Reception
The anime adaption of Freezing has received generally positive reviews. The series' animation, character development and soundtrack were frequently praised, though critics' thoughts on the series' plotline and sexualization was generally more mixed. Davey C. Jones of Active Anime lauded Freezing as a "fantastic series that is part sci-fi and a huge part twisted fan service", which, "despite all the gratuity, the story is solid and had heart". Additional praise was directed at the animation, vibrant characters (including the relationship between Kazuya and Satellizer), as well as the soundtrack, with Jones writing that "the anime was great [...] it's sick, it's twisted, yet somehow also managed to be sweet at times."[35] In a later review of Freezing: The Complete Series (which includes Vibration), Jones continued to praise the characters, storyline, and sexualization, writing that it "has the action, the gripping story and wonderful visuals it [Freezing] has come to be known for – Freezing will captivate you."[36] Although some criticism was directed at the series' plot holes, the positive reception was echoed by Brian Auxier of Anime Herald, whom praised the strong visuals, noting that "scenes burst with color as heroines speed through the air. The animation is clean, and the overall sense of speed is exhilarating." The Funimation English dub was also commended as being fitting, with Auxier concluding that "the intense and sexually charged combat scenes are the real centerpiece of the series, and generally eclipse the major faults in storytelling. Fans of action and fan service need to look no farther than Freezing. This one's definitely for you."[37] Sequential Tart too opined that the series was highly enjoyable, praising the "exciting" story, breadth of characters, and the action scenes, with "the battles [being] as exciting as they are bloody", for a rating of 8 out of 10.[38]
Theron Martin of Anime News Network gave the series a B− overall, stating "As is, the series is nowhere near as bad as its premise suggested it could have been, and comes off a little better in the end than the initial impression it gives, but its appeal is still not going to extend much beyond the normal crowd of fan service and graphic action aficionados." The writing quality and character development was critiqued as varied, though praise was directed at the visuals.[39] Freezing ranked 14th on a list of "36 Titillating Ecchi Anime That Won't Let You Down" by anime website GoBoiano.[40] Martin earlier gave Freezing a score of 3.5 out of 5 in his preview of 2011 winter anime, finding the artwork and animation to be very good at times though sometimes inconsistent; however, he opined that "any of the series' other potential weaknesses aren't going to matter if you have a sweet spot for the fan service/violence combo, though, as on that front it scores big-time."[41] Carl Kimlinger, also of Anime News Network, complained that the mixture of the "serious" premise and storyline coupled with the gratuitous sexualization was "uncomfortable at best; disturbing at worst", and attacked the "creative bankruptcy, interminable explication, lazy characterization" of the series. Ultimately, a score of 1.5 was given.[42] Carlo Santos too gave Freezing a score of 1.5, finding it to feel "like the brainchild of that one person you knew in high school [who wrote a] Big Epic Space Adventure that no publisher would be dumb enough to accept because it was too unwieldy and confusing [...] Except that in Japan, someone actually did accept that Big Epic Space Adventure. And made an unwieldy, confusing anime out of it."
Freezing: Vibration also received generally positive critical reception. Anime News Network's Theron Martin noted that "the content follows through well enough that this is looking like a largely satisfying follow-up to the original" for a final score of 3 out of 5.[44] Chris Beveridge of The Fandom Post commended the audio and storytelling capability of Vibration, and particular praise was directed at the humanity and relatability of the characters, including Elizabeth's character and Satellizer's backstory, with Beveridge finding the series to not be afraid of "screwing with" its cast. Vibration was summarized as "solid [...] across the board and it's definitely a great second act to the story of Freezing", with a content grade of A−.[45] Sequential Tart rated Vibration an 8 out of 10, critiquing the "deeper and darker" direction of the plot (especially Satellizer's past relationship with her brother Louis), new characters, and storyline, finding the enjoyability of the second season to be "equally as well as the first, though in different ways. It has great characters and an interesting story."[46]
