Anime: Tenjho Tenge Round 2
Vandemar
The first round of Tenjho Tenge ended with the Juken Club preparing for a showdown with the Executive Council’s Executioners. This installment picks up with the Executive Council making its move, and the Juken Club facing the Executioners in all-out combat. The fights are much bigger, much tougher, and much more exciting this time around.
Fight 5
After the furious battles of the previous four episodes, Fight Five opens with…a bowling contest rife with philosophical musings. In one interesting revelation, the girls turn out to be more than just fighters…though they’re very good at that. The last half of the episode kicks off the fighting that’s the hallmark of this series.
Fight 6
Tenjho Tenge likes to savor its fight scenes, so this episode picks up right where the last one left off, with all kinds of wicked brawls going on at once. And in this one, a little mysiticism gets mixed in with the fisticuffs.
Fight 7
The last disc had a little plot, this one is nothing but fighting. Fight seven continues the revelations and bloody fights of the previous two episodes, climaxing in some absolutely eye-popping spectacles.
The opening theme song and sequence are still hilariously goofy, though the song has a way of getting into your head and rattling around. Within the episodes, there’s some good music, a handful of nice hard rock and techno tunes backing the fight scenes. It’s a very well drawn series that has some incredible use of camera angles in the fight scenes, though they usually focus more on the fan service.
In other words, Tenjho Tenge is a fighting series that loves its fan service. The fight scenes in this edition are as lovingly rendered as the fan service, but if you’re looking for plot, this isn’t quite the place. If you’re looking for hot girls in skimpy outfits fighting for some reason, this is the series you’ve been waiting wanting. This installment doesn’t feel as sadistic as the first one, but it could be because I’ve been watching Baki The Grappler and Tenjho Tenge seems tame by comparison. Still, this is a pretty good fightin’ in high school anime.
Technical/Extras: 7.0
Not a whole lot of extras, but the sound is crisp and the musical selections are pretty good.
Entertainment: 8.0
It’s a lot less brutal this time around, but if you get sick of fight scenes after the eighth, you’ll probably lose interest quickly.
Overall: 8.0
Episodes: Fight 5, Fight 6, Fight 7
Extras: Non-credit closing, Geneon Preview
Shannon “Vandemar” Drake is the Community Development Manager for Warcry’s efforts in all things that aren’t games, though he still plays games and pontificates about them endlessly. He also serves as Site Manager for FMA Warcry and frequently contributes to the hubsite. He is currently watching Tetsujin 28
