New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt

Fifteen years is a long time to wait for any show to return, and by the time it does, it likely won't live up to the hype. That could not be farther from the truth for Panty and Stocking, which makes its grand return after a decade and a half of studio closures, copyright disputes, and plenty of American pop culture waiting to be riffed on. Most impressive that despite all that, it's like the show never even left in the first place, and I'd argue that this new season may even surpass the original.

Perhaps I should preface that while I enjoyed the original Panty ... and Stocking, I did have some issues with it. The first few episodes didn't quite grab me, and visually it could be a bit messy at times. But thankfully it did improve as it went on, rounding out its cast with more engaging stories and visuals, resulting in an explosive finale that was far more captivating than it had any right to be. What gives season two the edge for me was how it was able to keep that momentum going, resulting in an overall more consistent package. It picks up with a premiere that manages to rival that aforementioned finale, resolving a seemingly impossible cliffhanger with bombastic action and a comedic twist so outrageously raunchy yet clever that you won't believe got past any form of censorship (though maybe airing on Amazon may have let them get around that kinda stuff).

Once that's out of the way, we return to the series' status quo, with our bitch angel heroes back on the streets of Daten City hunting ghosts for Heaven Coins, now with the demon sisters in tow. Looking at the season as a whole, it follows a very similar formula to the first in terms of episode placement, especially in regards to the sixth episode introducing a new pair of rivals. That's where we meet Polyester and Polyurethane, a pair of AAVE-butchering angel twinks set out to fix Heaven's reputation of debauchery and sin. They make a solid first impression, but do feel quite underutilized in later appearances, mostly due to a running joke about the pair refusing to work overtime. Fortunately, they get their due spotlight in the show's two-part finale, that once again sees the angels embracing their flaws to kick ass and save the world.

The one area that I'm sure most people will agree is an improvement is in the animation. As the original was animated at the eventually-defunct Gainax, season two is produced now at Trigger, where most of the original's staff ended up after the split. In that time Imaishi and crew have worked on projects like Kill La Kill, Promare, BNA, and Cyberpunk Edgerunners, so their return to Panty and Stocking brings with it a considerable upgrade. It still retains that strong western influence, but gives its look a touch more consistency that really brings it into its own. Even when reusing the same animations from fifteen years ago, side-by-side the colors pop a lot more. The action remains as energetic as ever, even if it still keeps that dizzying claustrophobic shot composition that made the original hard to follow at times, though thankfully it's not nearly as frequent here. And of course, it does sometimes experiment with different styles in certain segments, much to great effect here. Highlights include a Frank Frazetta-inspired Conan the Barbarian sendup, and a shockingly inspired homage to the Hanna-Barbera Fantastic Four that genuinely transcends its source material. Narratively they don't do anything as ambitious as that salaryman segment from season one (those must've been the animators who went to Studio Chara), but I think the stronger focus on the main cast can only be a good thing, and returning to that setting would've only cheapened its impact in retrospect.

Overall, New Panty and Stocking is the rare revival that stays true to everything that made the original special. They fit together seamlessly, continuing the momentum effortlessly after such an unprecedented hiatus. Of course, this new season also ends on a cliffhanger, so whether that momentum can be further sustained remains to be seen, but as long as we get that third season before 2040 I'd say we're in good hands.

It took us 15 years but we finally were given a sequel to Panty and stocking and honestly, I have some mixed thoughts on this because I don't necessarily think that this was bad, All the characters evolved in a natural way with my only complaint really is that I feel like Brief was kind of shafted this season opposed to the original series, I like the added dynamic demon sisters gave and they were definitely the highlights of this for me


I do feel that the original was definitely better, Especially because if it's iconic dub which they changed the dubs voice actors this ... season and they new VAs definitely take some getting used to but after the first few episodes which are hit or miss I definitely feel that the rest of the season they did really good work


Minor spoiler warning but they ended the season on a cliffhanger again, But that's not a real shock there I guess, Hopefully that make a third season because it definitely feels like this season was just lacking something that the original had humor wise

My rating for this is a solid 7/10, Because like I said it's not bad and some parts are really good even but it definitely doesn't out shine the original

I can't believe it has been 15 years since the original. The first season made quite an impact with its Cartoon Network influences combined with great animation, music, humor and action. And now that the second season is finally here and we are all old now I just have one question? Why?

This questions stems from the fact that this season rightdown disappoints on almost all fronts outside music. The angels, Panty and Stocking, now team up with the demons from the first season, Scanty and Kneesocks. This is a very good idea as the demons are great characters but the show just sidelines them right ... from the start and it loves to focus on Panty for no reason. The humor is also a complete miss. There wasn't a good joke among them and I only chuckled because of the new angels that act and talk just like zoomers. The show also can't let a moment or joke land without focusing directly on some other distraction. It's like they made the show not for fans of the original but for a totally new audience that has the attention span of a child on a sugar rush. This makes that the action is all over the place. This really hurts the last two episodes that also bring the new big baddy on the stage, which is overall a very disappointing character.

When it all comes to a close the show ends with a cliffhanger. So I guess i'll see you guys in 15 years.

Also the dub is superior to the sub, suck it weebs.