Megaton Musashi season 2: Greatness and challenge awaits!
TATE, MUSASHIIIII!!!
2021 was the year of mecha resurgence with 20+ mecha animes airing. And most of all was Fall 2021 season with 10 series airing concurrently. The quality of those series were quite varied, from really really awesome to being literal borefest. Even so, there are many contenders for mecha anime of the year, but for me, the strongest contender is no doubt Level-5’s newest masterpiece: Megaton-kyuu Musashi – whose season 2 will be airing soon!
Megaton Musashi is actually a very straight-forward Super Robot series with really solid writing. Combining a story-driven linear plotline of a typical Real Robot series with the aesthetic and mechanics of a full-blown Super Robot, Level-5 has created a series that not only is gorgeous and entertaining to watch, but also very engaging emotionally. The characters – while possessing the typical Super MC personality – also have very meaningful development and not just staying the same throughout the whole series. With only 13 episodes, Level-5 has successfully captured us with a bonafide modern Super Robot.
Of course, Megaton Musashi wasn’t originally an anime. Level-5 created Musashi as a multi-media project – with an anime as well as a console game. The console game’s story goes far beyond the anime’s 13 episode, which is why we will get another season this Fall 2022. It is to be expected as the story hasn’t been concluded yet and there are many setup and cliffhangers at the end of season 1. A season 2 is definitely in the plan from the start. Of course, fans are expecting to get the same quality as season 1 – not just in terms of animation but also the story and characters. With the game already released and extensive info and PV for season 2 already out, let’s take a look at what we can expect!
Of course, Megaton Musashi wasn’t originally an anime. Level-5 created Musashi as a multi-media project – with an anime as well as a console game. The console game’s story goes far beyond the anime’s 13 episode, which is why we will get another season this Fall 2022. It is to be expected as the story hasn’t been concluded yet and there are many setup and cliffhangers at the end of season 1. A season 2 is definitely in the plan from the start. Of course, fans are expecting to get the same quality as season 1 – not just in terms of animation but also the story and characters. With the game already released and extensive info and PV for season 2 already out, let’s take a look at what we can expect!
Firstly, we have a new big bad – and of course it’s the Takahiro Sakurai-voiced character: Grieffas. He has severely wounded the Queen and imprisoned her – effectively taking over the Empire and plan to dominate the Earth completely to take back his beloved princess. He certainly is out for blood – especially Yamato’s. We are also introduced to his close Lieutenants – presumably very skilled pilots.
On the “hero” side, we are introduced to the mysterious group that operated the Musashi Zero in the last episode of the anime. Viktor Eager – the main pilot of the Musashi Zero with a very badass design is the leader of the group. Furthermore, there are some really unique characters that seems to be Ixia’s opposition from the PV. It is unknown what their objective is and where they come from, but it does seems like they are a neutral force that do things their way.
Regarding our old cast, they are still travelling with Ixia to collect the blueprints for their ultimate weapon. It will be interesting to see how Terui will behave in season 2 with his new responsibilities – both as a pilot as well as a teenage father. That occurrence was definitely one of season 1’s twist that we didn’t expect at all! Kudos for Level-5 to go above and beyond what is normally expected in a SR series. At the moment, we can assume there are 3 “factions” that will interact with each other during the course of the story.
On the “hero” side, we are introduced to the mysterious group that operated the Musashi Zero in the last episode of the anime. Viktor Eager – the main pilot of the Musashi Zero with a very badass design is the leader of the group. Furthermore, there are some really unique characters that seems to be Ixia’s opposition from the PV. It is unknown what their objective is and where they come from, but it does seems like they are a neutral force that do things their way.
Regarding our old cast, they are still travelling with Ixia to collect the blueprints for their ultimate weapon. It will be interesting to see how Terui will behave in season 2 with his new responsibilities – both as a pilot as well as a teenage father. That occurrence was definitely one of season 1’s twist that we didn’t expect at all! Kudos for Level-5 to go above and beyond what is normally expected in a SR series. At the moment, we can assume there are 3 “factions” that will interact with each other during the course of the story.
In terms of mecha, we are getting upgrades of all the existing Megaton-classes as well as new enemy units. The new mechs are pretty much the same ones from Megaton Musashi X – the free online version of the original game. We got the names of all the new Megaton classes except, well, the new Musashi. But to be honest, I think he will be called Musashi X or Musashi NeXt or something based on the series logo. The new enemy mechs are also very intimidating and very unique instead of the monotone grunts like season 1. I guess Grieffas enacted an industrial revolution when he assumed power lol.
With the story and design done, it’s time to talk about the production. The staff are still the same, with OLM as the main animation studio. They did a very good job in season 1 – even better than Shinkalion and Earth Granner if I might say so. The weight of the mechs feel very real and heavy. Even so, their attacks are flashy and extravagant. The special effects such as lighting, texture and explosions are also very well done. It’s very rare that an anime put this much details into environmental details but Level-5 must have spent a fortune on this.
In terms of music, we’ll get a new OP for season 2: Eiyuu no Uta performed by Kodai Matsuura. In season 1, we get the badass “MUSASHI” song by Zuma – with true Super Robot fashion of chanting the main robot name in the song. It’s a really modern, youthful song with the hotblooded vibe of Super Robot energy. We’re looking forward to what kind of song the new one will be.
In terms of music, we’ll get a new OP for season 2: Eiyuu no Uta performed by Kodai Matsuura. In season 1, we get the badass “MUSASHI” song by Zuma – with true Super Robot fashion of chanting the main robot name in the song. It’s a really modern, youthful song with the hotblooded vibe of Super Robot energy. We’re looking forward to what kind of song the new one will be.
Enough with the pros for now, here comes some of the cons, or rather – the mishaps of season 1. It wasn’t the fault of the show per se, but maybe with the marketing aspect of it. Megaton Musashi wasn’t licensed by any streaming services outside of Japan. And the episodes were released to the public on Youtube without any eng subs. Level-5 really wanted this series to get out there, yet they didn’t think about the audience from outside Japan at all. While the views on the Youtube episodes are not devastatingly bad, it still wouldn’t compare to others streaming services such as Funimation or Bilibili or Muse. It is a shame since the series was very good, even though the game sorta flopped in the market.
The second season will premiere on the 7th October. Two other mecha animes will be airing alongside it: Gundam: the Witch from Mercury and Muv-Luv Alternative season 2. With such a strong showing in 2021, Megaton Musashi is definitely on its way to become the best series in 2022 as well!
The second season will premiere on the 7th October. Two other mecha animes will be airing alongside it: Gundam: the Witch from Mercury and Muv-Luv Alternative season 2. With such a strong showing in 2021, Megaton Musashi is definitely on its way to become the best series in 2022 as well!
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