with the only reasoning I couldsurmise behind its dismissal being the visual output itself. But even then, that's also taking into consideration many other titles of equal or lower audiovisual effort still managing to sustain a sizable viewership. While I'm not inquiring into this audience disconnect as a reason to rush out to view this series, since I can't justify most of its content as anything noteworthy, I still do think that it registers high on the pulpy side of "turn your brain off" entertainment for those with a mild interest in checking it out. Well, that would have been my response had we been discussing the first season, as for this follow-up installment, there are a few shortcomings that it falls victim to that lessens its viewing experience. Where the first season played up the suspense of imposing figures lurking out in the vast vacuum of space, season two temporarily abandons that, and for what you may ask? Well, a gender-fluid harem... IN SPACE! Picking up from where we left off, we follow our pussy-magnet Tanikaze as he continues the uphill battle against the threatening amalgamation of creatures known as the Gauna. And when he isn't fighting for the future survival of mankind, Tanikaze is winning women over with his autistic boyish charms. Thankfully, there's more going on this season than just that, as we're introduced to a new character that disrupts the status quo of Sidonia's community. The character in question is a chimera named Tsumugi; a Gauna/human hybrid made for the sole purpose of aiding humanity in the fight against the Gauna threat. Similar in appearance and anatomy to the malevolent Red Gauna of last season, what separates Tsumugi from that anomaly (or any other Gauna previously introduced) is her humanistic tendencies. Having the behavioral pattern and intellect of a prepubescent teen and a sense of empathy equal to that of a human, she's essentially a girl stuck in a Gauna's body. Half of the intrigue of this season comes from the implications of including a species that, up until this point, were humanity's greatest threat towards continuous survival. A not-so-ironic twist on the matter that's immediately shown when the onboard crew is introduced to her, responding with abject horror at the partnership proposal announced by their superiors. Unfortunately, the ramifications of such a dynamic team-up were quickly glossed over. And as you've probably guessed by now, this was where the gender-fluid harem came into play. This is perhaps the show's biggest downfall. Instead of the promised "Battle for Planet Nine" that the namesake alluded to, no such thing ever happens. What we got in its place was rom-com shenanigans and a small-scale skirmish towards the latter half of the season. No "battle," no epic full-on assault, just a damsel in distress mission and an excuse for Tanikaze to build up his harem. While there were a few cliffhanger moments and general "spookiness" revolving around the Gauna threat, the meat of this season ended up being unneeded slice-of-life pulp. A majority of the episodes were dedicated to introducing new future concubines-to-be that fawned over our lead, even when he exudes the behavioral shortcomings of a socially inept beta-male. This would be fine if it had led to something, but that never happens. It just became a series of cock-tease vignettes, all the while placing the actual Gauna intrigue as a mere backdrop. Thankfully, the last handful of episodes brought the focus back to the core conflict. We may not have gotten the promised "Battle for Planet Nine," but at very least, the focus shifted away from the harem that hijacked the show up to this point. It was still an enjoyable viewing experience, but nothing ever quite hit the same "edge-of-your-seat" moments found in the first installment. For anyone that followed this past season one, the mixture of CGI and cell-shaded animation shouldn't need much elaboration. At this point, it's become the trademark style that Sidonia is known for. For the most part, the animation output was relatively the same, although it should be noted that the frame-rate for the character movements themselves were improved upon. It didn't stop the uncanny valley effect from being any less distracting, but it certainly made the viewing experience far more palatable than what was previously offered. It's still not on par with any other series, but for the show's in-house standards, it was a step up. Where Sidonia truly shines is with the CGI fights themselves. By not being bound to the limitations usually presented with 2D animation, the CGI artists were given the liberty to play with the character and mechanical models with far fewer restrictions. Since these battles are carried out by mechs and the Gauna creatures—two things with very otherworldly appearances—the computer-generated imagery complemented the fight sequences. There was weight behind every fight. A sense of tangibility that 2D animation often has difficulty emulating. As previously mentioned, all the character suffered from uncanny valley, so naturally, they were far from appealing-looking. Just a bunch of creepy mannequins dressed up as "people." Coincidentally, this very issue ended up working out particularly well towards the Gauna's benefit. Being rendered entirely in CGI meant that the creators could make them as grotesque as possible. With a flaky yet malleable cartilage-like substance being used as their exoskeleton, these ungodly monsters had a dilapidated look about them that the likes of H.P. Lovecraft would take delight in. It's not that often that we get monsters with such fantastic screen presence. They're definitely some of the best that the 2010s has to offer. Another area where Sidonia strutted its stuff was in the sound department, more specifically, the sound effects. Everything, from the haunting choir wails of the background vocals to rumbling gargle of the rocket-thrusters, had volume behind it. Whether it was the deafening roar of explosions on impact, or the granular screech of laser weaponry cutting through metal and monster flesh alike; every sound in this anime was amplified, bringing the environment to life and placing you in the middle of the action. Whatever shortcomings the show may have had visually, it more than compensated in the audio department. And like last season, the voice actors all turned in a suitable performance, with the biggest standout this time around being Aya Suzaki's voice acting work for Tsumugi, as she added a certain bubbly-childlike charm to the role. Her interaction with the other characters also meshed quite well despite being new to the ensemble. And speaking of the characters, the second season carries over the same problems that plagued show from day 1. There's only truly one character in the entire lineup, and that's Tanikaze. Everyone else is just reactionary NPCs. For any female character in the support role, that means being treated as mere love-interest variants awaiting the moment that our innocent Gary Stu woos them over. The only real difference in the lineup is the addition of the chimera, Tsumugi, but even she is reduced to being another love-drunk female infatuated with our protagonist. You read that right, even the Gauna/human hybrid want some of dat Tanikaze D! Tanikaze's harem game is strong as fuck! If Kirito is the king of harems, then Tanikaze is the undisputed God! Nothing with a vagina can resist his awkward autistic charms. From chimeras to full-fledged Gaunas, if it's sentient, the urge to drop their coochie on him is too strong to withstand. He even made asexual people change their gender to female just for a chance to be with him. He's HaremGOD-sama, and he's coming fo yo bitch! But despite potential love-interests crawling out the woodwork to greet HaremGOD-sama at every turn, the creators at least had the common decency to keep its focus on that of the appointed centerfold Izuna and her growing relationship with our primary lead. Of course, there wasn't any actual advancement between the two, but choosing to hone in on the initial sparks that started in season one at least showed that the creators understood that its audience had an invested interest in where their relationship status was heading next. And who knows, maybe with a third season, this too will come to fruition. Not that I'm holding my breath for that to happen. This show's character handling is far from anything I would even deem "riveting." But that's neither here nor there and what we got was one Gary Stu surrounded by a stockpiled harem brochure dressed up as "characters." With a healthy dose of violence, harem misadventures, and occasional monster encounters, season two never had a dull moment, if only falling victim to multiple brain-cell reducing plotting along the way. While not up to snuff with the first installment, season two of Sidonia still had its moments of effectiveness. It may not have been as consistent or nail-biting as anything season one had to offer but it's still a nice attachment to the franchise and one I recommend to those that were followers of the first.

Finally, the second season becomes available on Netflix as of July 3rd, and honestly I just plowed through all 12 episodes like a junkie with a drug addiction. Story/Character: Picking up where the last season ended it seemed to focus more on Nagate's personal life and his personal Heram, which brings up something I consider to be a flaw. For me, to have the full female cast fall for Nagate pulls away from the series plot, which is a shame since we only get 12 episodes with the possibility of not getting another season. We get it, he's a bad ass. 7/10 Art: This isa major strong suit for the series, as it is very beautiful to look at. It may confuse some and it seems like the CGI is alienating and unattractive. Ignore this! It is done this way for a reason, and flows perfectly. The battle scenes was art by itself, and I was on the edge of my seat trying to take in as much as possible. 9/10 Sound: Wow. This should be the standard for all anime! Everything sounded realistic, explosions, metal on metal contact, footsteps(Occasionally had to look over my shoulder to see if someone was there haha), etc.. 10/10 Enjoyment: We need more anime like this! I've made it a habit to not binge watch a series as I want to get every ounce of enjoyment, but with this anime I had no self control. Each episode ended with a cliff hanger almost forcing you to the watch episode after episode. Was it perfect? No, but its flaws were apart of the show and was thoroughly enjoyable and addicting. 9/10 This series is entirely underrated, even I am guilty of thinking it was MEH(My Eyes Hurt) and dropped it after the first couple episodes when it came out last year. This was a mistake, and I'm glad I gave it a second chance it deserved.

Note: This is a SEQUEL and will include spoilers for the first season. The story takes place shortly after the ending of the first season. The Hoshiijiro ena has been "moved" and early on a lot of backalley type set up goes around to make the viewer question the motives of certain characters. Besides all this the other main focal point of the story is a big one, and quite literally at that since it's the hybrid, Tsumugi. By itself the story is not anything special, but it has set itself up to have some pretty stunning resolutions and encounters down the road. Watchingthe internal conflicts unfold within the show is almost as interesting as watching the huge space battles. The show does a really good job at keeping you surprised. It does also telegraph some short term things like a part where Nagate is fighting a group of Guana and he runs out of ammo and you just know what's going to happen, but it doesn't make it happening any less awesome. Most of the main cast has not changed much from the first season and maintain their stock personalities. Tsumugi is obvious addition and is essentially a little girl with the body of a super monster. Her actions are clearly driven by her instinct to protect those around her and because of her curiosity. The show goes out of its way to really paint a full picture about Tsumugi and it does a good job, although at the expensive of the other characters. Again the majority of the cast does not change much, this includes Nagate, who is still "the good guy" and Kunato who is still "The Schemer". However, this does not mean what they do is not entertaining. Kunato, who I found to be a glaring issue in the first season has brought a lot of intrigue to the second. One of the real draws of the show are the battles. They are massive. It's rare for an anime to do something and make me think "wow, that's cool." The animation and art work during these sequences measures up to some of the best there is. However, some of the issues with the CG from the last season remains, especially awkward sluggish movement that makes no sense at all. It makes it very difficult to suspend your disbelief when there is sometimes sudden shifts in animation quality almost instantaneously. There is a good balance between the tense action scenes and the more simply relaxing parts. I'm glad it didn't try to really be melodramatic about things and it tends to resolve smaller issues that arise within an episode quickly, while using them to build the major plot points they established for a better climax. Speaking of those relaxing scenes. There is probably debate over whether those comedy segments with Tsumugi and friends really belong in a show like this where they are in constant danger of being wiped out and are humanities last hope and all that. However, I say that these segments are where most of your character development and the viewers connection to said characters happens. Again not like there is a lot of development in the first place, but it's those simple parts that make characters real. The sound production and direction is the best I've ever heard in an anime and I can say this without a doubt in my mind. All the sound effects are crisp and not only fit what they represent but also the mood the scene is portraying as well. The music is also stellar as it fits whatever scale the show is currently running at. I know I often tout that good sound is sound you don't notice (because that means nothing is wrong with it), but great sound is sound you remember. You remember this. Knights of Sidonia S2 is a huge surprise for me especially after what I considered a middling first season. However, the production value, overall chemistry of the cast, and just plain enjoyability has skyrocketed. This is clearly worth the cost of admission (seeing the first season) to get the full impact.

Sometimes a change in tone from the previous season to the next one can be a good thing for a series. This depends on the show in question. The writers want to take a different direction on where the plot is going and change the atmosphere. As long as they keep adding new elements to the story that doesn’t detract from what makes it suitable, that can be a welcoming change. Just don’t assume everyone will be 100% on board with it. The 2nd season of Sidonia no Kishi can be classified under this predicament. Many anime fans were hooked by Sidonia no Kishi’s dark andoppressive story that they felt as though they were watching an anime with a mature tone, unlike many anime that came out during their seasonal run. It certainly felt that way with the apocalyptic setting in space that you usually don’t see very often. Unfortunately, not many people will see this sudden change with bated breath halfway through this season. For Sidonia no Kishi: Daikyuu Wakusei Seneki, there is a Slice of Life/RomCom section to this season that takes up about eight episodes of the season. Not to say that these genres predominately occupy the first half, but it crops up more often than people would be used to in an anime like this. The side that I have placed myself on whether I approve or disapprove of this tonal shift is on the positive side. We have grown to sympathize with the characters previously in an entire season that it doesn’t feel out of place. There is a good sense of genuine camaraderie between the character interactions that shows how close the characters are and drives them to survive in the hostile universe they inhabit. These can include romantic developments that end in humorous outcomes but still feel on-point to make us like the characters more. It is essential to create these scenarios at some point. The characters aren’t just archetypes to move the plot along; you must learn to appreciate the amusement generated by characters to feel any empathy towards them. The addition of the new character, named Tsumugi, is one element of the comedic aspect of the 2nd season. She could be considered the comic relief to the series. However, she isn’t a stick in the mud in how she is treated in the story. Tsumugi wants to be liked by everyone in the human world. Her development with our primary and side characters is done with reasonable care, from how she interacts innocently to what many guana’s do that the humans are used to. Season 2 takes its time to create her presence in the story for us to accept her part of the role in it. It’s also remarkable that, despite how she doesn’t have many facial expressions to show off emotion, she still has about as many expressions as any other character in Sidonia no Kishi. As previously mentioned, even though the first half is mainly comedy, there are still some serious plot devices thrown out in-between. They service the plot decently enough to continue it along. The last four episodes are where the story kicks into gear with a nail-biting climax that quickly gets you back into the epic journey that made me be engaged by the 1st season. A few moments in these last episodes are as intense as in the previous season. Thankfully it ends off better than the 1st season, which I felt was a little rushed in many areas. Instead of a half-baked attempt at closing up character plot devices, the show takes its time to give the characters some conclusion to their roles and what is to come off next in the next season. The one significant improvement to season 2 from season 1 is the animation, especially with the CGI. The 1st season, while undoubtedly impressive in the action sequences and space backgrounds, felt lacking in the character animation movements and facial expressions. This has been a problem for many CGI anime shows that have recently started to diversify animation styles in anime. The 2nd season’s animation still has the same CGI animation techniques, but they improve a lot from the earlier problems by making the characters more lively and less robotic. With a healthy dose of humorous and dramatic scenarios mixed in, I would say this season is a great sequel that does not trump the 1st season, nor is it a lesser season. Different facets to it make Sidonia no Kishi: Daikyuu Wakusei Seneki unique in the series, making it more than just a typical continuation. That is something to admire for. We don’t know where this series will head, but with one good sequel on the belt, the chances of continuing this good trend are of a higher margin. Grade: A-