The Familiar of Zero: Knight of the Twin Moons

moozooh★ 6

I suppose it's inevitable that Futatsuki no Kishi, being a second season of Zero no Tsukaima, will be compared to the first in one way or another, especially since it's pointless to start the series here, but I'll try to appraise its own merits as well. As implied by the ending of the first season, FnK is a direct continuation of the story. Several new characters are introduced almost immediately, and, while I don't have anything against them, I'd like to point out that they (most notably Agnes) take up quite an amount of screen time with their own subplots, leaving less for the overall story.Thankfully, they aren't dragged out for too long. Particularly refreshing is the noticeable advance in Saito and Louise's relationship, during which several important questions are raised and decisions are made. The animation is done on a fairly high level for the time, although it's not anything outstanding: characters still talk out one side of their face and all that, many scenes lack smoothness—just like in the first season, all things considered. Some scenes, particularly those of burning villages, are pretty nicely done. (I swear I'm not a sociopath!) The sound work borrows most themes from the first season. They're fine for what they are but still come off a little generic. New opening and ending are somewhat enjoyable, definitely more so than those of the first season IMO. As for the characters, the previously known Academy residents (Kirche, Tabitha, Guiche, etc.) have much less screen time. Not sure if I like that; personally, I'd prefer to see them some more. New characters are passable, if a bit queer-looking. Siesta is still there, being apparently dumber than previously. Yes, everything has to be sacrificed for the sake of fan service. (sigh) On that note, what is particularly annoying about FnK is that fan service has increased in quantity, but definitely not in quality. Saito's obsession with boobs might've been funny at first, but the obviously contrived situations become old very quickly. You might not even notice it at first, but by the last episode it will come screaming in your face. Then again, the finale itself is too silly, anyway. All in all, with FnK Zero no Tsukaima keeps being a good addition to your collection as long as you enjoy fantasy harem comedies with a questionably high amount of hit-and-miss fan service. Many will laugh, some might even tear up; overall I think the second season is almost as enjoyable as the first, barring the certain cheesiness and an overall drop in the quality of the comedy. However, it might leave something to be desired when it comes to the story progression, so I sincerely hope they won't drag it out for too long. Any further decrease in pace coupled with an increase in fan service could easily ruin the show. (Editing this paragraph from the future: It did ruin the show.)

jet2r0cks★ 7

5 WORDS OR LESS REVIEW: Needs a third season As a whole, Zero no Tsukaima’s first season seems better than the second season. If I didn’t like the first season, then that would mean that I probably wouldn’t like the second season, right? Then how come I like the second season more than the first? Read on and I’ll tell you why. The story obviously needed work. I think the problem was that they tried to fit in many different storylines at a time. There was Saito and Louise’s relationship, the ongoing war with Albion and there was Anies’ story too. Each story would have been potentiallybetter as stand alones, especially Anies’ story, but a combination of the three isn’t such a good idea. All three at once can be too much, maybe one or two at a time would’ve been better. Furthermore, I’m really getting tired of the Louise and Saito’s love hate comedy act. It became so predictable – Saito does something that displeases Louise (usually looking at other girls), Louise brings out her whip, screams “You damned dog!” and beats Saito up. It’s been like that since the first season. The only improvement is that both are more aware of their status, that Louise is a noble while Saito is a plain commoner, which is why they’re still not official as a couple. I’m a little disappointed that there was less screen time for the characters from the first season. I’m sure a lot of Zero no Tsukaima fans were disappointed to see less of Kirche, Tabitha and Guiche. A good side effect from that was more exposure for Henrietta - She was barely seen in the first season so I didn’t like her back then, but the second season showed a different side of her which made me like her more. I also like the new characters, Anies and Julio. Anies has such a cool personality and background, while Julio is such a hottie. He is so much better than Guiche. Visually, it looks the same as the first season - same colors, same backgrounds. However, I do think the character design looks different. I think the character designs look more crisp, but at the same time, the drawing became more inconsistent. I’m especially glad that there was less fanservice, or rather, more tolerable fanservice in the second season. Another aspect that didn’t change is the voice acting. I’m glad it didn’t change at all since a lot of my favorite and famous voice actors can be found in the cast list. Rie Kugimiya (Al in Fullmetal Alchemist, Shana in Shakugan no Shana) and Satoshi Hino (Yuuji in Shakugan no Shana, Kouichi in Kimikiss) are still Louise and Saito. There’s also Ayako Kawasumi (Ruriko in Gate Keepers, Ohno in Genshiken) as Henrietta, Yui Horie (Eri in School Rumble, Hanyuu in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai) as Siesta and Takahiro Sakurai (Shun in Gatekeepers, Cloud in Final Fantasy: Advent Children) as Guiche. I also like the music. In fact, I think the music is better this time around. In the first season, the songs were too cutesy, but in the second season, the songs were more striking and had better quality. I really like “I say yes” by Ichiko, which is the OP. It’s so different from all the other Ichiko songs I’ve heard. I think it has more power and emotion to it, which makes it so special. Despite of its many shortcomings, I still like it better than the first season. I thought it was more funny and entertaining, I like the new characters, and I’m especially glad that there was less fanservice this time around. However, the main reason why I like the second season more than the first is potential. I thought the second season had more potential than the first, and I want to see that potential in a third season.