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"Slight improvement"? The first season was better in every way than this cesspool.

getchman wrote:

rather amusing that Chris Sabat thought it was worthwhile to bring in Stephanie Sheh to play that kid cosplaying as Illya from Fate/kaleid in ep 4. didn't expect that

Oh, that's pretty cool.

Rederoin wrote:

LightYapper wrote:

MadHi wrote:

I have no issues with fanservice whatsoever but even if the whole point of the anime is just to present as much of it as possible, a weak story with recycled character types and every single (bad) cliche in the book squeezed in still cannot save it, it just makes it unwatchable despite all the boobies they generously show. To this day, I still cannot finish this, Qwaser, or Queen's Blade.

As far as story goes, I'd give Maken-Ki no rating, the whole series is just a waste of existence, not even Monica Rial in all her "rialty" can make it one bit interesting.

Yes for the sake of all. Unless you like cheap fanservice whatsoever, these things are just little more than disposable trash. Here's wishing Japan stops making them.

I agree, Japan should only cater to your needs in entertainment!

You can include my needs as well (and the vast majority needs who watched this show and also called it a piece of garbage).

As Key said, there are good fanservice shows that are actually enjoyable guilty pleasures, but most of them are not that (they are just a huge copy and paste with overall terrible quality of content).

If the ecchi parts are done well, the show might get a pass on its story, but this show's 'service parts were so bland that it's just a shame overall. It is nearly Seikon no Qwaser's 2nd season-level of bad. (Rudolf, the peeping toy bear? Really?)

danpmss wrote:

As Key said, there are good fanservice shows that are actually enjoyable guilty pleasures, but most of them are not that (they are just a huge copy and paste with overall terrible quality of content).

I get it, all ecchi shows should all be the way you guys want them to be.

And there goes my chances of seeing the manga get translated... This second season is NOTHING like the manga. They 100% took one very good series, added what equates to porn and gave it to people thinking the fans of the manga would like it. <.< Dumb people are dumb.

Rederoin wrote:

danpmss wrote:

As Key said, there are good fanservice shows that are actually enjoyable guilty pleasures, but most of them are not that (they are just a huge copy and paste with overall terrible quality of content).

I get it, all ecchi shows should all be the way you guys want them to be.

Naturally, since we all have valid criticism justifying why it shouldn't be that way (refer to the comment in this thread comparing the first season, which was already bad, with this second one, disastrous)

I’m one of the few people who really likes and enjoyed watching Maken Ki when got it on Blu-ray; it’s a fun and entertaining show and contrary to what some may think, there is some good writing on it which allows it to work for me. Of course, this is my opinion, and as always, it’s not fact; so I won’t pretend that it is. Everything I write about this show is how I feel about it and why I think it works for me as a series; yeah, it’s sloppy, but it’s my honest thoughts and that’s what matters.

Before I move on, I haven’t watched the second season yet; I do have it, but it’ll be a little while before I get around to it since I have a lot of other unviewed shows to watch here in my collection, so in time. I also understand that harem shows, ecchi shows and ecchi/harem shows get a bad rap, but my opinion on this is that it’s like any other category in the anime medium; there’s some good stuff and some not so good stuff, and to make it more convoluted; what’s “good” or “bad” various from person to person.

With the first season set I can say that as a harem/ecchi anime and as an anime in general it’s a pretty good show; I like the overall tone of the series and how the aesthetic reinforces and helps to convey the tone of any given scene. It’s part of what allows the series to pull comedy and although there’s not too much of it, drama once in a while. For the most part it’s a bright, pleasant, upbeat looking show since it’s a comedy and for more dramatic scenes the colours are toned down and there’s a more grayish, darker looking background to it.

Although pretty standard, I like the character designs in that they have the traditional model but a little more cartoonish and exaggerated; which also ties into the ecchi components of the series. I find these character designs and the overall aesthetic complement each other quite well.

The story or plot line, although simple is a good one; how new characters are introduced, their function and how things are set up and framed for many of the comedic scenes as well as the odd dramatic one throughout the series. A note about the drama; although there’s very little of it, it never feels contrived or melodramatic, but earned and well executed. The first season works with an over arcing storyline while also taking an episodic approach as well; it weaves in and out of the two, developing and building the main storyline but having a situation based set up that allows the characters to interact.

I like that a threatening villain is introduced and how she goes about using the male protagonist to launch an assault on the heroes; which also goes against one of the biggest anime clichés of all time. Now, normally, I don’t really care about tropes and clichés since my thoughts on all of it amounts to the fact that nothing is original, so while I don’t harshly criticise a series for utilizing them, I will praise it for taking a unique, but narratively earned path that plays with my expectations. Maken Ki does this in its climactic battle; but I’m not spoiling it.

The characters themselves are better written than most would give the series credit for, while they’re not up to the level of say, Cowboy Bebop’s or Penguindrum’s characters; they’re still pretty well fleshed out and undergo some good development as characters. I find the character writing to be coherent in that I understand where the characters are coming from and why, along with how they know each other; this is done both implicitly and through flashback sequences that sometimes take up almost entire episodes.

That’s one of the core elements that allows Maken Ki to work; it has a strong character dynamic with how the they interact and play off of each other, and since there’s some good fleshing out and development of the characters, this dynamic is that much stronger, it’s also what allows the rare dramatic scene to work as well.

Obviously, talking about Maken ki, it’s tough to avoid any discussion on ecchi fan service, so I’ll briefly give my thoughts. In simplest terms, as far as the ecchi material is concerned, I’m okay with it as long as the series has well written characters, good consistent thematic development and coherent, well-executed visual storytelling. Basically, for me it still has to function as a normal series, and I’ll admit as a heterosexual male, I appreciate the fan service, but to me it’s nothing without the fundamental substance that makes a good show. Ultimately for me, there’s a huge difference between a bad fan service anime and a good anime that has a lot of fan service.

With that said, I think when it comes to the actual ecchi fan service; I have more respect for a series that goes all out in a shameless, unapologetic fashion; it becomes more of an aesthetic/ tonal choice. While I can think of plenty of shows since they have this sort of material in them, a good example would be High School of the Dead and how it has a Grind House vibe to it and the ecchi component compliments that quite well. Once in a while some shows put it to good use allegorically to convey how a character is feeling or some other character or situational aspect, or simply dial it down at the perfect times; Queen’s Blade comes to mind with this.

Lastly, I notice there are some people complaining that this series exists and that Funimation decided to pick it up. You’re all well within your right to express your frustration over this just as I am to talk about how pleased I am and that I look forward to watching Maken Ki Season 2 once I get around to it.

The individuals here who do take issue with this series being released here or even existing for that matter have the ability to vote with their wallets; don’t buy this series and thus you won’t be supporting it, however; the thing to remember is that I get a vote too.

@danpmss

I must agree with that. I don't like ecchi shows in general, but there's one that I actually enjoyed for its anti aspects. School Days, anyone?

Last edited by COREY2293 on Wed May 18, 2016 8:18 pm; edited 1 time in total

i did enjoy it... i just went though some ecchi harem phase recently because i had never watched those anime before. i watched DxD, maken ki, shinmai maou no testament (this is really just hentai haha) and sekirei. my favorite was sekirei and my least favorite was maken ki

i feel like maken ki had good ideas but they really didn't take them anywhere. they should have had more duels and they should have added more action. it was good when you forgot about what the plot is meant to be about but when you get reminded of all the plot points that are going no where you start to get annoyed.

the male MC was a lot better in season 2 too. and looked better. he had a terrible design in season 1. season 2 focused more on all the characters which i liked.

they should have given it a better ending though. the last episode felt like it should have been a mid season episode. it should have ended with takeru and haruko since they were the main characters. its definitely not worse then the tacked on season 1 ending though.

overall i would give the whole anime a 6/10. i probably wouldnt recommend it. out of the ecchi/harem series i listed earlier i would have this one last.

danpmss wrote:

Rederoin wrote:

danpmss wrote:

As Key said, there are good fanservice shows that are actually enjoyable guilty pleasures, but most of them are not that (they are just a huge copy and paste with overall terrible quality of content).

I get it, all ecchi shows should all be the way you guys want them to be.

Naturally, since we all have valid criticism justifying why it shouldn't be that way (refer to the comment in this thread comparing the first season, which was already bad, with this second one, disastrous)

Yes, agreed, your opinions are facts.

Rederoin wrote:

danpmss wrote:

Rederoin wrote:

danpmss wrote:

As Key said, there are good fanservice shows that are actually enjoyable guilty pleasures, but most of them are not that (they are just a huge copy and paste with overall terrible quality of content).

I get it, all ecchi shows should all be the way you guys want them to be.

Naturally, since we all have valid criticism justifying why it shouldn't be that way (refer to the comment in this thread comparing the first season, which was already bad, with this second one, disastrous)

Yes, agreed, your opinions are facts.

I'm glad you understand common sense (objectiveness in the arguments about the quality of something is not uncommon, as our points are not baseless). One could argue comedy is always a subjective matter (made out of many different opinions about it, which is why there's no such things as an objectively good/bad comedy, as anyone could find it funny in a way), but the same don't goes said for anything with an actual story that can be analysed in depth by its elements.

Huh, weird. I guess I'm one of the very few that really likes Maken-ki. I just re-watched the first season in preparation for season 2, so they're both fresh on my mind. What story there is in season 1 is intriguing and it's a shame season 2 forgoes continuing that, but I gotta say, I think Maken-ki Two is the better show. Even though there's no story, it's funnier, has better visuals, has better animation, and has better fanservice — fanservice that even pushes some boundaries — and that was substantial enough to elevate it above the first season for me.

I just think Maken-ki is a lot of fun. With Kadokawa buying into Yen Press, hopefully that increases the chances of the manga being brought over.

danpmss wrote:

I'm glad you understand common sense (objectiveness in the arguments about the quality of something is not uncommon, as our points are not baseless). One could argue comedy is always a subjective matter (made out of many different opinions about it, which is why there's no such things as an objectively good/bad comedy, as anyone could find it funny in a way), but the same don't goes said for anything with an actual story that can be analysed in depth by its elements.

Oh yes, I completely understand that entertainment is completely objective. Which explains all the people who bought the overpriced BDs, they just like buying shit.

Crazy Japanese, eh?

Rederoin wrote:

danpmss wrote:

I'm glad you understand common sense (objectiveness in the arguments about the quality of something is not uncommon, as our points are not baseless). One could argue comedy is always a subjective matter (made out of many different opinions about it, which is why there's no such things as an objectively good/bad comedy, as anyone could find it funny in a way), but the same don't goes said for anything with an actual story that can be analysed in depth by its elements.

Oh yes, I completely understand that entertainment is completely objective. Which explains all the people who bought the overpriced BDs, they just like buying shit.

Crazy Japanese, eh?

Of course, there are stories that are so bad that they are good for being bad. This isn't the case here, the only a small ammount of people that would actually like this kind of thing, even in Japan, since it IS bad, pointing out all of its elements (like, let's dedicate a whole episode for learning the alphabeth of cups with boobs on all sizes, that's quality content right there, not even insults the intelligence of the viewer like a blatant deus ex machina in Fairy Tail).

There are fans of Adam Sandler's movies, even though most of them are bad, so go figure (I did said one could ARGUE about if what entertains or not the public can't be analysed objectively).

There are always some 3000 overpriced blu-rays sold in the whole country, bought by some hardcore guys of the 18-30k fans who support the manga each year. And that basically only pays the cost of production (not that the manga sales are anything extraordinary either, if the popularity indicates any of the quality -as you were implying by people buying a bunch of overpriced blu-rays-).

But hey, Infinite Stratos is even worse in its own terms, and sells like hotcakes, so, I don't think people buying overpriced blu-rays are actually a good counter-argument about the decisively bad content in an anime/manga/novel (Oyasumi Punpun had more or less the same numbers of Maken-ki, as an example).

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