This review is for the second season only. I have already reviewed season one HERE.
Synopsis: The scientist Ochiai is up to something. Whether or not it’s good or bad is somewhat ambiguous. He’s definitely obsessed with creating a human/Gauna hybrid, one of his old projects that he never was able to complete before, and there’s no time like the present. The Gauna are headed for the Lem star system, where a human colony will surely be destroyed if they aren’t stopped. Captain Kobiyashi is dead set on exterminating the Gauna, unfortunately, nobody is quite sure how they will accomplish such a feat. Never the less, she has set Sidonia on an intercept course. And don’t count the Crimson Hawk Moth out, cause she’s back and still obsessed with Tanikaze. But whether or not she wants to kill him or kiss him is a little unclear.
Animation: 9.0 Nothing new to report. It looks exactly like season one. All 3D CGI, a little bland in the pallet, but overall still very good. One good point is in character and mecha design. The new character, the Hybrid Tsumugi, is an absolutely fantastic and original design. Basically an unbelievably long worm, she can snake her way all around Sidonia through tunnels and pipes in the walls, one end of her must always be attached to her main body which must stay in a hangar sized room. Tsumugi’s mecha-like body is as large as the garde units and has a humanoid form which is refreshingly organic and feminine, which is nice in an environment where everything is mechanical and uniform.
Sound: 7.5 Same voices, of course, and the music is similar but different. I am knocking off a half point from my season one review because the opening credit song is nowhere near as good as that from the first season. It left me wondering, “Where is that fantastic march from the last season?” I have to admit; it was used to grand effect. It does reappear, in the final episode of the series, just at the climax of the episode and adds an epic feel to the scene.
Story: 7.5 I am giving the story a two and a half point upgrade from last season. I complained a lot last season that characters were killed off too quickly, and even the ones that lived were never developed. Not so here. The death rate for characters is way down, they live longer, and we get to really see them interact and share their motivations and back stories. Season two is everything that season one lacked. Well done! Not only that, but this season is far more original, departing from the cliché origins of the first season. Unfortunately, we still get no explanation for Lala, the robotic bear who serves as a cook and was apparently a fully human pilot back in the day. Seriously, why are we ignoring the obvious elephant (bear?) in the room?
Characters: 8 Yet another upgrade here, almost entirely due to the hybrid Tsumugi. However, I must factor in that the pre-existing characters were also made far more interesting than they were in the first season, but the introduction of Tsumugi eclipses them to some extent. Tsumugi is one of the most alien characters I have seen in any science fiction, although the criticisms that she looks a bit phalic are justified. She has a distinctly alien form, the design of which is very original. She is likeable and believable, and engenders an emotional attachment which only enhances the story. Kunato, who was a self-centered egotist in the first season, practically two dimensional, is now a highly mysterious character, with a hidden agenda which will keep you interested. Would you trust him, or not? I wouldn’t, but he does often come through in a pinch to help out in some unexpected way.
Overall: 8.0 The second season of Sidonia is a dramatic departure from the first. Sure, the same environment, but a completely different treatment of the story and characters, all of which are upgrades. If my review of the first season turned you off to the series, you may want to re-think that. This makes up for nearly all the flaws of season