Maken-Ki Two

Looks like it is finally here. The much awaited second season, Maken-Ki Two has arrived. That means more boobs fanservice for those who remember watching the first season. Yeah. I can barely remember the plot of it all despite the first season aired more than a couple of years ago. The biggest thing that stands out and that we remember most are the boobs fanservice and panty shoots that make up for everything else that it lacks. So viewers who are back watching this second season are thus only here for that unholy reason. New viewers might even be wondering what the heck this is. Because it is filled so much with mind numbing fanservice that it doesn’t matter if there is any plot to advance or not. Because we are all happy enough to get our boob shots and panty shoots every 10 seconds. If you still need a synopsis what this show is about other than fanservice, it’s about a school that houses people with special Element powers. But you’d probably don’t find that as interesting as the fanservice, right?

Episode 1
First scene: Girls for fanservice + Takeru getting beaten up for it. This has become a daily affair so aren’t they bored of it? Even almost late for school but made it in time. Nothing like using their Maken to cheat a little, eh? But they’ve got their first case. Somebody is stealing bras from girls and pinning them up and their face on the notice board. There have already been 6 cases so Furan calls forth an emergency meeting. The culprit must be a male with a twisted perverse nature. All the victims had their statement taken and it seems they don’t remember what happened except for seeing some black blob thingy. Each attack happens in the toilet or changing room. Furan assigns her fellow Maken-Ki girls to guard and keep watch on those areas. Of course the guys will be on patrol as usual since for obvious reasons they can’t be on this mission directly. Then another victim. A teacher this time. Takeru thinks he knows the pattern. From the first victim to the latest, the victim’s bra size increases by one. But how come they all look so humongous? The guys have been observing the boobs of the victims from several angles and their complicated (perverted) software in their brains analyzed they were just padding up. So with 7 victims and cup size A to G, who the hell has boobs size of H-cup? Haruko and Chaha… OMG… Be even amazed that there are bigger ones too. Minori is I-cup and the biggest of them all, Aki is K-cup! Definitely king of cups. Although Inaho doesn’t want her friends to become bait to catch the pervert, Haruko volunteers to be it as she is confident her friends will protect her. So everybody is hiding at all the possible entrances and exits while Haruko and Chacha are changing.

Takeru and Kengo are watching from afar again. Kengo feels somebody dropped his porn magazine and goes to take it. Then he goes off on pretence he has received a call from the others. Haruko and Chacha see a black blob entering through the air vent. It turns into a cute monkey. The monkey turns into a flasher but this effect hypnotizes them. The culprit is disguising himself as Kengo as he passes the ‘security’ to go give the girls lunch. He makes them take off their bra. Takeru hears Kengo inflicting some self pleasure and realizes the culprit has made his move. So when he barges in (how did no one notice or at least come in with him?), he gets tied up and learns about this pervert’s twisted nature to follow his perverted instincts. He is made to watch it all but Takeru gets the strength get up and to defend Haruko despite being tied up and lecture him about laws and the true perverted path he is walking down. He is going to teach him a lesson with his fist. Something odd about his Drive Duo punch. If he can destroy the entire roof and the beam probably halfway to the moon, how come the pervert’s face isn’t destroyed seeing he landed a clean punch? Oh, who cares? The case is solved. Haruko wakes up in Takeru’s arms and she is happy and glad to have believed that he would come save her. The moment is ruined when Takeru’s starts nose bleeding since he has a full view of Haruko’s bare boobs. Who is the true pervert now? Time for him to be taught a painful lesson.

Episode 2
Former Tenbi student, Mahiru Shimoyanagi is the culprit behind the theft in the academy. Maken-Ki members are on her tail to catch her. However with her wind Element, Azuki and Inaho are blown away (including their clothes). Next are Haruko and Takeru. Noticing she wields Murakumo, after blowing their clothes again, she steals her memories. The next time she wakes up, she doesn’t recognize Takeru or anybody else. Aki analyzes her and although there are no other injuries, besides her stolen memories, her Maken and Element are also taken. She’s like a normal amnesiac girl now. First thing she says is she wants to be Takeru’s wife because he saw her partially naked then. Inaho objects since she is his wife so Haruko settles to be his lover. This is acceptable? While the others are running around trying to catch Mahiru, Himegami is tasked to watch Takeru, Haruko and Inaho (playing house?) so that nothing funny happens between them. Takeru has Haruko see their photo albums but she remembers nothing. Think about it. Her memories are stolen. So how can she remember? That night she can’t sleep so she talks to Takeru that she was thinking about him in the sense that when he showed her all the photos, it means he was her only childhood friend when she had her memories. When she saw them, she somehow knew she had feelings for him since. She views this amnesia as a blessing in disguise because she gets to fall in love with the same person all over again.

Next morning as Himegami fears, Haruko is sleeping with Takeru! What’s with those love bites on his neck?! It seems Haruko has decided. She will not be satisfied to being just his lover. She will become his proper wife. And with the convenience of memory loss, despite being a second year, she joins Takeru’s class with excuse that she forgot everything and needs to relearn everything from the top. But why sitting on Takeru’s lap? Oddly, Inaho isn’t the one crying blood or emitting a deadly aura. It’s those jealous loser guys. Hah! Haruko pecks Takeru on his cheek!!! No reaction from her still? At this rate, Takeru knows he will die. So the others better hurry up and get her memories back! Azuki spots an explosion from afar. Mahiru is misusing Murakumo to rob a bank. Although Mahiru is defeated, she won’t give Haruko’s memories back. That is when Yuuka takes over. She gives Mahiru the best S&M bondage treatment ever. She may even come to like it… Mean time, Haruko calls Takeru to the gym. She takes off her clothes and gets on top of him. She wants to be filled up. So cliché. By the time Mahiru climaxes, it causes Haruko’s memories to return. She realizes the indecency she is doing and punishes Takeru. I’m sure he is more than happy to welcome her back. Her retribution included. That’s the Haruko he knows. Haruko apologizes to her friends for making them worry. Although she says she does not remember anything during her amnesia, it is one big lie because she is now reeling in embarrassment about her confession to Takeru that night.

Episode 3
Inaho brings her pet cat, Monji to school so that they can play with him. However they are swamped with work and backlogs of it. It’s going to take a while. Make that a very long while. When the guys comment how Monji has it easy, Monji releases his Element and turns all the girls into real life cat girls! Meow! Otaku’s paradise? As explained, Monji probably got this ability naturally after being with them so long. Every morning Takeru gets his taste of the girls’ Element punishment, right? Now that the girls are cats, no work is being done and other students are swooning at how cute they are. Uh huh. They’re acting like cats. CUTE!!! Inaho tries resisting but eventually succumbs to her feline nature. When Inaho and Haruko start seducing Takeru, he realizes that it is mating season for cats. Yeah. An excuse to turn those girls into horny cats and satisfy our perverted fantasies. So basically… Our cat girls want to go f*ck somebody. Uh huh. They’re terrorizing the guys. Some like Gen are having it ‘good’ since it’s a 3 way fight between Aki, Furan and Yuuka. Takeru splashes water on those seducing girls and it did bring them to their senses. They need to find Monji but as Inaho explains, she hasn’t seen him since yesterday and could be missing. Takeru and Inaho run around the school to look for him and Inaho gets a feeling he might be on that Amanohara mountain, the place where they first met. They find him there but how are they going to get him to change everyone back to normal? It’s like Inaho and Monji have this telepathic bond between them because without saying anything, after they reunite, Monji’s Element power returns everyone back to normal. Some caught in quite embarrassing situations. Thankfully, nobody got done in. Inaho explains that Monji probably turned everyone into a cat thinking they would play with him if he had done so. Next day, with everyone back to normal, they have tons of work to finish. But some can’t stop talking like a cat still. The lingering effect? Kengo has captured on video Himegami as a cat. Upon seeing it, she throws it away. Shouldn’t she delete it first? Takeru guesses that the guys didn’t transform into a cat most probably is because Monji himself is a guy. Notice his paws on Inaho’s boobs? Yeah. Cats are perverts.

Episode 4
Flashback shows Kimi was always a loner. She became friends with Chacha because they like the same manga. Haruko and Azuki catch Kimi and Chacha in some compromising yuri position. What’s this? Himegami is in and making it a threesome?! It’s not that they have turned into lesbian lovers but they are preparing for Tenbi Manga Festival (TenMan), a doujin convention where there is cosplay and manga. What they were doing was masquerading, acting out skits while dressed in cosplay. Seriously, what were they trying to act out? Kimi wants to use the guys as naked models but I guess there is objection from certain parties. Because the duo have been working so hard to participate in this, everyone decides to help out. Then there is this sketch that Kimi is doing with Haruko and Himegami, Haruko’s bikini is slowly becoming undone because of her voluptuous figure. She can’t move an inch since Kimi is working. In the nick of time she finishes and Haruko manages to grab and protect her modesty before the guys can see anything. Yeah. Too fast to see Himegami’s fist and kicks coming too. Oddly, Kimi’s sketch turns out horrible… Only nice letterings and sound effects… Everybody works hard till the last day. TenMan opens with a blast and is packed with people. Would you believe it? Kimi’s manga was sold out. There are deeper things I suppose that we won’t understand. As the masquerade competition is about to begin, suddenly the cosplayers feel their clothes tightening to a point that it’s strangling. Monsters come out alive from the manga and cause a rampage. I guess this is time for our Maken-Ki people to show off some Maken moves and go into action (other than fanservice). They free the cosplayers from their choking dress and evacuate everyone. Kimi and Chacha won’t forgive those responsible for ruining everything but the culprits are easy to find. A bunch of guys watching it all calmly instead of panicking. They’re doing this to see the faces of those cosplayers in pain and couldn’t care less about others as long as they are satisfied. Of course with such cocky attitude, it goes without saying they get whacked by the justice Maken powers of the duo. Once they’re out, the monster rampage ends. Kimi is sad that all their hard work went to waste but Chacha puts it that this isn’t the last event. And so they plan to enter another one and this time it’s a foursome masquerade between Kimi, Chacha, Himegami and Haruko. Man, they’ve got to find a better masquerade topic to practice or at least do it somewhere else instead of right at the entrance of the clubroom when the guys can just waltz in and see a free show.

Episode 5
When Aki was young, she wanted to become a great wife. If she had boobs this big when she was small… Fast forward present day and her mom is calling her about her boyfriend. To stop her nagging, she figured out the convenient victim answer: Takeru. That guy came in to seek treatment and little did he know that the selfie pose they made will get them into trouble. Or rather, him. He gets knocked out by some MIBs and the next thing he knows, he is handcuffed to Aki’s hand on a bed in a resort island bungalow owned by Tenbi. Aki’s mom even left a note saying she doesn’t mind them having this illicit teacher-student affair as long as she can get a grandchild. Hint, hint. And that handcuff has some Element on it so it won’t come off till 2 days later. In the mean time, Takeru has to put up doing things together with her like going to the toilet, cooking and bathing while trying to keep his ‘son’ from ‘acting up’. I wonder if he is using his Element to keep his ‘son’ from doing that. If so… Respect! Of course, staying indoors would be boring so they take a stroll in the beach and the sudden rain has them take shelter underneath a tree. The lightning scares her so Takeru plays the role of the comforting man. Aki wonders if she’ll be a good wife and Takeru was kind enough to tell her she’s got all the good qualities that a woman would have and that every guy at school including himself admires her. Seriously. She really wants him to kiss her just for this time when a lightning blast blows them away (causing Takeru’s lips to touch her cheek). It’s not nature’s wrath. Rather, Himegami and Haruko just arriving! When they learn Takeru has been suspiciously missing at school, alongside Aki they investigate and find it strange that somebody is occupying the bungalow at this time. True enough, it was them. Takeru tries to explain himself (that he didn’t do anything) but I think loves seeing what is going to happen to this guy. Because she didn’t bat an eyelid telling them the things they did together. Bathing and sleeping. When Takeru tries to show the Element handcuff they are tied together, it’s gone. What handcuff? Good news: Takeru is free to run like the wind! Bad news: He can never outrun the lightning strikes of Murakumo! Who says lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice or thrice or quadruple times? And so back in school, our girls are sulking while Takeru is having a hard time pleasing them. Aki is grateful to Takeru that she is able to experience being a lover for the first time and keeps that selfie as a memento.

Episode 6
Furan thinks it is time to choose new members for the student council. Among the first years in their group, the guys are definitely out. Wise choice. As for Inaho, she’s too airhead for the post. That leaves Minaya as the only possible candidate. When she is told about this, she is ecstatic that she can be closer to Haruko and starts fantasizing all the delusions with her. Looks good, no? As the next step to be part of the student council, she has to undergo a study camp. Erm… How come it looks more like a torture temple? Yuuka is to train Minaya in the ways of the ninja from bungee jumping to riding a ‘rodeo machine’ among other ‘torture devices’. You should see the one with the paintbrush stroking her lower anatomy… Don’t even ask why this was necessary. But each time Minaya gets through as long as she fantasizes about Haruko. It’s like having pleasure and pain together. But the focus part is difficult because she needs to think about nothing but blankness. Haruko seems to always ‘invade’ her mind… Though she does well, Furan has an assignment for her and that is to secretly observe Haruko and submit a report. And so she becomes like a stalker hiding in various places observing Haruko. She gets upset whenever Takeru comes into the picture. She even has this hand puppet of Haruko and acts out her fantasies with her. As the more she observes, one day she sees Haruko acting out with a Takeru hand puppet just like her. It makes her feel sad that the real Haruko won’t ever do or say things she fantasized. Even if Takeru is a useless pervert, she understands and accepts him completely. It made Minaya think about Haruko’s feelings. And so she decides to withdraw her candidacy because she realized that her feelings for Haruko are one-sided. A person like her who cannot think of the feelings of others has no right to serve in the student council. But Furan says that because she came to realize that fact, it means she is qualified to be a future student council member. This motivates Minaya to work hard and do her best. Sure she said that? Because, this means more study camp training. Uh huh. Tomika isn’t as soft as Yuuka. Is training going to be S&M theme this time? This is what you’ll have to endure just to reach the person you love. Is it worth it?

Episode 7
Himegami spots a rare teddy bear at the shop and buys it. She calls it Rudolf and while changing, she notices Rudolf trying to take a peek whenever she changes her stand. Is there something creepy going on? Himegami gets the shock of her life when Rudolf talks! Worse, he is a big pervert! Although he is very disappointed that his new master in 70 years is a flat chest. Attempts to lock and chain him fail because it’s like he is some sort of magician and can get out of any binds. Even when she orders Nozuchi to eliminate him, instead she fell for his charms! It was pretty wild stuff that his crotch area got torn off! It gets worse when Haruko and Inaho come back because this teddy is in full swing and loving those big melons. The unsuspecting girls hug Rudolf but his caressing makes them fall into ecstasy! Is he this good?! Himegami gives him one last warning but we know he will never sit still. He dirties himself so that the girls can wash him. That was the last straw. Himegami returns Rudolf to the store and doesn’t even want a refund. But the shopkeeper refuses! Yup, she knows Rudolf’s habits. Uh huh. She must have fallen into his wiles too. Himegami is forced to take him back since Rudolf is molesting her boobs like a water bed and is in danger of succumbing to him. Himegami is one disappointed girl. Shouldn’t teddies do nothing and look cute? But Rudolf notes that being loved and doing nothing is tiring. 70 years ago when war ravaged his country, he could do nothing but watch his young master die. Himegami is about to tear up on his story but it was a distraction to flip her skirt.

Then he goes on a caressing spree and you know where he is because he leaves a trail of satisfied women on the ground! Himegami finds him in the midst of molesting Aki (the best boobs ever!) but Yuuka calls her to search for a culprit running wild with his Element. Himegami finds the dude who seems to be breaking the fourth wall about wanting to replace her and become the next star of this series. Himegami used up all her Element for Rudolf throughout the day and can’t fight back. Before she gets hammered, here comes Rudolf to the rescue. Spewing back his guest star status that he is, he is going to teach that small fry a lesson as he summons the power of his brethren from around the world. He then rubs the culprit’s crotch to send him into ecstasy. I guess this confirms this teddy is good with his hands. When Himegami wants to thank him, Rudolf is on the verge of losing all his Element power. In his final moments in emotional Himegami’s hands, he is glad he is able to do something for his master instead of being loved. Say, doesn’t Himegami look very much like his previous master? And then he goes silent forever. Himegami laments that if he was really a guy, she would fall in love with him. Seriously? Where does that put Takeru then? In the aftermath, Rudolf sits in Himegami’s room like a normal teddy. But it’s just that perverted bear using all his might not to move so he can watch them change and get naked all he wants. Uh huh. Better to stay silent for a while.

Episode 8
Minori hears several girls badmouthing her about her boobs and all. Infuriated, she resigns as principal and will let those students get a taste of their own medicine. She is going to appoint a student to be a principal. But who? Kengo so happen to turn up to hand in his essay apology. Next thing we know, Kengo becomes the principal and his Gestapo guys are ruling with an iron fist under the impression that principal’s orders are absolute! Don’t believe he is the big boss? Well, there is Minori’s public announcement of retiring and leaving everything to him. Of course this is part of her plan to make the school fall into ruin and will force those ungrateful students to appreciate her. So first thing, he initiates some limbo thingy that all girls must do to pass through the front gate. Damn those boobs got in the way. Azuki. Chacha. Haruko. None passed. They need a flat chest… Himegami! She breaks the limbo stick instead. Throughout the day, we see Kengo and his men asserting his authority in classes. Lessons are substituted with something erotic or horny. Like how Haruko is reading from an erotic novel for modern Japanese; Calculating breast size for maths class (Eureka!) and since Himegami has none, how is she going to calculate hers? She doesn’t. She punches Kengo; Using your own body as a sushi plate in home economics; Skipping ropes as warming up in gym followed by Greek wrestling; The cafeteria is replaced with foods like mushroom, sausages, popsicles and banana.

A field trip that involves visiting a tumbler factory that resembles penis; Body art for art classes; Takeru joining the ranks of the Gestapo claiming peer pressure (yeah, right. More like he didn’t want to be left out of the fun); Naming erotic places for geography; The last straw has got to be a strip rock-scissors-paper tournament that all girls must participate after school. The girls are furious as they start a rebellion to bring down the principal! With many of the guys taken out, Kengo is in his last fort and still complaining about this insurgency that has to take place before his ultimate paradise. Even if he is captured, he can still run his mouth so Himegami challenges him for the principal post via strip rock-scissors-paper that he wants so much. She is confident she can beat him as she has never lost. True to her words, Himegami is on a winning streak and possible flawless victory. Kengo is down to his last pair of underwear when he has this twisted thinking. Could it be possible that Himegami is so passionate about this because she wants to see him naked? So he gladly loses the final round and sends all the girls screaming. Nobody wants to see his ‘elephant’. Fast forward to around 100 years in the future whereby old Kengo is on his death bed surrounded by his family. He sees Himegami as an angel coming down to get him but she turns into a devil stomping her foot on his face. He then passes on with the most satisfying smile on his face. That’s it?! This is how this damn random episode ends????!!!!! WTF???!!!

Episode 9
Azuki is fresh beating up some delinquents. Since it began to rain, she borrows the delinquent’s cap and jacket and makes a run. She bumps into Furan. Trying to hide her face, Azuki holds out an umbrella for her since Furan looked a little in pain. But thanks to that misunderstanding, Furan has fallen in love with this ‘guy’! And her friends can tell since she is swooning like mad. Of course they are disappointed when Azuki explains who that ‘guy’ was. She is going to clear it up by telling the truth but Yuuka thinks they should go on a date. Imagine if Furan finds out her first love was a girl, imagine the trauma she will have to face. She already has this disdain for men and it would be even worse. Do you really want her to live a lonely life? Everybody agrees to this plan except for Azuki who has no say in this. Masquerading as Kazuki (I wonder how they restrain her boobs so well since hers are much bigger than Furan), they meet up on their date. Furan looks girly in her frilly dress. Azuki is made to go through the plan that involves getting close to each other on a crowded bus and playing Twister that has them ending up in very ambiguous positions. Then they get to be a model dressed up as a bride and a groom. Azuki accidentally trips on Kazuki’s gown and their lips met. Their first kiss… Next thing we know, the duo are both naked in bed and Furan wants to do last night’s passion again. WTF?! For real?! Did it really happen?! Next thing we know, they’re in a maternity hospital and Furan has given birth to a healthy girl. Only thing is, she looks so much like Yuuka! Damn this was just a nightmare!!! From the sex part at least.

Furan is so happy that Yuuka can tell. She feels like all this is like a dream and Yuuka expresses her wish for her to find happiness. Furan gets a message from Kazuki to meet and talk something important. This is Azuki’s plan to tell her the truth because she can’t take anymore of this. However Furan is a step ahead. She wants to elope! She came prepared for it and will follow ‘him’ to the ends of the earth. But Azuki says if she is willing to abandon her friends. Suddenly those delinquents show up for payback. Azuki cannot fight back since they take Furan as hostage. Azuki’s real identity is busted when the delinquents rip her shirt apart. Furan becomes furious seeing one of her students getting beaten up so with her powerful Maken Habaya, she breaks free and teaches those losers a big lesson. Azuki is ready for any punishment but Furan plays it cool. She thanks Kazuki for showing her a beautiful dream despite it was a short-lived one. It’s time to break up and they part ways. But the next day in school, Azuki gets punished for fighting with delinquents from other schools. What about Furan herself? Oh, she wasn’t with her yesterday, right? Uh huh. Her pride will not allow her to admit she was on a fake date with her. So much about the beautiful dream. Although Furan is back to normal, the rest wonder if that experience has lessened her scorn for men. Time to put it to the test. Chacha throws Takeru as the guinea pig into Furan’s breasts. She screams. Haruko comes running for divine punishment! Oh well. At least Furan is her usual self. The biggest loser: Azuki. Because… She wants her first kiss back!

Episode 10
A blast to the past when Minori is still a student of Tenbi and the student council president. Along with Aki and Tomika, they force Gen to join them since he is the one who creates the Maken equipment. Although he reluctantly joins, he won’t make Maken for them, which pretty much defeats the purpose. While cleaning the pool, they see this handsome guy, Akaya getting involved in a showdown with another guy over some hot girl of the school, Nohana Saku. Before Minori could quell this, Akaya shoots the guy with his Maken gun. Minori misunderstood and was upset but as Gen analyzed the bullet, it has Element with hypnotizing effects and the guy is just asleep. Minori wants him to join their group but he refuses. Later Aki shows that the camera in the principal’s room shows the safe is being opened. An invisible person? Normally the camera could have picked up what kind of Maken ability the person is using and since there is none, they conclude it can only mean some long distance concealing is being used. Plus, the safe contains documents pertaining to the Tenbi’s foundation. As this school is a secret government project, if the public knows about it, there will be a scandal and the school might be shut down. Of course those in the safe are fakes but this made Minori feel the need for Akaya to join the team even more. So she tries again and despite knowing his background as an overseas agent sent to maintain order, Akaya once again declines because although they have the same goal, it doesn’t mean they need to work together.

Late that night, a human thief enters the principal’s office to steal. But Tomika and Aki are waiting for him. They know he is being controlled by someone else as no ordinary humans can enter the barrier protecting Tenbi. Gen happened to stumble upon Akaya ‘taking a night scroll’. But they’re both targeting the same culprit who turns out to be Nohana. Actually she too is being controlled. But they can’t fight her as the culprit warns she is her hostage and doing anything funny means she will make Nohana kill herself. Suddenly bright fireworks light up the place and the girls are wearing sexy cosplay outfits. This is part of their plan to have Akaya join the group and also nail the culprit. Thanks to Aki’s theory, the culprit is hiding in the shadows of Nohana. The bright lights limit her movement and thus doing her crime at night she is able to hide in the shadows. They might be celebrating too early because the culprit unleashes her shadow swamp that has everyone sinking inside her shadow quicksand. She doesn’t reveal anything much except that many people want to nip their powers in the bud. Gen manages to take his Maken ring out of his pocket and throw it to Minori’s free hand. Her fire Element is so powerful that it breaks her free. She says that because of her Element powers, she cannot go to normal school. Tenbi is her special home and if she had to choose between her life and her school, she’d pick Tenbi any time. Minori’s super Dragon Ace fireball knocks the culprit out. Then she invites Akaya to join the student council in which this time he accepts. And so this is the story that Minori is telling our Maken-Ki people. Uh huh. It’s the 37th time and it doesn’t get old. The alert is sound that a pervert is on the loose so our gang go into action to stop that pervert from the first episode. I guess some never learn. And so powerful their Maken they unleash that it could have turned the tower into a local Leaning Tower of Pisa! So Minori, you worry of leaving the future to these kids?

“Boobs Are Number One!”
After taking a brief look at my previous blog on the first season of this series, I was suddenly at a lost. Yeah. There were some other ongoing that contributed to the plot and since there are none in this season, this one is highly and purely a filler second season. It is like as though each episode can serve as a standalone and what’s more, each of the main characters of Maken-Ki have their episode of focus like Furan’s date, Minaya’s training, Kimi and Chacha’s TenMan, Himegami’s annoyance with the teddy bear and Inaho’s episode (although it is mainly Monji in the limelight) having everyone turned into cats. Heck, even Kengo had his own nonsensical turn of becoming a principal. What the heck was that all about? That episode clearly signalled to me that this entire season was just crappy fillers. Although the final episode does give viewers a view on Minori and co’s time during their heydays, it still cannot save this overall season which is a bunch of fanservice filler crap. That’s why I thought that there are only 10 episodes this season instead of the usual dozen. Not many fillers to put in, eh?

Which is to say that some of the characters that we have seen back in the first season did not make a damn appearance in this sequel. Remember that group called Venus? Uh huh. I remember there was an idol girl whose name sounded like a country from the Middle East. And there is pair of twin lolis too. Oh, an arrogant Chinese chick and… Uhm, the other girl. Yeah, can’t remember that strict serious babe. So where the heck are they? Maybe they’ve gone back overseas and never returned. You might also remember about Otohime and Kamigari who seem to be possible antagonists but you don’t get to see them here at all. Maybe they made a cameo but I surely didn’t notice. Certainly stuffs that got me wondering since the first season like “Takeru is the son of Sensei” thingy is non-existent here. Thinking more about it only gives me headache so I better drop it. So really. This anime had stuffs and plots or developments like that? Can’t believe it.

Because they wanted to give each of the Maken-Ki members a spot of the limelight, in a good way it is good that none of them are singled out but it makes it feel so filler-like. I’ve already said that, didn’t I? So there isn’t much of a development in terms of the story and the characters and whether it is a good or bad thing, there isn’t much focus on Takeru or the catfights in his harem. He now feels like a side character equivalent to Kengo. I don’t know what the deal with him is because at the end of every next episode preview, he is always saying “Now we’ve done it”. Done what? Being too clichéd and overwhelming this season with mindless fanservice? Yeah. Maybe. Speaking of phrases, I think “Japan is number one!” is the phrase of this season because that is what the guys will say before they get hammered by the girls, fly high into the sky or in some deluded fantasies that the girl is having some sort of orgasm. Really. If those happen, then you go say that. Yup. Japan is number one for bringing us exposure to all sorts of fanservice. We love you Japan! Since many of the filler episodes end just abruptly, you’ll wonder what kind of impact it has on the overall story. None. It’s like everything reset itself like it never happened. Take a good example, Kengo’s stint as principal. You think that will really happen? Not if the story becomes a Kengo route. What about that teddy bear in Himegami’s position? Speaking of him, I feel he is the best and coolest character this season but it’s a shame that he doesn’t appear anymore. Stuck in her room?

If you are an ecchi enthusiast, you might say that the fanservice doesn’t disappoint. This is what this series is all about, isn’t it? Yeah, it ‘shines’ in this department. Some girls like Haruko and Chacha already have boobs so huge that you think it can only exist in anime (which it does) and that it is an outright fantasy and delusion for guys who love big busts. Even bigger than them are Aki and Minori whose boobs are so big that they look like they come straight out from some hentai flick and teasing us viewers with their big bouncy ‘water balloons’. I am not sure if there are any other aired versions of this series but the one I watched has a mix of censorship. Some scenes will have that black hole censorship while others like as though it slipped through the censor’s hands. Makes you wonder if they are being half-hearted in wanting to censor or not. Of course as goes without saying, buy the DVDs and you can get all those delicious scenes unhindered.

I don’t feel much about the action here. It feels like it is pretty much reduced since this season felt like fillers. It is like the action part is to take a break from the fanservice. It is like the girls pull off their Maken moves just to make us remember once in a while that they are power users. Even so, there is hardly anything exciting or any variety in their moves since of course we are pretty much focused on the fanservice. Even if they do without the action parts or the girls summoning their Maken equipment, I figure we can get by a lot without losing much.

And so in the end, I’ve said it too often that this season is a waste of potential for the series by filling it up with filler craps and making it up with excessive fanservice to please a certain target audience (read: single otaku perverts). It could have been slightly better if they advance the plot even just a bit but I guess they chose to take the easy way out and make some fast bucks. I know that may sound critical but sorry, that is how I feel. Uh huh. Don’t believe that I am here for the story development instead of fanservice, do you? Thus I am a bit sceptical if there is a third season in the making and the series is already infamous (or famous if you’re a fan for the series) for its fanservice and this season just enhanced that effect. Just to be fair, although I am not drawn in by the fanservice, thanks for it anyway. Because no matter how much fanservice this anime has, we are still perverts for watching it. Japan is number one!

Maken-Ki! OVA 2

Those delicious boobs are back. Can’t think of which anime I’m talking? Yeah. I don’t blame you. There are tons of fanservice filled animes out there. I have totally forgotten what Maken-Ki! is about and when they came out with a second OVA, the only reason why they did this was to serve as an appetizer because the series was given the green light for a second season. I don’t remember the storyline or even the power the characters possess except that it is filled with lots of fanservice. That’s the only memorable thing from that show. I guess the producers can’t leave it as it is and saw more fanservice potential and with an increase in horny fans around the world, there is this need to satisfy such lust by producing another OVA before the sequel comes out. Don’t expect much from this single and second OVA that lasts almost half an hour except boobs, boobs and more boobs. I suppose this is where quantity beats quality.

Boobs Paradise…
Our Maken-Ki members are in the midst of their summer camp on some island that I don’t even bother to remember its name. They had lots of fun and most of them are fanservice shots. But why bother about that when you can have more of what is to come. One night when all the girls are passed out (why are they sleeping in their undies? Something must have happened, no?), Haruko wakes up to find a mysterious girl sleeping on her crotch. Who the hell is she and why is she deliciously rubbing her face on it that makes it Haruko’s cue to get turned on? Well, we go back 2 hours earlier. The girls are having fun in the upper floor. As if we have forgotten their names, I guess the producers took the liberty to reintroduce all of them including the important 3 sizes. Kimi wants to make interesting with the topic of the girls telling what kind of boys they like. Those who like boys want to admit Takeru as their number one and those who don’t just curse them. Then she uses her magic tablet to strip the girls into their undies because there are only girls here, right? Isn’t it more fun that way? Yes. To us. Meanwhile the only guys in the club, Takeru and Kengo are downstairs wanting to listen stories of their teachers, Minori and Aki’s days in school as Maken-Ki. WTF?! Beautiful babes up there and they want to hear boring stories from them?! At least try to unleash their horny instincts and go peep on the girls, damn it! Even if they get caught and beaten up, it’s all worth it, right? Isn’t that what summer camps are for? Whoops… So we’ve got Minori slapping Takeru’s face with her boobs and that lucky boy himself gets the honour of fondling Aki’s melons because that drunk teacher allows him too. He jumps at the chance of scaling her twin peaks. Oh yes! It feels good to run his hands and face through those softness. His mountaineering is cut short when Syria spots him doing the despicable act. She is so pissed that she is going to kill him with her element power. I guess Takeru wasn’t fast enough since he is just fresh from having fun and gets zapped.

The next thing Takeru knows, he wakes up and stumbles into the toilet. He is shocked that some unknown girl in the toilet. It took him a while to realize that it is the mirror he is interacting with and that he has turned into a girl! First things first… What does a guy do when he finds himself turned into a girl? Check out your own humongous boobs of course! Now he knows how godly those boobs are, eh? Feeling good? Sure he is. Now he moves over to the lower anatomy… For this part, let’s use our imagination that Takeru is having a great time fidgeting around. I guess he really knows how to turn on a girl. Haha! Then hearing Haruko and the girls bathing next door, this sneaky bastard doesn’t hesitate to strip naked and barge in to join them, claiming himself as Takeko and Minori’s cousin. It didn’t take long for the rest to get acquainted with Takeko and they get physical with their usual skinship around ‘her’. Paradise. Thank God for the boobs. So good. So ultimate. Takeko could have died and gone to heaven when his nose bleeds turned to water into blood bath. That’s how much blood he lost when ‘she’ passed out. Meanwhile Syria is looking for Takeru and is sorry for using too much power on him. She didn’t think of that before she blasted him away, didn’t she? Well girl, you won’t find him outside in the woods because we all know where that guy is right now. Paradise. Takeko joins the rest of the girl in some midnight romp that includes having a breast tournament whereby they beat the crap out of each other using their breasts. Or something close to that. So where to flat chests like Himegami and Kimi stand? Do they have a chance? So the partying went on until the girls fall asleep. And that’s when Haruko wakes up in the dead of the night to wonder who this chick is sucking on her crotch. Then she remembers it is Takeko.

Takeko continues to fondle Haruko’s boob like nobody’s business that ‘she’ just falls short of turning this scene into some hentai rape. Because I think Haruko was enjoying this herself and is about to lose herself when angry Syria barges in. She lets everyone know that this Takeko is actually Takeru. Wait a minute. How did she know that pervert is here? I am guessing she has searched the entire island and realized there could be one place left. Takeko is still in a daze and the girls are horrified especially Haruko who realized that Takeru has seen her everything. She is right to draw her sword and blast him away in the sky. Screw the cabin that is now destroyed. Her modesty is at stake. On a side note, Aki is still playing with herself… I don’t know how they get Takeko back but as they make ‘her’ repent, it is briefly explained that Syria’s element somehow changed his gender. It’s good they made this short because we don’t really care about all that, don’t we? And even if you don’t understand, it doesn’t matter because we don’t really care about that too, don’t we? The problem now is how to change him back. Syria points out a kiss from a girl will just do that. How the heck does she know this? Anyway you can see Takeko’s eyes lighting up because ‘she’ gets to kiss one of them. This guy isn’t repenting. Look how eager ‘she’ is to get a kiss. Inaho will gladly do it because she is Takeru’s fiancee. But this is bugging Haruko. A lot. Before their lips can meet, she breaks them up. Takeko is shoved and Himegami kisses him. Yay! He is turned back. But Himegami slaps him away and he lands onto the lips of another girl. Changed back to a girl. This goes on back and forth and I think Takeru has kissed all the girls while he is being turned into a human tennis ball. By the time he receives his last beating up by Haruko, he is Takeko once more. The girls are fed up and leave, not heeding ‘her’ pleas for one more kiss to change ‘her’ back. It is then Takeko realizes ‘she’ will have to live the rest of ‘her’ life as a girl and date guys and possibly more with the other gender. That’s just horrible, isn’t it? Takeko starts crying. Yes, true tears of despair. ‘She’ deserves it, right? But Haruko returns and gives Takeko a peck on the cheek. Yeah, she felt pitiful seeing him in that state. He is happy and grateful. Hope he learnt his lesson. Meanwhile Kengo suddenly finds himself turned into a girl. Nice big boobs. But the thought of him carrying on as a girl for the rest of his life freaks him out. Somebody change him back!!!

Had Your Fun?
There is no doubt about it. Even the silly plot and the nonsense of how Takeru could easily change into a girl and then back and forth between both genders is absurd. I mean, a kiss actually solves it? So does it mean Takeru cannot get kiss again ever because if he does, he’ll be turned into a girl? Yeah, kiss his perverted life goodbye then. At the end of all his mischief, it has to be Haruko the one who will be his saviour. I’m sure most of the girls feel the same way towards him. He just got too far in his antics. Just for us. Thanks for the ride, Takeru/Takeko. And thus it feels everything was just like a shameless attempt to capitalize on what this series is famous for: Fanservice. But you don’t really care about all that as long as you can see the tits of the girls and their facial expressions which almost borders of going into orgasm. In the end, will you remember anything from this OVA? I’m certain that many will just remember the boobs and tits instead of some of the other characters’ name. Heck, I really had forgotten some of theirs. Now are we ready for the second season? You don’t need to remember names, characters, the storyline or those special power moves as long as you can remember the fanservice, you’re ready to go! We’ll make-n sure that we shall not makenai to those boobs!

Maken-Ki!

Wait a minute. Fights are allowed in school provided they are properly officiated? Okay. But this isn’t a martial arts school but magic and combat are also taught here. But seriously, having battles within the school vicinity is allowed as long as they follow proper procedures and rules? At least that is what I thought when I watched Maken-Ki! I don’t know how else to put this series. But here are a few important points and possibly the outline of what to expect of this show: 1) Slightly perverted boy but with his own sense of justice enrols in sort of prestigious school; 2) Lots of busty babes (including some flat chests for those with such fetish); 3) Lots of fanservice; 4) Using magic as part of their combat abilities in fights; 5) More fanservice; 6) That guy sort of accumulates his own harem; 7) Something more than meets this eye in this school; 8) Bouncy boobs + colourful panty shoots = fanservice, fanservice, fanservice! Now do you grasp what this show is about? You have been warned.

Episode 1
Haruko Amaya is on her way to see her dojo-mate and childhood friend, Takeru Ooyama whom she hasn’t seen since he left for middle boarding school. Entering his messy room (there are unpacked boxes everywhere), her sudden visit startles him as he struggles putting on his pants. In that instant, the boxes threaten to fall on Haruko but Takeru stops it in time. Not before he accidentally has his palm on her boobs. I guess she can forgive when he notes how pretty she has become. Takeru will be attending the same high school as her, Tenbi Academy. In addition to no required exams or interviews, Tenbi was once an all-girls school and just went co-ed this semester. Takeru is tired of his life surrounded by guys only during his boarding school years. I can see why he’s so eager to release some of his libido. Haruko touches lightly on why Tenbi is different due to its martial arts competition and miko dance but Takeru fantasizes it in a perverted manner. As Haruko is part of the team in charge for the opening ceremony, she leaves Takeru to his own device. Before his admiration for his newfound utopia could sink in, he witnesses a couple of guys battling out in a power fight. Another girl, Kodama Himegami is watching from above a tree. The fight causes the tree branch she is hanging on to snap. She lands on him and not only showing him her pantsu, their lips met! She is about to beat him up when she spots a familiar mark on his chest. The mark that indicates the enemy she has been looking for to defeat.

During the opening ceremony, Tenbi’s principal, Minori Rokujou introduces the school’s motto of Mind, Beauty and Body. She also mentions everyone will receive the Element to fight for the 8 Maken. If they can become its owner by controlling their Element, they’ll have a bright future. She has Garret Kinua and Azuki Shinatsu to put on a demonstration but they don’t want to since they’ve already fought each other earlier on. Did they fight over a teddy bear? Himegami offers to carry out this battle and points to Takeru as her opponent. Haruko is concerned that to use a new student would be dangerous but Minori gives the green light. Takeru is still surprised by everything but calms down when Himegami tells him to just put up an act while she takes care of everything. Summoning her shikigami, she wants him to plant a timed lightning ball into his heart since he has no resistance against any Elements. The induce shock may kill him several days later. The shikigami is worried over her actions since Kamigari will notice her if she overdoes it. Even so, her blood won’t calm down if she doesn’t. The fight starts off like normal. In a boring manner, that is. When Himegami starts projecting her lightning ball, Haruko senses something wrong and is about to go protect Takeru but someone else beats her to it. She is Inaho Kushiya and using an original Maken to block Himegami’s shot. Inaho gets very close to Takeru. Too close. She knows him, he doesn’t know her. So who the hell is she? As Inaho puts it, she is his fiancée. What?! Did he screw up somewhere? Takeru may be happy with that but Haruko clearly isn’t. Guess who got really beaten up now? That evening, Haruko goes to talk to Takeru in his dorm but again Inaho beats her. Why is she there? She’s going to live with him. How can the principal approve such a thing?! Well, she finds it okay for a fiancée to live together and that 3-bedroom room is too big for a single person to live in. Some principal. Oh, Himegami plans on staying here too. How the hell did it turn out like this? Haruko doesn’t want to lose out and also moves in, explaining she is doing this to keep an eye on them. They can argue about sleeping arrangements for all I care. The girls start arguing with Haruko just forbidding about everything. That’s got to be her favourite word. I’m sure Takeru is going to find this place both heaven and hell. That night Haruko goes check on Takeru. She didn’t like Inaho snuggling up close to him and beats him up in his sleep. Yeah, heaven and hell alright.

Episode 2
His cheeks hurt when he wakes up. Then when he goes to wash his face, he accidentally sees Himegami changing in the toilet. That’s the second time already. She zaps his eyes! He is fortunate he didn’t go blind. The quartet rush to school and the girls barely make it. Takeru could’ve been locked out if Himegami didn’t use her shikigami to pull him in. As Haruko explains, Himegami’s ability is invisibility as she can move things with an invisible force. Erm, shouldn’t that be telekinesis? She’s the only one who can do so without a Maken. The very strict student council president, Furan Takaki reprimands Haruko who is the vice president (she is also the dorm superintendent) for being close to late and talking too close to a boy. Then the gush of wind blows up her skirt to reveal her bear-print panties… Hear how she screams… Tomika Amado is Takeru and Inaho’s homeroom teacher while Minori doubles as the assistant teacher. Takeru is surprised that on the first day of class, there is physical examinations. The girls line up and head to the infirmary. Takeru and another dude, Kengo Usui got the same idea to excuse themselves to the toilet but in actual fact they went peeping. They are so in sync. The words, the actions… Anyway the perverts from outside the window are admiring the coloured undies and voluptuous bodies of the babes. I don’t know what kind of vision they have but it allows them to give points to the girls. Ah, paradise indeed. Kengo is about to give points for Inaho but Takeru covers his eyes! Can’t see his fiancée? However Himegami spots their unholy act and decides to punish them by really sending them to heaven seeing one of them didn’t learn from this morning’s retribution. She stomps on their faces and make them retreat like cockroaches. Her shikigami notes she is able to withhold her anger and not kill him. She doesn’t feel her blood boiling today. It’s the boys’ turn for check-up. They must really love this school because not only the female students but the female teachers as well are so damn sexy. Especially the sexy school nurse, Aki Nijou who is spouting some ambiguous lines. “Please put it in here…”.  It’s Takeru’s turn with her as she introduces him an aptitude machine called Keronbo (such a rude machine) that analyzes the compatibility of a person with a Maken. The analysis turns out Takeru has no match! So much so an emergency meeting is called with Minori and Keronbo’s so called genius creator, Gen Tagayashi. He couldn’t believe such a thing could happen since his invention is perfect (really?). In addition, for the first time there are 3 people without a match. Takeru is one and Inaho being the other. So if you can’t use your Maken, will that be a problem? It is! Though battles are carried if both sides consent (meaning, you can still get away when you refuse), there are instances when Maken is used outside battles and you can only rely on yourself to protect yourself. Later Minori and Aki talk about Takeru whom they believe is Sensei’s son. As for Inaho’s Maken, they think it is Kamudo. Takeru who has to live for a month without a Maken, talks to Inaho about the clubs they’re supposed to join. He asks her about being her fiancée. Clearly he doesn’t remember. See that unhappy look on her face? When a guy forgets a promise he made with a girl, you’re in sh*t. But she covers that up by not revealing it to him. It’s a secret. Haruko comes around so Takeru has her show him around the school of the various clubs. After viewing several clubs, Takeru finally thinks he has found the perfect club to join: Gravure Photography Club. Oh God. Whatever club he joins, Inaho joins. Haruko’s guess could be as good as ours on what kind of lewd things Takeru might do if he joins this one so she forces him to join Kenkeibu. Say what?

Episode 3
Kenkeibu is somewhat a public order team that Haruko and Himegami are part of. Apart from Takeru getting into that toilet trouble again (this time with Haruko), Takeru finds out more about Kenkeibu before he takes the plunge to join. Since there are all kinds of troublesome incidents at school, the student council is assisted by Madou Shikkoubu to help take care of those troubles. To support Shikkoubu, this is where Kenkeibu comes in. Both clubs are under the student council wing. Can’t they just condense it into 1 club? Since the school has become co-ed, they are expecting more of this kind of trouble and Kenkeibu will be more active this year. Takeru thought Kengo is going to harass Haruko with his sudden appearance. Apparently Takeru’s hand is faster than anything else and grabbed Haruko’s boobs instead. Oops. Then another faster fist lands on his face. Uruchi Minaya is Haruko’s friend and doesn’t like Takeru very much. See how hard she is grasping his hand? Plus, she did mention her favourite stuffs include Haruko and cockroaches like him are her dislikes. Hope you people get along well. They are interrupted by a commotion. A fight rather. The hardcore delinquent Kai Kurigasa wants Azuki to be his lover if he wins this match. Or else he’ll have to give up on her. Himegami officiates the match. She quips his straightforward love is better than a couple of peeping jerks (guess who). Kai’s Maken Steel Fullmetal means Azuki can’t break through his defence. It also means the guys get lots of fanservice from her clothes being ripped. Takeru couldn’t stand seeing a girl in a fight and wants to interrupt but was held back by the rest. Then something inside his body, his blood cells or something starts to activate. So fast that he got in between and stopped Kai’s full-force punch, though the impact blew him away. In that distraction, Azuki uses this chance to knock Kai out with a knee kick to his mouth. But the victory is costly because she loses her undies. Embarrassing…

Later Haruko warns Takeru for doing something that dangerous but she notes she is still the gentle and brave kid he was then. It’s not Takeru didn’t think girls are weak, he thought the outcome should be concluded in a fair manner. With Haruko asserting their duty as Kenkeibu to protect a fair battle, Takeru gets enough motivation to join the club. Not only him but Inaho and Kengo as well. As part of the custom to welcome new members and deepen their bonds, everyone chills out at the hotspring. After the guys get a good ogling at the girls in their swimsuits, it’s time for introduction. The student council is made up of Furan (president), Haruko (vice president), Yuuka Amado (treasurer) and Kimi Satou (treasurer). Making up Madou Shikkoubu is Minaya and Azuki while Chacha Akaza is from Kenkeibu as well as with Himegami. Aki is the club’s advisor. Now for some fanservice. Himegami is pissed off that G-cup Haruko is even using pads because she is afraid she might lose the guys to other big breasted girls. So furious that she molests the boobs for her! Kimi gets permission to also rub Aki’s humungous tits. The guys are at their limit hearing how the girls interact on the other side of the hotspring when they spot a bear. They need to drive it away without hurting it using Maken-Ki. Huh? First, the dumbfounded guys become the bait to get chased around. When everything is in order, Chacha uses her Maken Scale Compressor to enlarge a fence and Haruko trips the bear to spring it away. To avoid it being slammed into the mountain, Kimi unleashes Maken Tablet Comic Star to turn the rocks into cushion. There, no animals were hurt in the production of this episode. As explained, Chacha’s Maken that allows free control over quality and size of inorganic matters and Kimi’s Maken which projects word painting and special effects of the manga she imagines and draws, they make best partners. So get this equation: Madou Shikkoubu + Kenkeibu = Madou Kenkei Kikou. Shortened to… Maken-Ki. Geddit? With that, Yuuka welcomes the new members once more.

Episode 4
The first real activity the club did is to run 50 round laps! The guys are sure lacking in stamina behind the girls. Shameful. Furan goes over the basics of Maken that are special weapons with their own Element. But the ones they use are replicas. The guys seem sleepy so Furan has them round 50 more laps to stay awake! Yuuka has a better idea. She flips Furan’s skirt to reveal her cat-print panties! On the short them it may keep them alive. But with that amount of blood loss, it may not. The newbies undergo some meditation training by Himegami but Aki distracts their concentration. “Accept what appears in your heart without resistance”. They sure accepted her sexiness alright. Takeru is worn out back at the dorm so Inaho gives him a feel good massage. Probably his ambiguous sounds pissed Haruko off so she too joins in but hers is more painful. Then the sadistic Himegami steps on him as part of his massage and then forces him to go out with her tomorrow. This is part of her plan to ascertain the origin of his mark and whether or not he is really her enemy. So why the girls didn’t object to the date? So that they (along with Kengo) can stalk, oops I sneakily mean follow them. As Takeru finds out, Tenbi is such a big place and isn’t just a school. As Himegami puts it, has its own laws, administration and prices so much so it’s like a country within a country. WTF?! Takeru becomes the donkey carrying Himegami’s shopping boxes throughout her spree. The final shop is the lingerie. I guess Takeru’s fantasy got ahead of himself, thinking if Himegami would let him choose which underwear which suits her. Of course she warns him she’ll kill him if he peeps. The store gets crowded and I don’t know why, the other ladies start pushing. Can’t they see a guy holding boxes? Takeru trips and falls into the changing room where Himegami is, you know…  It’s just puzzling she has trouble fitting into her bra. Her boobs aren’t that big, you know? Forgive me! But it’s the death sentence for him. Zap! They stop over at the maid cafe Macaron for lunch and they see Azuki displaying her cutie goshuujin-sama act. In her embarrassment, she gives Takeru that death stare and aura! Where’s the love? Oh sh*t?! See her bend the metal tray! Perhaps this place lacks customers is because of the transvestite owner. Too macho for a maid cafe… Oh, see him bend back the metal tray!

Takeru and Himegami sit by a bench at the lake, Takeru’s compliments on her makes her blush and she realizes she had been enjoying the outing rather than confirming his mark. In her desperate move, she yells out to him to show her his chest! Oh, how ambiguous. This causes the appearance of what is believed to be Himegami Fan Club guys. Biyou Tanaka (specky), Ei Kobayashi (delinquent) and Shiisuke Yamada (fatty) perhaps are more than just stalkers. They can predict her movements and to the point they sweep clean the path before she passes! Sickos. They can’t let this jerk taint their goddess (I think they’re just jealous) so they are going to protect her. If school had just started and this year is the first year being co-ed, then it’s amazing that such a club is established quickly, right? Himegami uses her shikigamis to dispose of them into the lake. Himegami thought there’s another idiot, but this one looks serious. He unleashes his Maken Blade Snake and attacks her. Though she avoids, she chides him for attacking without warning or performing a ritual since it is not a way of the warrior. She is only half right that he is from Kamigari. More accurately if he brings back combat data of a talented Tenbi student, Kamigari will make use of him. During the second attack, Himegami deflects his projections but it hit Takeru. It ripped his shirt and she confirms there is no mark. The next strike pushes Himegami into the lake. Takeru grabs her and underwater, their lips accidentally meet again. Takeru powers up and turns into a completely different person. In fact, much more cooler! Himegami spots the now visible mark on his chest and notes he has the same ability as her brother: Convergence of the Soul, Blood Point. Takeru is so powerful that he blasted the baddie all the way across the lake! What happened to his pants?! Takeru returns to his normal self and has no memories of what happened. Himegami is grateful of his actions for saving and kisses him! That’s the third time! The fan boys and ‘stalkers’ are so upset that they start making a scene! Especially Kengo who wants to kiss Takeru to get an indirect kiss from Himegami! WTF?!

Episode 5
Haruko is bothered with thoughts of what happened. Especially that kiss. She shrugs it off but can’t get it out of her mind. Takeru assures her that though he doesn’t remember what happened nor is he familiar with Tenbi, he is sure he still needs some kind of power to protect himself and those around him. Haruko is not amused. Because of that, Takeru gets a feel of her ‘wrath’ as she makes green peas as his bento. You really don’t want to make a woman mad. He complains to Haruko but she tells him to cook for himself then. Take care of his own problems. Takeru tries to solve this amicably but he trips and accidentally pulls down her skirt. Furan and Yuuka misunderstood what they saw. But Takeru receives an uppercut from fast Minaya. He pleads his innocence but Haruko didn’t stand up for him. Guess that pretty much seals his fate. Takeru witnesses Chacha in an arm wrestling battle with another student (she beat that muscle guy without sweat!). As explained, Maken-Ki is going around accepting challenges from clubs for budget negotiations. Since Takeru and Minaya are not involved, Furan has them gather information from students about a recent incident of victimized students losing their memories. There are no known culprits or witnesses. Minaya is straight to the point to tell Takeru she hates him but since they are comrades, they have to work together to finish this case. Haruko and Kimi are on their rounds of negotiations. Kimi thinks Haruko has gotten soft due to Takeru. She denies but her nervous speech tells it all. She knows a lot about him. Because Takeru’s stomach is being noisy (he didn’t had lunch as Haruko confiscated his green peas), she gives him her sandwich to ‘shut him up’. Flashback reveals how Minaya first met Haruko when she spilled her lunch. She offered hers and slowly she started hanging around her and drew inspiration from her. As Takeru takes a drink, he is approached by a girl named Kumio Amio. On a pretence she wants to discuss something about the culprit behind the incidents, once Takeru mentions his name, she traps him in her spider web called Maken Zone Nephila. Thankfully Minaya was around so she fights her with her Maken Sword Perseus. Minaya makes the mistake of blurting out her name (because Takeru still called her by her first name instead of her surname), she got trapped by Kumio’s web. She reveals she is the culprit causing the incidents because the Maken-Ki higher-ups are too busy to accept her challenge. Takeru wants to call for help but was told off not to because if he does, he’ll always rely on others and they will not accept him (talking about herself?). Kumio beats Minaya up and the flashy incident was enough to pinpoint their location as Haruko propels into the battle scene with Kimi’s Maken Tablet Comic Star. She praises Minaya for doing her best and seeing Kumio has hurt her juniors, it is not a battle she will get but retribution. Using Maken Lock Heaven’s Gate to open an extra dimensional gate, she pulls out the most destructive of the 8 Maken, Murakumo. So destructive that the aura was enough to rip Kumio’s panty stockings! Without unsheathing it (because of her emotional state and opponent’s strength she can’t), she not only breaks Kumio’s Maken but knocks her out in just a swing! When it’s over, Takeru apologizes for being conceited to Haruko and to Minaya as well. But she calls it even since she was the one who told him not to contact the higher-ups. Takeru praises Haruko’s Maken and when it seems all would come to a good forgivable end, he trips on his phone on to… Well, at least he didn’t pull down her skirt. But falling on top of her was bad enough. What happens when you do that to the strongest person in Tenbi?

Episode 6
It was 8 years ago when Inaho first met Takeru. She was training alone in the rain. Due to this, Inaho is not her happy and active self. During Minori’s class of practising controlling their Element in a crystal ball, Takeru and Kengo discuss about the recent incident whereby Kumio became a victim and lost her memories via a third party. Minori demonstrates the importance of controlling one’s Element and has Kai go up against her. She is powerful enough to knock him through the wall! Inaho is worried about him but he assures her he is durable. Those are the exact same words she heard Takeru said 8 years ago. Noticing Inaho’s gloominess (maybe it’s the rain), Takeru takes her out shopping. At the park, Takeru suddenly gets nervous. He can’t hold it in anymore. He needs to do it now at the park! Is he going to show his true colours?! Apparently, he needs to go to the toilet. Hah! Once that’s done, Inaho tries to give him hints to make him remember his promise on that day. He seriously can’t and gives up. Not good. She can’t say it because it defeats the point if he doesn’t remember. I guess you can say she’s mad even if her face and words don’t show it. She wants to stay here longer and tells him to go home first. Flashes of harsh training by her dad zooms pass her mind. Takeru comes home but the rest feel it is too late for Inaho to be out by herself. Himegami butts in and mentions though she doesn’t know what happened between them, he should treasure her feelings since Inaho is his fiancée so there must be some kind of bond. Takeru instantly realizes his mistake and goes out searching for Inaho. But he bumps into Kengo. He doesn’t look happy. He saw Inaho crying in the rain and blames Takeru for making the gentle and cute girl cry. He punches his face! The guys have a manly face off but Takeru has no time to stall and starts his search. I wondered why Kengo suddenly become such a cool person but was it just to impress Himegami? At least her views on this useless pervert changed. Just a tinsy weensy little bit. Kengo is here to get a package he bought. Turns out to be a porn magazine. So, back to the perverted stupid rotten useless man tag. Inaho finds an abandoned kitten on the mountain path and seeks solace with it. The rain must be convenient to hide her tears, eh? Takeru’s voice distracts them as the kitty jumps off from her arms. Takeru spots the cat but a boulder threatens to fall on it. Rushing to save it, he uses what he has learnt from Minori’s class and with his Element, they are both saved from being crushed. However more boulders come falling from the sky! If not for Inaho using her Maken Kamudo to destroy them, they could’ve been squashed. Inaho collapses shortly and remembers how she was crying. Takeru tried to cheer her up but it was futile. He started banging his head on the tree till it bleeds (that durable line here). Hah! No wonder he doesn’t remember the promise! Inaho wants to be his wife when she grows up so Takeru promised to grow stronger so he can protect her. Inaho wakes up and finds herself being given a piggy-back ride. Takeru apologizes he can’t remember the promise but will try his best to remember and hopes she could wait a little longer. Also, he will get stronger so she doesn’t have to always save him. Even though he doesn’t realize those words were his promise, Inaho feels deep inside he hasn’t forgotten and that his feelings haven’t changed. She is happy with the way things are now. Also, the cat now becomes their pet and lives with them. Monji is its name.

Episode 7
Takeru gets into another perverted trouble while trying to stop a couple of girls fighting. Yeah, he got beaten up pretty good. Gen has completed his Maken for Takeru and was about to give it to him when a helicopter hovers over Tenbi. Looks like something important just showed up. And down comes Akaya Koudai and a group of girls known as Venus. They will be exchange students at Tenbi but Minori wants to know the real reason Akaya is here. Kamigari believes someone in this school is trying to revive Yamato No Orochi. Even if that creature is believed to be a myth, Kamigari doesn’t think so. As explained, Kamigari is an organization using Maken and Element to support the country from the shadows! During ancient times when Gods reigned, there were a group of people who did not want to be ruled by them and thus Kamigari was formed. For the past 2 years, they have observed that the Spirit Root of Tenbi – Spirit Mountain Amanohara’s nearby Element – showed great abnormalities. They are convinced there’s a God’s beast in Tenbi and that someone has already broken the seal. Akaya is here to find the culprit. Gen isn’t happy that Akaya is here seeing that he is part of the first generation Maken-Ki (in which Minori, Tomika and Aki were also part of). Akaya asserts he is here not to fight him and will be a temporary teacher at Tenbi. Furan is taken in by Akaya’s polite gentleman ways as he asks her to show him around Kenkeibu. With Venus being comrades with Maken-Ki till summer break, we are introduced to the ladies that make up this team. They include loli twins Airiru and Reel Finian, serious Demitra Midia, cheerful idol Syria Ootsuka and the arrogant and proud Chinese, Yan Min. Because Yan and Demitra look down on Maken-Ki, Azuki can’t let that slide. Looks like the rivalry is already at boiling point. Since battles within Maken-Ki are forbidden, they have to settle it via game. A 3-on-3 volleyball game, that is. But don’t expect this to be just an ordinary volleyball game. Yuuka sets the rules while Aki becomes the referee. The volleyball match is filled with Element inducing power shots. Both sides are evenly matched that the game is deuced. Both can’t afford to lose either because if Maken-Ki loses, they’ll stop activities for a semester while Venus will have to join Maken-Ki if they are defeated. I don’t know if this is legal because Yan hits the ball to the ceiling. Of course you’d shield yourself from the crumbling debris, right? Syria tries to finish off the match with a drop ball but Maken-Ki barely counters it. Chacha enlarges the ball and Azuki slams it right into Yan. Can’t take that, can’t she? Both sides get too serious and summon their strongest Maken and Element. As usual, Takeru can’t let the girls be in danger and comes in between the match. Though the explosion rips through the gym (everyone’s clothes are ripped apart too!), Syria totally falls for Takeru because he is seen protecting her from the blast. Oh dear. Not another rival for Takeru. Demitra thanks him for saving their friend and apologizes for going overboard. As for the match, it ends with a tie. This means that both sides have to acknowledge each other’s abilities for now. Lastly, everyone takes a group photo. Seriously?! In those ripped clothes?!

Episode 8
Syria becomes Takeru’s classmate and the guys are jealous that it is always Takeru… But for Kengo, he’s a Himegami fan. Inaho asserts she is his future wife but couldn’t answer back when Syria bombs her with questions she can’t answer. When and where is their wedding? How many children will they have? Hah. And she calls herself his fiancée. Syria is going to be his steady boyfriend. But look out Takeru. The other ‘zombie’ guys aren’t going to let you go easily! So if he doesn’t get beaten up by girls who think he’s a pervert, guys will do him in instead. The twins are popular among the girls in their class while there is a 3-way rivalry between Azuki, Garret and Yan. Those are their deadly auras, not their Element. Akaya is popular with the female students and while Demitra can cook, she just can’t control the fire. She wonders why students here are living a normal life because compared to Venus, they’ve been going around the world completing missions they take seriously. Haruko says this is their paradise and that they should enjoy to their heart’s content. The Venus girls support Syria’s love for Takeru and are willing to help her out with her date plan. They have all the details they need about this plain boring and perverted guy as well as the obstacles (read: those 3 girls – you know who). There’s only one thing you can do with obstacles, right? Yeah, get rid of them. Kengo complains he hasn’t got a girlfriend yet as he takes out his frustrations over Takeru because of his accumulating harem. Share the love dude! But Takeru receives an unsigned love letter to meet. No boy would turn this down, right? Well, just that Kengo was eavesdropping in the next cubicle. He reports this to Himegami and Haruko. The latter seems worried though she brushes it off. Kengo thinks there is a mystery phenomenon happening at Tenbi but Furan puts that mystery in a different way. Someone has been accumulating garbage behind the clock tower and wants the girls to investigate. Meanwhile Inaho follows a trail of goody bags containing snacks. In her thrill, she thought these were presents from Takeru. I don’t know how she’s so blind that she couldn’t tell this ugly doll isn’t the real Takeru. And she calls him her fiancée. Shameful. Takeru waits at the school gates and to his surprise, Syria pops up and they go on an outing at the shopping district. Then she brings him into a suspicious looking building. Takeru is suddenly strapped to a chair and Syria hopes he is well prepared. Gulp. Himegami and Haruko wonder who could’ve piled up the chairs at this place. Himegami knows they’ve been watch and true enough, Yan comes out from her hiding. Because Yan ‘compliments’ her technique of figuring out her presence, Himegami thinks she is from Kamigari. Inaho comes into the picture bringing the fake Takeru. She even needs Haruko to pinpoint this is just a doll. Dumb girl. In that distraction, Himegami’s shikigami steals Yan’s detailed plan about Syria holding off Takeru in a secret room and doing S&M. Yikes! Haruko and Inaho rush to the place while Himegami keeps Yan company. The duo slip pass Demitra and bursts into the building to find Syria in sort of an S&M outfit. She is singing her 98^th consecutive song for Takeru. Get it? Song & Music. Duh… I guess he’s already dead at this point. When all is over and Takeru resting back in his dorm, he finds it weird that although Syria is cute and falls under his category of girls he like (read: big breasts), he didn’t fall in love with her.

Episode 9
Three days ago, Kengo rallies the boys for an all important event. Then he went to see Furan with a pile of signatures from the boys who are against pool classes of boys and girls to be at different times. Sure, what good is their life if they can’t see the girls in swimsuits so Kengo the smooth talker convinces Furan about gender equality, etc. Seeing that the girls will be dissatisfied with just signatures from the boys, he suggested they hold a water kibasen to decide to outcome. Well, in Tenbi everything is decided through battles, right? Though Haruko opposes it, Furan’s sweet talk made her convinced that she can’t lose to mere boys. Kengo and Takeru are climbing up the ladder to go peep on the girls changing. Their true paradise is coming! However the ladder is short 30cm. So close, yet so far. Kai shakes them down for doing something shameful till Kengo reminds him Azuki is also changing. With Kageshirou Usuya’s Maken that turns people invisible, they can peep all they like. However Kageshirou mentions he can only turn bodies invisible and not presence. Which means, Himegami and co will still find out. All for nothing. So the water kibasen is here and it will be 6 to a team. A side is out when they get their headbands taken or fall directly into the water. The last side standing wins it for the team. On the boys’ side, we have Takeru, Kengo, Kai, Akaya, Biyou and a small fry while the girls consist of Haruko, Himegami, Inaho, Azuki, Aki and Syria. Prior to the match, Kengo had discussed strategy with the guys. Everyone will face off one on one and Takeru will handle Inaho because she can’t fight back against him. But his plan fails instantly when Inaho refuses to go down tamely. Takeru has no choice but to use his secret weapon that Kengo told him. He whispered into her ears that her arms are fat. She is caught off-guard and her headband stolen. Now everybody thinks Takeru is a jerk. Biyou and his other fan club members assert their loyalty to Himegami. But they may have gone too far when they praise her small boobs. She zaps them and though she got the first victory for the girls, she let her guard down and her headband is stolen by Akaya.

Takeru squares off with Haruko. He squeezes her boobs to get her riled up. As she uppercuts him, he manages to steal her headband. Thankfully, his base caught him so he’s safe while Haruko is out. Kai and Azuki battle each other. She has a hard time reaching his headband due to his big size. I wonder how his base is able to support him. I don’t think the water is enough to support as well. But you know, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Azuki kicks him in the gut as he falls off. But her victory is short-lived because her headband gets stolen by Akaya. He faces off with Aki who has easily disposed of that nameless small fry. Akaya and Aki use their Element to do aerial battle. In the end, Akaya emerges victorious stealing her headband. But because he landed on Minori’s head, she throws him off. So both are out. Takeru and Minori flank Syria but their plan did not work as Syria has very strong arms. They almost fall off. Kengo charges ahead and sacrifices himself to strip Syria’s top but it’s all for nothing because she’s wearing a bikini underneath. Even so, I guess this is good enough for the guys. So it’s down to the wire. Syria is getting serious and asks Demitra to go full force. As she starts up, Demitra suddenly spots Minerva Martha and comes to a crashing halt. This means Syria is thrown forward and into Takeru’s arms. Now everybody is either shock or jealous at this scene. In this confusion, Takeru takes her headband and wins it for the guys. Yan wonders why Demitra suddenly stopped so she explains the last Venus member has arrived. This means they will carry out their assigned mission of investigating Tenbi’s students’ abilities and the abduction of the target. In the aftermath, the guys relish their blood, sweat and tears have brought them this day of co-ed swimming lessons. But they are disheartened when they could only hear the girls and not see them. Seems the girls have asked Kageshirou to make them all invisible. All for nothing in the end. Well, the boys have always been the biggest losers…

Episode 10
Takeru spots Minerva from the window and this alerts Kengo because this silver haired beauty is not in his list of girls! Who is this new goddess? Furan introduces Minerva to some of her Maken-Ki members. Minerva isn’t blind, she can’t open her eyes or else she’ll unleash some sort of power. From what I can see, a power to blow up the girls’ skirt to reveal their undies. Yeah, she likes it. We like it! Takeru and Kengo couldn’t find this Minerva and come into a showdown between Otohime Yamato (she is the third person without a Maken match) and Sho Tachinami. Takeru is made to officiate the match so Sho makes his move first with his Maken Kaesto that pulls his opponents within fist range. But it was a trap by Otohime for her Maken Zone Grooming Garden means she can control her opponent like a doll if they step into her Doll House territory. As explained by her older twin brother Gouken, she can also transfer the damage from the doll to the opponent hundred times fold. Otohime is breaking and twisting his bones! Ouch! Takeru wants to stop her but Otohime views this as going against her and makes Takeru her doll. Though paralyzed and in pain, Takeru realized it is not because he wants to stop fights because to protect the girls, but he can’t stand seeing the weak being beaten up in a one-sided match. He gets enough strength to break through Otohime’s grasp but she puts a stronger bind on him. Just then, Minerva comes in between to stop everything. With Akaya warning her about the consequences of going overboard, she reminds them they should be taking care of the job assigned. If they slack off, she’ll tell her grandpa who is the head of Kamigari. Minerva heals Sho but his deep injuries means he still needs to get some treatment. Takeru is introduced to Minerva who will be attending Tenbi from today.

But Takeru gets into another kind of trouble. The countermeasure he took during yesterday’s commotion around that battle has caused difficulties within the school. Plus, he has not passed his Element exam. Seeing it is essential a Maken-Ki member needs to master this and none has ever failed before, if he doesn’t pass tomorrow’s makeup exam, he’ll be fired from the club. So how to safe Takeru in such a short notice? As Minerva suggests, seek everyone’s help like a training camp! I don’t know if this was intended by Minerva because with Takeru’s harem roommates in the fray, it feels like a harem story. Oh wait. Isn’t this one? While Kengo helps Takeru to control his Element, the girls make dinner. Minerva asks the most interesting question simply because this is a training camp. “Who do you like?”. Himegami describes the person dear to her heart that indicates it might be her brother. While Haruko is obviously a tsundere, Inaho is not embarrassed to declare her love for Takeru. She even has marriage plans and how many kids they are going to have! After lots of lecture from Kengo (must be pretty tough seeing it’s already night time that Takeru is doing is practice), Takeru concentrates all that he has got and manages to use his Element and hit away the can. However they are puzzled if that mark on the tree was also his doing. The other Venus girls confront Akaya on why Minerva is allowed to go on her own. He explains Himegami holds a clue to what Kamigari, Ouken Yamato wants. They also ask about his orders for them to live a normal school life. He asks them if they like Tenbi. They do since it is better than the prejudice and discrimination they faced in other parts of the world. Himegami is training herself in the woods and senses Minerva’s presence. Minerva is able to see Himegami’s shikigamis and also her real body (a snake?). She says before her existence breaks Amanohara’s seal, Venus have orders to bring her to Kamigari. The shikigamis won’t allow it and hastily attack but only to be easily defeated. Himegami is prepared to take them all but Minerva has no intention of fighting her as part of her duty is to observe the strength of other Tenbi students. She observed Takeru the other day and saw the same spiritual waves he possessed like Himegami and finds him interesting. Also, she is going to love this place because of the many cute girls and splendid breasts. Oh God… I knew there was something weird about this girl. Too good to be true. Next day, Takeru passes his makeup exam and avoided being fired. Syria barges in and is upset she wasn’t invited to the training camp. Well, she’s part of his harem, right? But Minerva assures her when Japanese men treat their women coldly, it’s a sign of love. Blame it on the manga she’s reading… With that, Syria gets lovey-dovey with Takeru, enough to send panic signals to you-know-who.

Episode 11
Gen inserts a Maken into Takeru’s body configured especially for him. His Maken is the inner type and depends heavily on affinity. Though they can be activated any time, the downfall is that unless the opponent’s Maken is activated, he can’t use his. Takeru’s Maken has the ability to make his opponent’s Maken go berserk. Minori and Gen are worried that those group are trying to cause trouble again. They hope this Maken-Ki will be able to protect Tenbi’s peace and order just like how they did even if this becomes a trial for those who entered Tenbi. Gen notes he and Akaya didn’t pass that trial. It’s that time again for summer training camp. Yeah, training to use their Maken is just a pretty excuse for fun and fanservice. Why is every girl in the delusion naked?! However Furan says that this year everyone has to pay for the camp. Everybody is unhappy and complaining till Furan and Yuuka read out how the funds for this were ‘wasted’. Somebody bought lots of snacks, mangas, costumes and other unnecessary expenses. Looks like everyone is guilty as charged. To solve this problem, Takeru spots a poster and comes up with an idea to work part time and earn money. Azuki sees a long queue outside Macaron and to her dismay, her Maken-Ki members are working as maids and butlers! They are totally popular! She pins the blame on Takeru for doing something unnecessary but she has to deal with Kai who purposely came here to see her (even if he gave other excuses). So we have Himegami being the bossy one while her fan club members as her customers become subservient  (they thought she wrote ‘petanko’ (small boobs) on their omelette rice but it was her bad handwriting of ‘love’ – zap time), nobody could beat Inaho in a cake eating contest (the winner will have free drinks for a year; lose you pay all), Haruko being so clumsy that she provides more fanservice than seriousness and Kimi and Chacha going for a world record piling up 20 ice cream scoops! Takeru is surprised to see Gen, Minori and Aki patron the place. Macaron is their OB and the manager, Catherine formerly known as Gourou Fujioka (how did this delinquent become so feminine?) was also part of the gang. Takeru notes they were able to be like this after graduating and wonders if he and the rest too will be the same. Inaho slips up and nearly spills on the customer but it is her who is more distraught than the guests. Haruko needs to prepare iced milk so cheeky Chacha tells her she can extract it fresh from her own boobs and pulls down her dress!!! All the guys saw the best service for today. Distraught Haruko goes out to hand out flyers. Even if Chacha was just joking, she went overboard. She even quipped Haruko’s boobs grew bigger again most probably she’s a maiden in love. But Takeru took that seriously. Or was it because of her boob size? Because Haruko hasn’t come back for a while, Takeru goes looking for her. Meanwhile Otohime is spying on the place and is enforcing some sort of prank as part of her grudge plan. While Haruko is spacing out (probably jealous about Takeru), she is attacked by a guy in full body suit and full face helmet. The guy destroys much of the place when Takeru comes to her rescue. Otohime watches the fight and this is part of her plan to see Takeru’s real strength. Though this guy’s Maken is a replica, Takeru can’t use his Maken till he activates his. He thought he was a goner and before Haruko could return the favour and protect him, Azuki slams into that guy with a drop kick. With Minori and co coming by, they unmask the perpetrator and he turns out to be Gourou. He doesn’t remember what happened but knows he has been used just like that time. Gen explains years ago, Kamigari tried to rule Tenbi so the old Maken-Ki fought them but many got controlled by them. Gourou is one of the unfortunate victims. Otohime didn’t like how boring the show turned out to be and notes that they need to push him even more if he is to use his true strength. Her sister Kikyou returns and would love to join her in this game.

Episode 12
Haruko remembers when she was young, she wanted to save a drowning kid but she couldn’t swim. Though Takeru too couldn’t swim, he dived in with a branch and saved the kid as they both stay afloat on it. Ever since, Haruko wanted to change and be strong like him. One morning, Takeru gets called by Himegami as she tells him Haruko has disappeared. It is unlike her to skip class and knows something has happened. She wants him to search for her and not tell the others so as not to make them worry. Meanwhile Gen and co talk about Kamigari and perhaps Sensei anticipated this that’s why he sent his son here. Kikyou through a possessed female student tells Takeru that Haruko is in their hands and should come to face them at the tip of Amanohara alone. Takeru meets Kikyou and learns she is from Kamigari. She wants her to go all out and display his full force. Otohime notes this is payback for that embarrassment on that day and all he has to do is do what he is told if he knows what’s good for Haruko. Takeru questions their strength’s purpose so Kikyou replies it is to protect her pride because she believes the weak serving the strong is a rule for living beings. Takeru too wants to be strong to protect someone but won’t accept this fight. Kikyou forces him into one by using her Element that passes through his insides. Takeru doesn’t want Haruko dragged into this but Kikyou just keeps pounding him to remind him that those who don’t fight aren’t suited to protect anyone. Otohime tells Haruko that she is doing him a favour by making him strong and trigger his hidden power. Haruko remembers on that day, Takeru also lost something precious: His mom. Takeru also remembers how mom told him the strength to fight is never to subdue someone or be used for your own ambitions. It is to protect yourself, others and to stop fights. Takeru years that true strength and this triggers his hidden power. Great amounts of Elements are flowing out of the mountain and into Takeru. Now he has turned into some mindless monster. Otohime is thrilled that the outbreak of his wrath makes him assimilate Elements to the maximum. He can run berserk till his body breaks. Gouken warns at this rate, he may destroy Tenbi but Otohime says this is killing 2 birds with 1 stone. Because sooner later Tenbi will be ruled by them and they can use him to remove all their obstacles.

Takeru nearly slams into some of the Maken-Ki members who are taken aback that he is being possessed. Like as though he is a collection of Elements. Trying to restrain him by force won’t do because he shooting off powerful Elements. Otohime and Gouken note that Takeru may be a bloodline closer to theirs but Haruko disagrees he is not like them. On that day when he couldn’t protect his mom from a dojo challenger, it left a deep scar in his heart and the reason why he can’t stand to see others hurt in fights. That’s why he isn’t like them who’d control others to fight. Otohime shuts her up but is interrupted when the Venus girls infiltrate the place. They free Haruko and even prepare a dimensional gate back to Tenbi. Otohime is not in forgiving mood so Akaya tells her that her practice will make them lose the school itself. Besides, there are orders from above to be prudent so this means she has to back down. Meanwhile the rest can’t get close to Takeru because if they do, their Elements will get absorbed. Like a heroine falling down from the sky (at least to Chacha), Haruko arrives on scene and has Murakumo unsheathed. She plans to use her bane slaying ability to disperse the negative Element that made Takeru go berserk. She charges as he tries to absorb Murakumo’s Element. The place becomes chaotic and this berserk power may destroy him from the inside. Not sure if Haruko intended to stab him but his necktie pin Inaho gave him as a lucky charm stopped the sword. After all that dramatic blood cells, veins and heart zooming in effect, everything returns to normal. Everybody is relieved Takeru is back to normal but not so relieved when they find Haruko’s boobs pressing on his face. Yeah, this is normal alright. Instead of getting mad, they prefer to tease the tsundere. Kikyou shows up and has seen his incredible powers. He has the qualifications to enter Kamigari and offers him to join them. You know what his answer is, right? And with all the other Maken-Ki members backing Takeru that they won’t tolerate any more of their peace disturbing acts, they better go home or face their wrath. Kikyou backs down for now but will settle this one day especially with Takeru. She is looking forward to just how much they can go against Kamigari. In the aftermath, everyone returns to their normal life. This includes Takeru, Haruko and Inaho doing morning training (Takeru still sucks at stamina although he’s bloody confident at first) and Himegami using Kengo as her assistant in shopping. Good or bad thing?

OVA
With a series overflowing with fanservice, you’d expect more from the OVA, right? Yeah. That. So somehow, Maken-Ki manages to get that much awaited summer training camp. I don’t know how they covered all the expensive cost to reach this beach island, but Yuuka did mention she did some illicit transfer from Minori’s bank account… So what else to look forward to than to gawk at the girls in their swimsuit? Keep staring at all you want… Minori gives Takeru a pair of wristbands, each weighing 100kg as part of his control-your-Element training and has him run around the island with those. The guys have to sleep out in only a hammock so Kengo went to peep at the girls himself (Takeru fast asleep from that harsh all-day training) but he got fried by Himegami’s shikigami. Will that guy learn? Don’t bet on it. Next day as Takeru continues his training, Aki’s GPS detects some sort of never-seen-before power near the beach. Arriving on scene, they see a giant octopus violating the girls with its tentacles. Your much awaited fanservice scene! Paradise for the guys! Is it a wonder why they are paralyzed doing nothing? I think the octopus is a bi because it grabbed Kengo too. Suddenly Syria drops a kick right into the octopus’ head. She is going to take care of it when she hears how the other girls want that useless Takeru to do something. Immediately Syria purposely gets herself caught. Takeru releases his wristbands and uses his Element, Drive Kill Overblow as the octopus reverts into its small and harmless form. That night, the gang are doing kimodameshi (test of courage). Takeru thought he would get sandwiched between the boobs of Haruko and Inaho but he is let down because the girls aren’t afraid of the dark. While trekking along, they are attacked by a tree monster. The ground splits open and they fall in. The rest realize the trio haven’t return and know something is up. Haruko and Takeru realize Inaho is missing and go look for her. Takeru notices Haruka hugging close to him like never before. Could have gotten romantic if not for that tree monster showing up and grabbing them. Inaho arrives and saves the day to free them. But she has run out of power. Don’t fret. The other Maken-Ki ladies drop in and combine their skills with Minori unleashing her powerful punch to destroy the beast. That’s why she’s the best, right? It seems these recent attacks were from Otohime. She doesn’t seem disappointed but notes will have more fun the next time. Now with that out of the way, it’s time for full fanservice steam ahead! Yeah, the girls soaking in the hotspring. Feast your eyes on this, dude! Burn those scenes into your skull! Just too bad Takeru and Kengo had to be tied up faraway to prevent the unnecessary.

Power Fights, Power Fanservice…
Just as I feared, it ended up something like this. Incomplete. The fanservice was such an overwhelming factor for this show that the plots such as Maken, Elements and Kamigari have been overshadowed and were just an excuse for this over-the-top fanservice. Really. Though we have a short glimpse of Takeru’s past (at least on why he grew up to be considered ‘honourable’ thanks to his mom) and Inaho’s first meeting with him, everything else in the plot was just forgettable. If you don’t remember the all-important “Takeru is the son of Sensei”, I guess that is fine too because if they don’t mention that either, this series won’t really go anywhere too. Then there is the Venus girls. Arriving halfway at the series, anyone would have thought that they would be the final antagonist for this season or at least a commendable opponent to Maken-Ki. Then it turns out they are their comrade because after experiencing a few fun days at Tenbi and realizing that this place contains much more justice and impartiality as compared to the real world, they become their allies. This is not a bad thing but the worst part is that they didn’t even pull off any memorable Maken or Element moves! Oh yeah. They were just there because they were just there. Get what I mean? I thought at least we’ll be able to see some cool moves when they face off with Otohime but you know, she knows she won’t make it out alive based on numbers so that’s the end of it.

So forgettable everything else that was to advance the plot that if you don’t want to remember Himegami’s little background or her goal to find out if Takeru is the enemy, you can let that slide too. So what is about her brother already? What is it about her true form? Well, I guess we wouldn’t know if they don’t make another sequel, right? And that mark on Takeru’s chest? What is the significance of it? How will it impact everything? Like I said, the sequel. If there should be one. Maybe when Takeru saved Himegami during that fake date, she perhaps realized he is not the enemy. That’s what I concluded because she didn’t really say he is no longer a threat to her and resembles closely to her brother. As for Kamigari, from the way they show it, they will be Tenbi’s greatest threat and Maken-Ki’s opponent in the foreseeable future. However their presence was like touch-and-go in this season. Sure, it sounds like they are some grand mysterious badass group but they hardly make their presence felt here. You would be intrigued each time their name is mentioned but you’ll get nothing more out of it. Otohime and Kikyou may be part of the group but their last episode attack hardly do any justice to stamp Kamigari’s existence for this show. It feels like Otohime’s prank gone wrong on a big scale. That’s why I say the fanservice overshadows everything else.

The version that I saw, there are censors here and there so my guess if you want to see ‘everything’ ‘clearly’, you will have to get the DVDs. Yes, it is annoying that the white streaks of light are blocking out areas that every guy would definitely have their eyes focused intensely on, however this is not evident in every scene. Sometimes it’s like when the producers feel like it, they let some fanservice through to tease us and make us want more. Of course the more dangerous positions will be totally ‘white out’. The power fights are just an excuse for more fanservice display because for instance, the intensity of the powerful force will somewhat reveal the pantsu. So are you more interested in the fight or their coloured undies? Which brings me to my next point in this fanservice-ful fanservice. The girls’ uniform especially their skirt is so bloody short that it makes you wonder why they are even wearing it. The slightest wind blowing up will already reveal just about everything and if there is no wind, you can just tilt your head a little to catch a glimpse of what is underneath. It’s no wonder why boys are flocking to this academy since they have opened their doors to co-ed. Ironically for a show filled with fanservice, there is no beach episode!  Till the OVA, that is. And the water kibasen will be the only episode you’ll ever get to see the girls in their swimsuits for the TV series. Oh yeah. Don’t forget the mid-intermission filled with fanservice moments too.

And for buying the DVDs, you’ll get more fanservice specials. I think there are going to be 6 of them in total but I only watched the first special after too much numbing fanservice has diluted my interest. Really. You can expect lots of that and drool over the girls like in Special 1 gives us Haruko in training. It is something like Isshoni Training With Hinako. All we’re interested in are the fanservice close-ups when Haruko does her exercises. From push-ups to sit-ups, to squats to stretching and swinging of her bokuto. Our eyes are definitely focused on some other ‘juicy’ body parts other than her eyes :).  “Do your training every day and you will be awesome in no time”. I think watching her would be pretty awesome enough. Some perverts will take it further by ‘training’ a ‘little body part’ of theirs rigorously. Then you can peek at Haruko bathing and cleaning herself from all that sweat. Are we starting to like this training? So yeah, my guess is that the other specials may be something very much like this.

The action sequences are rather okay but I won’t say that you will be awed by it. Of course there are some exaggerative moments (like Takeru blowing away that unnamed enemy across the lake and even having his pants knocked off. That’s really funny) but I guess this is what happens when you combine magical elements with your usual combat skills. It is interesting to see that each of the character have their own Maken and skill however many of them especially the minor ones, you will only get to see a short glimpse of their Maken unleashing its power. It’s good that fights don’t last episodes after episodes but I wish that we could see a little more variety than just showing once and that’s it. Even for the main characters, Inaho’s Kamudo still remains a mystery on what it can do because all I see is that she materializes it and since it is hard enough, it is able to stop lots of attacks. But that’s about it. As for the humour factor, most of them depend on the ecchi fanservice. That’s what this series is about, right? So we got poor Takeru in the centre of different kind of ‘fights’. He gets beaten up by girls if he accidentally gets into perverted situations, he gets beaten up by boys because they are envious that he attracts all the babes and leaves them none, he gets beaten up by enemies who want to see his true power and he beats himself up if he finds he isn’t strong enough to overcome his own weakness and protect others. Funny, isn’t it? Not if you’re in Takeru’s shoes.

Well, I don’t know what else to say about the characters. They are pretty typical and stereotypic for this kind of genres. Takeru is the usual hero and though he may be a little perverted, he has his own integrity that he sticks too. He may be weak now but by practising harder, I’m sure he’ll be able to unleash the most powerful Element and Maken or whatever that is hidden latent inside his body that others will eventually view him as the most powerful of the powerful. Get what I mean? Oh, it’s a shame that when Takeru finally has got his own Maken implanted, he didn’t really get to show it off. Unless him absorbing all of the Elements in the final episode was it. Yeah, instead of making other Maken go berserk, his own went on a rampage. Haruko may be playing big sister to him but she’s displaying more and more tsundere behaviour towards Takeru. She is the person whom I bet Takeru would most likely end up with in his harem. For example if you remember when Syria becomes part of Takeru’s harem, that guy did mention even if she had huge melons, he didn’t fall for her. This could only mean one thing. Then he reacted when he heard Chacha’s comment about Haruko being in love. Was that concern out of jealousy? Himegami is the coolest character in the series because of her sadistic ways. She doesn’t let others control her and stand up to her if you dare. Of course at times she may blunder but that is nothing compared to the resident airhead as in Inaho. She and Syria are compatible in this area that’s why they are going to be good rivals for Takeru.

I guess Maken-Ki is such a big group that the other characters don’t really stand out (not talking about their boobs, mind you) and even if they do, it’s just for a while. Furan is the serious president but ever since Akaya makes his presence, she starts falling for that guy and would fluster if he’s around. Yuuka sure loves teasing her about this. Kimi’s interest in yaoi manga is scary (she was more worried about her torn manga when possessed Takeru went on a rampage) while Chacha is the dense funny foreigner and Azuki the tough chick. I wonder if Minaya is on good terms with Takeru after that Fumio incident. You need a guy who is more of a loser than the hero so that the hero could look good, right? Kengo fits that bill and though more perverted and more of a loser (because he doesn’t get the girls – they just flock to Takeru, haha), he too has his own ideals and would set Takeru straight if he feels he is doing something wrong (like when Inaho cried). I have already said about the Venus girls and their presence felt just to make it more the merrier. But I can’t help think that if they are on Maken-Ki’s side, wouldn’t that be a conflict of interest seeing that they too have their own orders from Kamigari? Gen and Akaya don’t really get along so there must be something that happened along the way. So being on Maken-Ki’s side is just a facade for something deeper or friends for good?

One thing that bugs me is that if Tenbi is once an all-girls’ school, how did Gen and Akaya end up with Minori and co as the first generation Maken-Ki? Unless it started out co-ed before it closed to girls only and then recently opened back up. Because as far as I remember, Gen is the guy who created Maken. Heck, why would I remember something that won’t be bothered expanded further in the show when I can just remember the mind numbing fanservice? And Tenbi being like a country of its own? Now, that is pushing it far. Yeah, it may be the hidden powers in that mountain. No matter how much interesting it is about what is so special about Tenbi that Kamigari would want to take over it so badly, thus probably the reason why it led Gen to create Maken, it will never be answered because of… The fanservice. I know. I said it so many times and it’s becoming annoying because really, that is what this series is going to be if you’re the kind that despises this type of genre.

Okay, so it is alright if you get into fights that are properly overseen. But it still feels weird to use fights to settle things or get what you want like in this show, get a girl to go out with you (what a shame for the boys to lose). What are you trying to inculcate by doing so? Sure, you might say that action speaks louder than words and that it is better to let your fist do the talking. I guess diplomacy is dead in this anime. Haha. Thus when Kamigari really do strike Tenbi, don’t expect to see everyone sit down obediently and quietly at a round table and talk things over. If you want something, grab it by force! A word of caution, though. To over-quote a superhero movie line: With great powers come great responsibilities. Make-n sure you use for powers for good and not for your own selfish means. Make-n sure you control your power and not let sure your power controls you. And of course… Make-n sure you makenai (don’t lose)!