There is little doubt in my mind that Shadows House continues to be one of the more unique and stylistically sound series in the anime medium these days. The gothic and victorian setting, mixed with dark mystery and rather light hearted comedy is quite the balance, and it just works very well.
Now, don’t tell me that you weren’t worried for how this season was going to play out after those rather sub-par last three episodes of Season 1. Knowing what CloverWorks did for Yakusoku no Neverland Season 2, we know their track record when it comes to deviating from the source material, but luckily, it seems we got back on track, and Shadows House is once again receiving the adaptation it deserves. While this isn’t your popular high-budget title, it made the most of what it had to create a rather captivating show nonetheless.
My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20
STORY: 18/25
Big improvement from Season 1 in terms of the writing. The mystery elements are handled well, and there are good plot twists as well. Some new plot points were introduced which were very interesting, such as some more finer details about the scorches, soot sickness, some backstories about the past of the children’s wing, and we get to know more about the living doll and shadow relationship. It’s a well done story that ties up most of its mysteries neatly like a package, and it makes sense as well.
With mysteries, explanations and exposition are key, and most, if not all the mysteries and backstories were handled quite well, and had decent depth to them to make it quite the engaging watch. It’s also not very difficult to understand, which is good, because many mysteries fall into the trap of thinking the more difficult it is to guess the outcome, the better. This show isn’t very ambitious with its mystery, and that’s fine, because the journey was an engaging one, and that’s all that matters.
ART: 8/10
The animation is well done, the scary scenes are done well, and the colours are good. The budget doesn’t seem very large, but what we got here was sufficient.
MUSIC: 8.7/10
It was always going to be a tough task to top ReoNa’s incredibly catchy ending, “Nai Nai” from Season 1, and while this season’s opening and ending weren’t as catchy as that, it still captured the atmosphere quite right. The soundtrack itself isn’t all too impressive on its own, but it still works wonders for the show’s atmosphere nonetheless.
CHARACTERS: 15/20
The characters had more depth and development this season, and that’s great to see. Kate remains a joy to watch, as she used her intelligence well, and had a lot of tricks up her sleeve to ensure that she would survive in the shadows house. Emilico is also such a wholesome, happy character, and very curious about things as well. They say “curiosity killed the cat”, but sometimes, it’s because of her curiosity that people are saved. John continues to be excellent comic relief as well. However, the side characters also had a large role in this season, and they were arguably the more compelling characters from this season.
ENJOYMENT: 12.3/15
Really had a good time with this season, as it was just so much more compelling overall.
THEMATIC EXECUTION: 16.2/20
Another thing I have to praise is how thematically sound this show is. The tension and suspense build with every episode, the characters are mysterious, and you genuinely might worry about what the characters might have to go through. The horror elements are also executed very well. They don’t hold back on the scary elements, and that’s great for immersion. Sometimes, you might even be on the edge of your seat. I will say though, one small gripe I have are the tonal shifts, and this was also present in Season 1. In a tense moment, sometimes, a comedic bit would happen, which would break the suspense. The comedy is usually done well though, it’s just sometimes a little awkwardly placed.
OVERALL: 78.2/100
A solid improvement to Season 1, and I’m glad this returned to form after the rather rushed end to the first season. It was tense, the characters were compelling, the backstories were told well, and the resolutions make sense, and are quite satisfying. If you were worried about how Season 2 was going to go, I can assure you, this season was some quality stuff, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
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