Maken-Ki! Two (2014)

Maken-Ki! Two (2014)

Episodes 01 – 10 + OVA

Their magic is breast in class!

If you enjoyed the first season of Maken-Ki! (2011) — a 12-episode anime based on the Japanese manga series by Hiromitsu Takeda — and are eager to see the storyline progress and the characters deepen and develop, then I’d say avoid this one like Anthrax. If you liked all of the fanservice aspects of the aforementioned and are keen to experience more lewd and crude behavior from the comfort of your own home, then this titillating follow-up is definitely for you, Maken-Ki! Two featuring more panty shots, male groping and jiggling kahunas than a perverted delinquent could possibly ask for. Backtracking for a second. If you’ve never seen nor heard of Maken-Ki!, it’s one of those big, dumb titty shows that somehow managed to make enough dough to warrant a second go-around, even if the series was solely based on bouncin’ boobies.

Every episode of Maken-Ki! Two opens with a voiceover that sets the scene, the bulk of these naughty misadventures taking place in, and around, the enigmatic Tenbi Academy, a private high school where students with the power of Elements gather to learn. There are, however, a select handful that would prefer to use their Element to cause mischief and mayhem. Considering this to be a bit of a problem, the school has formed a magical security organization dubbed Maken-Ki, which is lead by students from the Leadership Committee, the team tasked with stopping anyone who uses their Element for no good. In this second season, the Maken-Ki crew are still dealing with Element-related crims, such as a depraved lingerie thief, a couple of S&M freaks and a sexy Maken burglar, with our protagonist Takeru Ōyama finding himself buried in more peaches and melons than your local produce worker, much to the dismay of his sexy childhood friend Haruko Amaya.

With director Hiraku Kaneko, Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid (2015), taking over from Koichi Ohata, Maken-Ki! Two is a lot raunchier than its predecessor, with T&A pushed to the forefront and the show taking on more of an episodic nature instead of focusing on an over-arching narrative, the action being scaled back, too. With that said, there’s still plenty of racy fun to be had, these single-serve plotlines taking several tropes and clichés of fanservice then dialing them up a notch or two. There’s an early episode titled ‘Meowken-ki’ that sees Inaho Kushiya’s pussy cat (Monji) use its own magical ability to turn the Maken-Ki babes into catgirls right in the midst of (yep, you guessed it) mating season, and another where Takeru’s friend Kengo Usui is appointed temporary principal, the drooling horndog abusing his authority by changing up the syllabus to exploit his female classmates.

My favorite episode, however, happens to revolve around a depraved talking teddy (named Rudolf) whom the petite Kodama Himegami adopts, the soft toy sexually harassing every well-endowed bombshell he can get his grubby paws on, this bonkers escapade showcasing some spot-on self-aware humor, chiefly a joke that sees a couple of ‘guest stars’ try to edge themselves into the show’s principle cast. Genius. And while a majority of these exploits ‘tease’ viewers with unorthodox camera angles and such, it’s the fleshy OVA titled ‘Takeru Turns into a Woman!? Naked in a Southern Island!’ that pushes the show into borderline pornography terrain, thanks to its non-stop nudity, this additional frolic featuring more nipples than a breast augmentation specialist would see in a year. Set during the ‘customary’ tropical training camp, things go pear-shaped when Takeru (for reasons that aren’t totally explained) randomly turns into a girl, this transformation forcing him to do some inner thinking, well, that’s when he’s not busy ogling over his buxom classmates and their bitchin’ bods. With hilarious sex games and touchy-feely female bonding, this insane OVA embraces all of its wackiness wholeheartedly, making it pure uncensored bliss from top to bottom.

On a technical side, Maken-Ki! Two is a step up from its precursor, the animation studio switching from AIC to Xebec. Staying in line with the first series and all of its goofiness, the characters designs are much more ‘juicy’ and bosomy this second time around, with director Kaneko ensuring that the leading ladies always look fantastic, and that those after silly masturbatory material will get it in spades. Although no new characters have been added to the already voluptuous mix, its fun to see the school’s tracksuit wearing principal Minori Rokujou, classroom teacher Tomika Amato and nurse Aki Nijou as young students in an origin episode that looks at the formation of Maken-Ki. It’s also fun to try and spot the various references to other anime shows and video games, with the likes of Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya (2013), Strike Witches (2008), Is This a Zombie? (2011) and Gosick (2011) getting an amusing little shout out in a cosplay centered caper.

It’s safe to say that a show like Maken-Ki! won’t be for everyone — its crass, vulgar, sexist and above all juvenile. Thankfully, the self-contained anime-only story arcs make it much easier to watch, every episode focusing on a different character and their own unique ticks and eccentricities. Sure, the entire series feels like it’s tailor-made for a 10-year-old boy who’s just discovered the splendor of jiggly hooters, but when it’s this much fun, who really cares. We’re all allowed that one (or two) guilty pleasure, aren’t we?

4 / 5 – Recommended

Reviewed by Mr. Movie

Maken-Ki! Two is released through Madman Entertainment Australia