Unfortunately, I only managed to catch three of the four discs of the original Comic Party series years ago in college, and it's been years since I last watched them, so upon receiving its sequel series, I felt as though I was stumbling into the story a bit blind. It did not take long, however, for me to get reacquainted with the cast of characters and recall the plot of the original series.

Based on an eroge dating sim by Leaf/Aquaplus, Comic Party has always been a harem series about doujinshi (fan comic) artists at its core, dropping the relationship element entirely. To condense, the original series followed its protagonist, Kazuki, a typical bland harem series protagonist, scouted on his college campus by his eccentric friend Taishi. Much to the irritation of Mizuki, an old friend of Kazuki's, Taishi draws Kazuki into the world of doujin and gets him to start selling at the twice-yearly titular Comiket analogue, Comic Party. The original TV series focused on Kazuki's immersion in this side of otaku subculture, learning what it takes to be a notable doujinshi artist as Taishi plots world conquest for their circle, Brother 2. Over the course of his otaku artist education, Kazuki faces drama from the decidedly anti-otaku Mizuki, and develops friendships with an assortment of fellow artists selling at Comic Party.

Comic Party's characters are unashamedly two-dimensional. Where the original series thrived was the look it gave the viewer into the doujinshi production side of otaku subculture, a more specialized look than what you get in Otaku no Video, or the more character-driven Genshiken. Unfortunately, it's in forgetting this that Comic Party Revolution falls far from the enjoyability of the original series.

I was reminded of how structured and inorganic the characters were from the first episode onward, as I spent the first couple of episodes taking inventory of the characters and getting to know them again, and found myself placing each one into one archetype or another. I still have fondness left for these characters, after enjoying them as I did in the original series, but without the doujin-education aspect of the series, the writing crumbles over the weakness of the entirely archetypal central cast. ("This girl's shy and timid, this one's a priestess who always says 'kagyu,' this one's constantly in the hospital, this one speaks in a kansai accent...") In fact, the writing celebrates how archetypal these characters are, but not in any way that elevates their trite basic concepts.

On top of that, Revolution was produced with fans of the game - which has never been released outside of Japan - in mind. Plot points have passed between the seasons that the viewer doesn't get to see, and two new characters are thrown at you with little to no introduction. They're just there, and everyone acts as if they've known each other and been the best of friends all along. Structurally, this is a jarring fault.

Speaking of structural problems, there's no shortage of them in Comic Party Revolution. The most glaring fault? The complete lack of substance. The series is a bit over 90% fluff and filler. Out of the full 13 episodes, only one of them — which focuses on the differences between the life of a doujin artist and professional work at manga magazines and anime — felt like something out of the original TV series. The rest amounted to predictable wacky antics based around one theme or another — including episodes entirely focused around dramatic tennis, baseball, and survival laser tag games. The episode-to-episode character and plot gags? Stale, and tired. And behind it all, there's no substance to speak of. Nothing that happens in these episodes matters or impacts anything.

For the most part, it no longer matters that these characters are doujin artists. Comic Party seems to be held every other week now, though the characters don't age in the slightest, and when doujin work comes up at all, there's no more discussion of the craft or subculture. Save for one episode, the heart and soul of the original series was bled out of this rather limp follow-up. The last episode is a convoluted mess that makes you kind of wish Kazuki would follow through and give doujin up, given the compelling reasons presented. (It's not like he's ever going to date one of the girls, anyway; he's too busy being indecisive and trying to keep everyone happy. And half the time, he's more of a background character than a protagonist now.) The final episode wrapped with a "To Be Continued?" leaves the series open for a third season. Should one be made, I can only hope that they either give breaking the character archetypes a shot and try making them more interesting, or find a way to refocus on the original series's subculture-education backbone that made it compelling.

As for the other aspects of the show, the visuals are colorful and pleasing, though occasionally the scenery seems to contradict whatever time of the year it's said to be. The animation is pleasant as well, though the characters could have stood to have a little more variety in their wardrobes (a common issue, of course). The girls' facial structures and designs could have used some more variety as well, though that's my only beef with their overall designs. The music is all pleasant and relaxing, though entirely forgettable.

This last statement fits the entire series, actually. Comic Party Revolution is light, fluffy filler to pass the time. It's a pleasant experience with characters who, despite their extremely archetypal basis, manage to be likable. You won't remember the show much after it's over, but if you're a big fan of the original Comic Party TV series, you'll probably find something to enjoy in Revolution, if only in spending some more time with these characters. The only episodes of note in the show are the last two, the former recapturing the spirit of the first series, and the latter giving you the very little bit of movement forward in what little central story there is to speak of. All of it ends in an anticlimax, as do most episodes of the show. If you haven't seen the original Comic Party, don't bother. They don't give newcomers anything to work with. In short, not all that is light and fluffy is good for you.