Kaleido Star: New Wings Volume 1: Eclipse of the Star - Planet Exile
- Planet Exile
- Pedro Rodriguez
- 02/09/06
- click here
"...it will leave you hooked."
It's been a while since fans of Kaleido Stage got a sneak peek at the season two of the show when an episode was included in an issue of New Type. Then in mid-January the long awaited second season hit the store shevles.
After two recap episodes the setting begins to take form for the second season. The good news is Kaleido Stage is now back in the hands of Kalos, and almost everyone from the main troupe is on the payroll. The bad news is, as a result of pulling off the great maneuver, Layla Hamilton is no longer able to perform for Kaleido Stage. Left without a big enough star to pull in the crowds, the troupe brings in Leon Oswald, the prince of the French circus. Originally he came over because he wanted to work with the one who perfected the great manuver, but after Sora pulls an improvisation during the middle of a bit Leon calls it quits, leaving the show half way finished. While Sora does her best to pull the whole thing off on her own, the crowd becomes angry when Leon fails to appear for the rest of the show. Then out of nowhere a girl out of costume comes onto the stage claming to be the next Layla Hamilton. Her name, May Wong, and she's decided to roll out her own red carpet, right over Sora.
May has quite the personality. As she makes residence in the dormitory, it becomes apparent that she isn't planning on making any friends, espescially with Sora. She has a weird habit of naming her actions, whether it be on the stage or in the kitchen. Finally May is without a doubt one of the most arrogant characters to be seen in an anime. At first she seems like the run-of-the-mill prima donna, as she tries to outdo whatever Sora does, and barks whenever Sora tries to open up to her (heh... barking...). But what makes her even worse is her ability to outperform Sora; almost giving her licence to act sassy. Then again she does get a rude awakening by the end of the fifth episode.
Leon is another character that is shaking things up. Originally intrigued by the offer to work with Sora, he is disappointed by the difference in their skill. He can also be quite arrogance, but unlike May who is starving for the attention of the audience, Leon couldn't care less about them or the troupe. He's definetly a hard shell to crack. With little known about his past it's hard to figure what led him to act the way he does. Regardless Leon's ego and talent brings a new set of solutions and challenges for Kaleido Stage, and Sora; it also reignites the shows idea of standing your ground, never running away from a dillema, and rising from the ashes.
Animation, and audio are just as good as the first series; no big improvments, but no short changing either. Aside from clean opening/closing animation, extras also include productions sketches, and short video clip about a day in the life of Serena Varghese (Rosetta) for good measure.
Despite the recap of season one taking up two episodes, the series is showing plenty of promise. Sora will to face adversity, and grace under fire is inspriational, even when she fails. Not a perfect score, but it will leave you hooked.
P.S. Fool is still the man...
Posted on Thursday, February 09, 2006 (Archive on Thursday, March 09, 2006)