Dog Days'

Cinque returns to the land of Flonyard in Dog Days' to resume his duties as the hero of the Biscotti Republic and it's as though he never left!

The difference this time is that he's brought two friends with him who become heroes in their own right: childhood best friend Rebecca Anderson, who becomes the hero for the Principality of Pastillage at the urging of their leader Princess Couvert Eschenbach Pastillage, and his cousin Nanami Takatsuki, who becomes the hero for the Galette Lion Dominion.

As with the first season though, with so many secrets to be uncovered and mysteries to be solved, will there even be time for the athletic events that these three hyper and athletic teenagers love to participate in so much?

Firianno Biscotti, Millhiore Main

Horie, Yui Japanese

Martinozzi, Éclair Main

Taketatsu, Ayana Japanese

Galette des Rois, Leonmitchelli Main

Koshimizu, Ami Japanese

Izumi, Cinque Main

Miyano, Mamoru Japanese

Eschenbach Pastillage, Couvert Main

Yuuki, Aoi Japanese

Anderson, Rebecca Main

Takahashi, Mikako Japanese

Takatsuki, Nanami Main

Mizuki, Nana Japanese

Panettone, Yukikaze Supporting

Asumi, Kana Japanese

Elmar, Ricotta Supporting

Mizuki, Nana Japanese

d’Arquien, Brioche Supporting

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Saitou, Shunsuke Producer

Kunisaki, Hisanori Producer

Shimizu, Hiroyuki Producer

Ishikawa, Tatsuya Assistant Producer

Reviews

Jan 19, 2015

Erebus25

Recommended

After kind of weak 1st season, I was delighted when I started the sequel. The most noticable change about 2nd season is there was no big plot in play and it worked perfectly for the anime in my humble opinion. It finally become what it was supposed to be, a light anime that makes you feel relaxed and happy and not to concern about some complex story. That was the thing I liked the most about it. In other segments it hasnt changed much since first season. Art style, music and characters stayed pretty much the same with a few additions, but none of those ... things are what made this anime so enjoyable. Hope the 3rd season keeps this recipe.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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May 8, 2019

That__Guy

Mixed Feelings

So I just finished binge-watching all three seasons. Going in blind at the start, I found season one to be quite entertaining and really well made. Naturally, after the excellent experience I had watching the first season, I was excited for another round.

Boy was I disappointed.

To be fair, depending on what you liked about the first season the most and what you like in Anime in general, you'll either really enjoy this show or really dislike it.

This season took one pleasure in picking apart everything the first season set up until only warm fluffiness was left. The change of directors really impacted this show in ... a noticeable way. Much in the way Star Wars Episode 8 systematically dismissed a lot of the plot elements set up in Star Wars Episode 7, Dog Days' follows suit.

Season one and some Season two spoilers will follow.

First, the good: as with season one, the visuals were very nice to look at with vivid colors and beautiful landscapes. The music was excellent as well. All the same characters return with the original Voice Actors, who all performed quite well. Unfortunately, that's all I have for good.

The main plot of DD' is pretty much non-existent; the first three episodes cover all of the season's plot. Picking up exactly where DD left off, Shinku fulfills his promise and returns to Flonyard with his friend Becky and his cousin/mentor/rival Nanami. Predictably, Nanami becomes the hero for Galette to compete against Shinku and Biscotti. A third country appears suddenly to butt into the war and ends up convincing Becky to become their hero. That's the plot. No build up, no deeper story, just a few "war games," a handful of new characters, and a lot of Slice-of-life fluff.

Personally, after the interesting story and setting from the first, I was extremely disappointed that there was nothing in this season. Aside from the handful of new characters, nothing of any importance occurred. In fact, you can watch the first three episodes, two in the middle (where another set of characters is introduced), and the final episode, and have missed nothing at all.

The greatest disappointment was the character development. No character had any significant development at all. Eclair was the only character that had any sort of development, but at the end, nothing really was resolved and nothing changed except she stopped avoiding Shinku after their kiss. Becky had some development, but after episode three, it stopped and never truly amounted to much.

Perhaps just as bad was the complete reversal of most of the world-building and character-building from season one. Shinku came to Flonyard and had to train and learn how to control his powers to fight. Nanami just drops right in to the war and is on equal footing with Shinku immediately. Having an equally freakish amount of athleticism as Shinku, this is acceptable. Becky, however, is able to pick up her special weapon and use it flawlessly without any training or preparation.

Another thing that disappeared was the tension and drama in general, but mostly behind the summoning. There were a ton of restrictions on the summoned heroes in order to go home and their potential return hinged on a very specific set of conditions. This seems to have gone out the window, as they can now bring gifts back home at the end and the conditions for return are not mentioned.

Perhaps the most irritating change was in the romance of the characters. Shinku and Milhi share a touching farewell at the end of season one that is all but ignored in season two. To undermine it more, Milhi (as well as all of the other characters) start saying "I love you" to everyone, further diminishing the impact. This, amongst other things, causes any scenes that may have been meant as more serious romantic moments to fall flat. The last episode spends some time having the characters discuss relationships and their feelings, but it doesn't really go anywhere. Milhi brings up their farewell the night before Shinku is set to leave for another touching farewell, but while cute, the scene falls a little short considering this is one of the few times there was any type of romantic interaction between the two this season.

TL;DR

To summarize, this season takes the show and removes or greatly pares down a lot of the key elements that made the first season so great: interesting plot, character development, world-building (there is still some with the new country introduced, but not much), the dramatic tension, and the emotion. After taking all of that away, you're left with fluffy, feel-good slice-of-life with a few battles thrown in. Oh, and fan-service. That's still there too.

Overall, my recommendation depends on your preference: if you like slice-of-life and thought that the wars were the only good part of season one, then this is for you. If you were hoping for more plot development, character development, and action, you may only want to watch episodes 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 13. Since I am not a fan of slice-of-life, my preference is the latter, so I did not enjoy this season as much as I was hoping to.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Dec 7, 2014

BanjoTheBear

Not Recommended

(This has been adapted from my reddit thread)

Life can be hard. Going through university, working 30 to 40 hours, dealing with relationships, handling finances, the list goes on and never seems to stop. So there are times where you just want to take that quick little breather to just relax, even if it is for a fleeting moment. Dog Days Season Two is this "breather." Amid the many shows containing intense drama, crazy action, or philosophical insight, this one is there to just enjoy it for what it is.

STORY

Dog Days Season Two takes place a few months after the conclusion of the first season. This ... time, Shinku, Rebecca, and Nanami head to Flonyard in order to enjoy the land and its people.

The joke last time was that the whole point of the show was the fighting. The battles were the focus, and everything revolved around them. While they are present this time around as well (a continent can't have a cultural turnover in the span of a few months, anyway), they are not what is important. Instead, the show adopts a slice-of-life style episodic story-telling theme in order to present us with varying situations that the characters find themselves in. Body switching, mazes, and bunny/cat thieves all make an appearance, breaking the monotony that the first season was mired in. I call the first season having "focus" on the battles, but in the sense that that was all it cared about. This season really focused, giving it much needed direction and reason.

This new focus allows the show to actually expand on the characters and the world they live in. Thankfully, it transitioned heavily away from being all about Shinku and giving the other main and side characters a shot. Many times, a group of them would be hanging out training or finding themselves in a precarious situation, giving the fans of these characters much-needed screen time. It's always difficult doing something like this, especially with a cast this large while adding even more to the mix, but I found this season to handle the overall screen time for each member quite fairly. At the same time, the various plots provide for at least a small amount of world building on many of the smaller details, such as the demons that inhabit the land or the finer intricacies of a country's inner workings.

If one really wants to dig deep, there is a purpose to the countries themselves. Biscotti represents the kind and the fair, Galette are the strong and the proud, and Pastillage are the cute and the energetic. All three have their strong and weak points. Yet the wars they have between each other are not for domination but for sport. Meaning it doesn't matter if your kind, strong, or cute, anyone has the chance to be a "Hero" in the world of Flonyard.

ANIMATION

Dog Days Season Two actually faults a bit in this category.

The art style remains almost exactly the same. No surprise for any show, really, since immensely changing the art style could potentially make very little sense. The character designs for the new characters are just as enticing and unique as the old characters' designs, so there isn't any problems there either.

It's not entirely noticeable, but there is a lot less animation going on comparatively. Perhaps due to the slice-of-life nature of the show where the battles are not that important anymore, there seems to be not a dip in the quality of the animation but just less of it in general. In other words, a lot more talking and sitting around versus running, jumping, and crossing swords from days of old. The opportunities were there, but perhaps due to time, budget, or both, the show just refused to showcase its animating talent.

CHARACTERS

This new season brings back every single character from the first, while simultaneously introducing us to a slew of new ones.

Many of the new characters are very forgettable, such as Hina's brother (the swordsmith) or the little cat thief. Others manage to make a distinct mark, such as Couvert (Pastillage's princess) and Adel (the "Hero King"). Couvert is pretty much just a "moe-blob." She's insanely cute in the way she talks and how she acts, and is always looking to have a little bit of fun. Adel, literally the king of all Heroes, is a woman who is outwardly very refined and dignified but inwardly loves to do battle. In a way, season two was simply trying to "fill the gaps." The cast of characters at this point is ginormous, so there is bound to be someone for everyone who watches the anime.

My favorite character from the show is Yukikaze...I think. My previous reasons for liking her mostly do to her contagious personality and great body are somewhat conflicted after learning a bit more about her past. Arguably speaking, though, the best character from the show is Eclair. I had disappointments with her in the first season, but this time, she actually excels. In short, she is one of the best examples of a "tsundere" character that I've seen in quite some time. Over the course of the show, she actually breaks out of her "tsun" shell and moves to the "dere" side in a believable and fitting fashion. I thought her character development was done quite nicely.

Everyone else is hit or miss. You either love the trope they represent or hate it, because that is the extent of the characters. Luckily, Shinku does not have a commanding presence this time around, giving the rest of the cast the chance to at least demonstrate their tropes in full force.

SOUND

The OP this time around is at least a smidgen better than the first season's, but it's still way too generic. The vocals are okay, the trumpet is loud, and the beat is simple.

Once again, the ED goes for a considerably softer tone. And also once again the ED is better than the OP for their respective seasons. The drum beats and song itself are still generic, but the almost-ending pause and quiet lead in into the song at least spice it up a bit.

Reiterating myself a lot here, but like the first season, the soundtrack for the show is mostly forgettable. Princess Millifiore sings a few songs, just like the first season, but they're more about their "relevance" within the show than they are about listening to them as single tracks outside of it.

As for voice acting, Aoi Yuuki does an above average job portraying Couvert. The rest of the cast either fulfill their roles or fit the new ones nicely enough. However, I still can't stand Shinku's voice. It just does not fit his character.

ENJOYMENT

There is no denying that the show is cute. All of their characters are designed to be so. As such, I often found myself smiling at the tail-wagging or when the Heroes are petting their respective leaders. It seems like a silly concept from the title alone, but given how non-violent Flonyard actually is, it's always fun to see the entire cast hanging out and having a grand old time.

The show tones down the fan-service quite a lot this time around. Also of note is the romance at play. It's in a weird spot. First, Shinku is quite dismissive, avoiding the question. Yet, he says, "I love you" to some of the girls, hugs them/holds hands, and compliments them. In other words, the dude is sending way too many mixed signals, and it gets rather grating. Of course, the girls involved aren't dismayed by this fact, but such is anime.

One small aside: Pastillage should literally win every battle. I mean, they have complete domination of the air. Sure, the countries have one or two flight capable devices or someone can launch projectiles, but having such control over arguably 50% of the map (thinking of it like a rectangle, if you will) should make these wars a piece of cake. But no, of course not.

Dog Days Season Two doesn't do much, and it doesn't really try to. It's just kind of there. There really isn't anything wrong with that, too. If you are looking for a semi-enjoyable show, this should fill that void. At the very least, it is an improvement from the season that came before it.

SUMMARY

Story: Fine, massive improvement from first season, focuses on slice-of-life

Animation: Bad, generic art style with less actual animation

Characters: Fine, a trope for everyone

Sound: Bad, okay OP and ED, forgettable soundtrack, okay VA work

Enjoyment: Fine, cute little show to pass the time

Final Score: 4/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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