Right of the bat most of what I said before when it comes to the first season still applies here. Though there are some improvements that made this a much better experience than its predecessor.
This time I'll compare my positive and negative points within each category directly instead of naming them separately.
Along with the already existing 4 groups, we got introduced to 2 additional groups with a total of 7 extra characters. And while I would have preferred them diving deeper into the 4 established groups and developing them past their bland front, on paper alone Straylight and Noctchill have a much more interesting premise than the others.
Straylight at first seems like the main trio that consists of three girls with completely different personalities. But every one of this group is characterized in a much more interesting way and also gets a moment where they're confronted with something and as a result grow past that.
The main reason why this group is easily my favorite one is because of it consisting of 3 girls that couldn't be more different from each other while still coming together with a shared goal in mind. They're introduced very well, have the best overall vibe to them, their music is also pretty good and most importantly, they're relevant past their first episode.
Noctchill is also a group that has a pretty interesting idea to it by being made out of a childhood friend group. Just the idea alone that they're all here just because Toru was interested in this is very unique. It would open up many ways of exploring the three others by seeing what their reasons for following Toru are or what their views on being an idol are down the road.
Ignoring the fact that Koito is simply more unsure of herself and that Madoka couldn't care less about any of this idol stuff, we mostly learn about Toru herself. In fact hilariously even the world they live in doesn't care about the other three by constantly focusing on Toru alone.
I actually think that the idea of how they were introduced was pretty interesting. Koito is trying her hardest, Hinana seems very relaxed and carefree about everything and the last two have no care in the world. Of course, looking past that initial introduction, we also see that Toru seems to be unsure of her / their destination, while Madoka mainly wants to keep an eye out for Toru, basically a sign that she actually cares about her friends despite her front. I also think that the way their debut ended in the worst way possible is also a good twist on the usual formula, by them basically being bashed online for stuff that is to complex to be discussed in a mere average review.
Sadly their personalities are just that.
And the worst of this whole development, the big twist at the end of their introduction actually never matters at all. The entire idea that they basically sabotage their own debut because of a disagreement should matter even a bit when it comes to starting out as idols, but outside of it being mentioned a few times in the next episode, we never see anything regarding this topic ever again.
In a way this is either a sentiment of how little the writers cared about this series within the Idolm@ster franchise considering how much more interesting all the other groups are...
Or it is a sentiment on how great the writing in other series are when it comes to publicity and modern media.
Either way while being introduced interestingly, this group just ends up like the first 4 groups, being very bland with the potential to be more than that.
Not much to say for the others but the already known characters do not get anything added to them. Yes I am aware of the episodes in which each group has to deal with something. But in all honestly, that was nothing. The best way I can describe the second half of the season is by calling it the Artificial Drama Arc. Literally every episode (group) has one character that is unsure of something, causing everyone else to worry about them. And most of those episodes could be less than half as long had they just opened their mouth instead of hiding everything. This is even more offensive considering that some of the groups have been together for much, much longer than the newer ones, where it actually makes sense to have stories like these. But having the very first group deal with one of them worry / think about disbanding just because of them getting separate jobs by herself is just plain dumb.
And yes I am aware that I criticized the series for its little character development, but getting a mandatory episode for each group just because they exist feels exactly like how it sounds, forced.
The only character that actually had a bit of an improvement compared to season 1 is actually Mano. Yes it is not by much but her interactions with Toru actually made her more interesting than her counterpart from the first season where she had no substance at all.
I don't have anything to say about the Agency itself. If anything the Producer felt even less like he mattered at all. I am pretty sure that it would have made no difference if he was introduced as a faceless character that just carries out his role.
What story?
No genuinely, it is the exact same as before, just as episodic as in Season 1.
Not much to say here either. The music is solid and worth listening to. I think the big final song felt very dragged out and as a result not very interesting, but the other songs throughout the season were very nice. Though there are not that many songs to begin with.
Yes I had to mention this again as well.
Season 2 still has the same style as Season 1 by always using some weird melachonic piano soundtrack. I would not fault anyone for accidentally falling asleep while watching this series. Actually the worst background soundtrack I have ever experienced.
This season was definitely an improvement from its prior Season. It is not saying a lot, but it is still worth mentioning.
The highlight for me was the introduction of Straylight because of how interesting they were written, their whole dynamic especially.
If I were to decide what music to listen to, I would still choose Shiny Colors lastly when it comes to Idolm@ster as a whole.
I really hope there won't be a 3rd season and instead anything else that actually feels like it has a soul behind its production management.
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