gladwort said: But there were lots of panty shots, and even some non-committal yuri. I'd call that a good thing as long as a bad story doesn't tip the bal...
...oh.
I really can't find any faults with either seasons.
My beef is how stupid some of the episodes were. The Neuroi "bug", the one where they had to go into space, and the last few episodes, especially the ending.
I liked Mio's adaptation, but rather than becoming a way in which she could continue to perform her duties, it became a plot device. "True sword-move-I-can't-spell GO!"
Then you have Yoshika who brought something to the team without becoming the center of attention, but then became so awesome and amazingly magical with super power that she needs her own custom Striker-Unit. Yoshika becoming a magical powerhouse vs. Yoshika being Yoshika a young, somewhat naive, girl making first contact with the Neuroi, the latter is just much more engaging.
The ending of the first season, we got to see almost everyone's special move used for the first time in the final battle. There was team-work involved. And leading up to the final battle, there was intrique, there was irresponsiblity on the part of some of the military, there was the Neuroi Girl (who was blown up right at the start of the 2nd season, effectively erasing an interesting developement from the first).
You had an episode where Trud goes up against her limits, falters, and needs to be disciplined and later rescued, but then you have bullcrap like Yoshika risking everyone's lives and the mission just so that Eila and Sanya can be together in space? Eila who had proven not only incapable of performing the mission but actually not showing any interest in learning to do so?
There were some good stand-alone episodes in the 2nd season. Spending time in Rome, that was entertaining. Again, Trud with the Jet-Striker, that was a good episode. Mars and her big cameo episode let Erica show herself as being serious for once, which was major.
And then you have the crotch episodes. Okay, so I did like the one from the first season, where Erica was the catalyst for the panty humor and emerged totally unscathed from the whole fiasco, that was good. But then you have bouncing brooms and bugs crawling up where the sun don't shine, just, geez.
Steak said: My beef is how stupid some of the episodes were. The Neuroi "bug", the one where they had to go into space, and the last few episodes, especially the ending.
I liked Mio's adaptation, but rather than becoming a way in which she could continue to perform her duties, it became a plot device. "True sword-move-I-can't-spell GO!"
Then you have Yoshika who brought something to the team without becoming the center of attention, but then became so awesome and amazingly magical with super power that she needs her own custom Striker-Unit. Yoshika becoming a magical powerhouse vs. Yoshika being Yoshika a young, somewhat naive, girl making first contact with the Neuroi, the latter is just much more engaging.
The ending of the first season, we got to see almost everyone's special move used for the first time in the final battle. There was team-work involved. And leading up to the final battle, there was intrique, there was irresponsiblity on the part of some of the military, there was the Neuroi Girl (who was blown up right at the start of the 2nd season, effectively erasing an interesting developement from the first).
You had an episode where Trud goes up against her limits, falters, and needs to be disciplined and later rescued, but then you have bullcrap like Yoshika risking everyone's lives and the mission just so that Eila and Sanya can be together in space? Eila who had proven not only incapable of performing the mission but actually not showing any interest in learning to do so?
There were some good stand-alone episodes in the 2nd season. Spending time in Rome, that was entertaining. Again, Trud with the Jet-Striker, that was a good episode. Mars and her big cameo episode let Erica show herself as being serious for once, which was major.
And then you have the crotch episodes. Okay, so I did like the one from the first season, where Erica was the catalyst for the panty humor and emerged totally unscathed from the whole fiasco, that was good. But then you have bouncing brooms and bugs crawling up where the sun don't shine, just, geez.
Picky, picky, picky. Both seasons were still better than a lot of other stuff that comes to mind... If it's a lack of story and character developement that's eating at you, then blame the recent spate of 13-episode series, which really doesn't allow for much developement of anything. At least Sky-Girls was a full season series.
My biggest season 2 beef was the apparently casual way the Yamato was thrown away. If you knew what really went into building that ship... using it to destroy just ONE Neuroi hive, even if it was a big one, seems a bit wasteful. Especially when there are still other hives. (Karlsland, Orussia, Ostmark, over the Suez...)
Sky-Girls was boring. Bland cast, bland story, bland monsters. I liked the opening and Fishing Idiot segments though.
And it's not a lack of character developement exactly. Just that some of the developements were plain awful. I mean, the space episode was really beautiful, from an artistic standpoint, but it was also very dumb. Eila was a total brat in it and Yoshika was a huge flippin' idiot.
The Yamato was used as a sacrifical lamb in WWII, mostly in vain. In this series it actually got to do something that mattered.
While I suppose some forms of humor don't quite appeal to everyone. If the brooms and bugs episode doesn't swing your boat then that I can understand. Most of my friends like shows like Beavis and Butthead and Southpark but I loathe them.
Personally my only beef with season 2 and to the whole series in general is offing the Neuroi girl within 60 seconds of the first episode. A lot of wasted potential there then again with a movie coming up which may or may not cover that I feel inclined to cut them some slack. For now at least.
Yamato's sacrifice to me seemed very in line with what they really would have done in the circumstances considering the fact that the Neuroi hive in question was bigger, more aggressive and more alien that the other hives. Not to mention it was in effect a good way of testing their human-neuroi tech for uses elsewhere and with other ships. After all there are probably more ships than hives.
Interesting how everyone seems to have different opinions on what constitutes good character development and bad ones. Personally I thought that Eila's reactions were perfectly good showcasing her insecurities and human flaws while demonstrating ways to overcome them that keep in line with her character particularly her obvious evasive tendencies, reliance upon predictions of her choosing and predispositions to controlling things. Also in line with her powers of precognition.
That said while circumstances did to an extent stand in favor against Yoshika's decision to switch at the last minute with Eila I felt that only added to Yoshika's character since she is the relatively naive one and failings are as important to character's all-roundedness as their successes. That said I also felt that Yoshika was probably differing to the fact that she recognizes Eila as a superior and senior witch one of whom has a greater significance to Sanya's mental and emotional well-being which while anachronistic does say something about her personal empathy. To put it simply she cares about the fact that emotions affect your performance rather than ignoring the entirely.
And it's really only Sanya's and Eila's lives that she would be putting in danger. Also keep in mind that much of the episode was dedicated to them trying to keep Sanya's heart in it and Mio stated at the briefing that at that altitude Sanya would need all the control she could muster for radiation and vacuum protection, flight control and firing at a target a really great distance while still having enough left to get them back into atmosphere. Remember it's explicitly stated many times that magic and emotions are tied and you can't stop feeling. You can't blame Yoshika for thinking that if Eila could make Sanya do that a lot better than her the risk would be worth it.
Mio's story while a bit spread thin over the whole story was heavily of the mentor-student role with elements of coming of age and passing on the baton with some good old fashion samurai chivalry and self-sacrifice the Japanese really love from the very start. From the very beginning Mio shows strong signs to growing old so to speak and looking for that elusive successor in Yoshika. That Mio's sword becomes a plot device is honestly completely natural and expected considering the samurai theme going on and in effect Mio though reluctant (as expected) to do so passes on her sword to Yoshika who in keeping with Japanese virtues of self-sacrifice would rather save her mentor and effectively cripple herself than continue on in Mio's footsteps at the cost of her teacher's life.
Remember all because Kamikaze tactics were ultimately worthless upon reflection doesn't mean they thought they were stupid at the time nor does it make those pilots any less heroic.