[DreamSword]

FINAL THOUGHTS ON NICE BUDDY

DS: So here we are, at the end of Nice Buddy.

En-chan: Indeed.

DS: For this part, we both felt it'd be best to type up our own separate final thoughts, and then present them in their purest form. With maybe some small talk inbetween and after. So expect a giant wall of text!

Would you like to go first, En-chan?

En-chan: Sure, this is my first time doing something like this, plus this is a rewatch so this might be a bit odd when compared to others on this site who do this sort of thing more regularly.

DS: No worries, I'm sure you'll do fine. And if not, I still have the KitaQman brand smoke bombs.

En-chan: Perfect

ZeroEnchiladas' Final Thoughts:

It's honestly incredible to think that Dogengers ended up getting a second season (and even more after this) since it seemed like one of those rare one-off cases at the time. And even going into the second season originally, I wasn't sure what to expect. The increase in budget was definitely a surprise and while not a huge leap, it's still big enough to show. Yet despite that, the show still stuck to its guns and retained what made me like the first season to begin with.

There's a natural sincerity to how Dogengers tackles the subjects it deals with. That's not to mention the love for the Henshin Hero genre that allows them to tackle a wide array of subjects and moods with ease. It keeps it up in Nice Buddy as while we get some great comedic bits with how our suited characters act from time to time, that doesn't stop it from bringing some heartfelt and frankly emotional moments placed all throughout the season.

Of course though there are some differences between the Seasons. Due to the introduction of Riku and his dad as the main focus, the main Dogengers from S1 while getting focus episodes and still being the protagonists, don't exactly go through full arcs this time. More reminders of who they are and adding additional quirks to them. However, this of course allows us to also get more character bits and interactions with characters that we didn't see consistently last season. Ohgaman, Maid Butler, and KitaQMan Metal to name a few prominent faces, all benefit from the additional screen time and adding of depth to their characters. It's something I do appreciate since it just helps add more to this crazy but down to earth world as a result.

A couple of years back I was pleasantly surprised to see that Nice Buddy ended up being a story about what heroes are, what they mean to us, and to never let go of those feelings. And I still feel like that holds up on this (re)watch-a-long I ended up going on.

DS: Yeah, I agree! I didn't include it in my final thoughts since I felt it'd be redundant after everything I said during my watch of season 1, but the utter heart and sincerity this show continues to have really is something that western superhero media should, ya know, find again.

Well, I guess it's my turn then!

DreamSword's' Final Thoughts:

The more I think about it, the more I find that Dogengers Nice Buddy is kind of a weird beat to tackle.

Because it has alot to juggle, and while I think it does it decently enough, it also sort of makes me wish this season were twice as long, so as to give certain aspects of its characters and story a bit more time to shine.

What I think it ultimately comes down to is that the show really wanted you to be all in on the story of Great-Z, both of them. And while I won't say they're exactly wrong for making them the main characters, it does mean that alot of the other players in this story take a bit of a backseat.

Sure, the other Dogengers get their times to shine, but it's nowhere near as much or as strong as it was in the first season, and it's all mostly in service of Great-Z's' story. The one getting the real short end of the stick being Jiro, who's reduced to a supporting member after being the lead of the first season. Sure, what they do with that angle is clever, but it doesn't change that any sort of hook the show might've had with him early on doesn't really go anywhere.

And speaking of reduction of character, much as I love him, I did find it such a shame that Yabai Kamen, and by extension, the Secret Society of Darkness as a whole were nowhere near the threat level that they were in season 1. Sure, the Golden Seal isn't around anymore, but even so, Yabai Kamen's' ultimate scheme is very last minute and really doesn't amount to too much; Really only existing to give us a final fight. And even then, none of the new forms the SSoD get show any sort of serious threat in the end.

The tone of the season overall is also alot denser and wackier than the first. And I get it, that's the aspect that made the show capture alot of its audience. But season 1, for as silly and rapid-pace as it was, still had alot more balance between comedy, action, and drama that really engrossed me to it. Not to say that NB has none of those aspects at all, but the scale was certainly leaned alot more towards the silly than the serious this time around. Though, I suppose you could argue that that's what helped make the strong dramatic moments such as episode 10 stand out all the better.

And on that note, for all the complaining I just did, I still really liked this.

Do I still like the first season better? Yes, but Nice Buddy had alot of good stuff going for it that I can't really be mad at it. The tone is zanier, sure, but almost every joke lands. Great-Z takes up 80% of the screen time, but his story is one I found myself really invested in. And again, the bigger comedic focus helped to make its big dramatic swings stand out all the more when they happened. Plus, I really did dig the discussion about how no one is perfect, and that even if someone isn't the squeaky clean picture of heroism many of us have as kids, that doesn't mean that they still can't do good things. That's a lesson alot of adults still need to learn, frankly.

In the end, while I didn't like it as much as the first season, the second season of Dogengers is still alot of fun and very much worth watching, and I still highly recommend it, just as I did the first. 4/6

En-chan: Oh your concerns on the characters is very understandable.

I feel like there was this weird compromise going on. Where they wanted to show off a new hero, but also wanted to keep the main cast around as main characters instead of pushing them to a more supporting role.

DS: Yeah I can see that, especially with how much the whole Buddy aspect was pushed. And it's not like it was a total waste. We got some good stuff out of it, like with Team Good Boys, afterall!

En-chan: Exactly.

Plus like I mentioned, we did get a few other characters getting fleshed out. Ohgaman getting more time to be on screen certainly was a treat to see.

Though I will agree that the SSoD definitely weren't on this A-Game this time. While I love Episode 10 to bits, it definitely felt like we wrapped up Great-Z's story pretty quickly in the following episode and the final battle was more a formality.

DS: Seeing some more human aspects to Ohgaman was definitely a big highlight after how absent he was in season 1. Loved his trolling, loved his fear of heights, he's just an all around fun dude.

And so with that, we're at the end, and so, I just wanna say thanks to anyone who's been reading, and a big thanks to En-chan here for joining me and just being a really cool dude. And no, I'm not just complimenting him because he's currently holding me hostage as his arch-nemesis in regards to Dynazenon! Whatever would give you that idea!

En-chan: Ha ha, exactly, I'm not that petty.

DS: But before we go, I did promise to have a surprise at end.

So, En-chan.

I must inform you, that despite all appearances, we are not Nice Buddies.

No.

No.

Rather.

We are...

RICE BUDDIES

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

En-chan: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

DS: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA