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The Winter 2015 Anime Preview Guide
Kamisama Kiss Season 2



Rebecca Silverman

Rating:  3.5 (out of 5)

No matter how scary things get, there's always something sort of soothing about Kamisama Kiss, and in its second season, it looks like things are going to get very scary indeed. Having taken care of the opening arcs of Julietta Suzuki's manga last time, which mostly dealt in bittersweet, the anime adaptation's second run is about to tackle two of the darker, more interesting storylines: the congress of the gods at Izumo and Kurama the tengu's story. Right off the bat, even viewers who haven't read the manga (which you should, because it's really good) can see that things are going to heat up when wind god Otohiko shows up with an invitation for Nanami to take Mikage's place in Izumo. Of course, as a human god, he's not sure she's up to it...and others aren't sure she deserves it. This puts Nanami in more danger than she was in the previous season, and it gives Tomoe a chance to shine.

Not that Nanami wants him to. It's fairly obvious that Tomoe's having some second thoughts about the devotion he semi-professed before, and words just keep coming out of his mouth that he wishes would stay in his subconscious. Part of the issue appears to be the fact that he was very devoted to Mikage in a different way, and he seems conflicted about that. As for the object of his protections, Nanami really wants to prove herself as a god, and while his words keep reverberating around her head, she strives to take care of things herself. It's a trend for their relationship that should keep things fresh in the romantic subplot department even as it helps to move the main plot of Nanami's unexpected godhood moving.

There's a little less emphasis on a pastel color palate this time, with bilious greens and menacing shadows encroaching. New character Mamoru is adorable in a way the squirrel in Yona of the Dawn wishes it was, and the Mysterious Boy is bland enough in design that you know he's going to be trouble, or at least more than he appears. There's a decent amount of animation shortcuts used, such as sweeping up or down a majestic shot of Tomoe or a menacing spider yokai and some running in place, but bright sparkling light is used to very good effect in a few scenes, which helps to increase visual interest. Things escalate pretty quickly within the episode, but it doesn't feel rushed, and Tomoe's difficulties keeping his elegance intact give us a bit of humor to balance it out. While it isn't a groundbreaking start to the new season, it is a good one, and if you enjoyed season one, you should definitely give season two a chance.

Kamisama Kiss 2 is available streaming at Funimation.


Hope Chapman

Rating:  3.5

Clearly, enough time has passed since season one of Kamisama Kiss, which ended fairly innocuously, to stockpile some high-stakes drama, because season 2 of the series plows straight into big conflicts and some gruesome foreshadowing. It's still an Akitarō Daichi brand shoujo romcom though, so the goofiness comes first, starting with the beloved(?) flippant narrator's recap of the major events from season one. Once that's done, however, there's no more audience prep, and in order to have any idea what's going on in this episode and why it matters, you'll need to have seen the first season, preferably recently. It looks like Tomoe's past is coming back to haunt him sooner than he predicted.

Mikage's BFF Otohiko decided that Nanami was okay by him at the end of last season, so he lets her know there's going to be a summit of the gods soon, and since she's (technically/barely/sort of) one herself, she could go there and maybe meet Mikage himself. One of the strongest aspects of the original show was that it did away with the "will they won't they?" nonsense fairly early on and established Nanami and Tomoe as an actual couple, albeit a forbidden one, with reciprocal feelings and an honest relationship they want to develop together. So, to be a good girlfriend, Nanami wants to reunite Tomoe with his mentor, and as a good boyfriend, Tomoe doesn't want her to go to the summit because it could be very dangerous. Both perspectives are valid, and Nanami's decision to push her limits and become capable of protecting herself no matter what it takes is just as admirable as Tomoe's willingness to let go of his past in order to devote his life to the woman he loves.

Of course, this conflict is familiar ground from the first season, and the answer that time around was usually "Ha ha no, you can't protect yourself, you're a shrimpy little human girl, so you'll just get in more and more trouble constantly. Stick to soothing the wounded soul of your sexy fox-spirit boyfriend and count your blessings." It's an honest take on the facts of the situation, and it's useful for creating dramatic and romantic rescue opportunities for Tomoe, but it's not very interesting to watch if it keeps happening over and over. It looks like season 2 is going to change that, by giving Nanami the power of a living talisman, in the form of a magical little monkey named "Mamoru," imbued with the power to protect Nanami and Tomoe both, all according to the power of her own will. This results in an exciting climax to the episode and a catharsis of character for both lovebirds. Yes, Nanami can (finally!) protect herself now, and yes, Tomoe should trust her to go to the gods' summit.

I'm sure she'll need more rescuing once Tomoe's old partner in crime catches wind of her whereabouts, and I'm eager to find out more about Tomoe's past in the process, but at least the star couple of this show is on a more even playing field both physically and emotionally, and that's really cool.

Kamisama Kiss 2 is available streaming on Funimation.


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