Anime: Strike Witches 2

After defeating the Neuroi in Gallia in the first series, the 501st Strike Witches wing is disbanded. However, after a failed "communication" with the Neuroi in Romanga (Italyish), a new, more menacing Neuroi shows up; and our 501st wing is reassembled to deal with this new threat.

Strike Witches 2 follows a very similar arrangement to the first series. While lacking in any real plot innovation, it expands on character development and adds some traditional "necessities" such as a beach episode. If you liked the first season despite it's lackluster plot, you probably enjoyed the character interactions. If that is the case then this series is for you. If you found the first series too ecchi, too boring, or just unorganized, you'll find more of the same here.

Animation:
I think Gonzo upped the animation budget for this sequel. Within the first five minutes, you can tell that more attention has been given to the battle scenes and the choreography. The overall animation style is identical to the first series, the only major change being that the setting has moved to the Mediterranean. My version this time was not the DVD release so there were lots of rays of lights. There is still significant CGI, especially towards the end of the series and with the Neuroi, but overall it isn't too distracting.

Sound:
The OP is a refreshing mix that I find superior to the original's OP. The ED reminds me way too much of the ED to Infinite Stratos, though in this case Infinte Stratos is better. Overall, they both fit the theme and mood of the series quite well. The BGM is similar to the first series with a heavy focus on military drums and orchestral instruments. The VAs are the same as the original series. As certain episodes focus on certain Witches, particularly those that didn't get much attention in the first series, the air time of the VAs differs significantly from the first series.

Story:
The story follows almost an identical path to the first series. The series starts and finishes with a plot focus but has lots of episodic episodes in the middle exploring character relations and histories. Like the first series, the ending is a rushed and pretty hilariously bad climax.

What bothered me the most was that a lot of unanswered questions that I had from the first series (that I hoped would be answered) were not. The only one that is really explored in depth is the origin of the name "witches". Men are also portrayed in a slightly negative way in the series, like the first series. Either they are the useless people manning ships destined for destruction, or are mysterious military big-wigs that seem more focused on political impression than the loss of their men or witches. In summary, don't expect much in this department.

Character:
Character interactions, if anything are even better in this series. Whereas Miyafuji spent the first series getting familiar to the other witches, now we see them interacting like normal friends. We also see a lot more of the personalities of some of the witches that were somewhat "shelved" in the first series. While there isn't a terrible amount of actual development, seeing how their different personalities mesh was quite enjoyable, though mind you a ~yuri~ tag is necessary for some of these interactions.

Value:
Overall, I felt that the second series carried the spirit of the first series fairly well. Despite the impracticality of the final arc and the lackluster continuity, the character interactions were fun, thus making this a series you can safely watch one episode at a time. As with the first series, you won't be dying for fan service after this watch.