All right! Three new members in one day!
What They Say:
The Kunahama Institute is one of the first in the world to give out new anti-gravity footwear to its students. Not only does this invention change the way the basic world functions, with students now being able to shoot across the sky, but it also gives birth to a new sport -- The Flying Circus. Asuka Kurashina is a new transfer student at Kunahama who has never wanted anything more than the ability to fly. Suddenly mixed in with students who have already mastered the art of flight, Asuka must overcome physical and mental barriers as she adapts to a new environment filled with new people, all while trying to master a new way of life.
The Review:
Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)
Following what could be considered the upset of the century (To put it the way AOKANA's Madoka Aoyagi did), Asuka Kurashina has discovered a hidden love for the sport of Flying Circus. Even though she only beat the semi-professional Reiko Satouin by sheer beginner's luck, Asuka and the other girls believe that they might be on to something. And so, in an effort to renew Kunahama's flying circus team (Which had been reduced to a fan club considering it only had two members), Madoka recruits Asuka and the others with hopes of making it to the next seasonal competition. The problem is that not only does Asuka have no experience in flying circus, but none of the girls even have competition gear. Did someone say shopping spree? I distinctly heard a "Shopping spree" just now.
If you couldn't tell from the last two sentences, the new members of the flying circus team make their way to town to invest in some new competition gear. We learn a few more things about the different positions of the strange sport (Fighter, Speeder, and All-Rounder) and each of the three girls chooses which shoes they think best suit their playstyles. Asuka, being the newbie, goes with the all-rounder shoes, while Misaki and Mashiro both choose the fighter ones. Well, I mean, technically Mashiro chose the speeder shoes, but she had them programmed to be fighter shoes because that's what Misaki had. (Calling it early, but these two might be the best non-yuri yuri couple of the year. I ship it).
After the girls go clothes shopping, the flying circus club begins their first practice. Things take off (No pun intended. Maybe) right away with Misaki immediately challenging Asuka to a match. And, of course, that match goes essentially the same way Asuka's last one did -- with her being absolutely dominated until a last minute attempt for a comeback. Just, this time, that comeback doesn't actually happen and Misaki wins 9-0. From this, I can deduce that Misaki is actually the best flying circus player in Japan and that it isn't Reiko Satouin at all. That's it, wrap it up, folks. Series over.
We also see our first signs of subplot/character development in that of the series' main male protagonist, Masaya Hinata. Through various vocal exchanges made between him and the teacher, Aoi Kagami (Who is easily the most attractive girl in the show), it is hinted that Masaya has had some experience with flying circus in the past. However, considering both him and the teacher are frowningly serious in these exchanges, it is safe to assume that whatever experience he did have with flying circus didn't really work out the way it was supposed to. I take this as a sign of big things to come in terms of that needed dramatic plot aspect I detailed in last week's review. Also, I'm all for any more serious conversations with Kagami-sensei (Whose name I can't say without having flashbacks of Denpa Kyoushi (The Ultimate Otaku Teacher). Man, they really should have given her a different last name.
In Summary:
Episode two of AOKANA serves as another outlet for exposition and details on how exactly flying circus works. The moments of fanservice are plentiful but extremely brief for the most part, and the comedy is that of the same caliber episode one possessed. Character development and dramatic subplots will most likely commence within the following episodes. But apart from some more flying circus information and some slight propelling of the coming story, this week's episode of AOKANA was a bit lackluster compared to the former. With that being said, I still expect great things to come in the following weeks.
Grade: C+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
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