Despite better production values, this follow-up
series to the original Weiss Kreuz is a downright unpleasant watch. The Weiss assassins, Aya, Ken,
Yohji, and Omi, have given up the flower shop to take on a long-term mission at a prestigious academy, where
a string of suicides may conceal something much more
sinister. They're joined by a few new members, who
don't contribute much beyond providing more sources
for stale angst. Naive Sena is the most notable among
them, who naturally has a relative among the enemies
and little control over his emotions. Though the
central story is easier to follow this time, it's not
a very good one. None of the characters are at all
convincing, especially the woefully one-note villains. There are several attempts to be darker and more
serious, usually through the use of random murders and sudden plot twists, but these are neutralized by
hamhanded execution and plenty of gushy soap-opera dialogue. Every development feels forced and
unnatural, and exposition is clearly missing. Without knowing who Schwartz, Estet, and the Crashers are
already, new viewers are bound to be confused.
The animation is pretty, but plasticine. All the
characters have had their designs tampered with, some for the better, some for the worse. Probably the
biggest disappointment for fans of the original show will be the deadly serious atmosphere. There was a
certain goofy charm to the first series' outlandish
dramatics, that at least made the show mildly amusing. In this new incarnation, there's the feeling that the
writers were trying to be as cruel to their characters
as possible, and little of the humor or the humanity
of the Weiss quartet remains. By the end, the
ultimate round of shocks just feels mean-spirited and
distasteful. Lousy as it was, the franchise didn't
deserve this sort of depressingly bleak finale.
(2.5)
