D.C.II S.S.: Da Capo II Second Season

Da Capo II SS is a continuation of Da Capo II except this time it focuses on the Asakura sisters and Sakurai (finally!). If you were waiting for more of the sisters' involvement in the series, your wait is over. This does mean that the other characters (i.e. Koko, Nanaka, etc.) get very little air time so if you were rooting for more of those, you're better off re-watching the original Da Capo II.

I think this sequel might even rival the intensity of the original series, though the Jun'ichi & Nemu combo is pretty hard to beat. As demonstrated by the series image, this series ... takes a dramatic turn in the latter half and is concluded by a somewhat abrupt ending. Despite this, it still holds its own thanks to a great character cast and a superb animation.

Animation:
The animation is greatly improved over the original Da Capo (having gone back and watched a bit of that). It is pretty similar to Da Capo II but we also meet (gasp) grandfather Jun'ichi. As mentioned before, you're going to get a lot of Yume and Otome in this one, and so I believe my younger self upped the score here.

Sound:
Unlike the original Da Capo II, I found the opening theme quite refreshing and very in tune with the original Da Capo. The BGM is vibrant and reflects the mood of the series very well. As for voice actors, you get the same great cast as the original Da Capo II but since Otome and Yume get a lot more airtime, you get a lot more of their voices too. Both characters are very dynamic in this series and the seiyuu do an outstanding job at portraying the appropriate emotions.

Story:
The second series picks up right where the first series left off. I'm assuming that the people interested in this have watched Da Capo II already so I won't give much background info. Sakurai has decided to break up with Koko and is to some extent a free man. Again the series takes on a slice of (school) life approach similar to the original Da Capo II but with an expanded role and appearance of the sisters. We find Sakurai being pampered with his sisters fixing his clothes and eating with him.

The first half of the series is pretty light-hearted showing Sakurai having fun with his sisters and (occasionally) his other friends from the original series. There is a lot of evidence of how much he means to his sisters in the middle of the series, as a foreshadow of things to come. There is also a puppet play in the middle that also blatantly foreshadows what is to come (and sadly takes away the shock of what will happen near the end).

The second half of the series follows the formula of the original series in which we find the main characters in anguish and unable to deal with a perplexing and painful situation. My major problem with this portion is the fact that they way overdid the sadness (similar to how it took forever to explain how powerful an energy ball in DBZ was) to the point where a happy ending would still not feel very happy due to the overwhelming period of sadness before it.

The conclusion does give a twist to the series but is condensed into a single episode, the first half of which was still very sad. In other words, it felt as if the series was following a sad trend with a sudden tiny burst of happiness near the end. Regardless, I felt the ending could have been much smoother.

Character:
The viewer gets to learn a lot more about the talented Otome and brash-acting (though actually very timid) Yume. They have both inherited some magical abilities and use it/them throughout the series. One of the highlights is when Yume and Otome get "drunk" off of a non-alcoholic beverage. There is wonderful development of the two and the viewer really can tell that they care dearly for their brother.

There were two peculiarities that I found while watching this show. First of all, an entire episode was essentially dedicated to Anzu Yukimura despite the fact that she plays an otherwise minimalist role in both series. Second of all, all of Sakurai's school friends from the first series end up being completely stagnant. We barely even see Nanaka and Koko compared to the original series. This difference felt a little unnatural though I'm not complaining since Yume and Otome more than make up for this.

Value:
Overall, the series came out very strong and will be a good watch for all Da Capo fans. If you were thrown off by Da Capo SS (Aisia...) or Da Capo II (Minatsu), you'll be happy that the main females are once again Asakuras (and they don't disappoint!). This series exceeded my expectations and is well worth a re-watch.

D.C.II.S.S is a future story about Yoshiyuki, the new main protagonist of Da Capo. In the first episode, it was only a review to help us remember the characters of this anime. But we can tell that Yume is currently fall in love with Yoshiyuki and jealous if her sister, Otome, have fun together with him.

Asakura Jun'ichi will be appeared again after 50 years as Yume and Otome's grandfather.

Well, I think this anime will be a excellent choice to collect since the story isn't too hard to understand and the tsundere Yume is very cute.

It would be the best if you watch it from the ... very first series (Da Capo)

I watched all Da capo series (up to DC III minus DC If) in one run, so this will cover a bit DC II as the prequel and some of its parent stories.

Story: 7
This is the only aspect why I follow through all DC series. The story from DC I captivated me a bit and it's even better in D.C II (especially SS). The mystery behind the never-withered Sakura tree is handled fresh in each series, a bit connection from previous story but still original. This is pretty good considering how many stories have been produced for this sakura tree.

Art: 6
In short, It's ... better than DC I with more vibrant colors imo.

Sound: 6
Opening is good (DC II SS), but others are really weak to leave impression on me.

Chara: 4
This is the worst problem with DC series. Almost all characters are mediocre at best. I have never seen any other MC in other series as boring as Yoshiyuki. Frankly speaking, I'm sick of this "A popular guy who is kind to everyone but dumb enough to realize other's affection". Any cliche situations can be found here and the most annoying thing is when that MC being dragged around by his friends without being able to decline. Oh, man.

Junichi from DC I is a tiny bit better for me considering his sense of humor, but Yoshiyuki is REALLY boring, except when the series reaches its end where the sadness built up.

The only interesting characters for me are Minatsu which is handled much better than its counterpart, Miharu from DC I and the Asakura sisters (but only near the end). Beside that, mediocre to the letter.

Continuation: 3
I really don't understand why this is called D.C II SS. Except the same characters, everything from DC II seems dissapear without explanation. The most obvious one is Yoshiyuki's relation with Koko. Well, they mention it a bit in ep 2 (CMIIW) but after that, she was thrown away from the story. I really hope that the relationship and the problems could contribute in either adding more flames in the conflict in SS or solving it.
Shortly speaking, I think I will feel better if I watched DC II SS without watching DC II.

Plot: 6
This score is for DC II SS WITHOUT DC II because as I say, there is no important continuation whatsoever, including the plot. I really love how they built up the tension towards the end of the series. The road to climax is really good and tear-jerking. I would be glad to give this 8 or 9 if the ending is not as cliched as it is. Sola's ending is waaaay much better than this.

Enjoyment: 5
Good story, nice plot, boring characters, and horrible continuation. Well, at least I enjoy the story.

Overall: 6
Shortly speaking, it will be good series if there is no DC II and they handle the characters and the ending better.