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Way back in 2008, at the glorious peak of my anime-watching career, I watched the first season of Sekirei, as it aired on Japanese TV. It offered a somewhat fresh twist on the tired cookie-cutter of an anime set-up I had come to know so well. Guy randomly meets girl, girl is magic, magic girl is in some weird alternate plot, guy gets dragged into plot, clothes fall off, you know the drill. But Sekirei felt just a bit sharper about it all for some reason. The action was funner, the laugh’s were better, and the characters piled up to huge numbers while never getting over-bearing or unsightly. Two years later and Sekirei ~Pure Engagement~ is here to continue to the battle royal that the first season started. Fists raised, and punches flying.

~Pure Engagement~ starts right where the first season left off, as you would expect after the giant cliff hanger that it was. Minato and his Sekirei have been left in the city as the second stage of the Sekirei project is thrown into action. The crazy professor is out to make sure every Sekirei remaining has been winged, and Minato must fight to keep his Sekirei, and himself alive as the tension builds and the numbers start to plummet. Its good stuff, and dives into some interesting themes such as betrayal, love, friendship and exploitation. The plot is rock solid the whole way through, giving little down time compared to the more relaxed first season. While the flow of the story is quite linear, there are some really clever plot twists that you wouldn’t see coming, and while the ending is again a set-up for the next season, the continuous struggle for power in the battle-driven city makes for a great plot that builds firm and climaxes right on cue. Its well structured story telling, and while the over-looming plot is definitely the most mysterious and intriguing, the smaller sub-plots are also quite deep and thought provoking. There is a lot to take in here, and the direction is so smooth that nobody will find it hard to swallow.

The reason I’m saying it flows so well and is great is because I watched the first season. Because it take off right where the first left off this season gets right into the action, flowing great with no need to introduce characters and build the basis of the plot for it all to start rolling. Those who watched the first season will feel right at home.Old faces reappear and the few new characters that show up are introduced well with good pacing and delivery, often incorporating them subtly into the scenarios so not to make them too bold as to break the flow. People who have not seen the first season will be completely in the dark, as the series makes no effort to try and explain what happened in the first season other than a few brief flash backs. This is a double sided-blade. Those who watched the first season can jump right in and enjoy, but those who haven’t will be thrown in the deep end as they won’t understand the deep, and somewhat unapproachable plot that has already been going for 12 episodes.

Characters are abundant in Sekirei. All the characters from the first season are back including Musubi, Kuu, Tsukiumi and Kazehana. The old characters continue to develop and a good pace and the new characters are usually minor roles, not delving into the more tangible leading roles. Minato isn’t the most assertive male lead, and while he is again the predictable nice-guy with a quiet sense of justice, he begins to take some bolder actions now in the second season. A few of the other characters are brought into the spotlight as they become winged, and the tragic death of one of the lesser characters is surprisingly touching and moving, even if a little sappy.

Because of its expansive cast it tends to jump around a bit, often having a light-hearted playful scene directly before a morbid corkscrew of a plot key point. It gets a little annoying at times but the careful presentation and interactions of characters often helps to remedy this. Almost everyone will be able to find a character they like, and while screen time isn’t distributed equally between the lot, each characters personality and motive are usually given enough breathing time to expand on their own quirks a bit. There’s just so much variety and spunk in the cast, its a real joy to watch them interact. The Heroines are cute, the protagonists are likable, and the few villains that spec the mysterious cloud over the plot feel generally malevolent and aggressive. There is a bit of a reliance on archetypes as you’ll come to know every line of dialogue the Tsundere has before she speaks them, and characters get very samey at times, but its just fun overall.

The second season picks up on its strong points from the first season and expands on it elegantly. Few series manage to strike such a beautiful balance between action, romance, drama and ecchi. It may all seem a little convoluted at times but its hard not to appreciate the amount of variety that gets packed into each episode. Sekirei knows how to put on a good show. While the action isn’t exactly hard boiled, it manages to feel bold and dynamic every time, offering something new for each encounter that the sekirei face. Some fights feel that they were won far too easy, but considering action is only a third of the focus, it feels very satisfying and fun. Some fight scenes get quite intense and hot blooded, but the series is never too tough to make a joke about itself, resulting in some sharp and generally funny quirks here and there.

The ecchi is back but greatly reduced in amount from the first season. Some fans will be disappointed at the significantly reduced amount of time the group spends chatting in the bath, but its been replaced with faster paced action and more solid episode lay-outs. Clothes still have a tendency to become conveniently ripped during fights though, and safe to say there’s no shortage of skin in each episode. Sure its tacky and kinda blatant in its delivery but rather than have an excuse to show the ecchi, it occasionally integrates it well into the flow of each episode.

The art style is another strong point of the series. Character models are a definite highlight, as busty and beautiful woman and designed and animated well, still bearing the fantastic and creative costume design that made the look of the first season unique. There’s a lot of flare in the art style, and while there isn’t a huge change of scenery from the stainless white city, the characters still look great. Special effects on the fight scenes and emotional “winging” of Sekirei are gorgeous, and the series boasts an impressive use of visual cues such as dust, fire, mist and electricity. These are all peppered though the various fight scenes and do a great job of adding to the immersive and dynamic feel that the combat holds.

All of the original voice cast is back, retaining strong performances and good emotional variation in their interpretation of the characters. No two characters are the same in terms of voice and delivery, and the series does a great job of putting them in scenarios where they can really unleash some great emotion in the voice work. Sound effects are great with thunderous explosions and collisions littering the various fight scenes, and the huge, bold orchestral sweeps that pick up now and then are complemented by the soft and upbeat tunes that appear in some of the more relaxed scenes. Both of the theme songs are quite boring and forgettable, but one episode specific song is quite soulful as it says farewell to one of the many characters to pass on from the battle.

Sekirei ~Pure Engagement~ is stunning in its form. It strikes a wonderful balance of action, drama, romance and comedy. The ending is a bit of a let down with yet another cliff-hanger, and many anime fans will find its blatant use of ecchi and “magic girl” approach to be generic or tacky. But as a sequel ~Pure Engagement~ succeeds beautifully, expanding on the good aspects of the original and tackling the few annoyances that left it feeling cliched and tiresome. Those who have not seen the first season will not be appreciative of its reluctance to become approachable to newcomers, but fans of the original will be ecstatic at the effort and elegant direction that this second installment has brought to the epic story of the Sekirei. Its not overly inspiring or creative, but its damn entertaining and sticks to the tried and true with its lovable use of characters, action and ecchi.

If you haven’t already watched the first, do so and then watch this. Few will be left in boredom during the expansive battle of the Sekirei project.

And I’m gonna say it because I’ve always wanted to: “It’s like Pokemon! Only with hot chicks!”

Written by ChatterboxZombie.

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