When your tiddie anime has more depth within its plot than most non-tiddie anime in the past ten years, you know you got some problems. Well, okay, that might be a bit hyperbolic on my end. Nevertheless, when your expectations aren’t exactly that high for an anime of this genre that usually ends up falling flat on its face, you can’t help but commend it for sticking out above the rest.
Now I am not saying Queen’s Blade’s second season, subtitled Gyokuza wo Tsugu Mono (Inheritor of the Throne), is not without its flaws within its plot. It still suffers from the previous season, where there are so many characters in the show that you wished would have been explored more or given more screen time (my girl Menace deserves more love, dammit!). I’m hopeful that the 3rd season will fix this issue. There is also a new element of melodrama in parts of the story that does get a little overbearing to take seriously. There are instances where it does work involving the character Cattleya and her husband. How Leina and Ritsu resolve their conflict in the 2nd to the last episode was quite touching based on the circumstances. However, the one instance where it doesn’t work is when one character dies. They pummel the emotion to the ground to make you feel a strong emotional response, but something that tragic in an anime like this felt forced and too overblown.
Despite all of that, the story has many aspects that they improved from the 1st season. They focus on a plot point that impacts all of the other characters without unnecessary deviations from it. That way, I can easily remember the overall narrative focus without being distracted by sub-plots that do not have anything to do with the main story. The story involves all of the beautiful female fighters who want to be the Queen’s Blade to fulfill their common goals. Pretty simple but sweet to the point. The first season had this same plot, but I felt more emotionally involved due to the stakes being put in place.
Everyone who has watched Queen’s Blade says the same thing: Airi is the best girl. While I wouldn’t necessarily say she is my top favorite, Menace, the thicc queen is still my bae. This season showed me why a lot of people love her. It does help that Kanae Itou voices her, and any cutie she voices automatically gets my undivided attention. But she does have a nice well-rounded personality that makes her distinct from the rest of the girls. I thought her relationship with Cattleya’s son, Lana, was really cute and sweet. Seeing how she grows from a demon only wanting power for the Queen’s Blade title to being a caring big sister type to an innocent little boy she has no relation with. It gives her a three-dimensional growth as a character from this sub-plot.
Other characters do get more backstory and time to develop than their debut in the 1st season. For instance, Cattleya and her son are treated with a nice story, helping Leina achieve her goal and involving Cattleya’s husband, which is quite effective. Not to mention Nanael is still as perky and hilarious as ever, thanks in no part to Aya Hirano’s great performance as her. And the fact that they give Nanael something more to work with rather than be this side character is a major plus. As I have said before, I can only hope that with the 3rd season on the horizon, I can get a better feel for the girls that didn’t get as much love. I mean, when Irma and Echnida get less screen love than Ymir, that is a really big issue, in my opinion.
I must mention that I did not harp on from my review of the 1st season was the music. For some reason, the music on this season left a big impact while watching compared to the previous one. It is one of those soundtracks that you listen to outside the context of the anime and not even think it's part of some “trashy tiddie anime.” Also, the EDs for this season are now among my top favorite EDs ever. There are three different ones in random order. Each involves the three demon girls, Airi, Melona, and Menace. The fun, jazzy instrumentation, hilarious and sexy lyrics, and the great performances by the Rie Kugimiya, Kanae Itou, and Yuuko Gotou make this one of the few EDs I never skip after an episode was over. The animation of the EDs is also quite sexy and funny to look at, although Menace’s walking animation and pose were really weird to look at.
Queen’s Blade: Gyokuza wo Tsugu Mono is a big improvement. I have gone through this Queen’s Blade marathon, and I am optimistic that things can only get better or just as good from here. I’m not expecting anything groundbreaking to happen, but when my lewdness intensifies with each passing episode, that is groundbreaking enough to make me happy.
Grade: B+