The Spring 2025 Anime Preview Guide

Bye Bye, Earth Season 2

Nomad warrior Belle Lablac is determined to uncover her true origins. As the only human in a world filled with anthropomorphic animal people, she's been an outcast all of her life. As a cursed sword-wielder, she serves the people of Park City in Schwert Land in the hope she will eventually be permitted to forge her own path.

Bye Bye, Earth Season 2 is based on a novel series by Tow Ubukata. The anime series is streaming on Crunchyroll on Fridays.

Even though I watched the entirety of the first 10-episode season of Tow Ubukata novel-based anime Bye Bye, Earth twice over for review purposes last year, I still had no goddamn idea why anything happened in its maddeningly inscrutable plot. Unfortunately, the second season continues the show's stubborn refusal to make any kind of coherent sense, by starting with a brief recap montage that elucidates nothing. Main character Belle wakes up next to her comically enormous sword in an unfamiliar bed, mirroring the viewers' confusion by asking “What am I doing here?” I posed myself the same question.

I don't understand how anyone can write a show like this, where characters talk at length without saying anything, conversing in contrived riddles rather than anything resembling actual dialogue. It is clear, at least, that Belle remains traumatized by former friend Adonis' sudden and upsetting attempted sexual assault towards the end of last season. Her merperson friend Bennett even reverts back to their female-presenting persona to help Belle process her trauma. At least I think that was their intention.

As before, the merpeople are one of Bye Bye, Earth's most interesting aspects, switching between genders depending on the person they are currently imprinting on. Merpeople seem to have no personality or ego of their own, moulding themselves to fit the expectations of their chosen host—not unlike a parasite. The idea that the female “Benedictine” will take the “pollution” of Belle's trauma, and somehow purify it, is quite fascinating. I don't understand why following this, Bennett is now blind and unable to return to female form, however.

If only the rest of the show was as remotely interesting. While Kevin Penkin's score remains beautiful, the gently twinkling piano music during Belle and Benedictine's lengthy conversation threatened to send me to sleep… I dread to watch any more of Bye Bye, Earth season two now, because I'm losing hope that any of the needlessly obscure plot contrivances will ever be satisfactorily explained. Hopefully Tow Ubukata's other show this season, Moonrise, will be more viewer-friendly.