Review of Birdy the Mighty: Decode 02
Tetsuwan Birdy Decode 02 is possibly one of the greatest follow ups to a mediocre first season. It takes all the flaws of the original and simply does away with them while throwing in a much more focused plot and characters. While the first season wasn't bad by any stretch of the word, it was fairly uninspired. It often felt like the series didn't know what it wanted to be, not really striking a balance between the slice of life elements or the science fiction. The pacing was all over the place, often ranging from adequate to mind-numbingly slow. The last couple of episodes feltvery rushed and a lot of plot points that were introduced earlier never really amounted to anything substantial.
A-1 definitely got their act together for the 2nd season, with a far more enjoyable plot. The second season picks up not too long after the first and everyone is dealing with the damage dealt to the city by the Ryunka in the the finale of first season. While the previous season focused on Tsutomu's life and problems, the 2nd season completely focuses on Birdy, leaving Tsutomu (rightfully) in the backseat. A lot of the slice of life elements are cut out in favor for a focused exposition on the plot. Nataru, Birdy's childhood is introduced in this season and plays a very important role to the plot as well as a foil to Birdy. The aliens who were behind the Ryunka in the first season are also introduced and are (ironically) hiding from galactic law on Earth. All these characters come together in a plot of revenge, conspiracy, conflict, relationships and bloody resolution, basically all the elements of a good story. Birdy really becomes a much better in this season. Instead of just being there to kick ass and make the occasional joke, we get an in depth look into her character, explaining the "Berserker Killer" title she has as well as her origin. Her story is much more interesting compared to Tsutomu's anyway, and I'm glad that A-1 went in the direction they did.
The animation and art...where do I begin? The animation is probably the best aspect of the series, and the 2nd season doesn't disappoint. It has a distinctly different style from the first season. Instead of top notch art and smooth animation, they opted for less detailed yet expressive art and jerkier yet stylistic animation. Its not fair to say that the first season had better animation, sure there were more frames but the 2nd season really delivers with its unique animation. The fights are a wonder to behold, truly some of the best in the industry. The last fight is especially incredible and breathtaking, often mimicking cinematic movement.
The music is also a step up from the original, the soundtrack has many more orchestrated pieces and its used wonderfully in context with the animation. It definitely sets the mood whether it be comedic or serious in tone. The opening completely owns the first one, fitting the scenes and context of the story perfectly. All in all, the music is much more memorable this time around.
In conclusion, Decode 02 is how great sequels are done. It improves on all aspects of the original while fixing up issues and tightening up the writing. Its definitely one of my favorite shows and I think everyone should give it a shot. If you stick with it, it'll pay up in spades.