I had been waiting for the second season of Spirit Chronicles since before it was announced, back when season one had just finished airing. I was extremely excited, and after reading the novels, I couldn’t control my excitement at the events that would be adapted this season. And so, after three years of waiting, I can say that this season was…okay...ish.

I was really concerned after they switched up the orders of light novel volumes 4 and 5 for the adaptation of season 1, but I believe they did a decent job this time with handling the aftermath, and trying to solve as many inconsistencies as possible. I honestly believed they would make a mess out of it, which they did, but nothing that should present a problem later down the line.

The improvement in the art style from season one is very much appreciated, as it brings the characters closer to Riv’s awesome illustrations from the light novel. The animation itself, however, is still nothing to write home about. Still, I would say it’s not that bad. It’s definitely an improvement from season 1, and it does have its shining moments, such as

Spoiler, click to view

the fight against Lucius near the end of the season.

I had the idea that they would save their animation budget for that fight in specific, and I wasn’t disappointed at all by how it turned out.

Now, I admit that I consider the light novel of Spirit Chronicles something that is not very easy to adapt, because it is very dialogue-reliant. Most of the novel volumes revolve around characters discussing things amongst themselves—chatting, sharing information, planning, things like that. As such, most of the characterization and world building is left to the dialogue, as well as the narrations that accompany such dialogue. And I have to say, this season did not do a very good job with adapting that part of the novel.

Dialogues were cut short or changed; character thoughts were removed; very interesting world details were left out. This made this season feel…kind of (I don’t know if this is the right word, but I’ll say it anyway) empty. It didn’t matter as much in season 1 (because it adapted volumes that were really quick paced, and had Rio moving around a lot), but the arcs that this season adapted were much slower, and focused on introducing characters/world building, so having those elements cut/left out really harmed the show, in my opinion. World building felt lacking, characters felt disappointing, it was overall just…a very empty experience in those two fields.

Even then, however, I honestly do not believe it is as bad as people’s comments have made it seem. Yes, they could’ve done a better job, but I wouldn’t call it boring. That being said, I do understand that there are people who are more action oriented, and so this may be a turn off for many. And, in some cases, I feel it might even be a bit too much even for those who have a bit more of a knack for details and building. If you are interested in those elements, I would recommend much more reading the novel.

There were also some changes to some of the character’s personalities that I can’t really like, nor fully understand why they were implemented.

The best example of this is (spoilers for S2x06)

Spoiler, click to view

Hiroaki.

Don’t get me wrong, he certainly is a self-centered delusional prick in the novel as well, but the anime made it seem much worse than what it actually is. Or rather, while similar, his personality is actually fundamentally different in the novel. It’s as if they just aimed to make him your average isekai bully character.

At the start of episode 6, for example, when Rio is greeting Liselotte and Flora, he just randomly barges in by introducing himself. This, while you could argue is essentially the same as in the novel, shows the different atmosphere between the two versions of the character.

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Anime:

“Hey! I’m Sakata Hiroaki. I happen to be a hero!” (Completely unprompted)

Light Novel:

“Ah…Hey. Who is this guy, exactly? Someone You all know?” (After this goes some chatter about Liselotte saying they don’t know Rio, but were thanking him for saving them.)

“My honor to make your acquaintance.” (Rio introduces himself)

“Hmm… I see. Oh, I should introduce myself. I’m Hiroaki Sakata. The hero, technically. It’s nice to meet you.”

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Can you notice the difference in the atmosphere between the two versions of the character?

There are other characters that had similar changes that just…aren't good. Even Rio suffered a bit from that this time around, easily noted when he’s

Spoiler, click to view

talking with Flora after the fight with Lucius. In the anime they just made him sound like such a jerk, seriously…

But well, not everything is bad.

Spoiler, click to view

I really enjoyed the battle between Rio and Lucius. The animation was good, the choreography was nice, all in all, a very enjoyable fight, made me feel glad of sticking through the rest not so well animated fights to reach that point. There's also the cliffhanger which has me really excited for a possible third season.

Now, it's my first time writing a review, so I might have not covered what a lot of people were expecting, but overall, I’d like to summarize this review as follows.

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If you liked the first season, and don’t mind a slower paced plotline, then I’d say you should give this season a try. Otherwise, I can’t really recommend it, even for those who’ve read the novel (or maybe just for the laughs?). The animation is decent, but makes most of the fights seem boring or uneventful. In addition, (while not fatal) the world building and characterization could’ve been a lot better.

All in all, just an okay-ish season. Not spectacular, but I don't think it's as bad as people claim it is.

P.S: For those who have finished this season, and would like to read the novel from where the anime left off, that’d be volume 8 :p