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TV Review

Baki The Grappler – Season 2 – TV Review

A fighting tournament is probably the most over used setting for an anime, but for Baki The Grappler, a series all about people fighting each other, it is only natural that they would focus an entire season on a King Of Fighters tournament, or at least it seems that way. For those who have never seen the show before, it centers around Baki Hanma, a fighting prodigy, who is motivated to be the best fighter in the world, the only problem is at the top there is Yojiro Hanma, his father. Of course if you are coming into season two not having seen season one, you might be a little confused about a few things. After the first season Baki is the champ of the greatest cut throat fighting organization in the world. Of course it would be rather boring if going into season two all he did was defend his title, so instead he returns to a special tournament put on by the organization. Thus to truly become the best he must face some old foes and new ones, working his way up the fight brackets.

Having a group of characters that progress together (in an elimination tournament structure) means you can learn more about the motivations and origins of these characters as they compete. By the end you know more about both the new and old characters alike than you may even care to know. The major hang up with this is the lack of freshness that a tournament brings to the show. Obviously when the season starts we have this whole new cast of characters, but as the show progresses the number of “core” characters is greatly reduced, this is problematic if you find yourself liking a particular character and said character is eliminated in the next episode. While it might not be a serious loss, it can kill the show for you.

For those who watch for the action, this is certainly action packed and sticks to a certain amount of realism. Unlike shows like Dragon Ball Z where people are whipping giant visible energy objects around, Baki The Grappler is all about hand to hand combat and tries to keep itself grounded to a point. Naturally all the fighters are above normal strength and speed, but it is each fighter’s unique discipline that makes the fights truly entertaining. While some of the styles use certain techniques of myth rather than something more realistic, it is still fair and relatively balanced (if both fighters are “on the same level”) and fights look like they can go either way.

The overarching story, the conflict between Baki and his father, exists in this season but feels incomplete and an afterthought. In the previous season Baki directly engages his father in combat, while in this season Yojiro is there merely as an observer. Considering this is the last season of the show, it would be right for most viewers to assume Baki would face his father in the final episode(s). Sadly, the series ends without this key fight happening, and we are left to imagine what would have been. The one caveat to that is the tale told in the last episode, a story entirely centered around Yojiro that showcases his brutality and inhuman behavior and allows you to get a better grasp of who he is.

Time for ratings, while the previous season was great for its unstructured style and the journey from boy to man of the main character, the second season showcases the growth of a number of individuals in a tournament setting. Sadly, this makes it more of a cool- than a cool for the stale nature of it. For fans of the first season it may rank higher but for those who are not fans of MMA or anime, I would skip this one, as it does not bring anything truly astounding to the table.

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About The Author

Genuwine Jon Hammer

The self proclaimed "Genuwine" Jon Hammer, currently a student studying at Digipen Institute of Technology to be a programmer. I am a huge pop culture nerd, so movies, music, tv, podcasts, and games are all important to me, in fact if I often post about such topics on my twitter.

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Article Information

  • Posted: Friday, January 8th, 2010
  • Author: Genuwine Jon Hammer
  • Filed Under: Review, TV
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