Ajin Season 2's Villain Is Also Its Hero

By Pranay Parab | Updated: 29 December 2016 15:26 IST

Highlights

Ajin is an anime show on Netflix
Season 2 releases on December 27
The high point of the show is its villain Sato

Ajin is an anime show available on Netflix, and season 2 will release on December 27. After watching the first season we had said that Ajin is a good show worth watching, and with the second season out now, it's a good time to start if you haven't already.

As we mentioned in our earlier piece, Ajin are people who cannot die. In the show, they just randomly start appearing on Earth. There's no way to distinguish a human from an Ajin. Most people discover that they're Ajin only after they 'die', only to find that they're soon up and running again. In season 1, protagonist Kei Nagai is introduced as a school kid with a normal life, until he's run over by a truck. That's when he discovers that he's an Ajin, and his life on the run begins.

Authorities aren't kind to Ajin. They try to imprison these immortals, and use them as test subjects for making advanced weapons. Since Ajin keep coming back to life as soon as they're killed, they appear to make ideal test subjects for governments that want to make weapons. The result is that most Ajin go on the run once they learn about themselves, and Kei is no exception.

Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger, where the Ajin Sato begins assembling a small army of Ajin soldiers, to begin attacking the government. Kei doesn't like that idea and just wants to live a quiet life. However, events take a wrong turn, and Kei ends up sandwiched between the government chasing him on one side, and Sato and his army of militant Ajin, who want to recruit Kei.

In season 2, Kei chooses to help the government. If you were expecting constant battles between Sato and Kei, you'll be disappointed. It's impossible to kill an Ajin so the best Kei can hope for is Sato's capture. But season 2 is driven entirely by Sato.

Not only is he a very powerful Ajin, but he's also a smart adversary. He's always three steps ahead of Kei and the authorities, and that makes Ajin a show driven by the actions of one character. Sato's character is secretive and his own team doesn't know what he'll do next. While Sato keeps upping the ante and taking the offensive to incredible levels, Kei has to deal with one failure after another.

Sato is Ajin's biggest strength and we love the way his character has developed over the course of the season. His character is incredibly hard to beat and comes up with some intelligent solutions to tough problems. In fact that's probably the show's saving grace.

All other characters take a backseat and the plot so far has been quite underwhelming. The idea of the show is excellent and could have been taken to another level such as Ajin spearheading the dawn of space exploration. If they don't die then can't they be sent to other planets to start colonies? It's also hard to believe that the entire world treats them as criminals and guinea pigs. Surely there's some humanity left in some part of the world.

Even if you ignore all those things, Ajin still suffers from weak character development. Kaito, who is Kei's best friend at the start of season 1, gets one episode but still feels like a character who's just there for backup. Eventually - we're guessing - the plot will lead to a place where Kaito will save Kei again. Similarly, Tosaki, Izumi, Tanaka, and some other characters pretty much exist to fill the void around Kei and Sato.

It's hard to like any of the characters, which leaves little reason to watch the show, apart from tracking the actions of Sato. Women characters in the show are particularly weak, with Izumi and Myers being glorified bodyguards only.

Ajin's concept is appealing, but the execution falls short, and this extends to the art as well. It doesn't really stand out, and the animation is pleasing but not exceptional. After going through season 2, it's clear that the side characters needed more fleshing out, and if it wasn't for the villain Sato, it would be hard to recommend the show.

Sato's exploits are well-written and if you like stories with smart and strong villains, this is a show you could binge watch over a weekend. Otherwise we'd say that Ajin is about ready to die.

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