I’ve been following Tiger & Bunny 2 in my usual semi-irregular Netflix fashion.  And enjoying it, too.  To be honest though it hasn’t really given me a whole lot to work with on the blogging front.  Basically the series was going through the cast systematically, giving each of the supporting heroes a focus episode (or at least a B-plot) with a special focus on the newbies.  Those eps have been fine but lacked a whole lot I would consider noteworthy (apart from the epilogues).  The sense is that starts to change with Episode 7, though.

Before that, though, #6 is another of those box-checkers.  This time the focus is on one of the “old” heroes (though she’s all of 17), Dragon Kid, and a new one in her partner Lara “Magical Cat” Tchaikoskaya.  She’s even younger (14) so Dragon Kid is obsessed with being a good sempai (since this is her first chance to do it).  Their subplot is perfectly fine but again, doesn’t really all a whole lot to the larger picture,

That’s followed up, though, with the first episode of the season to focus almost exclusively on Kotetsu.  And while it might seem obvious it serves as a reminder that yes, Tiger & Bunny is at its best when it focuses on Tiger and Bunny.  Kaede makes her first appearance of the season, too, making an unannounced visit along with her friend Saroja.  Theoretically it’s to do some research for a report on her parent’s job, but in truth she’s planning a clandestine visit to the superhero academy (which Barnaby unwittingly spoils by being a good uncle).

It’s always interesting to see Tiger in dad mode.  In a sense it’s a natural fit – he’s a warm, caring person who loves kids (including his own) and basically a walking dad joke.  But he’s also a pretty lousy father in many ways, which is the one off note for someone who’s otherwise an altogether admirable and decent person.  Kaede is remarkably patient about basically being abandoned by her father but even she has a breaking point.  Kotetsu is still putting his job first, and in doing so putting an enormous strain on his family (the scars on his mom’s hands tell quite a story).  It’s one of the reasons I felt the right ending to the first season would have been Kotetsu retiring from heroing and starting to make amends.

Bunny’s friend Mattia and his wonder drug are clearly going to be a major plot point in the second cour, and Mattia may even be getting a setup as a supervillian.  Clearly using himself as a guinea pig is going to have serious consequences.  Another sign things are getting serious is out first mention of Lunatic, who was a hugely important antagonist in the first series.  Also, I absolutely can’t shake the feeling that the unbroken string of broken dates between Tiger and Bunny is foreshadowing some sort of tragedy – why keep teasing them getting together socially unless it’s buildup towards a development where they no longer have the chance?