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Digital
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Friday, 13 January 2012 00:00 |
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Page 1 of 2
Having failed to take over the world in her first season, Ika's back for another attempt - and she's still having about as much luck with that as poor Sanae's having in getting her hands on Ika...
Not for the first time, I'm stuck with writing a review about a show where there's really not that much to say. If you missed the first season, fear not, for the idea behind Squid Girl is simple enough: being fed up with the way that humans are trashing the oceans - she has to live in them, after all - Ika has come to the surface to take over and run the world the way it should be. Before she could really make a start on her plans, though, she encountered the small distraction of the Lemon Tea House, run by sisters Chizuru and Eiko - and after putting a hole in the cafe's wall, she's having to work there to pay off the cost of repairs. Not very invaderly, but there you go. Along the way she's attracted the friendship of schoolgirl Kiyomi and her classmates, who now form the school Invasion Club; the lust of Sanae, who would do anything if Ika would just ravage her; the curiosity of Cindy and her trio of crazed MIT graduates, whose inventions never quite seem to work as intended; and more people besides. Put this lot and Ika together, and fun will ensue.
And that's really the show in a nutshell. There's nothing that's quite as subjective as comedy, of course - you can never predict what will and won't tickle someone's funnybone - but the first season of Squid Girl, with it's short three-to-an-episode stories, likeable cast and good habit of never dragging a gag out too long, flicked all the right switches with me and became one of my favourite shows of its season. The formula hasn't been tinkered with significantly this time around - it's mostly the same people doing the same things - but that's no bad thing. There's a little more of Kiyomi and her friends (late additions in the first season, they've got the benefit of the full run this time), while Chizuru's "darkside" has been played up a bit more than it was previously, but neither of these are bad things. You could also say that Ika's attitude towards Sanae and her efforts has moved from slightly creeped-out tolerance to outright hatred, but again that works well given the way that Sanae gets on.
All of which means that the series ultimately gets another two thumbs up from me. It was light, heartwarming fun before, and this season has managed to keep that feeling while not making too many changes to the formula. One of the shows I looked forward too each week, it's probably hoping too much for a third season to come along (although I wouldn't complain if it did) - so enjoy it while you can. A series that's simply great fun to watch, and doesn't require much in the way of brainpower to get the most out of.
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