DVD Corner's blog

Baka and Test: Summon The Beasts Season 2 Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Review

“Baka and Test” falters in the second season.

In the 13 episode second season, storylines primarily involve: Akihisa Yoshii convincing his sister to bring ladies to the beach, Yoshii and Yuji being perverts, a yukata (kimono) contest in which the boys enter the contest, Hideyoshi and Yuko switching roles, a flashback of Yoshii at the Academy, Mizuki acting strange, Shokanjus and Chibis acting unusually, Yoshii being blackmailed, the guys trying to peek in the girls bathroom, Minami having a crush on Yoshii, a flashback of Minami meeting Yoshii, class conflicts and fights, and a flashback of Yuji and Shoko. Note: A few episodes have 2 stories per episode.

When I reviewed season 1, I found myself drawn into the world of Fumizuki Academy. The class system concept was not only clever, but also highly entertaining. It didn’t hurt that much of the character antics were likable even if they weren’t entirely original. However, upon finishing the first season, I was concerned that the show could become repetitive and that there wouldn’t be enough story to sustain another season. Unfortunately, my fears were confirmed here as season 2 turns out to be a big step down from the first.

While the second season does eventually focus on the intense school system class fights, the beginning of the season is purely concerned with fan service. To say Yoshii (and the other male characters) really perv it up this season is an understatement. The series needlessly contains a 3 episode arc involving the male characters trying to get a peek in the girls changing room. While I realize the show does have hormonal teen characters, there’s absolutely no reason for this season to be so focused on slapsticky pervy antics. It detracts from the overall story and it doesn’t move the story forward. If anything, it stalls the story and shows that the writers are running out of ideas. I hate to say it, but I think the show would have been better off with a single season rather than having 2 seasons littered with filler and fanservice.

In regards to the box, it’s a bit of a nightmare. The case labeled 1 contains disc 1 of the Blu-ray and disc 1 of the DVD. Case number 2 contains the second Blu-ray disc, the second DVD disc and a third DVD disc containing extras. The problem with DVD discs 2 and 3 are that they are both labeled ‘extras.’ The discs have different shades of color, but they are both NOT extras disc. Disc 2 contains episodes 8-13 and disc 3 actually contains the extras.   

Video/Audio:

The series, which is presented in widescreen 1080p, is leagues better than DVD. The level of clarity and the vibrant colors makes the show look flawless in hi-def.

The Blu-ray discs contain English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 audio tracks. The English voice acting is fine albeit a bit loud. The Japanese track contains good voice work as well but the track lacks the extra oomph that the 5.1 offers.

Extras:
* Trailers for “Shakugan No Shana,” “A Certain Magical Index,” “Yamada’s First Time,” “Is This A Zombie?,” “Heaven’s Lost Property,” “Negima?!,” “Tenchi Muyo!,” “Sgt. Frog,” “Soul Eater,” “Baka and Test,” and Funimation.com.
* A bland commentary on episode 3 by writer/voice actress Jamie Marchi and voice actress Brina Palencia.
* Commentary on episode 13 by ADR engineers Kevin Leasure and Steven Hoff. Steven didn’t even work on the back half of the episodes so he doesn’t have much to say. A rather pointless track.
* 1 textless opening song and 3 textless closing songs.
* A U.S. trailer, original commercials, and promo vids for “Baka and Test.”
* “Baka and Test: Summon The Beasts: Spinout!’- 9 mini-episodes about everything from Hideyoshi to a Cherry Blossom Viewing.

Summary: Stick with season 1 and pretend season 2 doesn’t exist.

February 16, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Baka and Test Season 2 Blu-ray Review, Baka and Test: Summon The Beasts Season 2 Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Review