Background and context from season 1: I enjoyed the first season quite a lot and I didn't mind the fan service. I'm OK with no fan service too. I really don't care either way. Although I am noticing this weird trend in certain animes/mangas where they kind of "blow their load" with fan service in the beginning, and then the fan service mysteriously vanishes later on... Idk. It just seems weird to me.

Anyway what I really liked about the first season was Marin/Gojo's relationship and how it's built on a foundation of mutual interest. Unlike a lot of horribly shitty romances (Which I still consume and enjoy btw) which rely on "love at first site" or "we were childhood friends" or whatever. It feels like there is some real depth and nuisance to Gojo and Marin's relationship. Gojo is obviously physically attracted to Marin and likes her as a person. However, from the beginning, it's pretty clear that he thinks he has zero chance with her, so he doesn't even bother contemplating the possibility of being together. He doesn't sulk about it though and just continues to hang out with her and be a cool friend. Marin, on the other hand, falls for him pretty quickly and for good reason too! Sure Gojo is nice or whatever but he's also very talented, dedicated, and passionate about his work. The man has skills! Which you can't say about most of the bland/boring self-insert male romance protags. However, above all, Gojo is supportive of Marin and her interests. He doesn't put her down or make her feel like crap, even when he doesn't understand what the hell she's talking about or why she wants to cosplay a character from some porn game. He helps her, and is just as excited as her, about the process of creating and showcasing cosplay. They're a team and, in my eyes, they're on equal footing as romantic partners. Even if Gojo doesn't realize it.

My thoughts on season 2: Overall it was an ok to good experience and a fairly enjoyable watch. It kept my attention a bit better than the manga because I think there are some genuinely funny visual gags that work better when animated. The things I enjoyed about the first season are still here, for the most part. There's a bit of romance, some comedy, some thematic exploration around gender/self acceptance/finding community etc. I also especially like the moments where they show the source material for the cosplay, and those are animated in a completely different style. It's fun. However I have the same criticism for this season that I do with the manga. As the story goes on, it focuses less on the main couple and more on the other characters and the intricacies of the cosplay hobby. I liked the 1st season because of the romance and spicy/silly moments between Marin and Gojo. There is some of that this season too but, overall, their development as love interests feels stagnated.

Instead, this season focuses on the nitty-gritty of cosplay and, at times, it gets veeery technical. The information is presented in an entertaining enough way but it's just not what I wanted from season 2. Also I feel like, only a person who is really interested in cosplay, might find the direction the story takes preferable? New characters are also introduced and a bit of conflict happens, but I feel like it doesn't add much to the overarching narrative. Which is my second biggest problem outside of there being less Marin/Gojo screen time...

Even if the new characters are likeable or show different/interesting sides of the cosplay hobby, every character is going through the exact same character arc. Everyone is ashamed/embarrassed of their hobby, for some reason, and then learns to find self acceptance. Not to say this doesn't happen in real life. Where members of a group share similar experiences, and that's what brings them together. In that sense, it's very realistic. However, as a fictional story, it takes away from the importance of Gojo's character arc, if everyone else is going through the same arc. Also the repetitiousness of the theme makes it feel boring and lose emotional impact the more times it's repeated.

In conclusion: I wish this season had focused more on Gojo and Marin, and maybe had some other conflict going on to help flesh out the narrative. Getting really technical into the cosplay hobby and introducing new characters who aren't bringing anything new to the table, didn't do much for me personally. I would say it's still worth a watch if you liked the first season. However, it didn't really stick with me the same way season 1 did, and i'm not sure how much i'll want to rewatch this in the future. I am curious what will happen if they do a season 3 though, because there's a moment that happens in the manga (if you read it you know) that might really swing things back in a better direction.