Heaven's Lost Property: Season 2

05/04/2013   I love anime, and I love all kinds of anime. I’ve grown up with it, and have always been able to approach any anime with an open mind. With that being said, there’s something truly polarising about ‘Heaven’s Lost Property’, and it’s absurd humour. On one hand, it delivers some genuinely funny situations, and on the other hand, its utterly perverse trash. Allow me to go into further detail.

For those who haven’t seen the first season, Heaven’s Lost Property is an anime with action, comedy, over-the-top fan service and a dash of romance. The story focuses on Tomoki, a highly perverse teenage boy who’s life is normal until he witnesses a winged girl falling out of the sky. Crashing to Earth, she awakens and to inform Tomoki that she is not an angel, but an android, and that Tomoki is her master. Soon after Ikaros (the android) joins Tomoki, Nymph (another android) decided to join them as well, and chaos ensues.
 

Now, onto season 2. Tomoki still lives with the Angeloids (angel-androids), and is still a raving pervert, and that's pretty much it. Sure, there are hints of a story revolving around "Synapse" (the world above our world), and other Angeloids being sent to kill Tomoki, but the story gets roughly around ten minutes of the anime's screen time compared to the smutty jokes and highly suggestive fan service. It feels as though the basis for the majority of the episodes in season 2 are written around the fan service, rather than the story, which I can admit wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t so tacked on.
A great deal of the fan service feels detrimental to the enjoyment of the series, as there are some interesting characters, but Tomoki himself rarely shows any admirable (or even likable) personality traits. He just reads dirty magazines, gropes women at every opportunity (which somehow is a lot in this series), and makes hurtful and snide remarks. Another Angeloid is introduced in season 2, named Astraea, who has breasts bigger than watermelons and of course, is a total clutz. Astraea, has been sent to assassinate Tomoki, and I had hoped we would at least see some action with her being around, but alas, she is merely a tool for more fan service.

If you have read any of my reviews before, you would know I pay careful attention to avoiding spoilers and major plot details. With Heaven’s Lost Property, the priorities of the characters are unfortunately bizarrely influenced by the anime’s writers. Instead of deciding what to do in situations logically, they decide on something ridiculous, such as a professional wrestling tournament. No one is ever concerned for Tomoki’s life, except Ikaros, who very rarely gets a line of any importance.

Despite all the insanity and weak writing, there are moments one can enjoy in Heaven’s Lost Property: Season 2, I just don’t feel they redeem the show overall. You don’t end up invested in any characters, but you probably will watch the anime to see how far they take the extreme perversity that’s on display, like watching car after car crash into each other at a pile-up.

Highlight moment

It’s a shame to say it, but there isn’t anything that stood out to me as an enjoyable highlight of Heaven’s Lost Property’s second season. Perhaps what I found to be the height of perverse fan service: A festival dedicated to all things “Eroge” and “Ecchi” (pornography and hentai, and perverse eroticism). Tomoki is delighted as there is a parade thrown in his honour, with pornographics magazines marching down the street, and women enjoying lollipops and balloons that resemble penises (Yes it really did happen).
 

Summary
Heaven’s Lost Property (season 1 and 2) squanders any potential it may have had. Though the story (when it was actually present) wasn’t exactly unique, it should have been more of a focus for the director and writers. I understand that due to the nature of Japan’s laws that forbid the showing of naked genitals on film (all media, including games and anime), that creepy and pervy animes can be quite successful. This doesn’t translate well with western audiences, who often favour likable characters and a story over concepts and sexually suggestive animations.
Watch it if you must, even just as a guilty pleasure.

Score – 6/10

Written by Nick Getley