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REVIEW: Tiger & Bunny 2 14-25




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tintor2



Joined: 11 Aug 2010
Posts: 1862
PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2022 3:38 pm Reply with quote
I had a similar experience with these episodes but I'm glad several early subplots reached their end. Still, I'm not okay with spoiler[Yuri committing suicide at all. It felt way too dark for the series especially considering how wholesome is Kotetsu. Also, about Kotetsu, I found his "end" kinda ambiguous regarding whether or not he retires. He told Yuri he would stay as a hero even without powers which was especially important considering what happened to his father who even abused him. Now that I think about it Yuri' story was almost Tidus' but without the hallucinations.] My guess is that the studio wants to tease the audience again with an open ending like they did with season 1 and the movie and see if the staff can make another sequel.
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all-tsun-and-no-dere
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 06 Jul 2015
Posts: 606
PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2022 3:41 pm Reply with quote
tintor2 wrote:
I had a similar experience with these episodes but I'm glad several early subplots reached their end. Still, I'm not okay with spoiler[Yuri committing suicide at all. It felt way too dark for the series especially considering how wholesome is Kotetsu. Also, about Kotetsu, I found his "end" kinda ambiguous regarding whether or not he retires. He told Yuri he would stay as a hero even without powers which was especially important considering what happened to his father who even abused him. Now that I think about it Yuri' story was almost Tidus' but without the hallucinations. ] My guess is that the studio wants to tease the audience again with an open ending like they did with season 1 and the movie and see if the staff can make another sequel.


Bro, spoilers
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SHD



Joined: 05 Apr 2015
Posts: 1752
PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2022 5:02 pm Reply with quote
I haven't finished watching the show yet, but reading the review I'm scratching my head, wondering if we're watching the same show. About the only thing I agree so far is that the new characters are lackluster and they're just kind of dangling in there, not being particularly charming or interesting.

And as for the story, again, I haven't finished it yet, but so far it's basically the same old problem with Tiger & Bunny: when it's basically a workplace comedy with a superhero angle, it's amazing and I love it to bits. But it falls apart once it gets dramatic and starts taking itself seriously - it just doesn't work, it gets awkward and clumsy at best, cringey at worst (case in point: last battle of the 1st cour). It was already a problem in the first series, but there the earnestness, the sheer charm of the characters, and the strength of the Kotetsu & Barnaby dynamic managed to carry it without a hitch, at least as far as I'm concerned. Here, though, it just doesn't work, especially because of the new characters' lack of charm.

Also, honestly, the villains suck. In the first cour, the twins were grating and annoying as hell (and if I never hear Miyano Mamoru again in such a role it'll still be too soon). In the second cour the Joker-copycat villain is still grating and annoying as hell, just in a different way, and the whole Ouroboros thing is just hackneyed and uninteresting, at least to me. Yes, I get it that they're trying to reference classic superhero comic books, but they don't seem to be doing anything other than regurgitating stereotypical plot elements.

Anyway, I'm going to finish it, because I loved the first Tiger & Bunny anime and that nostalgia is carrying me through this second series, even though to me it's such a disappointment. As far as I'm concerned this is a textbook case of "be careful what you wish for" - while I never thought there was a need for a Tiger & Bunny sequel (I thought the first anime wrapped things up very neatly, and the movies did a good job adding stuff without ruining the legacy), I'd been looking forward to it. Maybe I shouldn't have.
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malvarez1



Joined: 17 Nov 2008
Posts: 1719
PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2022 5:45 pm Reply with quote
I think season 1 overall was a lot better. The first half of the season kinda dragged, with a lot of the standalone episodes feeling repetitive (one of the duos has a fight/misunderstanding, comedic antics as they try to patch things over, and the duo manage to work together in the climatic action scene), and the twin villains were pretty annoying.

The second half, to me, was more consistent...even if it truly felt like they were just doing an X-Men thing, at least the story was more engaging.

As much as the review was saying that this season wrapped things up, did it? I mean, they never even defeated Ourouboros. They're clearly still a threat, and with Tiger retiring and Bunny severely weakened, it seems to me that calling this a happy ending is stretching things.
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tintor2



Joined: 11 Aug 2010
Posts: 1862
PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2022 6:08 pm Reply with quote
all-tsun-and-no-dere wrote:
tintor2 wrote:
I had a similar experience with these episodes but I'm glad several early subplots reached their end. Still, I'm not okay with spoiler[Yuri committing suicide at all. It felt way too dark for the series especially considering how wholesome is Kotetsu. Also, about Kotetsu, I found his "end" kinda ambiguous regarding whether or not he retires. He told Yuri he would stay as a hero even without powers which was especially important considering what happened to his father who even abused him. Now that I think about it Yuri' story was almost Tidus' but without the hallucinations. ] My guess is that the studio wants to tease the audience again with an open ending like they did with season 1 and the movie and see if the staff can make another sequel.


Bro, spoilers


But it's a review of the final episodes. Why commentary about the actual content should be kept hidden?
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all-tsun-and-no-dere
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 06 Jul 2015
Posts: 606
PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2022 7:51 pm Reply with quote
malvarez1 wrote:
As much as the review was saying that this season wrapped things up, did it? I mean, they never even defeated Ourouboros. They're clearly still a threat, and with Tiger retiring and Bunny severely weakened, it seems to me that calling this a happy ending is stretching things.


See, to me, defeating Ouroboros was never the point or the goal of the story. While it wouldn't be fair to call it incidental, it's like any other shadowy villain organization that opposes superhero protagonists - a source of conflict and a thematic inverse to the protagonists. It's not something to be fully eliminated. Besides, even if Kotetsu is out of the game and Barnaby is a reduced capacity, there are plenty of other heroes that are still fighting.

Kotetsu and Barnaby's stories have always, always been the beginning and end. Kotetsu spoiler[reaching retirement] is the natural endpoint of the series because it's the end of his story.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4096
PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2022 11:18 am Reply with quote
Season 2, briefly: "more of the same only less so".
Tiger was partnered with Bunny because he was a perpetual screw up. Trying to turn the rest of the heroes into other pairings when they weren't designed to be teamed up just goes to make the Tiger/Bunny team pointless- and the pairings they made aren't interesting or thematic.

Worse, nothing the characters do in the second series is as interesting as what they did in the first. I have to force myself to watch it but even with three or so episodes left, I keep coming up with excuses not to finish it.
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Greed1914



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4450
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 12:10 pm Reply with quote
Overall, I enjoyed season 2. That said, I do hope they decide to be done with it. There were hints at a broader antagonist, but it's left pretty vague and the individual story is done.

I'd say my favorite part involved Blue Rose. spoiler[ She decides to live for herself instead of trying to get Tiger to notice her. No love confession, no breakdown. Just a realization that her path would be either unfulfilling or destructive if she didn't stop pining for him.]
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malvarez1



Joined: 17 Nov 2008
Posts: 1719
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 12:20 pm Reply with quote
The real question is, will we ever get a second season of Double Decker?
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SHD



Joined: 05 Apr 2015
Posts: 1752
PostPosted: Mon Nov 21, 2022 12:27 pm Reply with quote
malvarez1 wrote:
The real question is, will we ever get a second season of Double Decker?

I sure hope so!
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Spike Terra
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Joined: 21 Mar 2016
Posts: 359
Location: Maryland
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2022 2:15 pm Reply with quote
Hey yo, one week late for the review. A buddy and I ended up watching it over the weekend as well as the second movie (I heard the first one was mostly a retelling, so we avoided it). Generally loved how this season flowed and it's conclusion as a whole. The only downside is spoiler[ Yuri's suicide, which feels like the author just didn't want to write about the fallout of him revealing his identity to Kotetsu and Barnaby. I feel like it would have just been better to have him die while fighting. ]

One thing, that hit a little different than expected was the episode where spoiler[ the cops pursue Tiger and Bunny instead of arresting the robbers. Mostly because I watched a video about police reaction to the Uvalde shooting beforehand. That being said I'm 70% sure Tiger & Bunny isn't trying to be Anti-Cop and more just a mild critique on law enforcement. ]
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Stelman257



Joined: 26 Jul 2013
Posts: 276
PostPosted: Sat Dec 31, 2022 12:33 am Reply with quote
Hey even later comment here, but I also managed to finally finish this before the end of the year, and I loved it! I absolutely hear and agree with so much of what the review is saying, though being a fan who's just not tired and jaded at all, I feel more positive as a whole about what this season gave us.
I actually think while it didn't reach some of the highest highs of the first season (though as said, much of that may just be because the first season was so far ahead of its time!), this second season was so much more consistent as a whole 25 episode package, with very obviously little executive meddling (unlike the first season which had many things just collapse in it's second half) that I honestly think I might like it more! I like it as much at the very least, and for sure, giving Tiger and Yuri some incredible much needed development and closure to their character arc's was incredible and I savoured every moment. This is stuff I was dying to see back in season 1 and even the movies! Also as an English dub watcher, hearing Liam O'Brien's wonderful, beautiful performance was sex to my ears. Casting him as Yuri Petrov 10 years ago was such an incredible decision and I'm glad he reprised even all these years later. The dub was incredible as a whole, even all the villains sounded fantastic!

Also I know this wasn't a big thing for the fujo audience at all, but goddamn I LOVED Golden Ryan this season. I think this might be the most successful movie to series character that's ever existed in any anime ever??? His partnership with Blue Rose (and how he supports her and her feelings both toward herself and Tiger) is so wholesome, and seeing him reach a satisfying conclusion for his own character arc was amazing. I hope you have many wonderful dreams about older women you beautiful lion you.
But yeah just a great time all around, and yeah if this really is the end to the series/franchise, I'm happy to see it go out on such a high note. Much better ending than S1's, and that's something to truly appreciate.
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