My
bootleg totally legit DVDs seem to be missing a line here and there on the sub track. Not the end of the world, but I am a little tempted to just give FUNi some money. I'll see how it goes, if we're going to jump straight into Try after this then it might be just as well...
Anyway.
ACOLYTE: I quite like these Octo-branded episode titles, keep it up.
We don't get a timeline for how long this takes place after the first season, but some amount of time has clearly passed. The party split up after dealing with that unknown crisis in Seyruun at the end of Season 1, Lina and Gourry went adventuring, Amelia stayed behind to do Princess things, Zelgadis went off to do wannabe brooding things, and Sylphiel.... well I assume someone paid for a carriage ride back to the ruins of Sairaag for her? It's fine. She's fine.
Before I go any further, can I take a moment to highlight this
absolute banger of an anime opening? One of the all time greats, f'real.
No there will be no skipping the intro for me this season.
Anyway, the episode doesn't waste a whole lot of time setting the stage, reminding us of Lina and Gourry's chemistry, and bringing the gang back together. Right out the gate the second season is stronger because we don't have to wait so long to see the full party interacting. (sure Zelgadis has like half a minute where he pretends to be aloof and evil but Lina's got his number)
I saw these two episodes before I saw any of season 1 so my nostalgia is at its strongest here. But I can better appreciate all of it now. Did anyone else catch that the statue Lina briefly brings to life (which she can do apparently?????) was of Rezo?
The episode also cuts to the chase with Martina, the unstable anti-Amelia. I feel like she's Eris done right, she has the similar outfit, hell even her laugh is kinda similar. (speaking of, I love the moment when her and the King start laughing maniacally, pause for a moment to make sure the other is also doing it, then resume laughing
even harder) And the big punchline about Martina's fanatical devotion to a dark lord she herself made up is tells you everything you need to know about her.
Amelia having a plan for evacuating a city in case of Dragon Slave is also a hoot, you just know she has this done up in a binder like organizations do for fire alarms. Speaking of the Dragon Slave, first one of the new season! We'll pretty much always get one in episode 1. It is a little weird that Lina basically seems to blast Martina in the face with it (maybe it was just the spinning camera angle? that whole moment was weird) but she's totally fine. It's fine. Everything's fine.
BEMUSED: And introducing the reason I will not be watching any episodes of Next dubbed, Xellos! Sorry to any David Moo fans, I guess, but his Xellos just sounds wrong on every level. If he were a one off I could live with it, but he's basically part of the main cast for all intents and purposes so dropping the ball with him is a critical error.
I like how this episode also finally abandons any pretense that Zelgadis is anything more than someone to dunk on. He really, really wants to be this brooding badass loner but it just isn't in him, and he works best with a team and it just so happens to be THIS team who cannot help but keep poking him. He'll never return to that hot minute in the first season where he seemed to be The Bad Guy, that Zelgadis is gone forever. Long live Perpetual Buttmonkey Zelgadis!
Xellos's intro, along with his
iconic theme music and catchphrase, only gives you a hint of his true nature. Sure he seems untrustworthy, but just how bad could he be, really?
That is a secret!
The bandits that communicate via flexing are a fun little diversion, and the poor acting by the party to sneak in is funny. But the whole point of the raid is.... uh.... what WAS the point exactly? Xellos shows up and pilfers the supposed manuscript, but ultimately walks away with a shrug saying it's of no use to him or Zelgadis and leaves the party with more questions than answers.
Including how Zelgadis even found them there, which the show brushes off with a callback to Xellos's catchphrase, which I interpret as the writers not wanting to explain how he could have possibly known where to be.
Meanwhile Martina is not having a great time. She's gone from Princess to Pauper in record time, but I guess she's not at all used to actually traveling, especially by herself, and likely set off after Lina with nothing but determination and the shirt (?) on her back. Probably should have at least packed a snack.
Anyway. The animation quality has taken a noticeable step up from the first season, Try more or less looks similar to Next but this is a significant jump. But there's still some mild animation jank, in a cozy 90s sort of way. I feel like the size of all the girls' eyes have increased by like 25%, which was the style at the time. And a lot of the gags have definitely become more visual with a lot of nonsequiters. The aforementioned Yogurt-brained Gourry is a good example, and that moment early in episode 2 where he briefly transforms into a floating... something is another. It's definitely a shift in comedic direction from the first season, which I largely prefer. I don't so much prefer how the series tends to get a bit more casually skeevy here and there with Lina and Amelia. Nothing so blatant like 'lol periods' from Season 1, but a lot more comments about her chest to come. (though admittedly her desire to flex her pecs like the bandits was kind of funny)