Shinryaku!? Ika Musume - 01

Ika Musume, invading the blog!

Well, here we go!  The first series of the new season (not counting Working, which pre-aired their first episode a few weeks back) is finally here.  Shinrakyu!? Ika Musume is the second season of the anime adaption of the yonkoma (4-panel) manga series by the same name.  It's a slice of life comedy centered around the titular Ika Musume, a squid girl who wants to conquer the surface world in retaliation for humans polluting the oceans.  Needless to say, it doesn't work, and she finds herself stuck working in a beachside food stand/restaurant.

Click to show OP/ED

Like the first season, Shinrakyu!? Ika Musume splits each episode into three sub-episodes, "_____ janaika?"  or "Isn't that a ____" (I think Crunchyroll's trying to hard with the squid puns this time).  This first episode serves mostly as a reintroduction to the series and characters.

Ika Musume's everyday life.

Part 1: Shinrakyu shinai ka? (Isn't That an Invasion?)
Or, "why you don't let Ika Musume watch bad sci-fi".
Some time after watching a sci-fi movie about aliens invading the Earth, and being not-so-gently reminded of how poorly she's pursuing the same goal, Ika ends up at the beach, where she runs into most of the cast.  Of course, having just seen the movie, she's now convinced that everything is out to get her.

You really suck at this "invasion" thing.

 And so, after running into almost the entire cast, she heads back to the restaurant, intending to take it over.  This dream is immediately crushed by Chizuru... and so ends the invasion plans.

Don't make Chizuru angry.  You won't like her when she's angry.

Part 2: Koigataki janai ka? (Isn't That a Love Rival?)
Sakura Kiyomi, a middle school student whom Ika Musume had befriended in the previous season (I think they did that storyline anyway, otherwise it's in the manga) shows up at the restaurant with some of the members of her school club, which causes Nagatsuki Sanae, Ika Musume's crazy obsessive stalker, to break out the cloud of miasma.

Sanae, jealous mode.

Well... I don't dislike you.

Part 3: Kurage janai ka? (Isn't That a Jellyfish?)
Jellyfish invade the beach, sparking a competition to see who can collect the most.

Jellyfish?  DIVINE PUNISHMENT TO THE HUMANS!

Victory through cheating

Initial impression: One episode in, and it feels just like the previous season.   If the show can keep the quality up, and not derail themselves like some other shows have done, they'll do fine, and I'll be enjoying every bit of this show.