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Stacked up against the impossible standards set by the first season, R2 tries its best to set the stage for an even bigger game of chess than the first time around when in reality a second season only needed to be a continuation of the first season with consequences doled out and storylines progressed to completion.

Instead, we receive a cluster of stories, all tangling and then attempting to untangle themselves to get to the end of the 25 episodes. There are multiple moments in the beginning of the season that would have most watchers of S01 that would have the viewer say "why is ... that person doing that/acting that way?" And while R2 rewards patience from viewers it has an inconsistent pacing problem that persists from beginning to end.

To add to that, there are far too many "stop and go" storylines that get put on hold on for some of the most bizarre reasons, not to mention a fan-favorite having a "stop and go" moment in their very own character just so the series can shift to a battle - or at least that's what I got out of it.

R2 has its moments, the peaks are really beautiful and stunning and jaw-dropping. The valleys are just too many and mundane or confusing. The path to those peaks are twisting to a fault.

*Minor spoilers* the brief appearance of V.V. in S01 suggested that there would be more Geass users - with Mao being precedent - but the amount of Geass users R2 ends up having is oversaturated and makes the ability, while great, seem not as special as it was in S01. That hurts the value of the show since the whole point is that Lelouch is one of only a few that have the ability - but it turns out that may not be the case.

Story (5) - as you can tell from my scathing review above, I was not a fan of the story. The season feels more like fan service than anything else, setting up multiple "what-if" prompts with several arcs having little to no serious consequences. Near the end it feels as if the show becomes Death Porn only to backtrack on SEVERAL deaths, making all those moments that had utilized its Death Porn for the shock it so craved, essentially, useless. As the viewer you feel used because the writers couldn't bring themselves to commit to specific losses - despite that shockwave having a greater effect on the world than those characters making a return.

Art (8) - the art was good, nothing to really complain about. Just like S01, the art is clean and beautiful, making for great scenes - especially those Mech fights.

Sound (7) - there was never any issue hearing what was going on. There was just nothing that made it stand out either.

Character (5) - My biggest complaint with R2 is the characters. While we eventually learn everyone's motives for acting in the way that they do, it does zero favors for their characters. Additionally, there are moments when characters don't get nearly enough screen time to develop as someone we should care about but then we're asked to anyways. The prime example of this are the Knights of the Round. Geno and Anya both, especially, feel like people we should care about but they only show up for battles and minimal screen time outside of those battles. Anya is a plot device that could have had so much more happen to flesh her out. Geno's climatic moment feels not nearly as emotionally charged as it could be for viewers because the show fails to flesh him out until its far too late. Viewers cannot be expected to CARE about characters after a 2 minute "explanation" mid battle. And that's what R2 asks of its viewers time and time again.

Enjoyment (8) - while I'm a debbie downer about a lot of the show, I have to say - I enjoyed it a lot. While it took me awhile to really get on board, once I was on it was fun. The battles were visual candy. There were several what-ifs that I got to see - albeit for just a few short episodes, if not only one episode (real ones know what I'm talking about). Zero's genius pokes it head early in quite possibly the most epic moment of the entire series to date when attempting to escape the country. If I wasn't hooked by then I was at that point and it kept me going. Lelouch, Suzaku, Kallen, the whole crew make it fun to be back in the Code Geass realm no matter what complaints you have about the story and characters.

Overall (7) - The show is overall good. It has really great moments, really bad moments, and a lot of in between. Despite my disdain for the inconsistent pacing, the one-dimensional characters we're expected to care about without reason, and the season as a whole feeling more like a bunch of fancfics mashed together, the nostalgia of S01 still gets me in those big and great moments. I can't rate this any lower than a 6.8, but since I can't be that exact, I'll give it a 7

If you're searching for a fun, easy, battle-based manga, Kongou Banchou is exactly what you're looking for. With only 114 chapters, it is of little commitment but looking at just how far you go in those 114 chapters - it's an insane journey that you won't want to put down.

Admittedly, things do get a little repetitive for the first half but character development isn't thrown out the window as we build up to an epic second half of the story. Twists and turns keep the story going as the stakes continually are raised.

The artwork is fairly easy to follow. There were few ... panels that I couldn't make out immediately what was going on. There's not many that I would qualify as "beautiful" but a story like this does not need that sort of artwork. In a "Fighting First" manga, it's so crucial to be able to follow battles and overall, Kongou Banchou does that really well. There are A LOT of fights in this manga so that easy to follow artwork is very helpful and noticeable to a reader

Most characters are one dimensional but their strengths are highlighted very well. Our main cast gets to grow more as character - which is to be expected - and each add one to three more layers throughout, depending on whom we are discussing.

Overall, this manga was very enjoyable, nothing that was perfect but it's something that I would still highly recommend due to its fast pace, good storytelling, and easy to follow battles.

Megalobox's 13 episodes go by like a storm but they end up being a whirlwind of pure fun with a small cast and the simple goal of being the best.

8s all around on each element of the show, nothing really POPS to make it go to that upper-echelon anime for me. Its a "very good" anime, the characters are pretty static, most motivations are vanilla but interesting enough to keep you watching.

My enjoyment and intrigue kept me through the end but the end was disappointing to me because it had this huge build to one moment, you've been waiting for it since the first ... episode and, like i said earlier, it just doesn't pop. It doesn't have that "we made it" moment in my opinion. Which is probably what's adding to my sour mood.

But overall, for a 13 episode this show lives up to expectations and makes for a great watch with very few - if any - detractors

Psyren was a story I began about a decade ago but fell off when I ended my Shonen subscription. I decided to pick it back up this year and found the early chapters to easily hit the same levels of hype I had felt each issue release. As the story progresses you discover the plot has a much bigger picture.

Still, it holds true to its characters and their roots - latching on primarily to Ageha and Amamiya - to drive the story as each action creates consequences in the timeline. A manga that could have really taken off but marketed to the ... shonen audience rather than the seinen audience, leading to cancellation.

Story (10/10) - As stated above, the story is driven by the characters and their actions based on a single plot-point - although the web does grow as the story grows. However, the end goal never changes making it a character driven manga. Psyren's shortened life takes the most of what it has left to speed things up and bring a fairly satisfying conclusion.

Art (8/10) - Very shonen-style but for the most clean with gorgeous panels. Near the end, some pages lack shading and work gets slightly sloppy but still delivers on the big moments.

Character (9/10) - Each character is given life. Ageha and Amamiya are given the most in-depth look but each character has their own arc that gives readers something to be excited about. The only knock I have - which is due to the shortened lifespan - is the fact that two of the main characters drop off the face of the earth for 60+ chapters. Presumably they would have gotten their own fleshed out arcs had the manga survived rather than being rushed back into the story for the final act.

Enjoyment (10/10) - fun and interesting matchups, relationships, twists and turns, the characters. It's an easy 10 rating for me

Overall (10/10) - Fantastic characters driving a story that focuses on space and time, as well as the limits of the human body and brain, and how we can control our own devastating powers, as well as the lengths we will go to survive and gain more power - for whatever our reasons may be. The artwork hardly ever disappoints. Epic moments aplenty. Emotional moments all around. For me, its one of my favorite all-times, just unfortunately cut short.