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Reviews for Major S2

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I
IcehawkDown

over 16 years ago

10

In many ways, this review is pointless. I have almost no doubt in my mind that anyone who watched all of Major Season 1 will watch Major Season 2, whether I say it's great or terrible. But, just allow me to reassure you, Major Season 2 is as good as it gets. I rated Major Season 1 a 9/10. It was exciting, but it had a few things holding it back. The first half of the season didn't have that much in terms of baseball games, there was a lot of romance subplots that were tough to care too much about. And, it was kind ofridiculous to see little leaguers practically playing like pros.

Major Season 2 comes in and fixes just about everything that was wrong with Season 1. First off, the show has baseball games right from the start. There's only a few episodes of building up to the big games, they get right into it, which is awesome. In keeping with the theme of more baseball, all the subplots this time around revolve around baseball as well. There isn't any silly parent/kid drama like last time. No romance subplots. The entire plot revolves around what the anime is supposed to be about.

Also, the games seemed a little less ridiculous this time. I mean, there's still some crazy plays. But the fact that they are in high school now, and not a bunch of little shrimps made it so my immersion wasn't ruined by it this time around.

I think the plot is a lot more interesting and innovative this time around as well. Season 1 was your standard story of a boy wanting his team to become the best. This time around, the story revolves around high school powerhouse Kaido, and Goro's interactions with them. There are some surprisingly good plot twists, and I found the story to be a nice breath of fresh air.

The art and sound are once again great. I thought they did a good job drawing the older versions of everyone from season 1, the music is good once again.

Overall, if you watched Major Season 1, you probably liked it, and I have no doubt you will like season 2 as well.

65
Recommended
k
kitten320

over 13 years ago

6

Writing review for other seasons is a bit pointless but I really feel like talking about it. I'll try to keep it short and straight to the point. I really liked season 1 as well as the movie but this season I found quiet annoying and the main reason for that is Goro himself. As you know he is a determined and stubborn guy who does deserve some admiration. However this time it was brought to whole new levels which I did not appreciate. One good thing is that Goro learned not to bash his team mates when they miss the ball but did it makehim a good team mate? No.

He still is as self centered as usual if not more. It's all about him! "I'm this this, I'm that and all of you are trash." though it was put in a much nicer way. He never gives mound to anyone and gets totally irritated when things don't go his way "Put me on the mound, put me!". Yes, he does have better skills than some others but you don't have to rub it in their face! If you are that confident in yourself then make up for their minuses later on instead of glaring daggers at them and taking fun away from them! With his logic you don't even need other pitchers in the team! If he doesn't change his way, I'll be surprised if other pitchers won't try to quit from the team.

Another annoying thing is that he never learns! He broke his right shoulder and do you think it made him realize something? Nope! He still pushes himself like before, not giving a damn about future. he is so stuck up in present that it makes you wish that he would break his left shoulder too so he could finally learn the lesson! There is a thin line between being cool and an idiot and he usually goes onto the side of idiots.

Again, once it comes to fight for the dreams guess whose dreams come true all the time? Being MC sure is a blessing, too bad none of us is one in real life.

There were also barely any games this season, I mean game variation. Because one game managed to last for 5-6 episodes! And there were 2 games like that! All together it's already almost half of the season! Where is some kind of variation?!

Most of new characters were plain and barely looked fun, the designs became quiet lame too.

However, what I really loved in this season was the whole training arc on the island. It brought in more depth to the series as well as realism. Besides it is good to see what kind of exercises are there. Actually the whole examination process was fun with all the tests.Also we learned few more techniques and names for them.

Over all I'm left disappointed. Was thinking about mark 7 but I guess I'll stop on mark 6... I honestly hope that next seasons will be more exciting with some interesting characters and that it won't be Goro centered. I know that he is the MC but it doesn't mean that he has to be mister invincible whose dreams always come true and who always gets it his way. Just because you train all the time and are a prodigy, doesn't get you away from the injuries, loses and troubles.

Feel free to disagree with me but that's my opinion. Goro needs to get off his high horse.

44
Mixed Feelings
n
nmo69

over 9 years ago

5

I dropped this one 11 episodes in after loving the first season i felt the story line betrayed goros charater tooo much with the plot turns going towards a pathetic future version of goro, i decidedto just read epi summarys for the rest and skip to S3... i have watched quite a few sports anime, although i haven't been on the site long so i dont have list, but the middle of this season seams to be an endorsement for programs that arnt for everyone. and my impression of goro from the first season through to the first half of this season suggested his baseball andhis character traits are not a match.

to me goro became a emo coward who really didn't deserve to be the main character after this point (epi 11). since i loved season one im still going to try giving season three a chance but season 2 is dead to me. just a bad dream.

7
Preliminary
Mixed Feelings
Preliminary
k
kiman00

over 9 years ago

10

This is the best season for your inner child that loves to watch overpowered characters and one of the best in terms of rewatch-ability. The Good: -The soundtrack and art are amazing as per usual -This season dives deeper into the relationship between Sato and Goro, as well as introducing many important and likeable characters to the series -Goro is very strong this season, however, his strength does not become annoying -More focused on the baseball and not the plot, so it is rewatchable and fun The Bad: -There isn't much emphasis on the plot for the series as a whole (the story is still fun)I loved this season, hope you watch it :)

6
Recommended
U
User-Name

over 5 years ago

8

The minute I started to watch the 2nd season of Major that goes to the second arc of the anime, I started to fall in love again with the anime - the sport, the characters and the development, everything stayed in the same place the 1st season left it, I actually found the 2nd more connected after watching the movie but it's not necessary unless you really love Major, so what could be a problem in the 2nd season? The problem is not the 2nd season actually has a down point, it's not the fact that the slice of life genre isn't here, there isn't reallysomething wrong with the story either or in Goro (though he has issues of his own, he's our Goro after all), the problem is that the 2nd season doesn't try in any way or wants to be the 1st or even be an average sports anime, not to say it's worse or bad, but it's lack of two things that makes a sports anime tick: climax, the reason for that is that though the 2nd season presented as a separated episodes from 1st it doesn't live for it's own, to make it clear I will call this season "The Build Up season".

As it sounds, the series from the mere start until the end of it has entirely purpose not to make Goro going to beat some freaking powerfull team but to simply make himself being Goro and be the best for beating Kaido, how he does that? train! and then what? more train! Does he get some major win in this season? no. in other words as you see, the season not consecrate at Goro being the best, actually, he is, but he doesn't do with it nothing in the end, he indeed plays a "grand" game at the end, but it's not for this season nor for it's story, it's for the next.

as people might guess, yes, the 2nd season covering (most in the second part of the season) the training arc in the major anime, apart from the first part ('till episode 13) Goro goes to make himself kami... hem, great baseball trainer, is it must watch? of course, though to be training, it's still important part in making Goro what he is supposed to be ... in the next season.

that's not to say the 2nd season is bad, it just the feeling along the season isn't the same as the 1st one, the slice of life genre may not presented much, but it's still Major, and it's great, fun, exciting and intense.

Story - 8

As I said above, the story in the 2nd season is divided by 2 parts that are also 2 arcs - the middle school arc (that started with the movie though to be filler) and the high school arc that will continued to the next season.

The middle school arc is actually makes comeback of the characters from the 1st season, good and all, Goro once again going in the way to become a pro baseball player with the baseball club, like any other anime sport there's some obstacles and interesting stories, but most of the baseball are fast forward to lead to the next big target of Goro shaped in the way of Kaido, powerfull baseball team, maybe the best, leading Goro to actually a great twist.

Now, don't get me wrong, the middle school arc was fun, we get to see a good baseball team and good games, but nothing catch my eye, though Goro as usual goes with his team to break through his obstacles and confronting the challenge, the "felling" of the arc not was the same, when I watched it I kept asking myself - why they made this arc feeling like this?

The answer turned out to be in the second arc, which I'm not going to expand since it's already a huge spoiler, but I will say this - there isn't much of a story, well, there is a story, but it's really a sports genre one, if the 1st season won my heart with good slice of life story, here it's only sport, it's not bad but also not remarkable, there's really an important and crucial part here on Goro's growing, there are also some good characters' stories, but nothing beyond that.

With this I will return to say what I said earlier - there's not a real big climax here, the anime pretty much going in the straight way to leave the big climax for the next season, though it's not bad, if we separate the season from the previous or the next, this season is only build up, and it's not that good.

don't get me wrong though, it's not making this season less exciting, tense or interesting, it's the same major, it's just have different lead.

however, if there's something that made this season a better season from the 1st one, it's the characters, and I'm not talking only about the comeback of some characters as Shimizu, Komori or other new characters, but Toshi.

Characters - 9

Toshi doesn't have a small role in this part but a major and influencing one, he's promoted to main role here and in the high school arc he changes the whole flow of the story, there's actually full episodes only about him and Goro, if in the 1st episodes Komori was the side by side character for Goro, Toshi takes his place and taking it to another different place and it's great to see him developed this season.

the big problem is Goro, we know him already from the 1st season to be arrogant and shounen type character, the problem is that then we loved him, here all what made us love him is gone and he is acting like a total baka and it getting worse from each episode, though I accepted his behaviour at some point, it's still annoying, only at the end he reminds us why to still love him.

And there's again, a lot bunch of characters who are important, there's Komori and other good characters at the start, but the other though fully introduced, not developed much, mostly because they are gonna get replaced, and their replacement get the same attitude, though usually it would be bad here I really didn't care since the whole season is to develop Goro, when needed they developed them well and made them shine.

through all that, if there was something that I missed a lot is Momoko and Shigeno that being pretty plane here, it seems that they also forget Sawamura, and though to have a lot of screen time, Shizumu is still my favourite character, and I wanted to see more of here.

Art - 7

Little disappointing, but the art didn't improve much, the art is still plain and simple and except the main characters the other don't have much details and some of the "inventions" really annoyed me, I'm not talking about shape and stuff but really creepy faces and eyes, not to talk about that some characters seem to be a lot like another old one only with a slight change. anyway, though to be most unchanged it's still good.

the animation also not touched much from the 1st, maybe after the movie I felt like it's old school, but it still made the work well.

the backgrounds on the other hand I can't judge, not because it's bad but because the quality I had (tv rip), but from what it seems, it didn't change much and mostly realistic, though problems I had with some of it hasn't fixed.

Sound - 9

Believe it or not, the OST actually improved a lot, though most of the good soundtrack saved for the crucial dramatic parts, when it's on I felt it completely made the scene and enjoyed the excitement in the air.

It took me a while, but the opening theme really makes a good song for Major, though I still think that the theme for the 1st is better, it made the work well to fit into the Major series.

About the ending themes, I will be honest that I haven't found them special, I think the second ending theme was better but didn't found it lies in my heart entirely, don't get me wrong, they were good, but not too memorable to stand out.

Enjoyment/Overall - 9/8

When I summarise things up, I actually find that the 2nd season is much enjoyable than the 1st, not because the 1st is not, but because it has what a sports anime needs, but it still not makes it better, the season doesn't live up for it's own and don't be afraid to feel like it.

But it doesn't really matter, if you enjoyed the 1st of Major you will enjoy the 2nd too, just don't expept too much.

3
Recommended