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Moderator
Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18563
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 1:27 pm
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Although I found the first season of this one to be passable, I bailed on the second season after episode 2 since the new season didn't seem like it was going anywhere. Apparently that was the right call.
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The_Daytona_500
Joined: 14 Aug 2015
Posts: 115
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 2:30 pm
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The first season of this was a rare good isekai, but this was complete crap that I can't even understand the point of why it was made. Had barely anything to do with the main plot of the first season too.
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beaverusiv
Joined: 30 May 2007
Posts: 23
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 2:59 pm
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The first season was far more entertaining for me, I was quite disappointed as I was really hoping to enjoy season 2. It wasn't so bad I dropped it, but like the review says there isn't so much a plot as just one thing happening after another so there was never any excitement for the next episode
My main draw for this series has been that it has an actual protag with a personality, and at least that carried over to season 2, though he never really gets anything interesting to do
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BalmungHHQ
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Posts: 473
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 3:34 pm
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The number one issue with this season, more than any of its other issues, is the fact that it was bad at conveyance.
This is what results in the "stuff just happens" impression many are seeming to take away from watching it. The anime didn't properly convey how all of these random events are connected and what they had to do with each other, nor how they built to the conclusion we watched, or what any of it had to do with what Kunai was even trying to do. (The loose outline of the reasoning was there, but from what I saw, many viewers definitely got lost somewhere.)
If you understand, then Season 2 really isn't so bad for what it is... But the issue is, the anime makes very little effort to give said understanding to anyone that doesn't already know the story.
I think the biggest example I can think of is the final scene of the season, with the big reveal that XXX is not only the president of the mysterious company that hired Akira, but also seemingly has to do with the world he'd eventually find himself in as Kunai by referring to him as "My Lucifer".
The issue with that cliffhanger reveal ending is that the average viewer would have no idea what this show is trying to tell them with it. XXX was only mentioned once in Episode 1, and shown briefly in a flashback in Episode 11. Viewers of the anime barely have any idea who she is, or what her connection to Akira is, so there's no way that reveal would make any impact unless you understand.
A lot of this has to do with Season 1's faults too, like gutting the entire real world side of the story for some reason, and Season 2 does kinda try to fix this by bringing that stuff back in, but it wasn't particularly successful in doing so. Most viewers didn't understand the purpose.
It's really a shame, I do think there's plenty to like about this series, both Seasons 1 and 2, but in the end, you'd have to be someone who knows the story (whether via the LN's, which season 1 was based on, or the manga, which season 2 was based on) and enjoy the show as a kind of companion piece with goofy animation.
It's rare to see a series so completely inaccessible for newcomers.
I do want to say that this series and its world building are insane and absolutely fascinating. Intentionally so. It's a very fun story. If anyone reading this finds the world & characters interesting, regardless of the impression you got from the anime, please try to check out either of the source materials sometime.
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MFrontier
Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 14563
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 9:07 pm
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I remember enjoying season 1 enough to be looking forward to this but I was disappointed in season 2 on several fronts.
Recasting everybody but Kunai so nobody but Kunai sounded quite right.
The plot felt way less coherent.
The animation was pretty much abysmal.
The character designs compared to season 1 felt off.
Aku and a lot of season 1 characters were practically no-shows.
The 50% recap in episode 1 that just muddled/confused things.
I feel like this franchise deserved better.
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Greed1914
Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 4702
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Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2025 10:16 am
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Season 1 was ok, but this... Despite the rather simple premise, I found myself getting lost because, as the review says, things just sort of happen without a lot of connection. The quasi-reboot, which is something from the source material, as I understand it, might have put them behind the eight ball. Spending early time on that, and then having to hit certain plot points might have resulted in it jumping from one thing to the next.
The end result wasn't even so much that I was confused by what was happening, but that I was bored. Things happening with no connection or character motivation is dull.
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