The Series (3/5)

    Last year when I reviewed Season 1 of Knights of Sidonia I was highly impressed by the series. It had a great set of characters, excellent story, and action. I knew a season 2 couldn't be far off, and when it showed up at my doorstep I immediately made quick work watching it. My anticipation for the show couldn't be higher, and even though the series aired on Netflix a year ago, I apparently had missed that, so this was my first time viewing the series in any way.

   The series picks up essentially where Season 1 left off. I would, therefore either watch season 1 again prior to this or at the very least watch the "Season 1 Compilation Movie" included in this Blu-ray set prior to engaging with the new series as a lot of the current plot threads reference prior events of the series, and require knowledge of the series on some level.  

   Battle for Planet Nine follows the events of Season 1. After the loss the Sidonia decides to strike at, and destroy the Gauna. They end up doing this with the help of a new ally, a gauna-human hybrid named Tsumugi. The series has multiple plot threads running through it during the course of the series, and while it does have a lot of the great action sequences and excellent animation that made the original a blast to watch, a lot felt different this time.

   That is not to say that Battle for Planet Nine is not worth the time for viewers to check out, but it is certainly a step down in quality from the prior entry, at least on first watch. The animation is very solid for the most part still maintaining the same CG aesthetic from the first. The soundtrack which is a mix of symphonic and electronic fits the vibe of the show, and the performances from the voice cast work well here. Overall, I enjoyed Battle for Planet Nine, but feel my expectations may have been a tad too high for this one.

Audio/Video (4/5)

    Section 23 presents Knights of Sidonia Season 2 in an excellent 1:78:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer preserving the shows OAR. The Blu-ray looks quite well with excellent detail, colors, and deep blacks.  Audio options are served with DTS-HD MA 5.1 tracks in English and Japanese and a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track in Spanish. I alternated between the first 2, and was pleased with the results.

Extras (3/5)

    Section 23 puts together a solid extras package for Knights of Sidonia Season 2.  We get a compilation movie of the first season which is a benefit to those that might need to recall events from the first series. There are also trailers,  extended episodes, and clean opening and closing animations.

Overall

   Maybe my expectations were too high for Knights of Sidonia Season 2, still I had a lot of fun with this space faring anime series. The Blu-ray looks and sounds quite solid, and has some decent extras. RECOMMENDED.