Daydream Sanctuary Features

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Bloody Monday 2: Pandora's Box - Last Time They Saved Japan, This Time They'll Save the World!


Bloody Monday Season 2 - Zetsubou no Kou
By RYUUMON Ryou & MEGUMI Kouji
Minami: It's been two years, but a new group of terrorists are bringing trouble to the country. Fujimaru, we need your hacking skills again.
Fujimaru: I would love to assist in Third-i again but.... I don't do hacking anymore.

SETTING:
Contemporary. Japan.
ELEMENTS:
Terrorism. Hijacking. Russia. Nuclear Threat. Hacking. Agent. Spy.
GENRE:
Sci-Fi. Psychological. Action. Romance.
DEMOGRAPHIC:
Seinen-ish Shounen.
RATING:
A- (AMAZING!)

FAVORITISM:
4.5 Hearts ---> ADDICTION

The first season was fantastic.... and this sequel does not disappoint!

This season was set two years after the end of the prequel... and the time interval hadn't been a waste. I mean, the characters didn't just look older, they have grown! They became more matured, emotionally and mentally.

There were some scenes that felt like the mangaka ran out of ideas and thought of repeating the events over again. But when you see the outcomes, it appears more like those "repetitions" were just used for the sake of showing that the characters won't be acting or commiting the same mistake like they did before.


This sequels shows us that they've learned from the previous season, and now know better. Like when Fujimaru's loved one is used as a hostage (again) for instance: He would instantly panic, give in, then only think of what to do to get back later; this time, however, he'll act like he has given in, but secretly he has already formulated a plan for him to get back at the enemy... (sometimes he won't even need to actually give in to the enemy's demands at all).

Thankfully there aren't much amateurs involved in this world saving mission. It's also nice that this sequel has given more emphasis on how amazing the spies and agents are (previous season focused more on Kimimaro's hacking, his friends' fighting power, and his rival's intelligence).


(INCEPTION x Bloody Monday? I freakin' love the Inception movie. Mangaka here have taste~ Whee~)

I love the genre mix in this sequel much more than the prequel~ The mangaka really know the timing on when to put the comedic scenes, hehe. There's more romance here, by the way, and it doesn't matter if it's a little cheesy... I find them very sweet and romantic~ And the drama here is more heartbreaking (*hint*death-of-a-family-member*hint*) yet the mangaka didn't spend too much chapters of the main character going angsty.

My three top reasons for liking this series has not changed on this sequel. The characters are still imperfect; even the antagonists could win; and each chapter has been so thrilling with its nonstop twists!

But I admit that there are also several things which didn't make this sequel that impressive.

Firstly, this sequel is like anti-politicians. Oh come on, why are they making most of the politicians in this series either pathetic or cruel. It's pretty biased to America as well... there hadn't been a decent American agent or official featured.


The opponents this time haven't been as challenging as the previous season's either. The recurring villain, Orihara Maya, is much more impressive compare to the new villains. Bias aside, the villains in the previous season are more interesting... and challenging... compare to this season's.

Lastly, I don't see the point of ending this sequel with a cliffhanger. The previous season ended with the main conflict resolved, so why do differently for this one? The problem with the Pandora's Box is not yet over, so why not finish this season until the main plot has really ended? Or is it just for the sake of making this series a trilogy? That's stupid.

Nevertheless, even if there are things that made it less impressive than the previous season, it still managed to do a number of improvements. It's true that it still possesses some of the flaws of the prequel though, but overall it's still just as awesome. Bloody Monday 2 has also been exciting to read, I highly look forward to the last season!