It happened, Netflix and the TMS studio finally provided us with the latest season of "Baki". After seeing the trailer, I was full of emotions, mainly those that most people would describe as positive. It was also partly uncertainty and doubt - I wondered if this season would be so good and whether Netflix showed us only these good scenes (or TMS, depending on who edited the preview). After the screening and a few days break to approach the assessment cold, I can say with 100% certainty that they have done at least a good job. There were one or two episodes that I could easily rate at least 9/10, most did not fall below 7/10, only the final one was really disappointing. His weakness, however, was not due to the content, and mainly the location in this particular place. Maybe I am wrong, but I assume that if this episode was posted as the second to last, the viewers' opinions would be even more flattering. It wouldn't make him suddenly more attractive or less boring, but I bet fewer people would complain. We have two possible choices, such as during a date or the possibility of choosing items in the game. Both solutions may not satisfy us, but we will start to see more advantages on the principle "Well, maybe XXX is not so perfect, but it has advantages that YYY does not have."
Well, but this is the final, let's start from the beginning, and there is something from which. The first episode is the powerful KILLER. Something like 126 "Hunter x Hunter" or other best episodes from individual anime. A brilliant script, brilliant lyrics, brilliant humor, brilliant animation, brilliant directing, brilliant pace of action, it's just a fucking work of art. The man got excited about the fight like Yujiro, he waited until he finally saw Ogre in action, and here the junior trolled him like Keisuke readers. This is such a successful joke on many levels (parody, mocking of anime patterns, playing on the nose of "Bakie" fans, Yujiro's reactions, generally very well written and presented situation) that it is impossible not to yell at the whole situation. At least I can't imagine how you can at least not laugh at seeing this scene. And this is only the beginning of the episode, then we get a real show of the strength of the strongest creature on Earth, how he breaks his face, his opponent, some old and very experienced martial arts master. Get used to it, because in the Raitai tournament there are plenty of scenes in which Keisuke Itagaki speaks with the narrator or player about a super-hard training that he had to survive to become a super-strong opponent. The tendency is that the sooner and more they brag, the faster and more effectively they will fall out of the arena, usually after a few blows.
The plot is not and has never been a strong point of "Baki". Ie. of course, you can see that the author knows how to write scripts, create characters, he can also do in-depth research (which can be seen on the example of martial arts, exercises, if we divide ourselves by 5 or even 10, what Keisuke Itagaki told us). The story can be anything because Keisuke is totally in her ass. As it should, without a blink of an eye changes the situation, introduces some Deus Ex Machina or another solution out of nowhere. I would sniff at the seriously created series, but since "Baki" has been like that from the beginning, I have no reason to complain. At most, it can piss me off, but does it make sense when you know what you're writing for? Not really. Keisuke Itagaki from the first chapter shows that his comic is an absurd rollercoaster that you can either buy or not - it all depends on your expectations. The plot in Season 2 is a typical tournament, which is one of the classic schemes for anime. You will not see anything new here (except humor, unusual finishers, absurdity, etc.), and there are far too few real fights. I liked it a lot, but I am a slut for tournaments and I knew what more or less I can expect. Although I confess, even towards the end of the fairy tale Keisuke Itagaki's approach to some matters began to slightly irritate.
As I said, although there are not many fights, the level of their performance as well as the level of line, animation, etc. all season, they went up a lot. This is not the level of very good anime, but the good ones already. I didn't have to squint my eyes at some flaws or pretend that the scene I had just seen did not look so bad. Or in other words, most anime have less polished scenes, sometimes more, sometimes less, but in the previous season it was the opposite. There sometimes appeared more refined scenes and the medium ones with an admixture of the weak dominated. If the next one reaches a similar level as the "Raitai Grand Tournament Saga", then a beautiful screening awaits us.
I started the latest "Baki" opening on quite good headphones (a gift I got in the UK, around 200-250 pounds, price from around 6 years ago) and damn how good it is. Earlier I complained that 3 is the weakest, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it. I don't know how I will remember it in a few years, but at the moment I am listening to it most enjoyably and I look forward to a 1-hour compilation on YT or the full version of the song. There is a good fart with Oliva, which I complained about at the beginning. Worthy of one of the most powerful beings in the "Bakie" universe. The rest of the soundtrack is ok. Apart from a few songs, like Love, about which in a moment, it is a good background for the watched actions. It turns up the pace of the action, intensifies the climate, sometimes it is well synchronized with video scenes. In the case of Love, it's different, it's a great song. The guitar sounds great in it, stimulates the best coffee, and suits some bad-ass moment. In addition, there are some familiar melodies from the previous season.
And when it comes to technical aspects of intros, almost all is great. Zero reasons to be ashamed of a series of shares that are created with the Japanese market in mind. This time, however, I'm talking about openings in the top league, and not budget mediums or fairy tales, which are mainly used to stuff the TV schedule. There are enough nice moments (Oliva mentioned above, every scene with Yujiro and the 140-year-old champion, Orochi Doppo and the other two from the end of the anime), the song has a vibe, it's easy catching, very good work from Granrodeo. I feel that this will be one of the best openings this year.
Similarly, it can be with the anime itself, which also has no reason to be ashamed of its colleagues. Thanks to the fact that the graphic design already maintains the appropriate level, the pros of the previous season become more visible. I am talking here about crazy storylines and voice actors, with particular attention to Yujiro Hanma, Orochi Doppo, and Oliva. Starting from the end, muscular black vel. Mr. Liberated has a very nice touch. I don't know the manga, but after I met him in the anime, then seiyuu Jirayi goes well with the relaxed muscular man. His duels at the Raitai tournament gave me a lot of fun. I love the calm and expressive voice of the Tiger Slayer, thanks to him I somehow survived the unsuccessful final episode. His conversations with Baki or Mohammed Jr. they were pleasant. However, Yujiro ... Every time I hear emotions speak through Akio Ohtsuka (anger, sadness, laughter), I feel wonderful! I have already seen 30 conversations between him and young Mohammed. I love his diabolical laughter and the moments when he provokes or encourages his opponent to slap him. I love moments when he gets carried away or there are scenes that overwhelmed him (Kaioh Kaku for a short while or Junior). Is he also really good at such ... motivating speech? I mean the scene at the end of the anime, accepting his son's challenge to a duel. The narrator also gave advice, probably one of the best choices available on the market.
Generally, I judge it lightly stretched 8/10 with a big heart, just like in the previous series.