Season Review: Ballmastrz: 9009 Season Two

 

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Ballmastrz: 9009 follows the many outrageous teams that are caught in a ruthless competition of “The Game” as they’re forced to compete within the Consortium. The first season of Ballmastrz introduces the eternal underdogs, the Leptons, who slowly make a name for themselves on the circuit after unlocking the secret potential of Ballmastr. The second season of Ballmastrz: 9009 is much of the same, but it pushes itself out of its comfort zone as the Leptons grapple with their newfound fame. The Leptons shift from being the worst team in the Consortium to being the top of the league and this success weighs on everyone in different ways.

The Leptons continue to learn more about themselves and each other as fresh opportunities come upon them. With the team’s ability in “The Game” no longer up for question, the Leptons now have time to spread their interests and find themselves in a number of situations that test them all far beyond mere athletic competition. Everyone truly gets pushed to new places and by the end of this season both the Leptons and Ballmastrz: 9009 are ready for epic change on the scale that they’ve never seen before and the series has never been more exciting and unpredictable.

 

Our Take:

Perhaps the smartest thing that the second second of Ballmastrz: 9009 does is that it ditches the idea that the Leptons are losers. That premise got enough mileage during their first year and the show finds a lot more potential in the idea that the Leptons are now unstoppable winning machines. It’s amazing how quickly the show finds its landing within this new identity and just how many exciting story angles become available due to the team’s fame and bloated egos. Stories are allowed to tackle deeper topics than simply the Leptons’ need to survive.

It may seem like a good thing that the Leptons have reached such heights, but the “cost of success” is a major theme for this season. Even though the Leptons are winners who are on a domination streak, their problems and stress stem from different, more personal, areas now. Success can be its own sort of prison that’s sometimes more debilitating than failure, which leads to some very satisfying material for these characters. On top of all of this, it’s just ridiculous to think of such mature and heady themes in a silly sports cartoon that’s called Ballmastrz: 9009 of all things.

Ballmastrz: 9009 is a series that rightfully gets a lot of attention because of its visuals and aesthetics, but the show’s second season works especially hard with its character development. This season really eliminates any weak links in the cast and gives formerly boring or vapid characters new life. Each character gets a strong showcase and numerous supporting situations to shine. However, this season doesn’t just flesh out its characters in strong ways, but it also finds fun new pairings to play around with and tap into different group dynamics. The bond between Gaz and Dee Dee, for instance, grows substantially this season and they really become an exciting team in a way that was never present during the show’s first year. It’s honestly shocking to see the depth that’s added to Gaz this season and how characters that used to feel frivolous, like Leto, now generate real empathy from the audience.

Strong work is done on all of the Leptons, but this season does particularly strong work with Gaz. The beginning and the ending of the season are bookended with her needing to make some major decisions that reflect a ton on what she wants and this new stage of life that she’s recently entered after such a reckless, carefree existence. Even the episodes that don’t focus on Gaz still deal with themes that are relevant to the journey that she’s on. This entire season tells a layered story about this washed up hero’s growth as she’s finally able to open herself up to community and become vulnerable to those that she cares about. This season tells a similar parallel story with Ace and how he becomes progressively corrupted by the influencing forces that try to leech off of him. These contrasting journeys come to a head in a major way and it’s a nice change of pace to see Ace go from idolizing Gaz to trying to usurp her as his ego gets out of control.

Much like with the character development work that this season of Ballmastrz plays around with, these episodes actually tease a bit of a recurring storyline, too. The episodes depict the rising threat of the competing team, Bad Omen, and it chronicles their dominance over the season until a showdown between them and the Leptons is inevitable. Ballmastrz builds some genuine suspense and stakes for the end of the season, which makes the finale feel much bigger since there’s actually a sense of progression. As flashy and impressive as the season finale for Ballmastrz: 9009’s first season is, this year’s final two episodes practically improve upon it in every way.

Another significant factor in Ballmastrz’s second season is that “The Game” becomes less of a focus with each passing entry. Episodes still feature segments of “The Game,” but they’ll be truncated or almost play more like highlights. As the show grows and continues, it becomes more confident to tell stories that go beyond “The Game.” Ballmastrz doesn’t need to fall back on its central premise as a “crutch” at times if it doesn’t want to. This season proves that it can go far beyond that. This season utilizes many creative ways to compliment the idea and use it where it’s helpful, but without it necessarily consuming an entire episode. This loose attitude is helping Ballmastrz: 9009 evolve into a very different show that’s many things more than just a “sports cartoon.” In fact, episodes this season repeatedly shift the genre to something else entirely, like Ballmastrz becoming a cooking show.

It’s this level of ingenuity paired with the insane art design that elevates Ballmastrz to something special (there seriously needs to be an official soundtrack released too, because the score and sound design are also top notch). The first season was beyond glorious, but the production quality is so much crazier and even more pristine this season that it somehow makes their first year seem lazy in comparison. Dozens of pieces of art are hidden away in each chaotic installment and it’s the kind of series where you’re actually upset that your body has to blink every so often. Every frame is a triumph and it’s a animated series that works so incredibly hard to just have a voice and be passionate.

That passion has never been more on display with the rampant anime references that fill this show. Obviously Ballmastrz: 9009’s aesthetic and DNA are heavily inspired by anime. Every element of this series, even the tongue twister episode titles unabashedly scream this, but the show’s second season takes this love for anime to even greater levels. There are lengthy riffs on Vampire Hunter D, Akira, Attack on Titan, constant ruminations on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and even a team that’s comprised of evil Totoros. There are some extremely deep cut references that are dropped in this season that I truly couldn’t believe. This isn’t a show that’s made by people who pretend to love anime, but rather these are some of the biggest anime nerds on the planet and Ballmastrz: 9009 is their glorious celebration of the form.

Season two of Ballmastrz: 9009 really covers a wide range with the topic of its stories. This season goes all over the place and gets into territory like virtual reality sensitivity simulations, man-made parents, and demon slaying. However, the events of the season finale drastically change the entire face of Ballmastrz and promise a very different season three. The series reveals that the athletic competitions within the Consortium have actually been training exercises to determine the strongest warriors on the planet who are worthy of defending Earth from extraterrestrial invasion. After the Leptons prove their worth on the court and as a family, they head for their biggest challenge yet as they’re launched into outer space and the show does its best Space Battleship Yamato impression.

Ballmastrz: 9009 suddenly needs a third season more than ever before after this drastic pivot and cliffhanger. It’s already an amazing show, but what season three promises looks to be on a whole other level. It’s been fascinating to watch this show evolve, become more confident in the stories that it wants to tell, and figure out its voice, much like Ace and the other members of the Leptons. Whether this new premise sticks or the Leptons end back up on the field, it’s clear that this show will contain some of the best animation that’s currently on TV and the act as the biggest love letter to Japanese animation that’s possibly ever been created by an American studio.

Here’s hoping we get to see how Ballmastrz performs in zero gravity and that Crayzar’s spaceship has an open bar.