Quite obviously others may have a problem as well, because it’s the fan favourite gyaru in action again, and it was a given this would receive a sequel due to the sheer popularity that the character possesses. Before going into the season, I had read the manga as I am quite an avid fan of gyarus and I wanted to know how the events unfold. I tend to have quite a bias towards gyarus though – but that bias doesn’t sway me away from viewing this series more critically.
One of the biggest elephants in the room that you may notice during your watch of the season is that it quickly takes a dramatic shift in its tone and focus from the original that it had persisted with in the first season. Originally the show had began as a romance comedy with cosplaying as a theme to it, but it had essentially pushed romance to the backseat and propped up cosplay as the prime focus for the entire season. On top of taking a stronger focus to the cosplaying aspect of the series, it takes on a heavier tone from the previous season, lacking as many light-hearted and comedic moments as we had previously seen. This is largely a letdown to some fans of the series as they had likely hoped for the relationship between Marin and Gojo to progress, but it had often been an afterthought or a ploy for more comedy rather than treating it more seriously.
Personally? It didn’t bother me that much as I could continue without being annoyed on the lack of progression between the two. We can't forget that the show originally begins with the sentiment that often times is brought out, pushing the notion that "you should accept the way you are", which is more blatantly displayed in the way Marin generally behaves with others following suit in a less exaggerated manner. This in mind, they do also try to put more effort into giving us less blatant fan service that would oversexualize Marin, save for a minor fringe cases.
There was a greater concern that I had coming to this season, which was brought out by the shift in focus that took an interest in introducing more side characters and topics for us to follow. They were interesting for sure, but the overall presentation as a whole with their delivery and fluidity between the topics and characters felt lacking and generally didn’t excite me that much, which made me dreadful if that would be the same experience in the anime. CloverWorks really broke this expectation as they really delivered on the presentation of the characters and topics, since they are significantly more expressive, eye-catching and enjoyable to watch in motion as they are oozing with personality. They pretty much blew it out of the park as they made an otherwise lacking selection of characters into thrilling group that made it entertaining, especially when the voice actors did a great delivery on their part too. Although i may not be a fan of the much slower pace that they're going for the season much like the previous one, it does give them an edge in creating memorable moments with heightened focus onto the given characters in those episodes.
But it wouldn’t be without mentioning the absolutely stellar animation that CloverWorks put out as every single episode was brimming with life and vigor. The animation brought out new styles in some parts of the episodes and they introduced so many different elements in animation and crafts that isn’t easy to produce in such a broad manner at all. From the incredible pan view of the park that took multiple months to produce to the wonderful addition of pixel art into the anime was a wonderful touch, everything felt so vibrant that I couldn’t take my eyes off the quality that the the artists produced produced, let alone from the wonderful score and songs they pulled in too.
Despite having a lot of positive to say about the season, there is still at least one part that I particularly do not like: Gojo. In contrast to all the other characters of the show, Gojo is one of the worst written characters in the show, and it’s frustrating that it has to be one of the main characters to be in this position. I loathe every single time Gojo acts in an awkward and unnecessarily embarrassed manner as it’s grating and unlikable. He would be a lot more likable if he would lock in more often and act less pitiful.
It wouldn’t be fair of me if I didn’t at least point out that Marin isn’t a flawless character either, but it’s certainly not a high bar to reach when she’s being compared to Gojo. Although she is often a lot more likable on the screen than Gojo, she isn’t written perfectly as she sometimes acts in an unusual manner that would be extremely unlikely for someone to behave like it. You could treat that as a benefit of being a fictional series, but some sense of realism could’ve been put onto the character that it could feel relatable, rather than pushing her to the extreme.
I think this season came out as good as it could’ve come out as the source material is rather frail and flimsy in its writing, and the animation quality is a major boost in quality that I never could’ve expected to be even better than the first season. I do think it’s quite a “scam” to a certain few people that were looking forward to seeing the relationship between Gojo and Marin moving forward, but were given almost nothing for the entire season. There were still some surprising positives that I would've otherwise been majorly disappointed on if they had fumbled the pacing. I’m waiting with great anticipation (and more dread) if they produce another season or a movie, as the next arc is something that could be a greater disaster if not handled well.
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