Apr 1, 2024

Here we are at the conclusion of this sublime season 2 and, at the risk of offending some, I find this sequel all the more accomplished than s1. I risk going against everyone's grain, but let's take it point by point.

We find ourselves in a season that reveals a plethora of things about the history of this universe, how the card system works, our characters' pasts, and especially the link between Finn and this Dark Knight. I won't go into too much detail about the story to avoid spoilers. Instead, I'll concentrate on the technical aspects and the storyline.

DA: 8.5
Animation: 8.3
OST's : 10

The technical aspect...remains just as high quality as in season 1. Despite a few moments that were a little average, notably on the characters' faces, the overall animation was really well done. I'm thinking in particular of the Theo/Ban fight in the cemetery and the final confrontation in episode 12. As for the AD, I was blown away by the series' consistency in offering us a subtle blend between a monarchical universe typical of the Middle Ages and a certain modernity reminiscent of the United Kingdom. As for the series' greatest quality, it's obviously the ost's without a doubt. Jazz is my favorite musical style, so maybe I'm a little biased, but I found this soundtrack simply perfect. To blend flute and saxophone so seamlessly to create such upbeat jazz shows great talent but also great knowledge of this musical world.

History: 8
Characters: 9
Character development: 8.5
Worldbuilding :

However, despite a rich and complex universe, there were times when I found myself a little lost in the various explanations, particularly those surrounding the creation of the Joker, his purpose and the true history of the kingdom of Fourland. As for the characters and their development, we find ourselves in a fairly classic construction, but one that works very well in this case. Ban and Theodore's flashbacks moved me, and their confrontations were the pinnacle of their development. As for the story, it was greatly fleshed out in season 2. The end of s1 was a bit of a letdown for me, but this s2 brought me back to the series after that slight loss of interest.

I'll end my review by saying that this series is the perfect compromise for anime fans and fans of works such as Kingsman. Despite a final rating as catastrophic as that of Blue Exorcist Illuminati saga (I seriously don't understand the fans), I recommend that you ignore the rating and embark on this incredible story that will take you through a rollercoaster of emotions and leave an indelible mark, just like 91 Days can.

Reviewer’s Rating:10

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Mar 25, 2024

Part 2 of High Card - "Are you ready? It's Showdown!"...for real this time.

Out with the casual play, and into the real foot of the drama, at least for the continuation of High Card, the creation and next succession from Kakegurui mangaka Homura Kawamoto, Mikaru Kuno and TMS Entertainment's evolution of bringing the poker play into a global stage.

With Season 1, it serves as the establishment of a poker-playing world: bound by the entire stack of 52 X-Playing Cards which all has a different power used for the gains of anyone who picks it up, it certainly is a wild goose chase for trying to...be pseudo-Kingsman trying to accomplish the task of capturing all the Cards. That is only the first step, and the second with all characters left, right and center doing their ultimate best at achieving their plans within the organizations that they serve for: High Card under Pinochle, their next competitive rival Who's Who, and the mafia organization of the Klondike Family.

Season 2 here, continues that trend by going back in time to the real plot of how these X-Playing Cards were formulated, and how through the Kingdom of Fourland, these Cards have gone out of control through sheer greed and temptation of its powers, and connect a world where the Cards signify peace and harmony, or a pure monocle of destruction.

And the main person most affected by this is Finn Oldman, who is now Chris Redgrave's superior (because of his attempt to play an X-Hand of 5 cards to save his sister, only to fail and be demoted from his position), on figuring out his real past since he was an orphan living in the Sun Fields Orphanage. This however, involves a very highly sought afer X-Playing Card: the King of Spades, "San Galgano" a.k.a the Black Knight, which is in direct relation with Finn's past, and the family that the entity destroyed from his childhood, enough to sworn High Card's newcomer for revenge. The Card, residing at Tilt, the young executive of the Klondike Family, is a very powerful tool that works a ton for the user, but its consequence outweigh the benefits as he/she becomes the aforementioned Black Knight, who will take full control of the user with its own consciousness and motives. And as it turns out, the plot of Finn and San Galgano takes precedence for the 2nd half of the series, all while changes within the royal family of Fourland are experiencing shake-ups of their own, as well as the police force with Greg Young and Sugar Peace, not to mention the continued rivalry of Pinochle and Klondike for the Cards. It's quite a mess that stems from time millennia of the creation of the X-Playing Cards, with all of its issues brought forth since the very beginning of the series. This journey, unlike the glitz and glamour of Season 1, will be a harsh reality to face for Season 2 with its change of tone.

Speaking of tones, everything has remained the same thus far, from Studio Hibari's production to the music. The tonal changes also reflect on the OP/ED theme songs, of which Five New Old is back with another OP song, a subtle one to reflect the darkness of the 2nd half, though it's decent at best and quite different from its banger Season 1 counterpart. Raon's melancholic ED song this time is also fine, though I can't quite find myself clicking with it unfortunately.

With the serious tones, High Card experiences yet another low, not just in retention rates, but also the shift in story elements (which proves essential from Season 1's setup) which is understandable and yet not all too difficult to be cognizant of it's part in the big storyline. I feel that this could've been better if some rational choices were done, but it is what it is, and for an alter-Kakegurui with the same high-stakes game, it's fine as an overall product.

Still, High Card is and will still remain as an underappreciated show, and I quite honestly...don't mind that at all, when all is said and done.

Reviewer’s Rating:7

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Feb 20, 2024

I watched the first season for a challenge so I was half interested in the second season and decided to check it out, but I can't take this anymore. If you remember that show "The Great Pretender," despite the main character being initially a bit of a clutz, all the other side characters were already 4D chess-playing, 150 IQ geniuses that could see 20 moves ahead. It may have been silly sometimes, but it gave the impression that the main character had joined an elite team of professionals. In High Card, every single one of the agents in the team the main character joins, besides...the old man, is incompetent to an embarrassing degree, to the point it makes you wonder why make a setting with secret agents at all.

Only once does it ever feel like they plan something out, cleverly use their abilities, or just not come off as a complete burden to the team and their mission. In this season, they know one of their targets has an ability that grants him super speed, so the main character's plan turns out to be: to chase him on foot without a strategy like a complete amateur with no backup (this guy btw, is a veteran agent). Do you want to know how they catch this guy? By sheer dumb fucking luck, a building collapses, the speedster helps save the civilians, and they just grab him when he lets his guard down. The head of the agency gets captured by the main bad guys and the group just, sits around on their asses doing nothing, despite having no other boss telling them to do so. One of the members has an ability that is a completely uncontrollable wildcard that can be dangerous to themselves, and yet she just pulls it out willy-nilly at the first sign of trouble (which usually ends up as a problem for the rest of the team). It makes the tone of this show outright baffling.

I feel like I'm watching Power Rangers but with cards and "secret agents" instead of cool martial arts and superheroes. But Power Rangers knows what it's going for and has fun with it, meanwhile, High Card is constantly trying to fall back into a serious tone with tragic heroes/villains, murder of civilians and police, and a grand vast magic conspiracy involving the royal family. And it just doesn't work. If you want me to take your show and plot seriously, then perhaps try treating your characters seriously instead of making them a group of fools that manage to stay alive through sheer dumb luck. Whoever the lead writer for this series is, try picking a concept, and STAYING consistent.

Reviewer’s Rating:4

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