Jan 28 2011 06:30 PM Sekirei Pure Engagement, the sequel to the action fanservice show from 2008. Having known that the sequel would occur, this sequel proved better than the first season. Since this is a show from the summer season and we're already into the winter, I'll try to keep this brief
Barring the Nanoha movie, Sekirei Pure Engagement has the best animation quality from Seven Arcs since possibly Inukami in 2006. Nanoha StrikerS in 2007 was poorly done, Sekirei in 2008 was also a rather rough job, and then Asura Cryin' in 2009 was really average. Sekirei Pure Engagement shows a step up from Seven Arcs in the animation department with the little bits and details. Plot on the other hand is really all over the place. While there were issues of overtaking the manga, the show attempted to integrate the half-filler, half-plot formula, which really didn't appeal to me since it made me feel as if I was wasting my time watching a portion of the episode. They may as well have made a full non-filler episode and a full filler episode instead since there are so many ways to go about doing that for a fanservice show.
Regardless, the action really began picking up this season with many more fights than its predecessor. However, that doesn't provide an excuse for the very cliche like finale where not only was it essentially a repeat of the fight from the final episode of the first season, but let alone the same outcome, i.e. Karasuba and Musubi clash and the fight is a draw when Musubi brings out her "full potential". While it was long known that a third season is likely to occur, I was hoping for a more meaningful conclusion like at least one of Minato's sekirei getting killed off after all that commotion.
Overall, having started out as series with some greater potential than the predecessor, Sekirei Pure Engagement was really a roller coaster ride after the first episode with various ups and downs from both episodes as a whole and within each individual episode. The show was definitely executed better than the prequel despite the constraints on source material. However, and again, that ending really was cliche and anti-climatic. Given Karasuba's character, I was really hoping for something when she appeared after the collapse of the tower, but alas nothing really happened. In fact No.8 didn't even appear this time.
Given the to be continued at the end as well as all the various "third stage began" signs flying all over the place, there's pretty much a 100% chance of another sequel but like my views of Pure Engagement after finishing the first season, I don't see much potential right now in the third season, especially after the disappointment of Pure Engagement.
Preliminary Score: 7/10
Final Score: 7/10 