Tiger & Bunny 2 Review: A Netflix Anime That Doesn’t Disappoint! New Entries Between Superheroes, Humans And Supervillains
Starring: Hiroaki Hirata, Masakazu Morita, Koji Yusa
Director: Keiichi Satou
Streaming Platform: Netflix (click to watch)
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3/5 (three star)v[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Tiger & Bunny 2, the anime TV series consisting of 13 episodes, produced by the legendary Sunrise, which later became Bandai Namco Filmworks, Inc. which brings the public back to participate in the adventures of its charming and bizarre superheroes. The Next are back on the pitch to defeat the bad guys and save the world!
If there is one thing that the Marvel and DC comics have taught us it is that behind a mask there is a human being. The 2011 series Tiger & Bunny, by studio Sunrise, is based on the same ideal: in public the heroes must never hesitate, but in private they are scared, worried, and unsure whether or not they are worthy to defend the weak. After 10 years from the Japanese airing its arrived for worldwide via Netflix. Tiger & Bunny returns to conquer our screens with an unexpected second season, which has recently debuted in streaming.
Tiger & Bunny 2 Review: The Story
The series, set in the fictional city-state of Stern Bild City, again tells of the couple formed by the veteran superhero at the end of his career Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, codenamed Wild Tiger , and Barnaby Brooks Jr, Bunny, emerging star of this world;the two so different, after a first season in which they clashed, badly tolerated, appreciated, are still here, facing each other to complete their mission, managing to save the city and discover a hidden mystery . Since the episodes of the first chapter, the series has told special men and women, endowed with enormous powers, owned by some companies that cater to them in every way, who are used to promote products, events and defend the city from crime. To do all this they take part in a championship organized by Hero TV, a television channel that broadcasts live the actions of the super of the city, receiving a score every time they complete a challenge.
The second season , starting from where the first ended, always works on the same elements as the previous one and manages to renew itself , adding new heroes that lead to different stories, and new stories that open doors not yet crossed. Even more ruthless enemies, mysteries to be revealed, hidden fragilities to be brought to the surface , these are some of the points around which these episodes revolve, which aim to strike as much as the previous ones.
At the end of Tiger & Bunny Season 1, Barnaby was able to find his parents’ killer, while Kotetsu weakened to the point that he could only use his power for 1 minute, thus having more time to spend with his daughter, but without hanging the suit to the nail. Instead, the Rising showed that Tiger and Barnaby can still be a dynamic duo, despite the difficulties. Yet, after 25 episodes and a sequel film, there is still an unresolved question from the first season: what is Ouroboros? Although it played a fundamental role, the mysterious criminal organization has never been deepened enough, but in Tiger & Bunny 2 it seems to play a key role, and we do not doubt that further details may be discovered. A few years have passed since the events of the film and many things have changed in Stern Bild City: the success of the businesses of Tiger and Barnaby prompted companies to promote the Buddy System, which sees pairs of heroes in action; but some argue that it is not a good choice, because they could slow down each other. Since the two protagonists were pioneers, they are tasked with setting a good example for others, proving that it is an ideal system for dealing with crime. The news of the second season does not stop there, because it sees the debut of new characters.
In addition to the return of Ryan (introduced in The Rising film as a support for Barnaby), alongside Blue Rose, Mr Black, Thomas and Magical Cat make their entry: the first is able to create barriers; the second can use telekinesis to move only objects that he can lift; Finally, Magical Cat hurls jets of water, which is why she is joined by Dragon Kid , who controls the electricity. Among the new additions to the cast is also Mattia , a childhood friend of Barnaby, who is developing a drug to enhance the human brain, so as to break down the barriers between humans and NEXT.
Mattia does not currently hold a noteworthy role but given the midseason cliffhanger we believe he can be at the center of the second part. The opening episodes of the second season have a slow development, but show how couples work and introduce the new heroes; on the other hand, the aforementioned episodes end with post credit scenes, which lay the foundations of the Tiger & Bunny 2 plot. They enjoy demonstrating their strength by eliminating the superheroes they encounter along the way. The two act on behalf of Brahe, a member of the Ouroboros, whom they regard as a father.
The brothers want to defeat as many heroes as possible, proving to be the best; for this they go to Stern Bild City, where they hope to find a challenge worthy of them. As the story unfolds, the stories of Tiger, Barnaby and the other superheroes, Fugan and Mugan, Mattia and Ouroboros intertwine, all likely to culminate in the second part.
Tiger & Bunny 2 Review And Analysis
Unlike the first season, Tiger & Bunny 2 presents a linear story and no longer divided into narrative arcs with few links between them. The second season opens showing Barnaby defeated and reduced to death by Fugan and Mugan: the story that develops is a flashback that helps us to understand what happened before arriving at the defeat of the beloved superhero. Before reaching that point, however, we are separated from episodes by the less frenetic rhythms, which stop to analyze the superheroes. In these situations, interest is kept alive only thanks to the desire to find out what is happening and the post credit scenes; when Fugan and Mugan arrive in the city, the events become much more pressing, even if they end in a few moments; but the mid-season finale convinced us that what awaits us promises to be more eventful. In the first episodes of Tiger & Bunny 2, both the new and the old heroes are carefully analyzed, who are faced with the difficulties of the couple.
The story takes the right time to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the new system used to fight crime. The formed couples may seem not very compatible, because the heroes have different characters and their emotions take over, hindering them on the battlefield. If on the one hand Tiger & Bunny 2 puts the new relationships established by the system of couples at the center of the story, between strengths and weaknesses, on the other hand it also pauses to deepen the new superheroes.
The visual system is very close to that of the film,with a painstaking design that highlights a variegated character design worthy of a superhero. In this regard, we did not appreciate the change of Dragon Kid which no longer has a feminine design, but clearly more masculine, even if in continuity with The Rising. To counteract all of a sudden well cared for, there are some qualitative drops that are not always acceptable in the drawings: we have turned a blind eye to the smears in the larger shots, but we have not been able to do the same in the more advanced episodes in which the graphic stumbles are also visible in the close-up shots, and we fear that the situation will not improve in the missing episodes.
The first season of Tiger & Bunny was characterized by a meager use of CGI, which was pleasant even if it stood out particularly; in the second adventure, however the graphics are not limited only to the rendering of superhero suits, but also to the rendering of the characters in some sequences, but in these specific cases it is confused with the manual stroke. The CGI is animated so as not to spoil the heroic deeds of the city’s defenders. Before concluding, we would like to spend a few words on Italian dubbing.
The series continues to work on the relationship between the characters, superheroes that the viewer has come to know over the seasons. They are very strong, courageous, yet full of limitations, fears, traumas, we discover each of their children abandoned by their parents, lonely in their being special because being Next is not simple and we are often considered different. Each of them was taught to win, together with the others but also, at times, to win even at the expense of the teammate with whom he shares the battlefield. The war, the clashes with the enemy, is a fundamental part of the episodes, but there is space for the representation of the group as a family, tightened by ties that unite the team.
This season the characters are no longer singles but part of a couple – even the villains chosen on the basis of inclinations, powers, the role they play: if in the first the championship sees individuals compete for the primacy, except Tiger and Bunny, here, thanks to the introduction of Hero TV’s “Buddy System”, every hero and every heroine makes up a duo that has precise characteristics. Kotetsu and Barnaby understood each other and therefore, although they will continue to argue, to clash like two children, two brothers, two companions, they have finally reached a sort of balance, proving to have an equal relationship, to be able to dialogue even only with the looks, when you are in tune there is no need for words. This will help the two to grow further, mature, each work on their own personality, will make them even more aware and aware of the fact that you have to get closer to each other to “win”. The second season of Tiger & Bunny brings the viewer back to a world they already know well, telling the adventures of a group of special but also very human heroes.
Tiger & Bunny Season 2 Review: The Last Words
From the first episodes of Tiger & Bunny 2 you can see how the story is more linear than the first season, even if the development continues slowly to analyze the characters. Not only do the episodes show the new dynamics experienced by the old heroes, but they also focus on the new entries between superheroes, humans and supervillains. The artistic side of Tiger & Bunny 2 boasts a careful design, even if there are too many uncertainties especially in the more advanced episodes, and a CGI that does not spoil the moments in which the superheroes fight the crime of Stern Bild City.
