Freezing Vibration (Season Two)
The government is developing an artificial Pandora program for the girls that aren’t compatible with the Stigmata. This sounds fine. Nothing could possibly go wrong… could it?
What did you watch?
This is the second season of Freezing and as I selected it for my A to Z Anime Challenge I dived straight into it without a second thought, even despite my mixed feelings from season one. I’m looking forward to seeing if any of my concerns have been addressed, however, this was made long before my review of season one so how could they possibly know? Anyhow, there will be spoilers, girls fighting aliens, and tons of fan-service.
What happened?
A select group of students are sent to a top-secret research facility in Alaska where the government has been attempting to develop artificial Pandora. This would enable them to turn half the world’s population into weapons to fight the Nova. It would be quite a boost to their efforts. A series of battles are arranged between Pandora and artificial Pandora to assess their strength and the success of the project. The artificial Pandora are easily defeated.
In order to make them stronger, the next round of testing pushes the artificial Pandora further than ever before. More testing takes place and this time the results are much more favourable. Things are looking up for the artificial Pandora program until the latest test subject transforms into a Nova and has to be defeated by the Pandoras.
Worried about the sinister motives of the group behind the testing, third-year student Elizabeth Mably uses her father’s status to leak information about the plan. However, before he can act, his company is dragged through a financial scandal destroying his reputation and Elizabeth is severely punished. Now, it’s down to Satellizer and her estranged family to let the world know what is going on, but that’s not going to be easy.
What did you think?
This season had the same sinister and dark vibes as the first one, but I think they did a better job of segmenting the fan-service and darker storylines. It definitely didn’t feel as jarring as season one. Again, it was a thoroughly engaging story with some pretty horrific events, but I enjoyed this season far more. I’m not sure if that had anything to do with Elizabeth Mably being more involved and less out-of-place beauty pageants, but it probably did!
What was your favourite moment?
On the whole, there was a lot to enjoy in this season, but I’m going to say the final battle between the Nova that was created from the artificial Pandora and the Pandoras was pretty spectacular. Especially when third-year president Chiffon stepped in and unleashed all of her power. Of course, a special nod to Elizabeth Mably for her swimsuit and attitude towards those that would judge her is warranted too.
What was your least favourite moment?
After saying all that, I had a couple of least favourite scenes. Firstly, when Elizabeth Mably was punished by electrocution. That was a shocking scene although it just highlighted the despicable steps the organisation was willing to take to maintain its control.
Next was the scene where Satellizer and Kazuya went to the El Bridget hotel. She hoped to convince her family to put pressure on the organisation and reveal its secrets. The only thing standing in her way was her abusive step-brother, who had only gotten worse since last they met. After locking her up and trying to pay off Kazuya, it somehow got worse.
Her step-brother’s Pandora had feelings for
Who was your favourite character?
This will probably come as no shock to anyone that’s read this far, but it was Elizabeth Mably. She was massively underused in the first season and really stepped up as the star of the show for me… and not just because of her swimsuit… She was tough, determined, and understood the responsibility that comes with privilege.
Who was your least favourite character?
That’s fairly easy. It’s Satellizer’s step-brother, Louis and his Pandora, Holly. Both were pretty much disgraceful characters who failed to atone for what they did, but everyone else was fine with that…
Which character needs more screen time?
I’m not going to say he needed more time, because the lack of Kazuya was actually well received. It was, however, odd that the central character for season one was relegated to a cheerleader for most of this season. I’m not complaining, just noting that it was odd. So, instead, I shall respectfully request more Elizabeth Mably.
Would you like some more?
There are still six OVAs for this that I’m yet to see, so at some point, I’ll track them down. Also, rather surprisingly. I would like to see another season, especially if they manage to maintain the vibe that this season had. Fan-service generally doesn’t bother me and especially not when it has an engaging story to go with it. Just get the balance right, that’s all I ask.
What have you learnt?
I generally write dark fantasy or science fiction so there is a lot of elements that interested me in this series. I also tend to have strong leading ladies and season two gave us plenty of those. There isn’t anything that I can particularly put my finger on, but I will continue to watch shows like this and hope to absorb the essence that makes viewers into insatiable fans.
Other Posts in the Series
- A to Z Anime Challenge
- Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero
- Blood-C / Blood-C: The Last Dark
- Cat Planet Cuties
- Dragonar Academy
- El Cazador de la Bruja
- Freezing / Freezing Vibrations
- Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions
- Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens
- Is It Wrong to Try to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon?
- Jormungand / Jormungand: Perfect Order
- Knight’s & Magic
- Lord Marksman and Vanadis
- My First Girlfriend is a Gal
- No Game No Life
- Outbreak Company
- Punch Line
- Qualidea Code
- Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World
- Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign
- The Testament of Sister New Devil
- Undefeated Bahamut Chronicle
It feels like an eternity since I’ve seen Freezing and it’s sequel. It’s definitely interesting how fan service manages to find itself applied to everything – comedy, horror, action, psychological, etc..
Yeah, it work in any genre if done right. The second season definitely did it better from my point of view.