Anime 20509

Another lovely summer goes by for Illyasviel von Einzbern. Taking a break from her magical girl duties, she enjoys her time off after collecting the Class Cards with her best friend Miyu Edelfelt.

However, her break comes to an abrupt end when she and Miyu are abducted by Rin Toosaka and Luviagelita Edelfelt, while out with her friends. The magical girls learn that their work is far from over, as Clock Tower informs them that the out of control mana thought to have been sealed continues to be dispersing throughout Fuyuki City. After heading to the origin point of the out of control mana, Illya and Miyu are tasked with solving the anomaly.

But after casting their spell, Illyasviel discovers that she's split into two people! As this mysterious new form darts off, she can only wonder: what is to come from the existence of her dopplegänger, running amok in the unsuspecting town?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Toosaka, Rin Main

Ueda, Kana Japanese

von Einzbern, Illyasviel Main

Kadowaki, Mai Japanese

von Einzbern, Chloe Main

Saitou, Chiwa Japanese

Edelfelt, Miyu Main

Nazuka, Kaori Japanese

Edelfelt, Luviagelita Main

Itou, Shizuka Japanese

Emiya, Kiritsugu Supporting

Koyama, Rikiya Japanese

Emiya, Shirou Supporting

Sugiyama, Noriaki Japanese

von Einzbern, Irisviel Supporting

Ohara, Sayaka Japanese

Velvet, Waver Supporting

Namikawa, Daisuke Japanese

Hortensia, Caren Supporting

Koshimizu, Ami Japanese

Saitou, Shigeru Producer

Kaneko, Hayato Producer

Oonuma, Shin Director

Jinbo, Masato Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

May 12, 2020

CataOrShane

Recommended

For me this season started with a BANG until the 4th episode where things just got slow and uninteresting for me, save for some rare genuine hilarious moments.

The battle animations are still top notch and I like the soundtrack during each episodes. I love how they gave a different seiyuu to Chloe but the kissing sound effects are too gross for me not to cringe to death.

I would say that if you want something chill to watch and enjoy the Fate cast, this is a good option for you.

SPOILERS:
1) the whole drama about "I want my life back" had already been ... addressed last season so it was just plain stupid to reuse that for plot;
2) Miyu as Ryder was so, so, so, so, so, awesome. Even better than as Saber.


Overall, this show gets a 7/10 from me.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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May 13, 2020

Mr_Yaz

Mixed Feelings

Reviewer's note: This series is my 5th entry into the Fate/Kaled spin-off works (Ilya>Specials>Sekka no Chikai>Undoukai de Dance!).


✪ Genre: action (swordplay), contemporary fantasy, comedy (facial distortion, funny expressions), magic (circles, spellcasting, magic weapons), mahou shoujo, school life, seinen, superpower (emotions awaken superpowers) with some loli, yuri, and harem elements


✔Positive Aspects✔

◧ Animation: adequately distinct characters, based on colors of moderate to low saturation/medium to high lumination, with the urban environment and the urban landscapes being a little more muted in comparison. The usage of 'light' and 'spark' effects during the action sequences, where the characters are swinging around & clashing their melee weapons, appears ... to be much crisper in this season compared to the previous one.

◧ Comedic sequences: following the 1st season, this was easily my favorite part of this series, mostly revolving around the 3 protagonists having fun with their fellow students/friends and their hilarious teacher, Mrs. Fujimura.

◧ Fan service: following the wonderfully entertaining special episodes, a lot of said hilarious comedic scenes contain copious amounts of it. The studio makes a conscious effort to please its audience by introducing a lot of loli yuri action in many episodes, while in others there's quite a bit of ecchi-based action (e.g. lingerie, sexually suggestive clothing, skirt flipping, pantsu, breast fondling).

◧ Soundtrack: compared to the previous season, the musical background is richer and more prominent, with various pieces of music being used - ranging from j-pop and electronic music to solo piano, Indian-influenced new age, and orchestral works.

◧ Character development: even though this season does not contain nearly as much action as the 1st season while containing far more comedic sequences, it nevertheless does not fail to build up its characters. Throughout, there are individual episodes where the audience gets a glimpse into the deuteragonists' priorities in life, into their relationships with specific family members, and into their thought processes. Finally, I would be remiss If I did not mention the helpful information that is provided regarding some of the protagonists' personal histories and relationships with family members.

◧ Action scenes: despite being few in number and narratively insignificant, the studio does a far better job compared to the previous season. Following my review of the Sekka no Chikai movie (t.ly/rTqd), Silver Link seems to have completed the switch from action sequences based on different levels of the third-person perspective (1st season) to Ufotable's use of various camera perspectives (first-person, second-person, third-person) coupled with different camera 'heights' and quick zoom-ins/outs. Even though the end result is not as polished and stylish as Ufotable's UBW, it's still an improvement from the SnC movie and overall.


✘Negative Aspects✘

◧ Plot: technically there is one, but functionally not really. Specifically, besides the first 2 and the last 2 episodes of the series, the majority of its runtime has a distinctly filler-like tone based on fan-service and comedic scenes. Even though I binge-watched the entire season in a matter of hours, I had completely forgotten that there is an underlying plot until the 8th episode kicked in.


Overall: Despite its glaring lack of a functional central narrative and its woefully few action sequences, the series manages to thoroughly entertain its audience with loli yuri-/ecchi- based comedy scenes while providing some necessary building of its protagonists and deuteragonists.


P.S. For further reviews of the Fate franchise, please take a look at my profile.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jan 31, 2015

Revaq

Not Recommended

Minor spoilers.

This review is written with the assumption that you have seen the prequel, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya.

Sense of place. The term can be used in many different ways. For some it may be unique places like ones bedroom, for others it may be about an attachment to a group of people where one feels safe and free to express oneself. We all seek a place to belong, somewhere where warmth emits. Some are lucky to find attachment early during their childhood while others struggle to. When you do not find a place, you feel left outside, alone, scared, cold and that is when one ... is the weakest and perhaps most aggressive; acting with hostility towards those who have taken your comfortable place out of frustration and fear.

2wei! is a story about finding a place to belong.

The sequel to Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei! continues the journey of the two girls, Illyasviel and Miyu. After completing the task of collecting the class cards, Illya and Miyu adjusts to live their life normally after the events. But that does not last long since there is trouble brewing in the complex space. Illya and Miyu are once again needed by Rin and Luvia to deal with the side effects left by the cards. Following the restoration we are introduced to Kuro, the new addition of the story.

Being reminded that others have a normal life does take a toll on one's self confidence and balance, and this is what happens to Kuro. With Illya being surrounded by friends and family, Kuro is constantly reminded of what she lacks. When Illya expresses that she wants her life to return to normal it triggers Kuro making her loathe Illya all the more. Even though surrounded with demoralizing scenes she tries to find a place by taking advantage of Illya’s desires (which Illya is not able to act on because of fear) and attempts to push her out and replace her. This is shown when she advances towards Shirou (who Illya holds a dear crush for) and being sexually suggestive while flirting with him. Her attempts on phasing Illya out eventually ends with a fight and it being interrupted with perfect timing (a bit too appropriately) by a third party, the source of Kuro’s problem itself. As the show progresses the influence of Illya’s continuous friendly advances leads to Kuro being able to find a place in her former enemy’s warmth. Although minor, Miyu plays a role in the story when Kuro challenges the validity of her friendship with Illya which Miyu responds with a strong resolve, and it shows that Miyu has developed during the course of the series.

Even though they had the first season to reflect and improve their show, 2wei! is sadly not an improvement over the first season and the series is faltering.

The themes of friendship and trust that was dealt with in the previous season are now shifted away to give way to the new theme, a place of belonging. Early on the show loses focus on the themes it attempts to deal with. Episodes leading up to the climax favors comedic events spawned from Kuro’s interactions and these events take too much time of the shows constricting episode count. Episode 4 being the biggest offender with it being about a game of dodgeball which is dragged out to the point that would make a taffy confectioner jealous. The dodgeball game serves little purpose in the narrative with its intentions being about eliciting chuckles and to mystify Miyu and the school nurse, perhaps hinting the upcoming events of the series.

The theme is vaguely hinted throughout the story from Kuro’s hostile and apathetic actions towards others, and her reaction from Illya’s questioning about her reason to remove Illya out of the way. It is later clarified why Kuro acted the way she did, but it does not leave a satisfying conclusion. There is a sharp contrast with how light and playful the the story was compared to the event leading up to the climax, and the bridge leading up to it gives little time to empathize with Kuro. With these reasons the climax did not reach its full potential and in the end falls flat.

Although humor is a part of the series, anything but the interactions between the main characters are so weak that they detract time only to attempt a flat and dull gag. It also feels artificial and forced. The shows side characters are significantly degrading ones experience, to the extent that you cannot enjoy the show whenever they pop-up. Tatsuko being the energetic and feisty troublemaker, Suzuhana the mature one, Nanaki the one who just goes along with anything and Mimi the one with lacking presence. They are all simplified, fitting common tropes and serve to share the burden of the main cast to supply amusement. This shows a lack of trust given to the main characters ability to elicit laughter. The memorable and great moments of fun are risen naturally from the main characters interactions.

One side character to note is Shirou, that lacks any purpose in the story other than to make the main characters, as well as Rin and Luvia, lose control and behave out of character. Two notable scenes are when Miyu clings to Shirou like a vulnerable puppy and scuttles away, and Rin and Luvia trying their best to look impress and get his attention. It feels out of place and is one of the downsides with the show. The influence he has on the girls and their feelings for him feels out of place whenever they are in the same scene. We are never explained why the girls feel the way they do towards him, and it does not have any impact at all. It just gives rise to an awkward and confusing scene. It also gives a sense of a subplot being that the girls are a part of a harem romcom with Shirou being the typical dull and oblivious main character.

Although flawed, the series is enjoyable to a certain degree. The interactions between the characters does spawn great moments of comedy; in particular, the way Illya reacted and her face when she was seen by her classmates in her magical girl outfit is one the funniest parts of the show. The scene in episode 2 where Kuro explores the mysteries of Miyu’s mouth might be weird to watch, but it sure offers a kind of fan service that is tasteful without detracting the characters to simple sexual objects. How the camera angles during that scene showing Illya in the background with the two girls kissing in the forefront and the fact that the camera lingers shortly close to them and quickly backs away to give them space gives the idea of the camera respecting their moment. The way Illya observed them during that scene reflects perfectly how I reacted to it, and it shows that the producer knows its audience and what reaction they expect. Interestingly enough there is a reason behind Kuro’s kissing, however it is not convincing enough to pass it off since there are other ways she can recharge her mana which does not require her to force herself onto other girls.

It is also a pleasure to see how Kuro slowly warms up to the rest of the cast as the show goes on. The antagonist that is introduced later in the second half ramps up the girls relationship. The battle that follows shows how well the CGI complements the action that is displayed. The animation of the characters are well done and smooth, and it does not detract the exhilarating action. In contrast to the light and bright scenes in the first half of the show, the dark arc in the end fits well since it serves to strengthen the girls bond by inserting a common enemy which they will have to work as a team in order to defeat it. This allows the girls develop their characters even further, and gives Miyu, Rin and Luvia some needed screen time.

Illya’s character design has never looked this good before, making other works design of her look poor in comparison. Miyu and Kuro are no exception to the lovely design as well. Silver Link’s strength regarding animation are character design and CGi, and they sure do know how to draw characters with a great consistency. The shows CGI looks amazing with its natural presence unlike other shows which feature CGi that looks out of place. The lighting applied to the scene are nicely represented, and the shadows covers and wraps around the objects and characters they are on decently giving a decent overall look. Other than the CGI, the overall animation quality is decent The soundtrack and background music does not impress. It does its job, but being simple regarding synths and tunes, as well as the background music during the fight scenes feeling more like a dance than action pumping sound it leaves one unfulfilled. There are not any notable or memorable soundtracks. At least the ending song is nice, fitting well into the shows light and magical feel with its instruments sounding very light and giving a cheery and girly overall sense.

Sometimes there are shows that pop up which are incredibly popular with the help of it being a part of a popular franchise or something else. Prisma☆Illya is one of those shows, risen to heights with the help of the Fate-franchise immense popularity. Even though mediocre, it offers fans of the Fate-franchise a mahou shoujo spin-off with the ever so popular girl, Illyasviel.

Cute girls in cute outfits is what Prisma☆Illya is all about. With a heavy sprinkle of magic, friendship and acceptance it paints itself like any other generic Mahou Shoujo but within the Fate universe. Although the show handles itself decently at some aspects its dynamic between philosophy and humor falters, and it offers nothing new and should be treated as nothing more but sugar. For the fans of Illya, I suggest hopping onto this series since Illya has never before been more beautiful and cute. She looks lovely but the shows she stars in are anything but.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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