Disgaea: Volume 2

Introduction

I have to say that MVM's summer of anime this year isn't looking half as rosy as it did in previous years. Two series have debuted in recent months, both of which have felt like they sucked the life out of me like some sort of animated succubus. Last month it was the dull and dreary Samurai Deeper Kyo, while the month prior it was Disgaea, an adaptation of a Playstation adventure game that was bright, energetic, fast paced, and stupid and clichéd. It's not good to dread the next anime release, but there I am. And on cue, the August release of Disgaea's second volume turns up for review. I'm not one to leave the bitter pill for last, as it leaves a nasty aftertaste. Before the postman has even closed the gate, this disc is straight in the player. Let's get this nonsense out of the way.

A trainee angel named Flonne is ordered to the Netherworld to assassinate King Krichevskoy, overlord of the demon kingdom. Only she has to spend two years looking for him, after she finds his castle in flames. She tracks him down to a crypt, a coffin marked with his seal, but her attempts to destroy it only awaken the occupant. It's not even Krichevskoy, who's been dead all this time having choked to death on a bun. It's his son, Laharl, who having learned of his father's death, now wants to take his rightful place as Overlord. So he sets forth, with loyal vassal Etna in tow, and the annoyance Flonne who insists on teaching him the value of love. It's just that everyone else in the demon kingdom wants to be Overlord too. Dante's Inferno this ain't.


The next four episodes of this twelve episode series are present on this disc from MVM.

5. The Dungeon of Temptation! Maybe, Maybe Not…
You'll have to bear with me a tad, as I fell asleep (twice) during the previous episode. I'm not sure how Flonne wound up in the middle of the desert, separate from Laharl and Etna, but there you are. Laharl and Etna are in the middle of a forest, with Laharl constantly fending off attacks from petty demons that are looking to collect the bounty on his head. Captain Gordon of Earth has noticed the bounty, and realises it's the best way to get his spaceship repaired, so he's on the hunt too. They are all destined to reunite at a strange mansion in the middle of the forest where Laharl and Etna take shelter. They meet an odd woman there named Saldia, who offers to feed them and takes them to a room filled with culinary delights. Only she isn't going to feed them something, she's going to feed them to something.

6. Etna's Embarrassing Secret
Saldia pointed them in the direction of the person who put the bounty on Laharl, and it leads them to the castle of Maderas, a demon who used to work for Laharl's father, and who has his eyes on the position of overlord. And it's there that Etna reveals her duplicity. It is she who has been working with Maderas to see the end of Laharl, and soon Laharl and Flonne are trapped in an eternal torment, as game pieces in the Game of Life.


7. Netherworld Siblings
We pause for a Spaghetti Western style interlude, as Laharl and vassals venture into a saloon for some food, drink and gossip. The gossip is interesting, as apparently Laharl's sister is making a play for the position of Overlord of the Netherworld. This is news to Laharl, who thought he was an only child. But sure enough, cute little demon Maharl shows up, looking for a place to hide from the local gang of bikers, the Netherworld Emperors. What is a big brother to do?

8. The Prinnies' Longest Day, Dood!
The prinnies are absent, vanished, not there. They are disappearing from all over the Netherworld, and it's not just Laharl's stomach that is suffering from the well intentioned, but best avoided Flonne's cooking. Trash is building up in the streets, as there are no more slaves to keep the world neat and tidy. Laharl and the others decide to investigate, and follow a prinny to a distant island, where all the prinnies are congregating, to plan a rebellion against demonkind.

Picture

The 1.78: 1 anamorphic transfer is pretty much the norm for anime, it's clear and sharp, with the slightest tinge of an NTSC-PAL conversion, but with no major issues to speak of. The animation is unimpressive, a combination of 2D traditional anime, and 3D CGI, with no effort to really blend the two. The CGI looks like a ten-year-old console game, while the 2D animation is rough and ready, with simple character designs and not all that dynamic and vibrant.

Sound

You have the choice of DD 2.0 English and Japanese, along with optional translated English subtitles or signs. The dialogue is clear, while the sound does what it needs to convey the story. I didn't think too much of the incidental music, sounding like one of those old MIDI files, while the opening theme is pretty forgettable. The closing theme has a nice hook to it though. As for the English dub… Well, at least in this case, an anime gets a dub that it deserves.

Extras

No extras this time around. If you want the second set of Special Talks, you'll have to go for the Region 1 release, or the Region 4 boxset.

All you get here are trailers for Slayers and Samurai Deeper Kyo.

Conclusion

I laughed! No really, I actually laughed. It's not as if the show has improved any over the two volumes; it's still the low impact waste of time that it was before, but I've come to the realisation that this is mood anime. You really have to be in a suitable frame of mind to appreciate its juvenile humour and non-existent storylines. This was borne out as I watched it over two nights. I usually partake of my anime in two episode chunks, and the first night I was actually entertained by the show, merrily chuckling away at the inanities that were occurring on screen, while the next night I could barely smirk having apparently entered a humour vacuum. It's like getting a tax rebate cheque from the Inland Revenue one day, and then the next day having it bounce.


So if you're a fan of the abundant clichés, stereotyped characters, and juvenile comic sensibility, wrapped up in a Saturday morning adventure series ethic, then you'll be on familiar ground with this series. There's a thin, overarching storyline, but generally it's a different adventure with each episode, with our three main heroes playing central roles, while all the other ancillary characters are guaranteed to at least have a cameo, and indeed comment on the brevity of their appearances if need be. It's all played for laughs, and there is an energy and sparkle to the show that can be endearing if you let it. Of course not all the jokes hit the target, when all else fails, they do resort to repetition, especially apparent in the first episode, with the enigmatic Saldia always vacillating on whether she means what she says, or not. At which point everyone else falls on the ground in shock. It's the sort of humour that wears you down until you have to laugh.


My favourite episode was Etna's Embarrassing Secret, which sees Laharl confronting the one who has put the bounty on his head, and being trapped in the Game of Life for his troubles. While he winds up wearing a tutu, Flonne becomes the leader of a biker gang (It's a weird game). As we learnt in the previous volume, Laharl's weak spots are busty women and kind-hearted optimism. When he eventually escapes from the GOL, the villain puts him up against a choir of busty angelic looking demons, who chant forthright homilies at him. This has the effect of knocking him to the ground, sapping his energy. Fortunately Flonne is there, and with a wave of her magic wand, and an incantation of 'Heal' (in the cutest Japanese accent), he's back on his feet again, only to be knocked down by the next sermon. After about six treatments of 'Heal', he stops to ask Flonne if she is enjoying this, and the answer is priceless. I thought it was the funniest thing I had seen in ages.


Of course the next night for the final two episodes, I was in Oscar the Grouch mode again, but they offer the same silly humour and bizarre storylines as the first two episodes. Someone needs to invent a mood-o-meter. A watch-like device that you can wear, that will tell you if you're happy, angry, sad, sarcastic, and so on. There should also be a Disgaea setting, for those once in a blue moon moments when I'm in the mood for an episode or two, and I can put one on double quick. The rest of the time I'm just going to be indifferent. Disgaea Volume 2 is better than I thought it would be, but not as good as I would have liked it to be.