No, it didn't disappoint hugely. But it DID disappoint. This highly-awaited sequel deviated slightly from what made Baka to Test, Baka to Test and by doing so, the series became that much harder to watch, even as a fan. However, it was still an ok sequel (better than anything Zero no Tsukaima has done) and here's my review on it.
Batman doesn't like chocolates OR books
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni! (from now on called Baka to Test 2 or Ni!) is the shinier, slightly dumber version of its prequel. Perhaps the studio ran out of jokes, perhaps they tried to follow the light novel too closely. Either way, it was sad to see a series that I liked so much become mediocre.
The sound was good - the soundtrack/BGM is essentially just inheritance from the first season, so there's really nothing much to say. The OP (Kimi+Nazo+Watashi de Jump!!) is slightly worse than its predecessors from the OVA and S1, but that's what you freaking get for not hiring Hyadain to work his peppy magic on the song. This isn't to say that it's bad (it's still above average and has grown on me since the first episode), but the song just doesn't ramp it up to the next level, let alone outpace the songs that came before it. The ED (Eureka Baby) is a good improvement from the other screaming nonsense EDs from S1 (although the OVA ED was quite amusing), but it's still rather half-baked. Try again in season 3, Silver Link.
The graphics have definitely improved from last season. This doesn't mean that it looks more shiny (although that does seem sometimes the case), but rather that they either stuff more cool stuff in or do their little magic with the person markers while the characters converse - it's a really creative way to attract wandering eyes that don't necessarily want to watch talking heads all day, every day. The best example of this is actually the beach mini-arc in the first few episodes - that one 'video game'-ish scene where Akihisa tries to find the watermelon and the scene in the van was really fun to watch and I wish other series could follow this example.
Some of the cool stuff mentioned above. Also, I would miserably fail that game in the second picture.
The plot is where stuff slightly unravels. The second series had the dual problem of keeping the humor juggling act steady while also opening up the main love-triangle for development in the future. However, the second series just fucked it up. There's really no other word for it. They fucked the shit out of this mix. The flashback episodes were too dramatic and didn't divulge enough info, the deliiiightful new members of the cast (the other Kinoshita twin, Aiko Kuudo, and Akihisa's sister Akira) are used critically in less than a third of the episodes, and by trying to over-expand the relationship developments, the humor that made Baka to Test awesome got thrown to the wayside. 99% of the "funny" stuff throughout the episodes was composed of elementary school-level slapstick comedy. C'mon, I KNOW you can do better, why are you like this?
This is all without mentioning the pace - which is simply awful. Yes, some people are satisfied with the fact that they reveal more behind the Shouko-Yuuji pair. However, if the path to development is going to be this slow and painful, I'd rather just have a season that's just composed of goofing around. Just...don't spend 3 episodes on ONE mini-arc that advances the Akihisa/Mizuki/Minami triangle 5 mm. It doesn't please the viewers and it doesn't help the story.
I CAN'T BELIEVE I WATCHED 3 EPISODES OF A TERRIBLE MINI-ARC FOR THIS ENDING
It shouldn't be too hard to merely extend the qualities of what made Baka to Test great: deadpan/slapstick humor that doesn't suck and is creative; fast-moving mini-arcs that end with happy, somewhat profound moments; and dynamic use of the WHOLE cast, main and supporting, to create cool/funny/interesting scenes that capture the eyes of the viewer. Unfortunately, by trying to have the best of both worlds (heavy development and good humor) in an awkward manner - that is, by doing a lot of one and then switching to the other - the series got neither and fell flat on its face. I have really nothing else to say - this season was average, nothing more, nothing less. If you're a fan, watch this and pray for a better season 3. I know I will.
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