NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a Season 2

Episode 20

90 seconds. That's about all A2 and Pascal's villagers get—so far as screentime is concerned—of their hard-won peace from the Machine onslaught. After risking everything to violate their pacifist creed and defend their home, it takes less than two minutes for it to become clear that there was never really any hope of saving the village, to begin with. You could complain that this is another example of NieR:Automata conveniently forgetting the rules of its own story to wring some drama out of its warfare-based conflict; after all, Pascal and A2 should know full well by now that the never-ending wave of Machines isn't just going to let up after one measly failed assault. This war has been going on for thousands of years because of the Machine's capacity to refresh their troops infinitely before the Logic Virus came in and made everything even more chaotic.

It's easy to forgive a somewhat cheap emotional rug pull when the said emotions worked so well within a character arc. I'd argue that A2's emotional journey might even be better served in the anime as compared to the game, as her outsized role in the second season of Ver 1.1a feels less disproportionate to the rest of the story than it did when it came in at the tail-end of 60+ hours of adventuring with 2B and 9S. Our resident sad boy's narrative may feel stalled out at the moment but A2's gradual return to the protector and friend she once was has been very satisfying to watch unfold.

It also helps that her half of the story gets to tap into those primal and engaging “positive” war stories that are just more entertaining to experience than the somewhat repetitive angst sessions that 9S has been stuck with. Sure, anyone who has played a NieR game before knows that whatever victories A2 and Pascal might earn will surely be matched with some enervating setback or another; hell, we can just rewind to the first five minutes of “de[B]unked” for proof of that. Still, watching our heroes go full kaiju mode to take on the hulking Engels unit is badass. We need a little badassery in these war stories to keep from being crushed by the weight of unceasing existential despair!

Speaking of despair, it's clear that things are only going to get worse from here. If 9S' bloodthirsty tantrum in the digital archives didn't clue you in, there's the most nihilistic reveal that NieR:Automata has delivered yet: There won't be any more Alternate Ending Puppet Show Theater segments after the credits! I'm still reeling from this news, as I'm sure you all are. Stay strong, readers, and cling to one another. We'll make it through this final climax because try as they might, the powers that be can't rip the soul-healing sight of those tiny puppet-kings and puppet queens from our hearts.

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NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.