BIG MEN DOING MAN SHIT - 2 MAN 2 SHIT is back with the second meatiest tournament arc in all of anime after the one it copied its homework from. With lots of muscles, martial arts, drama, muscles, plot twists, hot women, hotter men, wrestling, muscles, blind cyborg black dudes, muscles, political strife, intense back stories and of course muscles, Kengan Ashura is here to once again deliver on what it does best and deliver on its grand climax! If you watched Kengan season 1 and liked it, this is really more of the same but even better! The matches are even better this time round,though there are some minor duds there too. Overall though, these are the strongest matches yet and the characters are now filtered down to the actually important ones, so there is much higher stakes and tension too. Compared to it's pappy Baki, Kengan has significantly less random bullshit and is easier to follow. It's also a more straightforward martial arts celebration, so if that's your think, this is a must watch.
The animation remains top notch too and manages to capture this unbridled masculine intensity in all of its glory. While some dumb puritans out there may wince at the mention of CGI in anime, but here it's very much a stylistic choice and one that works towards the benefit of making all the attacks fluid, impactful and clearly readable and allows the fighters to wallop each other over and over and over and over again without each swing tanking the show's budget. The soundtrack hits just as hard too. I am just confused by two things - why did the opening change genres every 10 seconds? I love death metal polka latino ska J-rock as much as the next guy, but it's an odd choice. The ending song hits hard too, but why did they have to get Dr. Doofenshmirtz to perform it? Baffling.
For this second half, I wanna say this is definitely the peak of Kengan Ashura thus far. It contains easily the best fights thus far and is also where the story really picks up. A lot of lore is revealed and context is given to the bigger picture here. Regardless of that, all the final fights are given enough time to happen and the intensity in the ring never drops. This half of the season felt very dense with things to cover, yet it never felt rushed and all of it was paced wonderfully. It all lead to a lot of surprises and a very satisfying conclusion. Hope they don't make it all weird in Kengan Omega with some random malarkey or something (Hanafusa!).
Overall, a rock solid anime full of manly fights that are sure to keep the blood pumping. Like classic martial arts films, Kengan Ashura has a simple premise executed marvelously. You know what you're here for and you'll get it in spades!
whwhiteflame55
August 19, 2024
Recommended
I was really excited for this cour of episodes and it looks like at least a couple of the fights were worthy of that excitement and then some. Kuroki Gensai, in particular, is just a pleasure to watch anytime he's on screen, but when he's really challenged as he most definitely is this time around, you really get the opportunity to see him produce his A-game and it shines. Some of the animations in the last couple of fights in particular were truly top tier, using the CGI in a way that capitalized on some amazing panel layouts from the manga in glorious fashion. Thereare some aspects of this cour that hold it back, particularly the stretches of exposition. They're not helped by the fact that Kengan Ashura leaves a lot of dangling plot threads behind when it ends, providing some insights into various events that happened long before the series without delving into the numerous gaps in the story that Kengan Omega will eventually work to fill. And, though it hasn't happened yet, Kengan Omega also undercuts some aspects of the ending, which makes it harder for me to appreciate them (I won't spoil which ones).
Still, it's hard to argue that aspects of the ending hit hard, and I liked how the animation really made those moments pop. Personally, my favorite portion of the Kengan Ashura series and a great lead-in to later events from Kengan Omega that will hopefully be adapted as well.
BaBabyRamen
November 11, 2024
Recommended
DEFINITELY the strongest of all the seasons. A lot of non kengan fans (aswell as many kengan fans) were pretty dissapointed with the degree of CGI used in the first seasons outside of the peak fights. If you're one of those people, trust me when i say, 'it gets better'. Not only is the last season by far the greatest one for plot reasons, it also carries some of the most exciting fights you'll see in all of the series. You can also definitely tell that the budget was bumped up. Either that, or someone's been doing some crazy volunteer work. The show is WAY moreanimated. Instead of being CGi, most of the fights are drawn properly, and all the peak moments look crazy.
I'm really happy with the way that the ending of the annihilation tournament was done, and i can't recommend this enough. As someone who does martial arts, and has done martial arts for most of their life, the relatability to some of the fighters are unlike anything i've felt from other series.
If you have any experience with martial arts, you'll appreciate how this show was done. And if you're someone who just likes watching good and exhilarating fights, you're in for some of the best fight choreography in all of anime.
ChChuy_diazz
September 22, 2024
Recommended
Men exuding testosterone fighting, just what was needed. Kengan Ashura is a work to enjoy, to give yourself over to the immersion and enjoy the fights to the death between muscular men. Something that has to be recognized to the studio is that it managed to teach how to make an anime entirely based on CGI. It is customary for an anime made of CGI to be bad and with heavy, abrupt and clumsy movements. Larx Entertainment knew how to exploit the benefits of CGI and gave us quite fluid fights, with movements loaded with strength and power. You are always looking forward to the fightsto see how different fighting styles confront each other while supporting your favorite. In the tournament section it has everything you can ask for. Interesting fights, charismatic fighters, twists and a winner who is not the one the viewer wants but is the one the story needs.
The problem with Kengan lies when it wants to tell you a story about a character. It feels so unnecessary because you are simply lengthening the important fights. Many flashbacks that don't alter the story, they are just there to add background, but they are not good enough to capture the interest of the viewer. The fights, the action and the frenzy are so well done, that when they want to calm the mood, one doesn't want to stop, one wants to continue in the adrenaline rush of the fights. The constant interruptions to the frenetic atmosphere make you end up feeling every minute where there are no people fighting.
The ending seemed very good to me and as long as Omega doesn't get animated, I feel that it can fall on the good side of the industry's endings. In the end, the tournament was concluded satisfactorily. It is appreciated that they didn't opt for the clichés of the tournament genre such as "The final is interrupted by a 3rd force" or that "the protagonist has to withdraw due to an event that came out of nowhere." Thank you Kengan for giving us a single winner and thank you for making it credible.
