The first season of As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill was centered around putting the band together. With Ritsu, Ars gains the ultimate warrior, and with Charlotte the ultimate mage. He gains the ultimate tacticians in Rosell and Mireille, followed by Fahm, the ultimate spy. With all these characters, it's easy to see their value and genius—just put them in a battle, and they are sure to shine. However, this is not the case with the final member of Ars' inner circle, Lysia, because it's not the literal battlefield where her skills come into play but rather a political one. Thus, before we get to the actual war part of the season, we first get an arc showing how formidable Lysia is.

Though a young girl, Lysia understands how the world works far better than most adults. She knows that, as a woman, she will never have the freedom a man has in her society—that any power she has must come from a mixture of general manipulation and exploiting the rules of high society to her benefit. But the key to what makes her so terrifying is that she has the will to do what needs to be done without fear or shame. In this arc, we see her lay a complex trap that appeals to the greed and ego of the corrupt officials of the empire. Ultimately, she even humiliates herself—but she gets her mission done.

Lysia is a perfect counterpart to Ars. While he sees the ideal and strives to connect with the best in people, she sees reality for what it is and isn't afraid to play dirty. However, she also believes in the better world that Ars is trying to make—and loves him for it.

The rest of the season is concerned with the war. Half of the story is focused on the relationship between Mireille and her brother Thomas. Mireille is a tactical genius but one who sees the big picture so clearly that she can easily roll with the punches life throws at her. Thomas, while also a genius, grew up in his sister's shadow—and thus became obsessed with gaining recognition for his efforts. In a real way, the war is a spat between the brother and sister—their personalities and flaws, ambitions and insecurities. It gives the war a much more personal, emotional touch than a simple story of two nobles vying for their deceased father's throne.

The other half of the story is about Ars' growth as a military commander—how his innocence and earnest nature conflict with the realities of war. More than once, he can win great victories by connecting with his enemies on a personal level—turning them to his side. But on the other hand, he is forced to watch many of his men, those he has sworn to protect, die for the sake of an ultimately unnecessary war.

And then there are the greater implications that Ars has to face thanks to his contributions to the war. Time and again, he has been the cornerstone to victory. He's saved his lord, Couran, from assassination and seen through traps that could have turned the war on its head. And while Ars himself would claim that this is due to his subjects rather than himself, that only makes him seem more dangerous—not only to his enemies but to his allies as well.

Though none who know him doubt his honesty and earnestness, the fact of the matter is that Ars is in a position to aim for the Missian throne—if not the imperial throne. Everyone around him is hyper-competent and fiercely loyal. He's too useful to kill yet incredibly dangerous to hold on to. Couran is aware of this and has put Ars in a position of both power and enmity among his fellow lords. It should serve to keep Ars in check but for how long? And is another civil war all the people of Missian have to look forward to? These questions form a subtle cliffhanger of sorts for the upcoming third season of the show.

Outside of the plot, As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill is a bit of a mixed bag. Most of the time, it looks good, however, there are more than a few times in battle when the animation can't live up to the action it's supposed to portray. Far fewer people appear on screen than there should for battles between armies. Anytime horses are involved, they look odd and robotic (a problem in anime in general, not just this one). Even in one-on-one battles, we often get jump cuts and other animation-saving tricks instead of a good look at the action on screen. It isn't outright terrible, but it is noticeable compared to how good things look when battles aren't going on.

As for the music side of the presentation, it does what it's supposed to do. It highlights the emotional beats, giving tense music for action and more somber music when needed—even if it doesn't really stand out overall.

This second season of As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill builds on the foundation laid by the first. It has some solid emotional beats (along with a couple of melodramatic ones) and does a good job of showing Ars' growth as a character while developing those around him in the fires of war. In the end, we're left with a young man who will do what must be done but nonetheless strives for an unobtainable ideal—not just for his people but anyone he comes across. That is why he commands such loyalty—and often succeeds where no one else could. Ars is the heart and soul of the story, and if you can empathize with him, you'll enjoy this show, even if the battle scenes can be a bit underwhelming.