Shinryaku!? Ika Musume

To say that Shinryaku!? Ika Musume was high on my watch list for this season would be an understatement. I really enjoyed the first season of Ika Musume, so did this second season live up to the expectations or did it fall short? Jump the break to find out! 

What is it: In response to humans constantly polluting the ocean, out rises a squid girl to invade the Earth to conquer humanity as revenge. Unfortunately for her, her first target is an oceanside cafe where she ends up working due to various events. This is the second season, again produced by Diomedea studios with 12 episodes. 

Why it is special: The first season of Ika Musume was highly acclaimed due to its quirky humor and interesting characters. The second season looked to continue the same humor and storyline. 

Plus One:

Mini Ika-chan: One reason why many fell in love with the first season of Ika Musume was due to the small but very lovable mini version of Ika Musume. While she only appeared for a little bit she did at least make an appearance. 

Minus One:

Very childish: This second season felt as if it was aimed at a very young crowd mainly in part due to each episode having three segments. This made the show feel rather disjointed and did not flow. It was as if the creators wanted to create a show that young children, think around age 5 or so, would want to watch. Despite being aimed at children, Ika Musume aired during the late night slot which means it was in fact targeted for older audiences. Much of what was loved in the first season was lost.

Stale: While being different from the first season in terms of plot, it felt as if all the jokes had already been used. There were very few laughs which is quite the shame since the first season had me laughing quite a bit. 

A chore: After a few episodes it became quickly apparent that it would be a chore to watch the rest of the series because of how poor it had become. I never felt like I wanted to watch it and it quickly became a show where I forced myself to watch.

All for One:

I wanted to write more pluses for Ika Musume but in comparing it to the first season, it falls very, very short. It is such a shame that such a good show was ruined and became a former shell of it self. There is very little reason to wach this second season unless you just want more. Even then it doesn't really hold up. The second season of Ika Musume is for those looking for more Ika Musume or for very young children, as that seems like its new target audience.