AKA: 夏のあらし!春夏冬中 (Japanese), Natsu no Arashi! 2

Genre: Supernatural comedy/drama

Length: Television series, 13 episodes, 23 minutes each

Distributor: Currently available and streaming at crunchyroll.

Content Rating: 13+ (slapstick violence, animated blood, suggestive themes)

Related Series: Natsu no Arashi!

Also Recommended: Same as before: Kimagure Orange Road, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and Yokohama Shopping Trip.

Notes: Sequel to the 2008 anime series Natsu no Arashi!. Like the original, it's based on the manga by Jin Kobayashi, which recently ended its run in Montlhy Gangan Joker.

Rating:

Natsu no Arashi! Akanai-chuu

Synopsis

Directly continuing from season one, the workers at Hakobune continue on their usual routine through more of the summer. However, this time around more secrets will be revealed to the other cast members..

Review

This review requires the viewer to have knowledge of season one. To avoid spoilers, please refrain from reading this review unless you've seen a decent chunk of season one.

Hello! Yes you, my fellow viewer,
For this review I tried something newer.

As you see, this review is in rhyme.
It's a concept I've had for a fairly long time.

So you're probably wondering the most: where will he start?
And will he rip this show completely apart?

In my review of season one,
I said Natsu no Arashi! was a lot of fun,
But now as I look at season two,
I start to feel a little blue.

The sequel series feels watered down,
And the animation budget has gone way down,
The time travel gimmick is a lot less fun,
And even the final episode retreads season one.

Now don't get me wrong, I still like this show,
But there a few things that needed to go.
Chief among them, to give it a whirl,
Would be our gender-protecting little girl.
Yes siree, I'm talking about Jun,
Whose increased screen time is not a boon.
In fact, the longer the season stretched,
The more I grew tired of this wretched
Girl who caused poor Hajime
Hell, no doubt making her day.
She's weak, she's whiny, and an all-around pain,
And four episodes on her has no gain
On character development. Far from it.
Instead, it caused my interest to plummet
In this sequel series to fall down below.
When she came on-screen, I wanted to go
And stop watching this show. And that's no lie.
Her voice acting is shrill like a rabbit's cry.
Chiaki Omigawa, you really can't act.
And fan service featuring her made me want to smack
The writers: she's thirteen, for goodness sake!
More screen time for her was, as a whole, a mistake.

But even ignoring that underage bitch,
There are some changes that just made me wish
What the writers thought up as they made them.
Because looking back on their ideas is how I will grade them.

Beach episodes, magical girl parodies, and time traveling,
More often or not, it's the same old thing.
Only the gimmick in each episode seems to change
While mot of the jokes are just re-arranged
Versions of jokes from season one, oh joy!
Especially the ones with Kanako and Yayoi.
Books, movies, dishes - whatever they said
Was met to me with a face palm to the head.
And now this time they have another joke:
Screwing up the orders of Hideo (the poor bloke).
It's mostly gag jokes through and through
With exceptions like the end of episode 2.
The characters this time are virtually the same,
Which I am glad for, as additions are lame
In series that go into their second season
I'm glad that aren't new ones for this reason.

I'm happy to announce that there is good news:
The episodes Lonely Tropical Fish and Showa Blues.
Respectively episodes 9 and 10,
We see the gang finally traveling again
To the 1940s, the only time this season,
And they end up doing so for a very good reason.
We finally see more of Arashi's past.
Compared to most of the season, it's a real blast.
In my opinion, the series always shined
When Hajime and Arashi were on its mind.
Most of the cast are only passable at best -
These two stand up above the rest.
Unfortunately, they had to add
The "Do I like her or not?" scenario, which is as bad
As it sounds, and drags on for far too long.
Resulted at the end of the arc a new song.
Hajime seems more perverted as well.
Did they get new writers? I mean, what the hell?
Arashi seems meaner this time, too.
Argh. Screwing them up made me feel blue.

I know this series sold like crap
But SHAFT, you could've at least tried to wrap
The series up with somewhat expertise.
Because this series didn't even fly with the Japanese.
I doubt there will be a season three
(To tell you the truth - I hope there won't be.)
I was honestly hoping for more of the fun
That made me enjoy season number one.
And while sometimes the fun would reappear,
The message I got was crystal clear.
When it comes to this, believe me, I'm far alone -
A lot of the manga's fans did also moan
At the changes SHAFT made in numero dos
Annoying the series' biggest fans the most.
(If the manga eventually comes out in the U.S.
I might check out, but it's not a clear yes.)

For those that liked Natsu no Arashi!,
You might like this too. (Though no guarantee.)
While I don't find it necessarily a bad show,
I have to admit my standards were low
For me for this series its entire run.
Sorry, but trip two was just not as much fun.

I wanted to like season two, I truly did. But I docked off a star, thanks to one annoying kid. — Tim Jones

Recommended Audience: here's notably more fan service in this season, including some of Jun! Teenagers and up only. Unlike season one, there are no World War II flashbacks of any sort. (They go back to the 1940s again, but sans war.) There is blood in episode 10, though.