Baki-dou

For me, this was the weakest season of Baki. I don’t enjoy the aspect where characters visualize being hit by their opponent and then praising them afterward for how good they are. I know it’s one of the quirks of Baki’s universe, but it felt overused this time. As for the main challenge this season—the samurai—I don’t think he was entertaining enough to carry an entire season. He was constantly praised and hyped up almost on par with the Ogre. The roster of fights and their overall weight also felt kind of lame to me (with the exception of one fight). It’s still Baki, so I like watching it, but I’d recommend watching this season only when you feel like it rather than rushing to it.

Baki-dou is the newest and I can confidently say the best part of the Baki-universe til date. Finally, a real serious threat that is treated with love and respect, not just a cannon fodder that Baki and his dear friends could use to test their new skills on. And if you see who they summon upon the series this time, you could easily understand why. I've known of Miyamoto Musashi before this anime, he is an icon of Japanese samurai. An undefeated dueler, a legendary swordsman, a philosopher and a masterful strategist. When Mr. Tokugawa summons him to modern days using cloning technology, the world of Baki once again have to learn the true meaning of martial art and combat. I've always felt this way, but this anime is way too awesome, just adrenalin-filled intense actions. We got to witness martial art's history and the way they blend together in the most ridiculous way imaginable. I got to give them prob for portraying Musashi, he's so samurai-coded, so cunning in combat, so wise yet kinda babaric and honestly pretty close to what I've read about him in history. Nothing much to say about animation since it's still pretty much the same as previous seasons, the sound design though is pretty good. Both the OP and ED are catchy. The only bad thing is that it ended, too soon, only 13 episodes. Where's my second season, Netflix? Please don't let us wait too long to continue this madness. I want to see the journey of this undefeated samurai.

An excellent sequel that truly leaves you wanting more. This is a direct continuation of Baki, adapting the Miyamoto Musashi saga right after the events involving Pickle. The change in focus brings a very different atmosphere from the previous one. If before we followed an almost primal and instinctive force, here we have an antagonist who carries not only absurd power, but also a historical weight, honor, and an imposing presence that dominates every scene in which he appears. The Musashi saga is incredibly fun to follow precisely because of this change in tone. The character is not just another excessively strong fighter; he commands respect. His posture, his philosophy, and the way he approaches combat create a different tension, more strategic and, at the same time, more brutal. He doesn't fight just out of instinct or ego, but for his own concept of battle, almost as if he were constantly measuring the modern world with the yardstick of his time. This contrast is one of the season's greatest strengths. The animation continues to be a spectacle in itself. It maintains the same level of quality as the previous season, with fluid fights, well-transmitted impact, and that characteristic Baki visual identity: exaggerated muscles, intense expressions, and dramatic framing. The combat scenes are dynamic and weighty, perfectly conveying the stylized violence that is the trademark of the work. There are no perceptible drops in quality; on the contrary, the direction knows how to highlight each important confrontation. As for the story, it's an absurd journey, but we're talking about Baki; the bizarreness is part of the package. The very premise of the saga demands a good dose of suspension of disbelief. However, if you can accept this premise and embark on the madness, the experience becomes extremely engaging. In my case, I managed to ignore the exaggerations and thoroughly enjoy the journey. The narrative isn't afraid to embrace exaggeration, and that ends up being part of the series' charm. The only point that really bothered me was the season's length. Despite having epic confrontations and important moments for the plot's development, it feels like something was missing. It seems the story was interrupted midway, as if there were still room for at least three more episodes to delve deeper into certain conflicts and provide a more robust conclusion. The season ends leaving a clear sense of imminent continuation, which can be positive, but also causes that frustration of wanting more content immediately. Still, it's impossible to deny the impact of the presented confrontations. Each fight carries narrative weight and contributes to the growth of the series' universe. However, as a fan, there's a desire for more duels, more interactions, and more time to explore the consequences of these clashes. My final rating is 7/10. It's a very good, fun, and technically competent season, but it left the feeling that it could have gone further. Some confrontations were missing, a little more development was needed, and, to be honest… I'm still bitter about the fact that Jack Hanma ends up being a punching bag too often. He deserves more respect! Overall, it's a strong sequel that maintains the essence of Baki and prepares the ground for something even bigger, and I definitely want to see what comes next. =================================================================================================================Versão em Português===================================== Uma excelente sequência que realmente deixa aquele gostinho de “quero mais”. Esta é a continuação direta de Baki, adaptando a saga de Miyamoto Musashi logo após os acontecimentos envolvendo Pickle. A mudança de foco traz uma atmosfera bem diferente da anterior. Se antes acompanhávamos uma força quase primal e instintiva, aqui temos um antagonista que carrega não apenas poder absurdo, mas também um peso histórico, honra e uma presença imponente que dominam cada cena em que aparece. A saga de Musashi é incrivelmente divertida de acompanhar justamente por essa mudança de tom. O personagem não é apenas mais um lutador exageradamente forte, ele impõe respeito. Sua postura, sua filosofia e a forma como encara os combates criam uma tensão diferente, mais estratégica e, ao mesmo tempo, mais brutal. Ele não luta apenas por instinto ou ego, mas por um conceito próprio de batalha, quase como se estivesse constantemente medindo o mundo moderno com a régua de sua época. Esse contraste é um dos grandes trunfos da temporada. A animação continua um espetáculo à parte. Mantém o mesmo nível de qualidade da temporada anterior, com lutas fluidas, impacto bem transmitido e aquela identidade visual característica de Baki: músculos exagerados, expressões intensas e enquadramentos dramáticos. As cenas de combate são dinâmicas e carregadas de peso, transmitindo perfeitamente a violência estilizada que é marca registrada da obra. Não há quedas perceptíveis na qualidade, pelo contrário, a direção sabe valorizar cada confronto importante. Quanto à história, é uma viagem absurda mas estamos falando de Baki, a bizarrice faz parte do pacote. A própria premissa da saga já exige uma boa dose de suspensão de descrença. Porém, se você consegue aceitar essa proposta e embarcar na loucura, a experiência se torna extremamente envolvente. No meu caso, consegui ignorar os exageros e aproveitar bastante a jornada. A narrativa não tem medo de abraçar o exagero, e isso acaba sendo parte do charme da série. O único ponto que realmente me incomodou foi a duração da temporada. Apesar de termos confrontos épicos e momentos importantes para o desenvolvimento da trama, a sensação é de que faltou algo. Parece que a história foi interrompida no meio, como se ainda houvesse espaço para pelo menos mais três episódios que aprofundassem certos embates e dessem um fechamento mais robusto. A temporada termina deixando uma sensação clara de continuação iminente, o que pode ser positivo, mas também causa aquela frustração de querer mais conteúdo imediatamente. Ainda assim, é impossível negar o impacto dos confrontos apresentados. Cada luta carrega peso narrativo e contribui para o crescimento do universo da série. Porém, como fã, fica aquele desejo por mais duelos, mais interações e mais tempo para explorar as consequências desses embates. Minha avaliação final é 7/10. É uma temporada muito boa, divertida e tecnicamente competente, mas que deixou a sensação de que poderia ter ido além. Faltaram alguns confrontos, um pouco mais de desenvolvimento e, sendo bem honesto… ainda fico amargurado com o fato de Jack Hanma acabar servindo de saco de pancadas com frequência demais. Ele merece mais respeito! No geral, é uma sequência forte, que mantém a essência de Baki e prepara o terreno para algo ainda maior, e eu, definitivamente, quero ver o que vem a seguir.

Awww yeah, BIG MEN DOING MAN SHIT is back with great fanfare! It looks like meat is back on the menu! Toxic vasculinity and muscular macho nonsense shall commence once again! After the absolutely epic conclusion, a story for the ages that we got last time, how ever shall we move forward? Why, with absolute bullshit of course! And it's glorious! Honestly, this is the season where I can feel that the author just went "fuck it" and did whatever he felt like. Any semblance of restraint he may or may not have had is gone like a fart in the wind. So now we have no shortage of malarkey, from mysticism, to Japanese honoruburu samurai bushido stuff, to sci-fi, to...Brock Lesnar? You really never know what to expect. Even after all these seasons of Baki behind me, as much as I try to think on the same wavelength, I can never predict where we're going! And that's a compliment. It keeps the story engaging and no matter how absolutely bonkers whatever on screen is (which it will be, more than you can imagine), I'm never bored! It's always just so entertaining! We get all the muscular mayhem we've come to expect with some absolutely crazy fights, this time with a flair of mysticism and swordsmanship! I don't know how, but the techniques keep getting even more ridiculous. We cloned Miyamoto Musashi and needed a grandma to a have schizo fit and perform necrophilia on him to give him a soul. Musashi can attack people in their minds and deal real damage. They literally claimed some Chinese mumbo jumbo technique from thousands of years ago can deflect missiles. And the fact that all this is said without the tiniest shred of irony just makes this so much better. I'm not even saying this as a slight, Baki is just like nothing else in existence and it somehow just works! It presents itself with absolute sincerity and that makes it so endearing! Yet despite it's own ridiculousness, there's still some pretty strong character moments in there, where growth and consequence can be felt and a genuine adventure unfolds. There really is nothing like it! Production wise, the anime itself is fine overall. Looks alright, sounds alright, gets the job done. Unfortunately though, it is a noticeable step down from the previous season. Some of this was to be expected, Son of Ogre was literally the grand climax to the main plot thread we've been following since the very beginning, so the studio pulled out all the stops and delivered absolute peak. What we get here is still serviceable but there's some obvious cut corners. Some fights aren't as dynamic as they could be. There's lots of still images with speed lines and camera shake all over them. Regarding the opening, while the song is good, it's literally just reused clips from previous seasons and some PNGs looking at each other. Like, come on bro. This is where I legitimately have to dock some points. I know that the main quest is resolved now and we're firmly in "Fuck it, we ball" territory, but this shouldn't be an excuse to half-ass your efforts. Whole-ass this manly masterpiece! Overall, it feels damn good to have Baki back and it's just as fun as ever! It's absolute insanity on so many levels that it makes JoJo look tame in comparison. It's the most ridiculous thing ever conceived and I love every second of it. But if you've already been through all the previous seasons, then you should already know what you're getting yourself into. If you haven't....I don't know why you're here, but fuck it, start with this season, it'll be like starting a rollercoaster mid-drop. Bring some spare pants, for you will shit bricks. You are not prepared for what awaits you. For all else who are worthy, you will be blessed to grow a second penis, your muscles will be large and your schizophrenia shall lead you unto enlightenment.

This is probably the weakest season yet but I still really enjoyed it. However, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I knew from the beginning that Musashi was a legendary historical figure held in high regard by Japan and that they were never going to show him being truly humiliated. If you go into it knowing that, you'll realize there will never be any major showdowns like there was between Baki and his dad, even though you constantly think it will happen, but you still get a lot of fun battles and tests of strength. They also push the idea that battles for Musashi were not about the challenge, but always life or death survival, but they struggle to stick to that since he constantly lets his guard down to test the strength of others or simply enjoy himself. They wrote themselves into a corner where they can't have him be true to character without slaughtering the entire cast, but also can't humiliate him because he's a historical icon for Japan. Really, they should have made this character be in a few episodes and be done, like they did with the Death Row Convicts arc, instead of clumsily handle it like they did it would have helped if there were multiple new fighters in the season that were the antagonists. Baki kind of took a back seat to Musashi in this season. If you enjoyed the previous seasons, you'll probably enjoy this one. Hopefully my review will help someone enjoy it even more with adjusted expectations.

-It keeps very well that exaggerated, absurd, and violent identity that defines Baki, when it goes into confrontation mode it does transmit that strange, almost mythical sense of danger, Musashi doesnt feel like just another rival but like an anomaly within Baki's world, which gives him a different aura, I like that this installment doesnt abandon its mix of brutality, martial speeches, and that ridiculous yet serious tone only this franchise can handle, but thats also part of the problem, as an anime series it sometimes feels too dependent on already knowing and accepting Baki's bizarre rules, if youre a fan many things are forgiven or even enjoyed, if not it can seem chaotic, overexplained, or simply strange without enough context, there are moments when the series hits hard in concept and presence, but not always in execution, it feels powerful in the idea before some scenes but not equally powerful in staging, its an enjoyable entry, with a very interesting rival and with that madness so unique to Baki that makes it stand out, but at the same time i dont see it as fully rounded or as forceful as it could be, well have to wait and see how it continues in the next part, it suffers from some rigidity in animation and from the fact that much of its strength depends heavily on already being invested in the franchise. (ESP) Mantiene muy bien esa identidad tan exagerada, absurda y violenta que define a Baki, cuando entra en modo confrontación, si transmite esa sensación de peligro raro y casi mítico, Musashi no se siente como un rival más, sino como una anomalía dentro del mundo de Baki, y eso le da un aura distinta, me gusta que esta entrega no abandone su mezcla de brutalidad, discursos marciales y un tono casi ridículo y serio que solo esta franquicia sabe manejar, pero ahí mismo esta parte del problema, como serie de anime, a ratos se siente demasiado dependiente de que ya conozcas y aceptes las reglas rarísimas de Baki, si eres fan, muchas cosas se perdonan o incluso se disfrutan, si no, puede parecerte caótica, sobreexplicada o directamente extraña sin suficiente contexto, hay momentos en que la serie pega duro por concepto y presencia, pero no siempre por ejecución, se siente potente en la idea que presenta antes de algunas escenas, pero no siempre igual de potente en puesta en escena, es una entrega disfrutable, con un rival muy interesante y con esa locura tan propia de Baki que la hace destacar, pero al mismo tiempo no la veo tan redonda ni tan contundente como para más, habrá que esperar a ver como sigue en la siguiente parte, le pesa cierta rigidez de animación y le pesa que parte de su fuerza dependa mucho de venir ya invertido en la franquicia.

The best thing about Baki is not taking it seriously. The Itagaki family has a serious problem with illicit substances. Which I appreciate, because it gives us gems of internet meme culture. Baki is the ultimate meme breeding ground in the anime community. So, the excitement for a new season is always genuine. You know you're not going to find the best fights, the best characters, or the best stories. Even so, how entertaining Baki is is indescribable. Between the grotesque visual style and the exaggerated amount of testosterone as everyone competes to see who's the toughest, it's pure entertainment. The crazy thing about this season is bringing Musashi Miyamoto back to life. Hell yeah, I want some of what the Itagaki family calls Sunday family breakfast. You can tell they have a really good time eating Beelzebub's grass. Miyamoto has been one of my favorite antagonists in Baki. Just watching him, standing there, humiliating the rest of the characters, is brilliant. The season can be summed up by the phrase "that jerk doesn't last long." Watching those who boasted about their strength in previous seasons fall like flies before Miyamoto. The Musashi vs. Yujiro fight is just too good. Not because of the choreography, the soundtrack, or the outcome. But because of the atmosphere. When you see those two monsters face to face, you truly believe they are the strongest. You become part of the audience during that fight. And then it all ends with them having a whiskey with their buddies. Pure cinema. The worst thing you can do with Baki is take it seriously. Go get a magic brownie and just consume the anime the way it was written: high.

The best thing about this series which I realized when I watched this season is that I genuinely cared about "who would win." Like, just seeing two characters you know their full backstories of face together in a battle to the death is genuinely amazing. How Itagaki managed to make me care about "who would win" like a kid betting on Batman vs Superman for every single episode was insane. Genuinely before the fights even began as soon as the match-up for the next fight was revealed usually I already got hyped from that alone, and the crazy thing was that the fights themselves were never disappointing either, they were all just as good as I expected if not better. Animation wise its the same as previous Baki Netflix seasons. Arguably better since there wasn't any CGI mishandlings this season. Storyboarding perhaps took a bit of a hit due to occasional manga panel compositions appearing for the first time, but they never hurt the scenes they were used in and seemed to work really well if you ignore its a copy. They were used confidently and not as a crutch and for reaction shots which perhaps felt too long in prior seasons just showing every face at once (sometimes like up to 6?) with the manga panel splits genuinely sped up the pacing in a really nice way. Perhaps its just because of the fun story but this was one of the best watches I had this year, which means the anime at the very least was not holding the source material back. I have to say I find it funny they're still using the same musics from previous Netflix Baki seasons including the one from 2018 which was almost 10 years ago. They're good songs and the placements made sense but it's just funny the reuse is so obvious. The FNAF sound from season 1 also returned. If this is the kind of stuff to expect so that we can get frequent episode releases in good quality I accept. We've gotten 91 episodes in the span of 8 years which is WAY MORE than most anime these days. The only downgrade from previous seasons was the compositing? It wasn't bad but it's weird seeing the lighting become more simplistic over time. But Netflix season 1 kind of looks dated with how heavy the gradients are, so while it used to look more unique the visual style feels more timeless now so I'm conflicted. Either way very satisfied.