Anime: Gin`yuu Mokushiroku Meine Liebe Wieder

Animation:
Everyone and everything simply look superb here. Amazing details are given to the characters and especially the backgrounds; the animation is definitely very wow-inducing. If skies look that good in reality, this world would be a whole lot better place to live in.

Sound:
If you like sweeping orchestral stuff, you will love the music here. The OP theme is more rockish than the ED theme, with an amazingly beautiful sequence to go with it. Both highly addictive songs are by a very popular j-rock band called Alice 9.

Story:
Meine Liebe Wieder is a continuation of Meine Liebe. Unlike the original series, Wieder has a more defintie plot. There's obvious conspiracy right from the start so things are a lot more interesting. Not to mention, the introduction of new Sthral candidates add spice to the story as well. Things move at a quicker pace but there's still very little action going on. Yes, there will be a lot of talking again. After all, Meine Liebe is a character-drive series and not a plot-driven one. But since there's a conspiracy going on as well, the dialouges are spread nicely between political discussions and normal striving-to-be-Stral talk. It's not as tedious.

But what makes Wieder more compelling is how everyone's coming-of-age stories are done so well. I couldn't be bothered about Ludwig or Camus or Ed or Naoji in the original series, but here they truly shine for once. It makes me feel that it's okay just to watch a show about these boys growing up without all the political drama.

The ending, on the other hand, couldn't be more trite. It annoyed me, but oh well. Just overlook this and concentrate on the characters.

Character:
As mentioned above, I find most of the characters developed nicely. Past insecurities and confusions are given closure here, so there's a definite change in the people. I especially love Ed's story. His resolution was very heartwarming.

In the end, the chosen 5 Stral candidates became true friends and companions. It's amusing to see the interaction between Ludwig and Orpherus.

Value:
As much fun as I had watching this, I don't think it has much rewatching value. It's the kind of show that can only be enjoyed once. Unless you just want to bask in the beautiful animation...

Enjoyment:
I personally enjoyed this a lot. I skipped a lot of parts in Meine Liebe, and I was hesitant to watch this, but thankfully I enjoyed my time here. If you midly enjoyed the original series, you will love this more. Or if you're just a sucker for guys with a dark past like me, don't miss the drama.