*Includes spoilers. All media credits go to their owners.*
In the light of a new season starting in the anime world, I'm inclined to be a bit melancholic about all my favourite shows that have ended - and I mean in general, not the previous season. When I watch or read something that I really grow fond of, it's extremely hard to let go of it in the end. Let's say I'm reading the Game of Thrones series and finally, finally, mr Martin finishes the damn saga. That's terrifying! It's like the end of a world! Although I don't like waiting years and years for the
next part of the story, at least there is something to look forward to. It's kind of like losing something from your life if there is nothing else coming! Here, let me paint a picture:
Regardless, however desperate I may be, I recognize that at some point all good things must end. Or they stop being good. And yes, Hollywood, I mean you especially. Although there may be money to be made from '[insert name here] Adventures 2&3&4...' due to the gullible hopeful fans of '[insert name here] Adventures 1', story and qualitywise it would just be better to stop with the first. Sometimes before the first.
I'm not sure if that idea entirely works in the anime world though. There definitely are some animes that have overstayed their welcome, like the endless sequels of Digimon (I did like the first 3, by the way), Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Gundam - there are plenty. But more surprising are the ones that become a more special and diverse story with sequels. I'd say, at least to some extent, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, Naruto Shippuuden do that. If you look at the top anime list here, you can see that many sequels are ahead of their first part in the list. So today I'll be focusing on the ones that I think absolutely profit from having a sequel or a second season.
Code Geass
Although this one was probably never meant as one season only, it's original run time was from fall 2006 to March 2007. The next season aired over a year later, in April 2008. It's not very uncommon for shows to get canceled and sequels to be announced and called off again, so if I had been watching it from the Japanese TV back then, I would've been rather scared that the first season would be the end of it. Even if there are various reasons for delaying a show on purpose - from creating more word of mouth marketing to polishing every edge of the new piece of work - you can never really know what's going on behind the curtains and weather your beloved show will make it back to the screen.
But thank goodness it did, because it was clearly the second season that brought it home. Where the first part was what built the story and gave it colour and some background, it was the pace, new variations and characters of the second season that provided such an epic culmination. It brought so many new elements and yet managed to keep the vibe from the first part - not to mention create new word of mouth publicity with the ending and become one of the most legendary psychological and strategic minds anime ever.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
This one has a very specific topic so I don't really blame you if you haven't seen it - or have avoided it.
The first season, which ended in September 2006, painted a rather bloody picture that could arguably be targeted to very sick people only. There were a couple of live-action movies and even a spinoff OAV before the 'official' second season aired July 2007, but it really was the second season that saved everything. Where the first season was cute-kids-getting-brutal, the second gave it some kind of context and reasoning which made it less sickening and more tragic. I know people who've watched a few episodes of the first season and then
looked at me in disgust for having seen two seasons of it and never ever
speak of it again. In my defense - I even told them that it may be
pointless to watch the first season if you're not going to follow
through the second since otherwise all you'll remember are twisted
pictures from a story with no point other than killing people off over and
over
Clannad: After Story
Probably one of the most famous sequels as well as a long time top of the ANN best anime list, Clannad: After Story is what saves the anime for me. The sequel, which aired similarly to previous examples a year after the first season ended in October 2007, has earned a lot of praise and won many hearts.
You may call me a cold bastard and I would agree, but the
regular Clannad left hardly any impression on me. Perhaps it is due to
so many school animes out there and every other one of them trying to be
so very overly melancholic. Or maybe I'm just a heartless bitch.
Whereas I fully acknowledge that without the first season and the first half of the second season there would not be such a rich back story and contrast, the story itself only begins for me with the second half of the sequel. That last part is where the "Real Clannad" starts and takes off from the ground of 'a bit above average' and becomes something special. The excruciatingly long introduction pays off. Another sequel surpasses its original.
But one of the greatest surprises was something very unusual. I just recently finished watching Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: that's not anime. True that. Still, the influences of Chinese culture and Japanese animation are so intensely visible in the series, that I would most often find myself wondering why they weren't speaking in Japanese.
When I first ever saw this cartoon it was when my sister was 6 and she watched it during the mornings. I didn't think much about it back then, it seemed rather tasteless. But with the urging community of 9gag, I decided to watch the show and guess what - it turned out to be awesome. There was the mindset and subtlety of Asian cultures skillfully mixed with American straightforwardness. It had great action, was very well drawn and no one really denied their feelings - the full package. A full shounen protagonist who is great at battles and knows how to handle spiritual stuff. What more can a girl ask for!
Now when I finished the original and went on to the Legend of Korra, I must say I was rather sceptical. We all know how the Western world butchers good things with sequels. But as the show evolved, I discovered my fears were for nothing. With matching undercurrents from the first show, the Legend of Korra kind of picks up like it's the most natural thing in the world. True, the world has changed and instead of the traditional China-like world, one might say there are new settings brought in from the red China - communist ideas in the world of element bending. And true, there seemed to be a lot take from the USA around the 40s, but all in all, it was the special and specific world of the four elements. Also, bits and pieces of the past were shown with our favourite characters from the original show all grown up, doing great deeds.
I mean, dayum! Look at Aang, he grew up to be uberhandsome! Oh yes you did, yes you did!
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I have more grains to spill next Friday. In the meanwhile share your opinion - which sequels do you like or hate?
