The second season of Iron-Blooded Orphans is a disjointed sequel that is disappointing to say the least. None of the emotional weight that the first season carried managed to make its weight into the second season. Rather than being a meaningful continuation of a remarkable series, IBO S2 ends up becoming a predictable series that at times can almost seem like a chore to watch.

My biggest complaint would be the show’s attempts to generate an emotional response. In the first season, the audience was introduced to a group of battle-hardened child soldiers bent on forging their own path. And like almost any other story in the same vein, there is tragedy and death along the way. While this aspect of IBO continues on in the first season, IBO S2 suffers from the problem of creating tragedy for the sake of tragedy.

And yes, this is Iron-Blooded Orphans, so expect protagonists to die as well.

Whereas the first season had Tekkadan members die in order to create meaningful plot development, the second season feels rather empty when it comes to its attempt at creating emotional and poignant events.

For instance, when characters die, their deaths cease to have an impact beyond the scope of maybe one or two episodes after.

Another problem would be the way Tekkadan’s growth as a mercenary outfit is handled. The boss, Orga, constantly doubts his own ability to lead. And although this is a very logical flaw to have in a character thrust in an unfriendly world, it becomes rather annoying when these flaws are mentioned in almost every single episode. Many of the great characters of Tekkadan have become relegated to being tools for the writers to directly tell the audience how Orga is developing as a character.

Character development should be implicit, rather than directly stated. We don’t need characters literally laying it out for the audience in order for us to see that characters have changed. We don’t need three minutes of dialogue about how the crew members think that so-and-so has changed as a person. That’s just lazy writing if anything.

So basically, if you thought Eugene was a great character in the first season, prepare to be disappointed. His main role is going to be simply reminding you of how Orga’s changing as a leader.

Finally, a huge problem I noticed was how plot twists or surprises seem either artificial and / or obvious. You’ll notice what I mean as soon as the character of Vidar is introduced. If you are seriously surprised to find out who he is later on in the season, then you are really not paying any attention.

I really wished the second season could live up to the high standards of the first, but alas, that is not the case.