Whenever I think about this back half of season two, I remember feeling more than a little confused—much more so than I was in past parts of the story. On one hand, this is because both season one and part one of season two were focused on the same topic: the mystery of Avos Dilhevia. Sure, there were dalliances in the human and fairy worlds, but Avos was always involved in some way—directly or indirectly. However, with Avos no longer a looming threat, the show needed a new direction.

In general, the idea of the selection tournament is a decent one. We have Anos and friends caught up in events they know nothing about, going to new places and encountering tons of new characters. There are countless opportunities for drama and conflicts as our heroes work to overcome the challenges in front of them. The issue is that all this turns out to be more than a bit of a double-edged sword.

With so much new information to be introduced, there needs to be enough time to digest it. On some level, we need to be walked through things, sometimes more than once if the concepts are alien enough. However, this arc does not give us anything resembling the time needed to do so. No sooner has one plot point been explained to us than we are already on to the next—unsure whether either will even be important to remember in the future.

This is a pacing problem, pure and simple. It often feels like the show needs double the runtime to get things in a place where it's understandable—not to mention make it so the emotional bits hit with any amount of weight. The most major example of this problem comes in those “climatic moments” where Anos appears driven into a corner with no way to win. Sure, we know that Anos is just going to smash his way to victory—that's the central conceit of this anime after all. However, that's not the issue.

Dramatic tension in this series has always come not from “if” Anos will win but rather “how” Anos will win. We're supposed to see the unwinnable situation he is in and fully understand why it is hopeless—to rack our brains trying to figure out how he will get out of this one. However, the problem here is that the relevant rules of the world, how they are being used to trap our heroes, and the resolution to the conflict tend to happen within minutes—if not seconds—of each other. There's just no impact to be had. The story just moves forward like a steamroller, no matter what may lie in its way.

So if plot, tension, and lore fail to carry the anime, what's left? The answer is simple: the characters. The Misfit of Demon King Academy has a great cast. At this point, we've long since become invested in the characters. Misa and Lay have a good little arc this time with Misa embarrassed by her body and personality shift in her Avos form. Theirs is a story of loving all parts of a person, even the parts that person may not really like about themselves. Then we have the continuation of Emilia's story. She's gone from pure-blood supremacist to feeling firsthand the unfair oppression she once championed. This series of episodes has her finding where she belongs by working as an outcast teaching outcasts, and in doing so making a place for all of them to thrive.

Then we get to the core relationship of the season between Anos and Arcana. We've seen Anos act as a lightning rod to lost souls who needed him throughout the show, be that a pair of twins with a tragic fate or a personification of magic being used for evil. He also believes in redemption for those willing to work for it. The idea of them going from enemies to found family feels natural for the series and characters, especially with all the twists, turns, and revelations. Would it have been even better without the pacing issues mentioned above? Sure. But it worked well enough most of the time.

The show's presentation continues to look as good as ever. The action is both flashy and exciting, and the camera work is above par compared to most other anime. Likewise, the voice talent continues to perfectly fit their roles, with Nene Hieda notably doing a great job playing both Misa and Avos. The music will be hit or miss depending on how much you enjoy the Fan Union's songs about Anos as they come up more than once as a key plot point.

All in all, The Misfit of Demon King Academy II Part 2 is plagued by one major issue: its pacing. From the plot and drama to character arcs and world-building, everything in the show hits less hard than it otherwise should. Parts even feel like it's written by a kid making things up on the spot, which is not how you want your anime to turn out. If you're already invested in the story and characters (or just want to see Anos being Anos) this is still worth a watch—but you might want to read the original books first so you have no issues following along.