After escaping certain death, Kei Nagai and his new companion Kou Nakano plot revenge on Satou, their fellow Ajin who is hellbent on world domination. As Satou embarks on a string of public executions, the human race rushes to come up with a solution to stop the immortal villain.
Kei discovers unlikely allies in the form of two former adversaries: high-ranking government official Yuu Tosaki, whose extensive research on Ajin gives him a tactical advantage in the fight against Satou, and Tosaki's Ajin assistant Izumi Shimomura. As his faction continues to gather allies, Kei races against time to put a stop to Satou's crusade before it brings about an end to civilization as he knows it.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Sterps
I'm one of those few who gave Ajin a chance while many were turned off because of the animation. I didn't really have any expectations at the beginning, but I was in for one hell of a ride. 8/10 story: The concept of becoming nonhuman and having to protect yourself has been done in animes like Tokyo Ghoul and Parasyte. In Ajin however, there are not just a simple 2 sides in the battle. There are more opponents and each group has different goals. 8/10 art: People hate the art/animation in Ajin, but honestly I had no problems with it. I got used to the animation when Ajinseason 1 episode 1 ended and it actually does fit the anime and its' suspensefulness.
8/10 sound:
I'm not a big fan of this season's opening in comparison to the first season's opening, but the sounds during the episodes fit the intense atmosphere that Ajin hooked me in with since season 1.
9/10 character:
I love everyone in Ajin and their complex personalities. Especially Satou, he's unpredictable and interesting to watch. (Satou is my favorite villain of 2016, right next to Kira from Jojo) Ajin is full of so many amazing characters that you find yourself not knowing who to root for. Everyone has different reasons/motives for their actions and it really makes you care for them.
8/10 Enjoyment:
It was so fun seeing everyones strategies and counterstrategies. It reminds me of a game of cat and mouse like Monster or Death Note. Speaking of Death Note, I haven't been hyped for a new episode like this for a long time. They both have me sitting on the edge of my seat due to excitement and makes me wonder what's going to happen next or how will the next battlefield play out. This show was one of the few shows from this season that made me come back each week to satisfy my anticipation.
8/10 overall:
A lot of people are missing out on this anime and I'm glad I'm not one of them. Make sure to watch this anime. Satou alone is worth the watch. Everything else is just sweet sweet icing on the cake. Enjoy the anime!
yukise
Think this review here is likely geared to watchers/readers of Ajin. It's the second season after all. I won't say much, you know already the main pulls/strengths of this work. I'm just here to comment on the pacing, direction, and creative differences the anime team has taken with s2. First and final episodes do not feel like an opening and ending, especially considering we're picking up where Kei and Kou left us initially. The first couple episodes in s2 settle us in for that, and once Kei and Kou are firmly established in the next structure/phase of the story it feels like nothing they do herereally matters/add to plot. SPOILER! Rinse and repeat, it's just Satou proceeding with his kill list and the protag team being useless in general. Perhaps the one takeaway would be Kei's convo with the professor, or budding friendship with one of the uncles. Other stuff they do okay, like the female Ajin's backstory but I swear if she calls "Kuro-chan!" for the nth time... (dont. just. dont.)
I'm not a reader of the manga but it seems fights in the manga version are longer, well thought out and more impressive in highlighted areas. S2 seems to be gunning for action as some have pointed out but it wasn't all that interesting either. Actions they take aren't completely out of left field, but a special concoction of bland bc it feels like "this is what would happen if the status quo was like this, but I'm not particularly invested in this universe." Yeah that's it, the production team doesn't feel involved in the mechanisms of this story. It's like okay, this is supposed to be a story of fighting for civil rights (portion of Ajins), a fun-loving lunatic (who is sane for all his craziness), governmental issues, Kei's human psyche (sorry i can't come up with better descriptions lol) but they don't delve, expand or circle too deeply around any of those. It's not like they're skimming the surface either, but just taking them when it, naturally, has to come without a specific direction in mind. Essentially another one of those, presenting a story because we have to present a story.
Now note the staff aren't necessarily incompetent or uncaring. Execution is good overall, but the idea wasn't, because they couldn't get into the idea in the first place. They could have cut half the episodes and s2 would still make sense, mainly bc Satou fulfilling his kill list and the American agents really didn't have anything to set for the overall meaning of the Ajin verse. (So like I mentioned I don't think the anime team's got a good handle of their understanding in the Ajin series.) Who knows tho maybe they just had to fulfill their episode quota. Though one doesn't even have to take a look at s2!Kei to know how horribly wrung he is here. Basically he's been converted into your generic shounen hero (whose actions follow only for plot) under the shell of his idiosyncratic personality. Don't have to mention how all over the place that gets.
The ending has to be the worst part of the season despite people liking how pumped it was. On its own, maybe. Barely. As the ending to the second season of Ajin the series... (chortles) It felt like anime staff was shouting in my ears "WE DON'T HAVE TIME AND WE NEED TO SET THIS UP FOR S3!!!!" Wasn't that what you saw? Tosaki resolving all their ongoing troubles that took most of 2 cours, with like 3 lines, quickly getting to the milestone that is 'defeating' Satou without understanding the usage of this mechanism in their universe, it was and had been difficult getting myself to finish s2 since the anime staff showed how they were gonna direct this: chess pieces in the palms of their hands. The king can't teleport to any space on the board, but they can tell the opposing soldier not to eat him in the next move. So yeah, logical as s2 was, it was irrational in a sense and the reason is simple. There's no direction for the story. Anime team has no idea why they're doing this, which is okay. Stick to the fucking original then.
But I heard one thing anime has done right is moments of curt humor, which I had thought originated from the manga. If so props to the anime side because the humor is gorgeous with all the surprisingly, inherently laid-back steadiness of the characters in Ajin. Like Kou yelling "I'm afraid of heights!!! Dying hurts!!" in his simplicity, cracked me up so bad in s1. But yeah I don't know if there's anything worth watching in s2 that you wouldn't be better off reading in the manga. Again the juvenile Ajin of the winged IBM probably had his dialogue taken word for word bc I can feel that profound, distinct Ajin verse characterization in him, but was completely forgettable the way he has been executed in s2. Kei's sister is as much a mess as him. Kai... should you bother even turning up in the story at this point? Anime team really needs to know where they're going with things if s3's coming up...
Kou... everybody... (props cheek grimly) I don't think I've seen a blander cast being executed, not bc their personalities are 2-dimensional (rich and 3-dimensional as a matter of fact) but that the team presenting you doesn't hold a prominent interest in your workings. It's almost like anime staff is doing a fucking report. You know when a series is derailing, just like in Kimi no Na wa's review I mentioned, is when you can't describe efficiently what the show's about. What's Ajin about at this point, stopping Satou? It's stooping to unbelievably generic levels of typical shounen fare if everybody hasn't noticed this about s2 already and even this is loosely based bc production team isn't letting it allude to that. In fact they aren't letting it allude to anything, and it's not on purpose which is what's so pathetic about the whole season.
The only good thing to have come out of this is my increased liking for Tosaki because, and I bet in the original, of all the characters I've seen in over 400 animes of my viewer life, easily tops the chart for dullest, mundane and most boring. Almost horrifyingly so. So much that I was pissed because what the hell is he doing in a show like Ajin? You know but come s2 and I begin to realize that's really just how he is. Kind of dumb and limited in his sight and when his boringness settled in (makes me wonder why I could accept Kou so quickly, and knowingly, for his idiotic simplicity and not Tosaki? maybe I was casting the shadow of greater things on him considering he's supposed to be smart) I'm like ahhh just like Kei, just like Kou, Tosaki is merely being Tosaki. You have no idea how much he and his Ajin subordinate annoyed me at the start though, all because I didn't categorize them like Kou right away. One thing Ajin does great is genuineness.
So overall, no please don't watch s2. Except for the car scene and the one before that with Kou being stupid (anime brilliance) in the pilot episode there's nothing else in for it, you're gonna be severely disappointed by s2!Kei, not even his reunion with Kai will be worth anything, definitely not the shotgun finale if you love Ajin with all your heart (SPOILER! uhh the professor just disappeared halfway, so is Kai and his new friend in India now, no "Kai-san!!!" spiels from the little sister?), were the American agents a filler arc actually I felt I was watching another anime all together... no, nothing you can't get from the manga from what I've gathered. Even soundtrack was rubbish.
lieznerf
Continuation of Ajin (TV 2016). Overall rating [8.6/10] Story [9/10] - The story continues after Nagai Kei made his escape out of the island along with the new character Kaito. I know I gave 8 for the story, but to be honest, Sakurai Gamon (the original writer of the story) made this series worth watching. Using immortality is so rejuvenating for most anime watchers. Effortlessly using modern society in pleasing ways. There were parts of the anime that I found fascinating, parts that were completely confusing, and parts that were downright irrelevant. Art [8/10] - The studio responsible for the animation, Polygon Pictures created a goodexample of CGI incorporation done right. But most people were turned off by this. I know a fair amount of them who don't want to give Ajin a chance, mainly because of the art style. The way the characters move is not smooth and clumsy most times.
Sound [8/10] - The opening and ending songs were good, but nothing else other than that.
Characters [8/10] - The main character is always indifferent about everything that goes around him. Although he started as a decent main character at the beginning of the story, at some point, he suddenly changed and started thinking logically at everything he does. It's not a bad thing I guess, but most people can't stand it. You always try to understand where he's coming from. But that's what I like about him.
Enjoyment [9/10]
bstt
No spoil in this review. The review is the same for both seasons. But the notation differs on only 2 points. The first season makes you discover a world where Ajin (immortal human) are maltreated by human. It's well done, not too long early, and understandable. At this moment, you can think that the moral of the story is that maltreating people only because they are different is bad (racism is bad, simple but true moral). A war is declared between Ajin and human. Exterminate people which don't like you isn't that much better than maltreating. Then you can think that you mustn't confuse with love, respect andfear, and the war will only create fear. The peace can be established but the result isn't good because of the use of a bad method.
These 2 axes of moral aren't developed at all. Why ?
Because the huge PROBLEM with this whole anime is the MAIN CHARACTER :
the main character is totally egocentric. For him, there is him, and the rest of the world. He said 3 times : "I just want to live peacefully my life". That clearly means "the humanity can die, I don't care if I can peacefully live my life".
There is no time where you appreciate the main character, because he isn't acting like a hero but like an ***hole. This kind of character can't pass a good moral (or it's totally artificial and even him doesn't respect it).
With all theses critics, why I give 7/10 to Ajin s1 and 5/10 for Ajin s2 ?
Because of the legendary fight present in the middle of the s1. This fight is a MUST SEE. Otherwise, there is no reason to continue to watch Ajin.
It's also because of the presence of the unpleasant secondary and useless characters. The second season is really less pleasant to watch.
For people who see the whole season 2, it's serious the end of the fight ?
TheSmilingShoujo
This series is about a race of immortal humans (ajin) that is persecuted by the human race, and how two polar perspectives on the issue arose from two different ajins, namely the protagonist (Nagai Kei) and the antagonist (Sato). One prefers to live in peace quietly and the other looks at the humans as an ugly species as a whole and desires to kill them for teh lulz. Visually, Ajin is not particularly appealing especially if you watch in resolutions any lower than 720p. But the story is captivating as it explores the ethical aspects of humanity laden with conspiracies and cover-ups. It is also actionpacked with battles against terrorism that keeps viewers in suspense. The battles are satisfying to watch as there is no clear cut on who will win and lose once it starts - ajins with their immortality vs humans with their resources. Both sides try to outsmart each other just like how people in real life fight a war.
Ajin is often compared inferiorly to Tokyo Ghoul but Ajin is the better series in my opinion in terms of suspense, plot, and theme. It is also more realistic in the sense that that's how it would probably turn out in the real world if ajins exist given the ugliness of human nature, with how governments of the world would inhumanely exploit ajins for their own benefits, which eventually leads to somebody rising up in vengeance; in this case, terrorism. I also prefer this series because it cuts off emo bullshits (something you see a lot in Tokyo Ghoul) and focuses on the issue of stopping Sato.
I like the character designs overall. All without the emo looks and you can tell the difference of characters from the faces rather than the hairs and costumes. The MC is not a typical protagonist who preaches about friendship and sunshine and rainbows, but instead a calculative selfish asshole. He doesn't look particularly handsome either, which I find really refreshing.
Overall 9/10 from me. Recommended for mature viewers.
MozillaFennekin
Ajin was just considered to be an average PS2 game when it launched. But this is different. This is Ajin 2, baby. This sequel completely eclipses the original. The technical improvements are incredible. The new features, the expanded story, the new abilities… I can’t believe how much content has been added despite the short development cycle! Ajin went from a passable experience with a promising concept to a complete thrill-ride. In the last game, most people complained about Kei being a really boring character to play as. He was as clueless as the player when it comes to actually using the IBM, and he was justkind of a piece of shit anyway. Most players sided with the villain, Satou, because he was a cool guy who actually knew what the fuck he was doing.
In this new game, they didn’t really make improvements to Kei’s playability. In fact, they’ve arguably gone backwards by making his IBM(s) even harder to control, with some sections of the game being literally unplayable on his side for dramatic effect. Although there are some moments when you can use him at his full power, where he can spam OP monsters and have them fight as much as you want, these sections come in very short bursts and are scattered too far and in-between.
But instead of improving Kei’s mechanics, Polygon Games made a bold decision by simply adding a new playable character--none other than Satou. This time, you get to play the villain and see Satou’s point of view. This mode is incredibly satisfying. Satou is a powerful character who has tons of combat options--firearms, close combat (he even has a hunter’s knife!), or just a good ‘ol IBM, Satou is incredibly versatile and rewards the player for trying new things. Even stealth missions are fun to play as Satou always remains the most dominant character--on Kei’s side, his allies end up doing a lot of the work.
And while I’m describing Satou as if he’s a super OP character, Ajin is actually a very balanced game. It’s not a matter of Satou having the strongest abilities, it’s about using the right abilities in the right way at the right time. If anything, Satou makes the game harder for players by setting up crazy challenges in the story, all because he himself is a player and wants the challenge. It’s actually a very clever fourth wall break that sends a message to gamers all around. “The harder the difficulty, the greater the satisfaction of clearing the level.” That was actual, in-game dialogue from Satou. He’s not only fun to play as, but fun to watch as well.
This new side of the gameplay makes the story more exciting. Satou is enigmatic to his allies and even the player. Every time I cleared a mission, I always wondered what else he was gonna do. What crazy path would he take the players on next? One mission after another was filled with challenges and surprises that test the limits of both the player and the characters in the story, heightening the drama. However, while Satou’s storyline is fun as hell to play, there’s not much to the narrative.
Ajin’s core story lies with Kei’s campaign, so if you want the full experience then prepare to be a little frustrated. Kei is only slightly more likable in the expanded story because he stopped trapping people in boxes for all eternity, but his personality is still that of a cold, distant weirdo who’s just not that fun to watch. Fortunately, Ajin 2 even included a co-op mode where a partner can join the fun and play as Kou--this is also available for Satou’s story, but Tanaka isn’t that fun to play as since Satou takes up the bulk of the action. Anyway, as unlikable as Kei might be, he’s surrounded by much more fun and interesting characters, Kou being the most important. As the comic relief, he was always cracking me up with his dumb comments and over-excited reactions, and since Kei is a more passive character to play as, co-op gameplay with these two is balanced and fun for both players. But if you don’t have friends (because who needs friends when you have a PS2, right?), the AI is competent enough to carry its weight.
The story continues from where it left off--if you played the original from winter then you’ve seen it all already, only this game is a little more interesting because of the increased amount of action. It also goes a little deeper into the relationships that Kei and Satou have with their teams, but the most notable thing is that there’s a small mission where you play as Izumi Shimomura. I thought that was really fun, and it was nice to finally take a break from Kei without having to switch over to Satou’s POV. This small episode also gives more info on Yuu Tosaki, who in my opinion is the most interesting character besides the two leads. He gets a lot more screentime in this expanded story, though he still remains unplayble outside of the stealth mission that was in the original version.
Otherwise, the story is basically the same, there’s just more of it now. The government is still incredibly stupid and corrupt, though this new version brought in some good ‘ol ‘MURICANS so that Japan won’t look the most corrupt, and everyone’s motivations are the same. Satou wants to get revenge on the jerkwads who did shitty science projects on Ajin, and Kei just wants to live quietly. Chew.
And while the overall soundtrack is as good as it is in the original, the dev team made a huge mistake by changing the opening cinematic. The original version had an incredible song in the beginning--it was so good that it took me a while just to actually play the game, because I couldn’t help but play the OP over and over again. But now this sequel not only replaced the original OP, but they added a second as well. I don’t get why fripSide is popular or why their songs are mixed so horribly, but listening to them feels like getting hit with a sack full of swan feathers. Their music has some bark, but absolutely no bite. But worst of all is that the animation just blatantly rips from scenes in the anime--scenes that you haven’t yet seen (heh), which therefore spoil small parts of the game. The original OP used in-game footage as well, but it was mostly scenes of solo dialogue and vague imagery of IBM fights. In this, you actually see characters in battle for the OP’s. Regardless of how big or small they are, spoilers in openings are not okay with me. And don’t get me started on how terrible the ED is. They changed this from the original as well, and it’s way worse now. It’s sung so horribly that I can’t believe it was recorded in a professional studio and released commercially. It sounds like a dog that suffered a fate worse than every dog in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure combined.
But despite all of the Ajin’s improvements, the graphics are the exact same as they were in the original. This was by far the #1 complaint in the original game, and it seems to have fallen on deaf ears at Polygon Games. It still moves at about 3 frames a minute, which sometimes looks so choppy that keeping up with the fast-paced action gets difficult and confusing. Fights are just not as satisfying as they deserve to be with animation this restrictive. Polygon Games were able to develop a nice style overall with their lighting, clothing, character and IBM designs, but clearly the engine is not suitable for the PlayStation 2. Perhaps when the next generation of games roll around, Ajin will get the HD remaster that it truly deserves. But for now, the graphics take a lot of getting used to but are just adequate enough where they don’t weigh the game down too much and can be adjusted to for most players.
Technical limitations aside, Ajin 2 is a great game, the true sequel that fans of the first game wanted. This game improves the franchise greatly and is a must-play, even if you didn’t like the first game very much. It’s rumored that a second sequel will be released in the near-future to wrap up the story. I don’t know how much they can improve with this game besides the graphics, but I trust that Polygon Games will deliver once more.
I give this game a 7.5 out of 10 for its decent story, strong gameplay, and fun characters.
SendPieSenpai
It doesn't take long to know whether you'd like AJIN or not. Ok with/like full CG? Prefer/interested in a generally apathetic MC? Into/loving the idea of an antagonist that's like that one especially difficult Dark Souls boss but with the ability to almost instantly revive? AJIN is here for you! [Warning: halfway through this season, AJIN diverges from the original manga, but remarkably it doesn't hurt the show very much. The manga's a real good read, you should try it.] OVERALL - rounded up 8.5 I feel bad typing this, but modern-day stories about terrorism always fascinates me (I'm looking at you, beautifully animated Zankyō no Terror! >_>).AJIN explores a world where immortality is coveted for its research advantages, and this darker view of the esteemed trait is something that'll tickle your grim fancies for a good bit. Not for the squeamish. Seriously. It's not the blood that gets to you---it's the constant possibility of decapitation.
STORY - rounded up 8.5
AJIN, expectedly, shifted its focus to Satou vs. Nagai Kei from the original intrigue of immortals being used for experimentation pretty quickly (aka season 1). This interesting concept drew me in; yet it was the psychological intensity of fighting against an OP, crazy, immortal ex-soldier with an addiction to games and an affection for his hat that kept me here*
*I say that, but tbh it's because of my affection for Nagai Kei (MC) and for just how much Miyano Mamoru's voice suits the character.
ART/ANIMATION - rounded up 8.5
The awkward CG, like the dark, takes awhile for your eyes to adjust to. Yet I feel as if AJIN is an anime that could not have been done better any other way. There's something here that makes me think: "I wouldn't watch this if it was the usual 2D." Perhaps it's Satou-san's fast-paced, eye-widening murder sprees? Or perhaps it's the hilarious fluidity of Kei's jaded/irritated facial expressions? ^-^'
SOUND/MUSIC - rounded down 7.5
There's only a few stand out tracks because they are used repeatedly to signal increasing TENSION! or CHAOS!! or HYPE!!! Perhaps AJIN conditions you to prepare for a certain thrill when you hear the beginnings of a certain track? Remarkably, this actually rather works.
CHARACTERS - 8
I'll be honest. This'd be pretty damn crappy if it weren't for the strongly-written protagonist and antagonist: Nagai Kei and Satou-san. They carry this anime so much that they are pointed to as why many people follow this series.
ENJOYMENT - 9
There are some things contained in the manga that I truly wished should've made its way in the anime *cough Hirasawa cough* even though its story diverged *cough "like watching my sons" cough cough.* These things primarily had to do with developing Kei's character and his "lack" of emotions---it's more dynamic than that; I can write a whole dissertation on it---which I think is one of AJIN's best aspects. Regardless, this is a thrilling and bloody show that's terrifyingly amazing at making a marvel of the destruction an immortal madman can achieve.
ADDITIONAL RATINGS : Seiyuu - 10 (seriously, Mamoru-san is especially amazing in this one) / Cinematography - 8 / Pacing within Episodes - 8.5 / Pacing Overall - 8 / Pacing of Character Development (Nagai Kei) - 6.5
Cray
I gave it a 10/10 because i subjectively think it deserves a 10/10. Story was nice and easy to understand. I really like the concept of immortal humans being treated worth less than mortal humans. I actually liked the style. It fit the show and the tone. At least in my opinion. Also has probably one of my fav MC's and Villains. I liked the MC since he was relatable in a sense. At least to me. The villain was just mindless fun. Soundtrack was decent. I dont really know what to add to that.Got a nice thrill while watching it though i did not like the cliffhangers.
It seems to have to be really long to write a review, but i already said everything i want to say. I dont want to spoil anything either, since its a guideline.
TZARTOS
The secont season of the anime was relly good... mucth better than the first one... It had better Figts and relly good story.it continues right after the first was ended and If you allready have seen the first one YOU MUST watch this one too clearly one of the best anime of 2016. Nothing defernet about art or characters but it is worth to be watched for sure... you will enjoy it. I Think there may not be a third season after this one but after the ending you may think it may be comming in 2017 or later on... I recomnd you to see itand if you havent seen the first season and reading this review i tottaly recoment you to wacth them both. [9/10]
comiclove
This second season was, like its predecessor, a mixed bag. We're still left with sub-par artwork and iffy characterization, but with that comes a (somewhat) competently-executed story and solid soundwork. Read on to see the Deets! [Story - 7] This continues from the last season - Sato's antics to get the government to pay attention to Ajin ramp up in scale, and Tosaki + co. find themselves working alongside Kei to stop him. I was genuinely surprised and pleased, as I thought it would be a three-sided battle - but seeing how the government can co-operate with the more 'pacifistic' type of Ajin was truly great. Whilethere weren't many genuinely shocking twists and turns, there was a lot of good suspense and personal drama mixed in. I'll cover this more below, but some characters actually even got a well-realized arc! The two storylines I mentioned in the last review came together rather splendidly here, and I'm glad the writers were able to (mostly) pull it off.
Interestingly enough, the ending left a fairly intriguing cliffhanger for Polygon to potentially make a third season, but I think it will have to depend on how they survive the backlash from the fans.
[Art - 5]
The artwork.......mostly stayed the same, but some of the action involving humans looked better. I don't really have much to add in this aspect.
[Sound - 7]
Soundwork was still solid - I have no idea why they put two OP's into one cour, but whatever, they're both good. The ED is just as spectacular, while the rest of the score is lackluster but fitting. The SFX + voice acting has gotten better - Kei sounds a bit more believable as an arrogant teen, Sato is a delight to watch, etc. etc.
[Character - 6]
Here's the real meat-and-bones of the review! God, this was the mixed bag in the mixed bag alright - some characters have absolutely nothing going for them and some blossom rather well.
Starting with the negative - it's truly annoying that a good number of the Ajins shown don't really......grow - Ko doesn't change at all from being a headstrong (but caring) kid, Sato's still fun to watch but we learn nothing of his motives or ideology, and Tanaka is still his empty-head right-hand man, even if appearing to doubt him at times. It was a bit annoying honestly.....hopefully in the future of both the manga and the anime (if it gets a third season), we'll see them receive more fleshing out.
However, there is good to be found in this season - for starters, Kei gets paid his dues here. At first it seems like he'll continue to be the Smarter Than Thou teenager with apathetic tendancies, but he soon learns the worth of having actual relationships and values. By the end, he's grown into a fine young man who can be trusted by /Tosaki/. Other notable character arcs include the respective duo of Izumi and Tosaki - their dynamic fluctuates a lot, but they ultimately realize that they're both respectable and upstanding people who they want to be with. I wouldn't want it to be in a romantic light, but I wouldn't be opposed to it in the future.
[Enjoyment/Overall - 6]
Overall? Not too bad! It's a stronger second half in terms of story and characterization, but mostly stays the same otherwise. Same recommendation here: Continue if you're someone who doesn't care about the art and just wants some good plot and characters.
ktulu007
I reviewed the first series of Ajin two years ago. It was okay but suffered from being under-developed in general and from having artwork that was bad enough to be detrimental. So, when we left off our antagonist, Satou, had gathered a group of Ajin in order to perform acts of terrorism under the guise of trying to win rights for their people. And our protagonist, Kei, had narrowly escaped capture along with another Ajin. Story: We open with a brief recap of what happened in the last series. You know, in case someone decides to watch the second series without having seen the first. Satou unveilshis intention to assassinate a list of people who he accuses of being involved with experiments performed on Ajin. Meanwhile, Kei comes to the conclusion that he can't beat Satou on his own and decides to join up with Tosaki and the group who spent the last series hunting him.
The biggest flaw with this one isn't that they rush from big plot point to big plot point without regard for things like pacing or developing their scenario.
The biggest issue with this one is that, in the first half, very little happens. Kei and his companion join with the group trying to hunt Satou and then they spend a lot of time talking about how they should catch him while we cut to him either murdering one of his targets, bragging about murdering one of his targets or making plans to murder one of his targets. While I appreciate them trying to develop their situation a bit better, the execution is more than a little tedious.
And then when they finally get moving halfway into the series, it goes right back to rushing through plot developments. It's like they can't find a happy medium and the result is going from one extreme to another.
Once again, the series has some good ideas buried beneath the flaws in the execution. The bits where Kei tries to connect with his sister and his old friend, Kaito, are pretty good. Although they still haven't given any compelling reason for Kei's friendship to mean so much to Kaito. The parts where they explore Shimomura's back story and why she has such a strong sense of loyalty towards Tosaki are pretty strong. The element of giving both sides of the conflict legitimate reasons for fighting breaks down a bit which actually results in questions over whether or not the conflict is worth it and multiple characters deciding it isn't. Which I can appreciate. At least the series doesn't fully Flanderize one side and just decide they're all evil now.
Characters:
I'll continue to give the series credit for mostly having characters with realistic motivations and personalities that have enough to them to ring true. This series does run into a bit of a problem, however. In order to continue Kei's ongoing conflict against Satou, they start showing a selfless side to Kei's character. Which really doesn't mesh with anything we've seen from him before and there's not really a compelling reason for the change. It's like they needed him to be less self-centred and more moral in order for the plot to work and, instead of developing his character in that direction naturally they just changed it.
Art:
The artwork continues to be pretty bad. This is a case where you might be able to make the art style work for a comedy. Gdgd Faeries has worse artwork than this, for example. But, when you're trying to have a more serious dramatic work, art like this really detracts from it. Having characters move in stilted, awkward ways, including one unintentionally hilarious moment where people are supposed to be fleeing in terror but look like they're trying to have a dance flash mob, really lessens the impact and makes it difficult to have a real sense of gravity in the situation.
Sound:
The acting continues to be a strong point. Miyano Mamoru, Ootsuka Houchuu, Komatsu Mikako and Sakurai Takahiro are all solid actors. We're talking solid enough to manage to convey things in spite of having no help from the artwork in quite a few cases. Kanno Yugo's music is pretty strong as well.
Ho-yay:
All we have in terms of romantic content is hetero-normative. None of the same sex dynamics come across as romantic.
Final Thoughts:
Like the first series, this one is okay. If the artwork wasn't distractingly bad, I might go so far as to call it good. But as is, I'll give it a 6/10. If you can tolerate the art, and the pacing issues aren't going to bother you too much you might enjoy it.
MxS7HGS
I'm fine with 3D CGI, but getting used to it is hard. Despite the impressive action sequences and special effects, the close-up facial animations and emotional performances leave much to be desired. It's a shame to see such an engrossing story suffer from such lackluster animation. While the voice actors do a commendable job of carrying the emotional weight, it's still a reminder that more progress needs to be made in this area. Overall, I'm left with the same feeling I had all this time that there's still much work to be done in the realm of 3D CGI animation for anime. Nonetheless, Ajin's story isundeniably impressive. The characters are captivating and brilliantly written, the action is exhilarating, and the plot is well-paced. The twists and turns come thick and fast but never too rapidly to overwhelm me. The nature of the Ajin and their relationship with the world serves as a compelling reason for the events that occur but not as the main focus. Additionally, Sato's motives lack a grand strategy, and instead, the story takes a more immediate, visceral, and condensed approach that fits perfectly within the thirteen episodes.
Sato and his group of immortal terrorists have set their sights on nothing short of overthrowing the government. They are carrying out a series of cunning assassinations, but their true plan is far more sinister than that. Kei and Nakano have teamed up with Tosaka's anti-Ajin organization to take down Sato, believing that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." However, personality clashes are inevitable when government officials have to work alongside two Ajin with whom they've previously had conflicts. Sato is brazenly announcing his plans to the world, taking inspiration from the book of John "Hannibal" Smith from the A-Team. Fortunately, they have access to his assassination target list and plan to ambush him at a predictable event. Kei and Nakano have been training while they wait for the opportune moment to take down Sato.
In the end, things never go as planned, and the stakes only get higher for the story's climax. The story has that "one-episode-more" compulsion that got me binge-watching. I was thoroughly hooked throughout and didn't even mind the obvious plea for another season that came after the conclusion. While there are a couple of provocative loose ends, the only disappointing aspect is the way Kai becomes a throwaway character by the end of the show and how Kei's sister is only used as narrative breathing space, someone to cut to when they need to ease up on the action.
If you're someone who usually turns their nose up at 3D CG anime, then I highly recommend making an exception for Ajin. It's definitely worth giving a chance, and you might be pleasantly surprised.
BobDiesel
Underrated anime of the year for sure. When talking about the art of the animation: The CGI was watchable. Not necessarily the best quality of animation but definitely more impressive than the berserk 2016 series. The story was fantastic. It's about immortals (ajin's) who can never die who are continuing to terrorise japan with nagai (main character who's also a ajin) trying to stop him. This anime is unique and this season is dark. It's not everyday you get to watch an anime about immortal terrorists causing chaos. As for the enjoyment: It's a intellectual anime you know. There's lots of suspense, it's thrillingand you want to know what happens. I salute everyone who watched this anime episode by episode, this anime is too intense for that I had to wait for it to finish so I could binge watch it. This anime really gets you hooked in. You want to know how it ends, you want to know what happens next, you want to know the grand plan. The music is pretty dark and menacing.
Characters: Hmm. This anime has one of the best villans and most unlikeable main characters ever. The main character is annoying, selfish and a scumbag. He's interesting but I don't like him. There's some annoying characters on the good side. But tbh this show is filled with alot of dark characters. You'd be surprised.
Overall: I would give this anime a 9/10 but the ending is painful. I won't spoil it for you but if there's no season 3 I will be extremely dissappointed. I'm going to be honest 1 scene from the last episode completely ruins the season. It ends on such a cliffhanger. So if there's no new seasons and you're expecting a good ending, you'll be disappointed. But nevertheless this was a brilliant anime to watch.
samuel_sfx
Ajin series is the definition of masterpiece. I am truly delighted, can't believe how many times I want to throw my 'mouse' watching the episodes..like...shinjiranai! !$!@#!@ How did things like that happening! It really amaze me how perfect Satou is as an antagonist and bringing up the entire series into climax on each episode. The pace of the story is really great! It was steady high up the entire way from 1st season to 2nd season. Nagai is develop very well throughout the entire series, altho he is absolutely beyond a high schooler in term of mental...and Nakano made up that and they both makea great balance in the protagonist side, as well as Tanaka on the antagonist side. The story providing a 3 way of battle which involve Nagai, Satou, and the government which make the excitement jump over the roof!
At first from the 1st season I don't really fond with the CG type of animation but since the very first episode the pace and climax already start jump to the roof and ever since until the very last episode of the 2nd season...it's an unbelievable race!
Every each character in the series is very strong in term of background and why they do what they did. The author already mentioning the basic rules of what Ajin can do normally and keep on feeding us little by little by introducing character like Professor Oguro, and THAT really paid off in the end! I got convinced of what Ajin can and what Ajin (or in that regard IBM) cannot do....and that last episode 13 of 2nd season...it totally shook me of what Nagai can do (well I know he is special, but that I never expect)
To be honest a LOT..TONS of Ajin part that I don't expect, especially both Satou and Nagai tactical strategy and the field execution which is of course, not going according to plan.
Also, the existence of my ship of Tosaki and bae 'Shimomura Izumi' (she is totally bae, can't believe that kind of relation is pretty strong for a boss and subordinate). I kinda remember this kind of relation from Psycho-Pass series...but the purity obedience from Izumi to Tosaki catch me deep. (I just wish at some point Izumi showing that actually she is having a feeling for Tosaki, but that doesn't seems gonna be happening for the meanwhile, who knows)
Every moment of Ajin really high and leave a deep hard breathing, very thrilling...from the very first up to the very last od the 2nd season.
Arrrgghghhhh! I want to scream! My God...I grit my teeth the entire last 5 episode of the 2nd season.
If you like gun shooting, tactical, sci-fi, supernatural and the element of surprise an anime with face pace can bring? See nothing else...Ajin it is. As additional note, Ajin is really great for binge watching since it doesn't need hard screenwriting to digest and the pace is high enough to make you demand the next episode right after you finish one.
Tyklone
Initially, when I saw the release of season 2, I was stoked. Don't get me wrong, there are still a lot of really good parts that get your heart racing in Ajin. You see drastic changes among characters whereas others seem to never change. It gets frustrating. Fortunately, it is only 12 episodes therefore there is not much room for filler. I think the first season did Ajin justice, but this season was off. The ending felt sloppy and not properly executed. I'm really not sure what direction they were trying to take Ajin in. The one thing they did a good job about is the soundtrackas well as the fights.
DonQuigeek
Nothing surprising here as it continues the story. Same qualities, same flaws. The characters and the actors playing them are mainly to blame for the last ones. They tend to overplay a little, and more than they should, from a western acting's point of view. The result being the protagonists aren't that much convincing in their roles, and the actors do not succeed in making up for the monolithic characters they portray (for most). With maybe a bit less tension about the IBM despite a very dense story, probably due to the fading of the element of surprise, there is also a slight decrease in progression,making the show a bit slow, sometimes.
Nevertheless, the story is good and interesting in itself, and well-paced too. So, if you liked the first season, there is no reason you won't make it to the end of the second.
Mikame-
I was pretty excited when I saw the second season announced, and now that it's here I couldn't wait to watch it. The second season of Ajin: Demi-Human. Firstly, the art is still the same different style, which I'm really glad they didn't try change. The difference is unique, it adds to the interest and it really suits the anime in general. It's a darker anime and it's displayed that way very well. Kei is still running, fighting for his life with his new friend Kou. Kaito, or Kai is still separated from his friend whom he wants to protect. Since Kei discovered he's an Ajin he'shad nothing but trouble but luckily he has had Kai to help him, most of the time.
Satou is fighting back the way he thinks is best and Yuu is just as determined to catch him, and all Ajin's as ever.
Like before, though more-so now, it's hard to know who to support. Each has their own good reasons, even though now they've been sucked in so far that it's not really visible in their goals anymore. Things by each person are mainly being done for selfish reasons which isn't a usual occurrence so it adds to the great dark feel the anime has.
The darkness is what's alluring about this series to me. It's consistent and done well.
The relationship between Kei and Yuu is interesting, the hate between them coming through while they're trying to work together and trust each other is very unexpected, but a great twist.
Since the characters all come together it's exciting, though curious to see how they all mesh together and what sorts of relationships they build.
The story building feels a little slow, there are things happening to build up to the bigger points, it's just taking a little bit. It's not terrible since you're taking the time to see preparations and learn more about Ajin's, characters and other situations. Once it gets to the big points it's good, the build up was worth it and it sucks you right into the story.
It's a great follow-up from the first season, it kept on the same track and connects smoothly. The ending was incredible, with really nice goosebumps moments. It stays to it's point, keeps you interested in what story it has to tell and does it pretty perfectly. I'm looking forward to the very possible third season.
GrayRealm
I loved first season of ajin. However, second season for some reason didn't really "click" for me. Basically, I pretty much finished the first season in one sitting, and it was an amazing non-stop adrenaline-fueled chase. 2nd season in comparison lookked much more bland, and something was amiss in it, even though the components of the story should've been here. Detailed breakdown below: Story. The season is pretty much an attempt to wrap up events of the 1st season involving the main antagonist. It is a continuous string of events, with no breaks, however, in comparison to the first season pacing feels really slow and the story lacksthe same kind of punch. Most of the time things just kinda keep going in certain direction, story advances, but it rarely strongly surprises you.
Art:
Same CG-based style as before, however this time around quality feels very uneven. There were few short scenes where animation felt like it was running at 4 fps instead of usual 12 (it is no pixar movie, and running at half framerate is one way to mimic anime feel). However on couple of occasions the anime experimented too much with adding textures to surfaces or secondary light sources, and those short moments felt out of place and didn't match the rest of the visuals. Basically, it looked worse than Sidonia no Kishi, in my opinion, although mostly the art is tolerable. Izumi is as cute as always and her visual feel strangely mismatched compared to the rest of the people in the show.
Sound:
The amazing battle theme from the first season is still here running in the background, but it is underutilized. The choice of music for opening and the ending is very strange, to the point where ending song reminds me intro from Niya under 7 (meaning coarse, almost husky voice singing). It is nowhere close to the powerful impact of the theme in the first season, where music captured you since the first frame and kept you watching it.
Characters:
Protagonist occasionally does a strange flip between his usual cold attitude and "I'm scared" mode which feels VERY out of place. Characters don't really develop much over time, and mostly act according to their assigned "role". They don't really feel like much of a characters, and more like objects in the story, only occasionally falling into some sort of stereotype. Overall, I had a feeling that the story tried to do something similar with Patlabor or Ghost in the SHell movies, which had huge conspiracies, corruption, complicated political plots, etc, but in the end it does not really work well, and less believable.
Enjoyment:
I didn't hate it, but I liked the first season much more.
Overall:
it feels rather bland compared to the first season. Might be worth watch if you want to see continuation of the story or if you want to see Izumi Shimomura again, but that's about it. Busou Renkin, which I recently watched, had much larger impact for me, and I'm not even a shounen fan.
So, worth a watch, but don't expect too much from it.
MORTEAOMIOJO
Well, guys, here's another review: Story 10/10: In my point of view, the history of this season is much better than before, since now we have a bigger dispute between the main character and Satou. The way they both think was more valued this season. In addition, characters like Tozaki had more participation than before. Art 8/10 It is quite strange to classify the art of this anime, as it is quite different from the standard. However, as in the previous topic, the animation of this season is much more "smooth." Although the art is different, it has been well crafted, but, at least for me, it is stilla little strange.
Sound 8/10
My God, I loved the sound of opening and ending, they were very well done, but the 2nd opening (still in the same season, of course) is very bad, they should have left only one opening.
Character 10/10
Well, first I must confess that I HATE the main character in this season. He is much worse than the first season. However, all the other characters are well done, especially the Satou (I must also confess that I often twisted so he wins).
Enjoyment 10/10
I had a lot of fun watching this anime, mainly because it has a lot of 'Persecution' between Satou and Kei. That was the icing on the cake in the anime. In addition, the secondary characters were quite important, and I particularly like that
Overall 9/10
Well, with these notes I can only recommend this anime with my soul. Seriously, if you watched the first season, and did not like, please give a chance for this season and do not give up, otherwise you will be losing a lot.
