Baki Hanma Season 2 Part 1 Review – A prehistoric battle for the ages

Episode Guide

New History of Mankind
Completely Surrounded
Nature Power VS Battle Power
Pickle’s Tears
Just Want To See You
Beyond the Sound Barrier
Moment of the Heat
Praying Savage
Devouring Each Other
Food Reserve
The Weak Eats the Mighty
Final Dorm
Unwritten Rule of the Fight

Baki Hanma is back and season 2 of this explosive fighting anime is badder than ever. With a formidable foe, lots of fighting action and plenty to sink your teeth into, this first part is just what the doctor ordered.

The story centers on a powerful human thawed from ice that was alive during the dinosaur times. In fact, this guy is more powerful than a T-rex! And he’s called Pickle.

Naturally, Pickle escapes from the lab and various fighters in Tokyo want to try their luck against him. But there’s one fighter who’s still waiting in the wings – Baki. However, Baki doesn’t really feature for large parts of these 13 episodes, with the focus instead on displaying Pickle’s awesome prehistoric fighting techniques and seeing other fighters grapple with the power imbalance this new foe poses.

What’s particularly intriguing here is just how well fleshed out Pickle is. He’s not a mindless savage but instead has a big heart and a few of the episodes do see his caring side come out. This adds an extra layer of depth to his character, which is pretty impressive given the guy doesn’t speak a word all season long!

There’s some familiar faces from the past that show up along the way, as well as several brand new fighters too. One subplot shows off a fighter called Katsumi, who tries his luck against Pickle in an epic 3-episode arc with a dramatic conclusion. Personally, this is one of the best parts of the whole series.

In true Baki format, there’s plenty of over the top action, and the main draw here is going to be the fighting. There’s bone-crunching punches and kicks a’plenty, lots of wild and increasingly elaborate moves and the usual Dragon Ball Z-esque feel of constantly moving to the next level with abilities and special moves. Unlike DBZ though, we don’t gave to wait half a season for a special move to be completed!

Pickle is certainly a worthy opponent for Baki to face and the build-up for the pair’s showdown toward the end of this first part is beautifully teased. There are snippets of what’s to come through the preceding 10 episodes but when it does finally arrive, the hype is definitely worth it.

Along the way there are a few wobbles, including the inclusion of Professor Payne who’s basically a walking exposition dump. Similarly, that lack of Baki action in Baki Hanma is another subjective point too, and there will undoubtedly be some disappointed about not seeing more of him fighting until toward the end of this first part.

Even with all that in mind though, Baki Hanma is definitely worth the wait. There’s a lot of action, some great moments and a worthy opponent for our protagonist to square off against. Pickle is an excellent addition to the roster and the ending certainly whets the appetite for more leading into part 2!

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