Opening Songs
OP 1 - Paint Out The Jet Black (Iori Nomizu)
Ending Songs
ED 1 - I Am Inside Of You (Coffin Princess)
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance
Episodes: 10
So, "Hitsugi No Chaika" was one of my more enjoyed shows in 2014. The way it ended foreshadowed that there was more to come, and indeed there was, since a 2nd season aired not too long after in the exact same year. Ladies and gentlemen, I present "Hitsugi No Chaika Avenging Battle", the sequel to the original, and also the conclusion to the series. After an excellent season 1 that left up a lot of potential for the show to become one of the best adventure animes in a long, LONG time...we got this. "Avenging Battle", while a great follow up to the original "Hitsugi No Chaika", concluded the series in the most abrupt, lazy and non-analytically way it could ever have, period. Still, "Avenging Battle" is NOT A BAD SERIES, do not let ANYONE tell you otherwise. While some of the hate that it received was justified, the series was still otherwise, a fun and generally enjoyable ride with more ups than downs, much like its predecessor.
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| More Red Chaika is always welcome. |
Like before, the theme songs used in the 2nd season of "Chaika" are generally pretty damn good. "Paint Out The Jet Black" is the opening theme, and once again, its by Iori Nomizu. Of course, its great, that much I already expected after listening to the first 10 seconds of the song. Much like "DARAKENA" it packs a whole lot of punch, possibly even more this time around, as its speedy flourishes and epic, powerful guitars hit your eardrums like no other. The ending theme, "I Am Inside Of You" by Coffin Princess, is no sleeper as well. While the song name might give wrong ideas, the song itself isn't quite as weak as you'd imagine for an ending theme.
Rating: 7.5/10
Its more of what we all loved in season 1, that much I can tell you. If you enjoyed the original "Hitsugi No Chaika", then "Avenging Battle" should be fairly fun for you to watch as well. BUT, of course, the ending wasn't done well, not at all. In fact, I can safely say that it was horrible. The outcome of the ENTIRE series wasn't all that bad, its just that the way that the ending was portrayed...it was so abrupt. Abrupt is an understatement...its just downright lazy. There was so much to elaborate at the end and they decided to just wing it...not cool man, not cool. Besides the ending though, everything else was pretty much the same. The story took for a more intensive and darker turn, making it more interesting as the episodes progressed. The fight scenes were as good as ever, and synergy between characters was better than before. Character progression and development was GOOD, except for 1 character whose name I shall not speak (she's just a weird one overall).
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| Time for more 3 man battles! |
The story continues right after the ending of the original. Toru, Akari and Chaika continue to travel the land searching for Emperor Gaz's remains. Their search brings them to Claudia, one of the 8 heroes of the past that took part in slaying Arthur Gaz. Claudia runs a winery, and while she lives a peaceful life, she won't willingly give up the remains that she has in her possession without a fight. She challenges the 3 of them to a battle, and while Toru and Akari fought their hardest, Chaika could not defeat Claudia on her own. Being the nice hero that she is, she gives Chaika and her companions time to rest at her residence, thinking of a strategy to defeat her. The 3 work together to take her down the next day, and Chaika gets her remains, while Claudia gives them advice about what to come. Meanwhile, the red Chaika and her crew have been going around hunting for their share of remains as well. For sure though, Chaika, Toru and Akari have seen better days.
"Avenging Battle" does its job as a sequel, but its ending doesn't do the entire series justice as a whole. I'd like to see an OVA after story of sorts to at least know what happened to our heroes that we've grown so attached to. What we got...wasn't substantial, not at all. "Hitsugi No Chaika" as a complete experience is still one of my favorite things in 2014, but I can say for sure that its ending NEEDS to be elaborated upon, badly.
Peace.
