Initial Impressions: Kakumeiki Valvrave 2

Welcome back, old friend. You have been missed dearly.

Have you ever known something to be so ridiculous, so stupid, so utterly batshit that you can't help but fall in love with it before you've realized it? If you haven't, I suggest you go back to season one of Valvrave the Liberator and try again; don't forget to turn off all your logic switches. On a personal level, this is a little more than that to me, and despite its inherent stupidity, I count Valvrave as one of the most important series in my life (no, not because I think it's a masterpiece or anything, it's all circumstancial, I assure you) but on a completely not-Kairi's-life sort of way, I do hope you find this show to be as enjoyable as I do, even if it does push your buttons from time to time. Luckily, season two is just as much sheer ridiculousness and audacity to be itself as the first was, and I for one couldn't be happier to see it back.

And boy, does it come in with a bang. If you remember my rant from last season, a long time ago, in a galaxy far away, we were left with an excruciating thorn of a cliffhanger, so what better way to come back than with some over the top mecha action and plot bombs that go right over our heads? I won't even try to decipher all the Magius stuff out now; if I know enough from personal experience with Code Geass and it's ilk, it's that with this type of show, it's best to wait it out to the end before the bullshit makes any sense. We do, however, learn a little more about Runes, and a little of how important they are, even if they still verge on inscrutable jargon. Apparently the Valvraves can't function without a steady source of Runes for fuel, and it seems that it's Haruto's Kamitsuki alone that acts as collecting agent, specifically, by attacking and "feeding" on humans. That explains some of his attacks on others (though I'm not sure it justifies the rape scene, but I'll let sleeping dogs lie for now). It also allows for a particularly suggestive (and giggle-inducing to yours truly and Ivan, huehue) dialogue between Haruto and L-Elf, in which the former promises to only feed on the latter until he finds a way to destroy the Valvraves and "end the curse".

On the character and political side of things, things are Valvrave as usual, and Module 77 has finally made it to the moon (though without that promised party, eh Shoko?) and begun to deal with the political and military struggle that comes with forming one's own nation. Sure, they're free in name, but they've got Arus breathing down their necks about everything that could let them take care of themselves. In other words, they've taken away any possibility of self-sufficiency and put themselves at the mercy of a less than perfectly friendly state, and that's always more than a little dangerous. It doesn't look like things with Dorssia have calmed down either, and Haruto and the rest are living rather uneasily under the threats both sides pose. Of course, then we have all the complicated character relationships, what with Saki once again playing up the uncomfortably odd non-rape-victim card in regards to Haruto's circumstances, as well as Shoko's refusal to act on her feelings for Haruto while everything is still so perilous. But most importantly, the sweet and bitter combination of Haruto and L-Elf is still good for gold (and I don't doubt the more than likely droves of fanfiction in existence) and good for all the coffee innuendos your dark little soul can take. Ah, it's good to have you home, Valvrave. Don't ever change.

Episode 1 Screencaps: Cursed Bonds
ED "Kakumei Dualism (革命デュアリズム)" by T.M.Revolution x Nana Mizuki