Now, I knew from the bottom of my comfy bunny slippers that there was going to be a second season of this series. Currently called “Shidonia no Kishi: Daikyuu Wakusei Seneki” (“Knights of Sidonia: Battle for Planet Nine”), we continue the story of Nagate Tanikaze (on the right), his relationship with Izana Shinatose (on the left) and the arrival of new support and Best BFF Forever, Tsumugi Shiraui (in the middle).

A decision is made for Sidonia to venture to the Lem System, but this is being done for ulterior motives (can’t reveal too much, plot point. Gigantic plot point). The discovery of ‘ancient technology’ has allowed our band of fighters to create Tsumugi, a caliber of Gauna, but under control of Sidonia. The plan: go to the Gauna home base and destroy them once and for all. The story details all the machinations and struggles it takes to attempt such a tremendous and dangerous task.

The real centerpiece of the show is this odd relationship we see before us. Tsumugi is not much more than a child and is anxious to learn all that it can (it is genderless, but sounds feminine). With Tanikaze getting heaved out of the dorms, he has to find a place to live in the Residential Area, but with a way for Tsumugi to be allowed to visit (by using the pipe system that snakes around the city ship). We also explore more the emotional connection between Tanikaze and Shinatose. They may have even gone on a date, but you really can’t see it as such.

Since I saw the first season and have been venturing into CG anime, the artwork is not as jarring as it was, but there is still a lack of fluidity with movements and actions. I still feel that the artistic approach is/was done to show the rather soulless nature of this modern world. That ‘people’ here are merely tools or dogs or cannon fodder in the overall struggles against the Gauna. The needs of the one cannot trump the needs of the many. Any more platitudes I can heave in?

The fight sequences actually get tiresome. It is one of those situations where the main battlers fight and fight and fight and fight and fight and…you get the picture. They are just never able to land a telling blow to end all of this. The ending of this season left such a huge amount of unanswered questions that a third season needs to come around, to potentially resolve the issues raised in this run, but then create new issues to get resolved in that following season.

We do get a better sense of the world in which we have been placed, but with the hidden agenda out there, you are left confused as to overall goals. Perhaps it would have been better if we didn’t know of these things, but I might be a big whiner and complain about getting blindsided by events. But life works that way. You don’t get a voice message, saying “Hi, there; this is Life. I wanted to let you know that you are going to get disappointed. Soon. Catch you later.” Ah, well, the fight goes on.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork           5 (Very CG)
Plot                  8 (A lot of hidden agendas)
Pacing              7 (The fights get wearying)
Effectiveness   7 (Trying too hard to be all things)
Conclusion       6 (It reaches a ‘coupler’, but hasn’t ended)
Fan Service      1 (A similar show would be “Ouran High School”)

Overall            7 (Too many loose ends)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. We have done it!