I was looking for something similar to Durarara!! to watch, as my current mental state needed a show that was entertaining, fun, aesthetically pleasing, graphically satisfying, and rich in characters. I followed the suggestion to start watching Kekkai Sensen, and I have to say that I liked this sequel a lot more than the first season. However, I still believe that the prequel is nevertheless a necessary starting point for getting into the mood of this urban fantasy scenario. The animation is great, as well: all the action sequences look incredible and exciting!

The city of Hellsalem's Lot is a crazy landscape, and unbelievable things happen all the time. It becomes the norm for the characters, and for us too, which doesn't mean that it's boring but rather familiar and almost "domestic". This single aspect simply makes the series really special: the whole "one for nonsense, all for nonsense" thing may become cringe or predictable episode after episode, but it never does. Instead, it becomes the most powerful weapon of this show: everyone generally hates spinoffs, but in this case, they are relevant, interesting, funny and their reason to be is basically the freedom with which the show entertains the viewer. They tackle different motifs and leverage on various feelings, in order to resonate with every kind of viewer and his/her personal taste. Even the secondary, tertiary, and quaternary (?) characters have distinct personalities and unique features that distinguish them from the others, which makes the viewer empathize with the weirdness of events and the characters involved.

What I absolutely adore about this series is the tone employed to alternate between lightness and heaviness: I would lie If I wrote here that never have I ever felt sad watching an apparently light-hearted and funny anime, but those moments were either unexpected in an ocean of amusing events, or skilfully balanced with said circumstances. Leonardo, the main character, endures a negative condition that endangers both his beloved sister and himself. However, I never felt like his constant self-loathing or deeply felt affection made the show more demanding in relation to the emotional weight of his frame of mind. I mean... this season's first episode recaps what happened in the first one with a rap song...

What I personally valued the most in this season is the time that some episodes took to portray the backstories of the members of Libra: there are episodes about Chain's part-time job as a spy, K.K.'s struggle to make her private and working lives coexist, and also the short introduction of Steven's secret organization that I believe will be explained further in the following season(s). I felt like these details were kind of overlooked in season one, and I'm super glad they were not actually forgotten.

It is really hard for me to criticize this show, but if I really have to point something out... the only weakness, may I say, that also made me appreciate the second season more than the first one, is the shallowness of the "main" evil characters: apart from their fond love for chaos and the attempt to steal Leonardo's eyes... what other reasons do they have to act as they do? Femt is pretty interesting, as I believe he genuinely just acts out of boredom, but the absence of a plotline that involved White, Black, and William really made me feel relieved. It tried to add substance to boring characters and though I appreciate the attempt I didn't get drawn in their story.