English Dub Season Review: Chained Soldier Season Two
Is it weird for me to say that I enjoyed Chained Soldier a bit more than I thought I would? Given its risqué premise and humor, I’m pretty sure I would know the answer to that question. Aside from its “intimate” moments, the first season of Chained Soldier was an entertaining and hilarious anime that effectively combines action-packed thrills and sex comedy. Of course, amid Yuuki’s (Gabriel Regojo) journey to save his sister from the Shuuki, it’s also got plenty of fan service every anime fan has been dreaming about. Just make sure you don’t watch it in public places, including your parents’ house. Given my enjoyment of the series, it left me questioning if its second season would match the previous one’s expectations, mainly for Yuuki and the Demon Defense Squad’s fight against the Eight Thunder Gods. After a few episodes, I have found that answer.
Whenever a specific show releases its second season, it has the opportunity to expand its world-building and storytelling, whether through its locations or its characters. For the former, the second season of Chained Soldier keeps things tight, focusing on the demonic realm of Mato and the city of Yokohama for the remaining five episodes. As for its characters, the season doesn’t slow down in expanding the roster of the Mato Defense Force, notably the commanders of each squadron. The season introduces the Defense Force commanders not just for their profound abilities but also for their personalities, including Supreme Commander Ren Yamashiro (Christina Kelly) and Yakumo Ezo (Ellen Elise Evans), the 5th Squad commander with a perverse mind. They’re introduced in a way that’s more fun and humorous than repetitive within the episodic structure, thanks to its plot progression and kinky charm, despite the iffy voice acting undermining the dramatic moments.
Of course, with these new characters in play, the series has more opportunities to emphasize its seductive nature. In fact, I would even say that season two is sexier than the first. With the sexual content or, in this case, “rewards” from Kyouka’s (Roxanna George) “Slave” ability, in season one being the appetizers, the sequences in season two are the main courses, with enough intimacy to satisfy the viewers’ kinky thoughts. But again, I would not recommend watching Chained Soldier in public places unless you want to be embarrassed for the rest of your life. While its sex scenes don’t come across as hentai, they’re still seductive enough to make people around you believe you’re watching porn, notably when Yakumo gets down to business with Yuuki in “A Storm Rolls In”. Fortunately, the show is smart enough to be self-aware of its content, avoiding becoming tasteless. One such example is in “The Commander’s Resolve”, where the sexual assault warning appears at the beginning of the episode due to Thunder God Kuusetsu (Jad Saxton) forcing Yuuki to have sex with her. The second season is unsurprisingly twice as sexy as the first, but I can still understand that it won’t be for everyone.
Regarding its plot, the second season further showcases Yuuki’s determination to get stronger in hopes of helping the Defense Force defeat the Eight Thunder Gods. Amid this struggle, the season also develops specific characters further, including Kyouka’s quest to become Supreme Commander and her evolving feelings towards Yuuki. But the one piece of character development that I enjoyed the most was Himari Azuma (Natalie Rial). Season two adapts the Azuma Banquet arc, in which Himari competes in her family’s battle royale to decide the next head, while confronting the torment she received from her sisters and her mother, Fubuki (Courtney Lomelo), the 9th Squad commander. Regarding the thrilling battles, decently animated by Passione and Hayabusa Film, and Rial’s suitable performance as Himari, the “Azuma Banquet” arc is my favorite arc of the second season. Speaking of animation, I thought Passione and Hayabusa Film did a respectable job of retaining the style Seven Arcs provided in season one, particularly in character designs and action, even if it’s far from innovative.
Like season one, the second season of Chained Soldier delivers what this action-packed, sexy premise promised, now with more kinkiness. If you enjoyed the first season because of these elements, I see no reason why you won’t appreciate getting more of the same in season two. But again, this type of concept isn’t something you would watch in a public area due to a few questionable intimate moments. Of course, one of them includes the age gap between Yuuki and Fubuki. Besides that, this is a fun and sexy continuation that expands upon the Demon Defense Force roster and even the hilarity of their sexual “rewards”. The voice direction and dialogue for the English Dub can still be pretty rough around the edges, particularly for the dramatic moments. It’s a shame, too, since most of the voice actors were good choices for their respective characters, including Ellen Elise Evans as Yakumo Ezo and Christie Guidry as Mira Kamiunten. But once you get past that mildly annoying flaw, you’ll have a pleasurable time reuniting with the butt-kicking ladies from Mato.
