Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen

Generic: such a simple word, yet one that can also encapsulate a great deal of information with its utterance. Simply attach it to the title of a show and it works as a description without any need for further elaboration. Just say "it's generic" and a picture is immediately imprinted onto the minds of the audience as to what is to be expected. It's even better saying it out loud, follow after me and let's say it together:
"Owari no Seraph is generic!"
Now doesn't that just roll off the tongue with so much ease? Fits like a glove doesn't it? It's like the word itself was ... tailor-made for this show. And perhaps that word is all that's needed to sum up this series.

There's really no change when it comes to this ill-conceived hogwash of clichés and overused tropes. It's still a poor man's version of better shounen stories, it's still subpar in quality, and it's still an intoxicating pile of throw-away excerpts from better-established premises and ideas. Owari no Seraph is the "How to make a Basic Shounen for Dummies" in visual format. If 1st season didn't hammer that point in, then this season surely made sure to get the job done. But I guess there is one noticeable change worth noting, and that's that the show somehow manages to get worse. Through the magic of fujoshi bait, God awful writing and the power of friendship, this anime becomes a firework display of stupidity rarely achieved by many. It pushes forward into the throw-away abyss at breakneck speeds. And in its own way, it succeeds. It has proven that when you really try hard enough, when you really push long enough, and when you really care enough, you can enter even denser shounen bullshit territory. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you "Generic: the anime."

Picking up from where we left off, we follow our protagonist MustProtectMyFamily-kun and the squadron of vampire slayers, as they gear up for an impending all-out battle with the vampires, in what is to be an attempt to regain control of Earth for the sake of humanity's survival. And while all this is going on, in the background, there's an even more sinister plan being conjured up by ImTheObviousBadGuy-sama and his cohorts.

Now the setup for this season isn't all that bad, in fact, it's a traditional one that, if done right, can be quite rewarding to watch unfold. It's the classic clash of ideals, where opposition reaches a breaking point of unreachable compromise. The end all be all fight where the stakes are set on the highest pedestal. A Zero-sum dice roll, where only one side can walk away rewarded. These are the kind of stories that litter literature, cinema and TV on constant rotation, but despite that, can still offer up the same thrills and chair-gripping engagement expected from the best of them. But even when considering the long shelf-life that these kinds of stories offer, if it's poorly written, no amount of the garnishing and repacking can be done to salvage it. And to no one's surprise, Owari no Seraph isn't going to be a show that defies that unspoken rule.

You see, the problem with Seraph isn't the premise or idea, but rather the piss poor execution of it. The show just doesn't seem to have the proper comprehension of what is needed for it to make this kind of story work. Its ineptitude runs deep into the core foundation of the show, from the garish narrative decisions to the downright terrible plot conveniences tossed in to bail itself out of a tight squeeze. Every turn and corner lead into another questionable writing decision that really exposes the lack of foresight on the part of the creator, and improper planning on the part of the scriptwriters. Throughout the show's run-time, this leads to numerous situations where our characters come face to face with death, only to have a last-minute dues ex machina tossed in to fish them out of troubled water. And this doesn't just happen a few times, it happens in an endless cycle, most notably with our main protagonist MustProtectMyFamily-kun, who inexplicably survives more shit than even what's possible with the aid of basic plot armor. It's like he himself becomes the embodiment plot armor, to the point where his existence is met with guaranteed immunity, regardless of consequence. This creates some of the most uninspired character struggle imaginable. There is zero tension to a story that goes out of its way to perform back flips around its lead.

But this isn't only limited to him, almost everyone that's given a name and a back-story is automatically in the safe-zone, even if they're stabbed through vital organs. I can't properly explain this without taking a special mention of the show's ending. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, just pay attention to the numerous times where our main characters not only live through death marker injuries but also walk it off like it wasn't that big of a deal, it's quite laughable. The only ones 'biting the bullet' are characters that are clearly introduced for the sake of dying a few episodes later. The moment they're introduced, a death flag is planted smack dab on their forehead. It's an old trick that wasn't good in other stories and isn't good here either.

But Owari no Seraph S2 isn't all bad, if anything, there was a noticeable improvement in its art and animation. The fights carry more weight behind it (non-figuratively speaking), the character models remained far more consistent from frame to frame, and the issue regarding the flat backgrounds are better worked around. It's a more palatable experience overall, and that, at the very least, deserves some credit. Also, the color choices seemed better implemented. For example, the reds (burgundy to be more specific) and greens were far more eye-catching than the often acid washed look of the 1st season. It wasn't that big of a change but it was enough to be noticed on a panel to panel comparison.
As far as the soundtrack goes, most of the content from season one finds itself worked back into this season. If you liked S1's music score then S2 should suffice. However, the opening wasn't as instantaneous as the first. It feels more commonplace in comparison to the harmonious balance found between the vocals and instruments of the 1st season's musical number. Not a bad opening per se, just not as catchy as bellowing out "I'LL BE THERE, HOLD ON, THEY'LL CHANGE US SOMEHOW, SO WHERE ARE YOU NOWWW?", but it still gets the job done in its own way. Not singing in the shower level, but hey, music is subjective, so that depends entirely on the listener.

Owari no Seraph's 2nd season does improve a few aspects that 1st season was lacking but it also implemented things that were far worse as well. It took one step forward only to take two steps back. It's not the most aggravating title to watch but at the same time, it doesn't have a reason to exist (outside of Wit Studio milking a fanbase it helped establish).

Enjoyment: 5/10

Despite the more noticeable issues this season had in comparison to the 1st, I still can't bring myself to hate this franchise. It's really just a soulless product that comes and goes without registering any sort of response from me. The fights were better put-together but the narrative was more stupid. The animation was more eye-catching but the content being animated was dumb. In a way, it just balanced itself out. A series that's forever just "ok" in my head.

Overall: 3.5/10

Owari no Seraph is a show that's either passable or outright rejected betting on one factor, and that's personal experience. Like I've stated in my season one review, this anime serves as a gateway title to help you get a little insight into the medium's norm and season two only furthers that trend. But where the line is drawn is that factor, that personal experience. If you've been an active follower of anime for an extended period of time, you've undoubtedly seen numerous titles that play out in the exact same order to what Owari offers. And from that vast selection, you've probably seen it play out far better as well. So with that in mind, this anime isn't made for long time anime viewers, it's made for the bright-eyed newcomers who haven't consumed enough of these fast food titles to grow sick of them yet. Owari no Seraph can serve as a title to get others into the medium, but as far as those already steadfast in it, I cannot in good conscience recommend this John Smith: serial number 28927.

(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)

A few weeks ago, I shared a meal with my grandparents, brother, and other cousins. During the dinner, we talked about all manner of topics. Our grandfather’s brother named Georgie. The notion that bigger teeth brings beauty later in life. How awesome that grand meatball tasted.

At one point, the topic turned to familial connections, the bonds we share with each other. I stated that I would die for them. They are my family, so this statement sounds obvious. At least, I hope it is obvious for most.

I sincerely believe it. Strangers pass by. Friends come ... and go. But family. Family is forever. Yu of Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen believes the same. Unfortunately for Yu, he does not get to have dinner-made conversations. Instead, he gets an almost abysmal anime.

STORY

This second season (really the second half to the split-cour) of Owari no Seraph (called Nagoya from here on out) begins shortly after the first season (really the first half).

The anime has a glaring issue that persists across most of this season: nothing actually happens. Hyperbole, yes. Events occur and characters move, sure. But the conclusions or outcomes are no doubt insignificant when the bigger picture is looked at.

The anime has essentially five main conflicts that occur one after another. The first conflict is Yu’s team contrasted with Makoto’s team. The second is the multi-front battle. The third is the rescue attempt of Guren. The fourth is Yu aiding Mika. And the fifth and final conflict is the angel and demon clash at the end. Each conflict introduces drama, and each conflict does almost nothing.

The first conflict is designed to accentuate the inexperience of Yu and the other members. They get beat by Guren and reluctantly accepted by Makoto and his team. A nice approach – except for that fact that Makoto’s team gets decimated over the course of a few episodes. Two members are killed off by some vampires, two others are killed off by the angel-demon contraption, and Makoto is left alone. Meaning the initial comparison has nothing come of it since the (supposedly) less experienced squad moves on without a single loss.

The second conflict brings about a lot of action. People die, swords swing, and tension ensues. The purpose of the attack is to wipe out the vampires once and for all. But, as the anime shows, that is all a lie. The attack is nothing more than a sacrifice. In other words, the battling is just the myriad of characters and soldiers stalling for time – they are fighting for nothing.

This conflict is hurt further by the audience knowing nothing of the situation. The audience learns next to nothing about the vampire society. The audience learns next to nothing about the behind-the-scenes deception of the vampires and the humans. The audience learns next to nothing about the more otherworldly aspects – namely the angels and demons.

The third conflict revolves around getting Guren back after he gets captured. Yu being Yu, he decides to bring the fight to the vampires to save Guren, a man he considers part of his family. The resulting failure of the rescue – the attempt meant, in the end, nothing – is certainly an asinine development. But it is the later betrayal of Guren (regardless of whether he is in control or not) that turn his speeches on camaraderie and family into nothing. Plus, Guren ending up back with the humans means the rescue triply meant nothing.

The fourth conflict is arguably the only one that means anything more than nothing. Established in the first half of the split-cour, Mika works to save Yu from the “evil” humans, forcing him to go to impossible lengths to save Yu. Furthermore, the conflict is the only one that exists throughout most of the season leading up to its finale in the grocery store. Mika becoming a vampire, despite fighting off the temptations for years and years, could arguably be more nothing-based drama. But this conflict, compared to the others, actually has a meaningful impact on both the characters involved.

The fifth and final conflict is easily the sloppiest. The angel-demon contraption has nothing in terms of context. The vampires and the humans all do nothing as the demon comes forth. Krul Tepes is (supposedly) killed off when she does almost nothing to retaliate. Kazuki does nothing to save his sister despite how much his character is built on his strong relationship with her. Yu essentially resets everything back to how it was before the contraption appeared (minus a few characters), meaning nothing important happened plot-wise.

Collectively, the narrative does next to nothing.

ANIMATION

Nagoya continues, for the most part, the artistic direction and actual animation that it had with its first half.

The background art itself still has a painting-like quality to it. While the locations tend to blend together as grays, browns, and blacks, this dreariness contributes nicely to the dreary mood of the anime. Lighting is not as much of a focus, unfortunately, causing the anime to lose an opportunity to further cast darkness over the show.

Nagoya’s animated sequences are a mixed bag. Downtime does have some fluidity in eye or head movements, and there are even subtle shifts, such as Shinoa moving her hair out of the way to better hear Yu’s heart or Yu scooching backward while Mika rests in his arms and bites on his neck.

Of course, the anime also includes many a battle, yet, despite the swords, axes, and pikes, the anime rarely depicts choreographed fights. As such, the battles become less flashy and more simplistic with lots of cuts or smoke. Considering that the anime touts itself as having action, having these animated sequences be so lackluster adversely affects the anime.

However, there are certain sequences that prove Nagoya does not always rest on its laurels. In particular, the sequence where Mika battles through a road of enemies to get to Yu involves a lot of movement, perspective, and coolness. Other sequences, like the final fight between Yu and the demon or Yu and the gang versus the top-hat vampire, while not as involved, make the anime less static than it tends to be otherwise.

Lastly, the character designs remain the same as before. Shinoa, Yu, and the other humans are rather plain in design. Some have accessories like bows or glasses. Some have oddly colored hair. But generally their designs are not that intricate. The vampires are more eccentric than the humans, making the vampires’ designs more unique and therefore slightly stronger.

For both groups, their actual outfits are decorated with buttons, medals, and other additions. Most interesting of all is the choice of color. The humans wear black attire whereas the vampires wear white. Color symbolism often dictates that black equates to evilness and white equates to goodness. Meaning, having the colors swapped between who one would usually believe the good and bad guys to be induces a subconscious muddying of morality. An idea that, while not explicit, has a presence in the anime.

CHARACTERS

The characters of Nagoya are difficult to discuss mostly because the anime refuses to properly do much with them – nothingness seeped into the characters, too.

Out of the entire cast, only two characters receive adequate attention: Mika and Guren.

Mika continues mostly where he left off. The vampires dislike or toy with him, he hates humans, and all he thinks about is Yu – and blood. His refusal to fully turn himself into a vampire by consuming human blood (he has satiated his thirst through Krul Tepes’s blood all this time) begins to consume him, and it is this consumption that Nagoya focuses on with his character for about three-fourths of the season. His inability to control himself, his anger at himself for his urges, and his conflicting feelings towards humans.

All the while, he never stops thinking about Yu. His actions always revolve around finding or helping Yu and not disappointing him (by becoming the very creature that Yu hates). Consequently, in what is perhaps the anime’s smartest bit of writing, he and Yu finally reunite when Mika is at his most desperate. I.e., Mika’s thirst for blood and Yu reach an apex.

Yu, valuing family above all else (more on this shortly), gives Mika exactly what he wants: himself. Yu shares a private moment with Mika, he gives Mika his blood, and he reassures Mika that Mika will always be family to him – vampire or otherwise. The moment is nice, signifying development of Mika’s character. Afterwards, Mika still has trouble trusting humans, but he at least comes around for Shinoa and the others, turning him into the best character that Nagoya has to offer.

Guren is the other prominent character. Outwardly, he is a jerk, a rude and arrogant dude. Inwardly, he cares deeply for his squad mates – perhaps more so than anyone else.

Over the course of the season, he leads, he falls, and he “betrays.” Quotes because it technically is not his fault. His weapon had been implied to be difficult to control due to the strength of the spirit possessing it and Guren’s love for said spirit. (Shinoa’s older sister in both cases.) So him succumbing to temptation is not completely out of the question.

The real problem with the betrayal is that it (like the story) does next to nothing. Yes, Guren’s tears while in his possessed form indicate that his true self hates the kin-killing monster he becomes. But it serves little purpose. His actions do not drastically affect the outcome of the season. He does not confront major players besides Yu who, in response, just spouts even more dialogue on family. And, most importantly, Guren’s betrayal does nothing for himself. The betrayal (and, indeed, the whole season) does not provide growth for his character whatsoever.

To be fair, Guren is humanized through a flashback involving him and Yu. He compares himself to Yu, encouraging him, advising him to live and push on until the day he can fight for the one who needs his help. Shinya, seemingly his best friend, also humanizes Guren indirectly: Guren wholly trusts Shinya, counting on Shinya to save everyone in his stead and proving how good a friend Guren can be. These instances make up for some of the improper handling of his character but not all of it.

Now, due to the focus on Mika and Guren (and the focus on a story that does nothing), the rest of the cast is forgotten about. Deeply forgotten about. And that is putting it lightly.

Yu starts to leave his him-against-the-world mentality, relying more on his comrades and acting more friendly towards them. However, he still spouts the same dialogue about family over and over. He is certainly consistent in his ideals which deserves a small amount of praise, but he repeats the same thoughts on family ad nauseam, turning him into an annoyance rather than a worthwhile character. He does seem to gain some control of his powers near the end of the season, but, because the angel and demon concepts had gone unexplained up to that point, his control does not make much sense.

Shinoa, arguably the most popular character of the anime, loses her edge. In an attempt to mold her into a more serious, reliable leader, the anime cuts down on her smug, snarky attitude – her defining trait. The tradeoff, not surprisingly, failing to work. As a leader, she gets her group into horrible situations and even causes issues (and deaths) for others based on her decisions. And because her smugness heavily disappears, so does her intrigue. And despite her older sister gaining (a minimal amount of) relativity, Shinoa’s overall importance to the anime diminishes.

The rest of the main group – Mitsuba, Kimizuki, and Yoichi – are painfully forgotten about. Mitsuba has an older sister that seems to be working for the evil humans, but, similar to Shinoa, that relationship is not expounded on. Kimizuki gets a small moment near the end of the season where his beloved sister, the girl who his entire character revolves around, is subjected to horrific treatment. But when he is thwarted with a single sword stab and when he chooses to abandon his sister without putting up much of a fight, Kimizuki becomes more of a joke than a person. As for Yoichi, he may as well not even exist for how much the anime ignored him.

Everybody else cannot be discussed because they are even less prevalent than these three. And as far as themes are concerned, the obvious one is family. Different aspects of family are shown as the season goes on. Yu proves how far people are willing to go for their family when he throws himself into the fray. The commander of the humans proves what happens when one does not care about family. And the notion that family means more than shared blood rings throughout the season. The anime does not explore family on the vampire side, so the theme itself is not as strong as it could have been, but the theme is explored to some overall extent nonetheless.

A less obvious theme is that of temptation. Vampires are tempted by blood, and humans are tempted by freedom. But the theme is more nuanced than that. Mika is tempted (indirectly) by Yu. Guren is tempted by his weapon. Yu is tempted by family. For many of the characters, the prospect of attaining their desires drives them forward. To be fair, the theme itself has no outright exploration, but, since the angel-and-demon backdrop exists, the theme of sin – temptation and greed go hand-in-hand – cannot be ignored.

Does Mika, Guren, and some themes make up for the incredible amount of other problems the cast have?

Barely. Just barely.

SOUND

The opening track of Nagoya has to be talked about first because of how poor it is. The tone, especially in the beginning, is overly optimistic. As such, it contrasts too much with the dreary mood that the rest of the anime steeps itself in. The song also does not do the vocalist justice. She is either forced to sing in a standard, almost conversational tone or forced to strain for specific notes. The only interesting part of the piece is the otherworldly sound-effect that seems as though it is produced by dropping a piece of metal in an icy cavern. But (obviously) that is not enough to make the OP even remotely worth listening to.

The ending track, however, is a lot stronger. The beginning and middle adopt a captivating tone that is simultaneously chilling and beautiful. Varying the pace of the piece also furthers the song’s complexity which in turn furthers its strength. This time, the vocalist can flex her prowess, matching the song’s highs and lows, quicks and slows. The ending lyric is a bit silly – a “Trick Star” does not make much sense in the context of the anime let alone in real life – but, overall, the ED stands as a nice addition to Nagoya.

The original soundtrack (expectedly) uses the same kind of music that the first half used. Most of the tracks are filled with drums, triumph, and ominous sound-effects, setting the atmosphere in a manner that befits the oft soldierly show. None of the tracks are particularly noteworthy, however, so they remain as simple additions rather than praiseworthy ones.

Voice acting sees a similar fate. Saori Hayami’s feminine voice for Shinoa is still attractive to hear. Miyu Irino as Yu can be a bit grating when he starts pouting or yelling. And Kenichi Suzumura as Crowley coats his words with a childish lilt. The only above average performance comes from Kensho Ono as Mika for the struggle and pain one can hear in his voice.

ENJOYMENT

This type of show, where the characters are in danger of being killed off or maimed or otherwise needing help, usually gets me. I have to know if the characters are going to be all right because I just do not like being kept in the dark about their safety. And so, I found myself being pulled along by this one.

But that was the only trait keeping me interested. I was not a fan of any of the characters. Yu was too annoying; Mika was even more so. Mitsuba, Kimizuki, and Yoichi were barely relevant. Guren was too much of a jerk, and the other vampires were either too arrogant to root for or too lame to take seriously. And since Shinoa lost a lot of her smug, she too was not as fun to follow.

The action as well was uninteresting. None of the fights were cool or memorable. In fact, a lot of them blended together, especially when Yu and the humans almost never seemed to win or even succeed in any way.

The anime’s comedic moments were sparse. The anime’s drama was not gripping. The anime’s romance could have been more pronounced. I was simply not entertained by the vast majority of what the anime set out to do.

Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen has a slew of issues. The story does nothing, the characters are forgotten about, the animation is par for the course, the music likewise so, and, as a whole, it fails to entertain. Family may be forever, but, thankfully, this anime is not.

SUMMARY

Story: Terrible, so much nothing in the narrative it hurts

Animation: Fine, nice background art, okay character designs, and about average actual animation

Characters: Bad, themes on family and temptation surround Mika, Guren, and a spectacularly awful rest of the cast

Sound: Fine, bad OP, good ED, okay OST, okay VA performances

Enjoyment: Bad, the safety of the characters was the only enticing part

Final Score: 3/10

Owari no Seraph is the worst anime I have ever watched, after the mediocre season 1 ended it was hard to see whether the production company could do any worse. OMFG it got worse. The animation is poor at times.
The sound sometimes seems out of sync.
By episode 10 it is an utter snooze fest - plot lines are predictable, stupid at times because absolutely nothing made any sense.
Characters are lifeless and wooden, they took Mika's character and shit on it.
WTF, where did the King of Salt come from? Was to try and emulate my emotions while trying to force myself to watch this pile of ... shit?

For something that was supposed to emulate AoT, it seems a crime to even compare the two.

3/10 - I hope this burns in hell for all eternity!

Ah, Shonuen. For most, it's the gateway genre into anime as beating the shit out of people through epic action sequences with swords, magic, what have you is quite amusing to many, and the power of friendship or something like that is also quite fun to watch, apparently. But then you have series that just...sort of push the envelope on what they want to do and it just sort of...falls flat.

Story: Picking up from where the first season of Owari no Seraph ended off, Nagoya, as I'll call this second season continues our adventures of our merry family of vampire killers as they ... come across more secrets, more vampires, and well...a lot of spare blood dying.

Owari no Seraph has a very glaring issue when it comes to storytelling, and that is balance. Like the season before it, Nagoya focuses heavily on the 'bonds' between the members of the main cast and their bond together as 'family.' Now, as a concept, this would be ok, since most shonuen have this kind of concept to their storyline since most protagonists feel they need to SAVE EVERYONE or what have you. But in Owari's case, they really shove it down your throat. You can't really go five minutes in the show without someone shouting out either the word family or alluding to it, and it's just irritating. They focus so much on these bland characters and their 'connection as a family' that the show as a whole takes a nosedive in quality because they try to make us care about them more so than the actual plot of the show, thus bringing me to my next point.

The world of Owari no Seraph is decently crafted. Contrary to the first season, we get answers. Not many answers mind you, but answers. As such, the plot and what is happening does start to make some sense, and I genuinely think that the way this world was made is actually interesting. But because the show puts so much focus on the people of the show and not so much as to what is happening, the show really suffers since it's not really able to expressively give itself out as a story while it has these half-assed characters drag itself down with it. (Seriously though, the concept of the seraphs, demons, vampires, etc is all really interesting.)

And then we have one of the bigger issues aside from its bullshit family motif, the pacing. The pacing of the show is subpar at best. At time, it really drags itself out, while other times, it rushes itself a lot. For the most part, these pacing issues occur during the 'character' and the 'plot' parts respectively since, as I've mentioned before, the show puts more focus on its characters rather than its plot. In the end, we got a lot of possibly great storytelling with a lot of not so great parts in between it. Especially since the last episode had so much, but was a horrible end because they rushed it to all hell without any explanation and essentially set up a season 3. (Wit Studio, plz. Don't do this.)

Overview:
+ Good World (Honestly, the world that this show is in is quite interesting)
- Pacing issues
- Family motif. (It's not so much as a motif as it is a word they shove down your throat when you're watching.)

Characters: Oh, characters. I have quite a bone to pick with these character not only because they're bad, but because they...are...insufferable. A good majority of them are really quite bad to the point that you don't even want to root for them.

Contrary to most second season reviews I do, I have to mention these ones again. Yuu, as our main protagonist has shifted his role this season from an Eren clone vampire-killing maniac, to the guy who cannot go a single sentence or set of lines without mentioning the word family. It's so bad to the extent that I cannot really describe him any other way simply because that's what he is. He's a very one-note character with literally one character trait and he just isn't very interesting. In fact, he is a character, is one I could not really care much about simply because he's just so insufferable at times to watch.

Then we have Mikasa. Now, I am a strong believer that Mika would've made a much better protagonist than Yuu did before, since his entire deal in the series was to protect the last person that he considered his family, (still insufferable, but it made more sense here) and he dealt with the conflicts of now being a vampire when he was previously human. In this season however, he comes back more as a one-note character since his entire purpose is to "Protect Yuu-chan. Protect Yuu-chan!" which really isn't all that interesting and just adds to how average the characters are.

Other characters in the main cast, Shinoa, Mitsuba, Kimizuki, etc, are all pretty much shafted to the side. Guren however gets this trait that isn't ever really explained (but you can kind of infer) but really, these characters all don't change and are less important than they were made out to be in season one. That's not to say that's a bad thing since a lot of their character traits (except Shinoa, though, she is less snarky than she was before, and that's what made her great) are intolerable to listen to or deal with at times.

And then we have the side cast, or spare blood. Now, a lot of the characters that we are introduced to in this new season are for the most part, just fodder for the series. A lot of them get killed and it really doesn't really tug your heartstrings. This is mostly due to the fact that the show tries to really emphasize its 'character' half of the show but fails on account of its generally one note cast. As such, you have a lot of deaths that really either don't matter or are made without really any explanation as to why they were killed. (Note, what happened in the last episode.) Another issue is the lack of antagonist motivation. Ever villain has a motive for doing what they do, but in this case, the show doesn't really have much explanation. Both humans and vampires have villains with their own agenda, but because the show never fully devotes itself to the actual plot of the show, these 'villainous agendas' are left quite hung up to dry and really are just stupid for the most part since what they're doing is obviously dumb when you look at what's going on. (How do you save humanity by killing your own people? Anyone else see the fault in logic here?)

Overview:
- One note characters
- Most of the main cast kinda gets shafted
- Most of the cast is just spare blood for the most part
- Villains have unclear motivations
- Mika kinda sucks now...

Art: Produced by Wit Studio, Nagoya boasts the same kind of animation quality that its first season had. Having fluid battle scenes, high quality animation, and overall very nice effects, details, and stunning backgrounds.

There's not really much to say about the art because it genuinely is good, and there's really nothing bad to say.

Overview:
+ Good, high quality art

Sound: Inversely, the sound is a bit...meh. With its new OP made by Fripside called "Two souls", Nagoya has a bit of a different feel to its first OP since it's a bit more generic than its first opening. Fripside is a good artist, as she's done OPs for other shows like Black Bullet and Railgun, but this one...just doesn't seem to cut it.

The ED on the other hand has a more of a gospel or choir feel to it, harking back to the "seraph" of the show which similar to its respective OP, is a good song, but isn't really memorable or really all that special.

Overview:
+ Good songs
- Not really memorable or unique

Personal Enjoyment: I don't like Owari no Seraph. As a series, I feel like it had so much potential, but falls VERY flat because it tried to make itself a character-based show, when it really should be a plot-based show because it had so much potential and so many great concepts that just were either not explained, or were rushed with little to no explanation.

Did I like this anime?

I like the concept of the seraph and what it is in this series. Lack of explanation didn't help the show, but hey, it's the concept that really intrigued me.

What didn't I like about this anime?

Pretty much...everything else. The characters are insufferable, the concept of family is complete bullshit, the story is crap, the villains are crap, the amount of spare blood we have is stupidly large...need I say more? If it wasn't clear enough, I personally think that Owari no Seraph is just bad. There're far too many problems with it to make me even consider it as a half-decent series. Also, that goddamn ferrari in episode 6. Just...why was that even in there. Why?

Would I recommend this anime?

No. If you want to know anything about the series, read it. The timeframe that this anime provides and the amount of family stuff they choke you with equated to a lackluster story and lack of explanation. As such, a lot of the concepts that this show has is just not explained, the biggest reason as to why I say that this show is just not worth the time to watch.

SPOILERS! Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers! Do not go ahead unless you don't care about the plot, which you shouldn't anyway because it's predictable as hell.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And here's the second season of the uninspiring, cliche spewing show of Owari no Seraph.

To begin, I don't remember too much of the first season because it was unimpactful, however I do believe that it was at the very least, more enjoyable than this season.

Let's start with the OP. Why the hell was that song chosen for this series? It sounds like something for the Toaru no series, not this. Season 1 had a phenomenal OP and ED. However, this season's ... OP is absolutely terrible both song-wise and its sequence. The sequence is basically just a bunch of people making poses for the camera... that's it. Now the ED is better than the OP, but still nothing like season 1's ED which had a great song as well as a breathtaking and even mind provoking sequence (if you really want to think that hard). This season's ED just looks like something for a drama/romance series. It has very little relevance to the theme of the show.

Now the story for the second season is basically summarised in the title, "Battle in Nagoya". But before we get to that part there's a few episodes expanding on the situation and what not.

So firstly we're introduced to some kind of political infighting/stand off which results in Kimizuki and Yoichi getting tortured. But... they don't seem to mind (the entire party) because it seems to be something that should just occur naturally (wut). Kimizuki has a very good reason for accepting it (sister), but everyone else seems to accept it without too much issue. And I'll also mention that this event has no impact later whatsoever (or rather thus far).

The second event was 'demonic manifestation'. And how they overcome it, is basically the same as when they first got their weapons, just cos'. Demon makes illusion. User realises it's an illusion because the damn illusion itself is so unrealistic and out of whack within the story itself that even a five year old could probably distinguish it. And demon is overcomed... wow, such struggle...

For the main plot line it's basically just a bunch of fights with trash mobs (unimportant characters) dying off, probably to show 'maturity' (lol). And as for the fights themselves, they're very dull, boring and slow, making it feel worse than season 1. To describe it I will simply put it into three cases. The first is the faceless or generic faced vampires who basically get killed by a single offhanded practice swing, the second is the 'boss' fight which takes a little longer and results in either humans or vampires dying (depending which side's main character is present), and the last is background fighting where trash mobs swing at each other indefinitely or one of them gets on RNGesus's bad side and dies.

As for the conversations here's how it mainly goes between Yu and anyone else he talks to, basically:
Other person makes a realistic statement/evaluation about current situation which would be an logical remark at the time.
Yu complains and pulls out one of three responses:
1. Nakama (friends)
2. Kazoku (family)
3. Revenge against vampires
Afterwards the other person will look at Yu with shock and awe and realise how silly their original realistic remark was and immediately agree with Yu and forget that they even had an original thought in the first place.

So overall, if you liked season 1 would you like season 2? Maybe, but it does feel worse. If you didn't like season 1 would you like season 2? Definitely not, and you should probably go watch something else, like One Punch Man.

We return to post-apocalyptic Japan, where years earlier, all humans over the age of 13 were killed due to a mysterious illness. Yuuichirou Hyakuya and the rest of the Shinoa squad are now full-fledged members of the Moon Demon Company, [supposedly] one of the most elite military groups in the Vampire Extermination Unit. This season focuses on the battles that take place in Nagoya, a territory that has been overrun by the vampires.

Owari no Seraph first gained popularity as a less edgy version of the popular and wildly overrated anime Shingeki no Kyojin. Obviously the shows are very different, but the parallels certainly are there; ... some kind of supernatural threat (vampires, in this case) took over the world and wiped out a large portion of the human population. Humans survive by living inside a wall that said supernatural beings can't infiltrate. And our main character, like Eren Jaeger, is a hotheaded, ambitious teenage boy whose only goal is to defeat ALL the supernatural beings.

Unfortunately, there is one more similarity worth mentioning. Like Shingeki no Kyojin, Owari no Seraph is vastly overrated. The pilot episode of season 1 tells a compelling story of a boy who was forced to sacrifice his family in order to live and then swore revenge. It draws viewers in and elicits sympathy for the main character. However, the story quickly devolves into a vampire remix of traditional cliche shounen anime, filled with cheap asspull powerups and nakama speeches. Season 2 continues the Owari no Seraph tradition, but with even worse execution.

Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen has a few very large issues, but the biggest one in my opinion is with the plot. Even after 24 episodes, we the viewers have no idea what a seraph is, much less what a Seraph of the End is. We don't understand how demon possession works, or what the metaphysical foundation of the series is. It's never really clear what that big box in episode 11 is, nor do we ever learn what the mysterious trumpet is. Even the season finale introduces a lot of new concepts that we've never seen before. It has lots of completely new exposition, amounts SO copious it's alarming. We shouldn't be learning so much in a finale episode; we should be wrapping things up.

("King of Salt," really? That sounds like a snarky internet blogger.)

As if this horrible plot and pacing weren't bad enough, the characters in Owari no Seraph are also dislikable. I had a hard time choosing which side I was cheering for, because I honestly didn't care for the humans or vampires. The only characters I moderately liked in season 1 were Ferid and Shinoa, yet both of them in season 2 lacked the quirkiness that made them so unique and lovable. The members of Shinoa's squad, which received considerable development in season 1, fade to the background in this new season, causing an unfortunate shift in focus towards Yuu and Mika.

Yuu is an impulsive, naive brat who is far too confident in his abilities and thinks his belief in "kazoku" (family) can trump any and all evil. Mika is a severely one-sided character who has absolutely NO personality outside of caring for Yuu. Plus, he has serious communication issues. (Really now, how hard would it have been for him to EXPLAIN why the humans were dangerous?!) The two of them make such pathetic main characters that I'm starting to wonder if they only got the spotlight to pander to fujoshis. They are both such uninteresting, unremarkable characters that the only way they can keep the audience's interest is if the audience SHIPS THEM.

One of the saving graces of Owari no Seraph season 1 was its music. The OP and ED were well received; however, season 2's themes don't really have the same impact. Again, the OP has a lot of yaoibait, most definitely so fujoshis on Tumblr would have something to rant about. The ED was nothing special either. And while Owari no Seraph's OST is composed by Hiroyuki Sawano, season 2's soundtrack once again fails to stand out. Owari no Seraph has pretty good art, between the detailed character designs and controversial watercolor backgrounds. That said, season 2's art and animation suffered a noticeable decrease in quality at multiple times throughout the series. And with even the music and animation falling short, Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen doesn't have anything going for it, really.

Overall, it doesn't take a genius to see that Owari no Seraph was overrated from the beginning. That said, I was willing to give it multiple chances, as I have a weakness for hot vampires and good art. Unfortunately, however, Nagoya Kessen-hen was the final nail in the coffin. Unless I have a sudden change of heart or a hell of a lot of free time, I will NOT be watching any sequels that follow. The plot has deteriorated to such a point that I do not know--or CARE--what is happening. The entire story is riddled with tired shounen tropes that should have died out a long time ago. The characters aren't particularly endearing (minus Tsukki 2.0 and maybe Ferid), the music isn't that great, and the animation is unspectacular. There's nothing keeping me watching, and I kind of wish I hadn't wasted time on this season.

Final score: 3/10
Do I recommend it? No.

Sound 3

I cannot recall anything of the music from either seasons. That's a bad sign.

Art 6

While some scenes were very nicely animated, I just don't like the character designs at all and nothing really stands out for me.

They did this thing a lot where they'd have this painted background but then the actual characters would be brightly and clearly animated in front of it. The contrast was just really jarring.

As for character designs....Ugh. The main character could not have a more generic main character design. Black spiky hair. Angry-looking most of the time. Some nice green eyes. He was just so generic, and I ... haven't even gotten to his personality yet.

The blonde pig-tailed girl also had a terrible character design. Every time she'd come on screen I'd shield my eyes or try to avoid looking at her. Her hair was just so disgusting....And that brings me onto the other bad parts of the character designs.

Their hair. All of their hair was really ugly and distracting, like the girl's hair mentioned above. Also, the brown-haired, wimpy side-kick's hair bugged me throughout the entire show. He needs a hair cut or just a shave. Please. (I also really hated how the noses were drawn with a passion.)

The uniforms also really bothered me. They were quite detailed for a post-apocalyptic setting, like they put most of their research budget into developing those uniforms. Also, why did all of the girls except ONE wear skirts? Why? Just why? They are doing some serious combat and yet they have skirts. It just seems absolutely illogical, especially for an anime that seemed to be trying to take itself seriously (maybe?).

Characters 1

That's right, characters get a nice 1. They were atrocious. The only character I liked in the ENTIRE series was Mika. And he barely showed up at all in both seasons. And on top of that he was always full of angst and rarely made sense.

As for all of the other characters, their personalities were so cut and paste and bland that I don't even need to touch on them, except for one.

The main character. While he was basically a combination of Eren Jeager, with his constant call for revenge, and Natsu Dragontail(sp?), with his obsession with family, he really bugged me as a character. He is one of the most OP main character's I've ever come across. If something is not going well for him, he usually passes out and wakes up completely rejuvenated, and also with the added bonus of forgetting most of the bad stuff that happened. He also cannot be defeated. On top of having the special black demon weapon thing or whatever it's called, he has another extra bonus that I won't spoil. But basically whenever he needed a power-up that him being special couldn't already solve, he could go to his bonus. Using his bonus should have had really bad repercussions, but in fact it was the exact opposite. He can basically do anything and never be defeated. He's not even a character...More like a nice handy tool.

Story 1

I am kind reviewing both seasons, but as I don't remember many of the details from season 1, I'm just going to kind of describe the situation.

Owari no Seraph is what you'd get if you took the fantasies of a teenager full of angst and puberty and made it into an anime. There is no cohesion within the "story" and there are tons of unrealistic events. The humans are more like super-humans with their ability to survive serious injuries like large, gaping, holes in the gut and falling through four stories of building. There is absolutely no realism.

I don't even want to dwell on how bad this story is anymore. Le'ts just say that my favorite episode of both seasons is also the one that everyone happens to make the most crack videos out of.

Overall 3

DON'T WATCH THIS ANIME! ...unless you like crappy unrealistic fights and drama that makes little to no sense. Just shut your brain off and you'll likely enjoy it. I have a friend who is absolutely in love with this show, but then again she likes all of the anime I consider crap. It all depends on your tastes so don't take my word for it, we probably have different opinions (though probably not...don't watch this...you probably deserve better...).

From the standpoint of someone who watched this just to kill time during the daily commute:

Normally any such anime I watch just needs to have decent art/animation and explosions or similar to satisfy me. No character development or great story is expected. The first season fit this criteria, so I would have been fine with more of the same in the second.

The art and animation was fine, the fighting was fine, not too much drawn-out downtime nonsense, it should have had all the makings of a nice mediocre subway watch. But read on...

Now, anytime I watch shounen stuff I mentally steel myself for the ridiculous ... convictions the main characters tend to hold and spew forth at any given opportunity. But when it comes to Yu and his 'family', and their motivations and actions when it comes to 'family', I couldn't handle it. It got so much worse this second season. It's immature of me to be emotionally affected by an anime like this one but I will admit I got a little upset. The sheer stupidity and hypocrisy hit me like a sledgehammer. This is of course far from the only anime that contains this sort of thing but I simply cannot fathom why this IP is so popular given the above. I sure hope nobody thinks that his way of thinking is honorable or admirable. I was able to finish the season only because I held on to the improbable belief that all the main characters would die horribly as divine retribution.

tl;dr It was mediocre, but my personal sensitivity to the extreme nonsense that counts as the main character's reason for existence made it next to unwatchable. I finished it half because I am a glutton for punishment and half because it was just a timekiller on the commute anyway.

This anime

Characters (1/10): OMG! Has there ever been a group of characters more clique than these guys, the MC is a pain up the backside. He is so selfish, inconsiderate and impulsive its mind-numbing. A complete waste of space who you don't care about and don't want to route for the need to focus attention on him often means not being able to spend time on the other interesting elements in the story. While said elements are underdeveloped, part of the reason for this could well be the refusal of the series to allow us to leave the MC for an extended period of time ... to catch up with other characters in a meaningful way.

Shinoa, AHHHH! She held so much promise in the first season, she was spunky, sarcastic, I liked her purple hair. This season she becomes a complete damsel in distress. I swear she did not use her weapon more than once this entire season. Every time she is about to defend herself the MC swoops in and saves her, HOW IS THAT FUCKING POSSIBLE? She has been in the Demon Army WAY LONGER THAN HIM, and yet she is completely incapable of defending herself! The other blonde chick whose name I can't remember is just useless and another girl whose crazy for the MC.

Shihō Kimizuki's personality while somewhat different is still to close to that of the main character's to warrant him a place in this anime. We already have one hot headed guy with a sibling who they deeply care but are separated from, we don't need another. If giving them similar backstories was used to get them to relate to one and other and stop fighting it has been done in such an lame way that its not even worth giving credit to.

Not talking about the brown haired dude, he does nothing as is of no importance, end of discussion.

The other two squads are boring as hell, I have no idea who they are and what their purpose is so I can't even really tell you about them or evaluate them.

Mikaela Hyakuya: The issue with this character is that he was created in relation to the personality of the MC and hence does not have any uniqueness to his character. All the traits which the MC has this guy, his adopted brother of sorts does not have. This obsession on the part of the creators for the two to be polar opposites at all times greatly limits the scope for character development. Its just a theory but one reason the MC never becomes as mature and logical as we would like him to be is because Mikaela in the creators eye's already fulfils this role and hence to have the MC gain such attributes to such an extent that no longer depends on Mikaela as much as he does would bring down the story. This of course is a load of bullshit. Negative and emotionless Mikaela is just annoying and someone who like the MC in fact does not want to seem to see what is right in front of him and face it head on. In fact he would much rather run away which he mentions multiple times to the MC. The situation however is that the conflict which they are both engulfed in makes this impossible. Also when your at war and you want to save those who love, man up, drink the blood and go full vampire!

Fetid Bathory: A character who I feel has potential but this is not reached through the duration of the show. In my opinion he goes from being an arsehole who is just messing around to someone who does in fact have a multi-layered plan to achieve his aims. As we have no idea as to his motivations however and we don't get to see him concocting his schemes this part of the narrative is not as engaging as it should be. I will however say that his walk is ON POINT. If he never gets kicked out of the army he needs to get himself on the catwalks of Paris. If you where heels or want to, get a notepad and learn something from this guy.

Guren Ichinose: Positive first shall we? I love his demon mode. Over the past two seasons this is a man who its clear is holding back when it comes to facing his enemies. To see him at full strength and let go of his inhibitions was great to see. Also unlike the Seraph transformation I am glad that his human and demon selfs look pretty much exactly the same excluding the eyes. I think a monster who looks like a man is always more frighting than whatever the seraphs are meant to be. Like all the cast he suffers from lack of character development. Out of all the characters however he is the most well rounded I feel and if it were up to me I would much rather have had this story be told from his perspective rather than the MC's.

FINAL POINT. WHY IS ANYONE IN THIS ANIME EVEN FIGHTING? On both sides no one really seems to care if there side wins (they don't act in a way that would help anyway) and if they do they way in which they go about it is sneaky and downright inhumane so you can't even admire them for it. Everyone in this anime seems to be focused on something other than ensuring victory for their cause. By the end of the season most of the characters who did once care about beating the other side to a pulp (MC etc) no longer put that at the top of their priorities. Those who are still actively fighting for one side doing it because they have an ulterior motive, because their power hungry or because they have nothing better to do and warfare is all they know even if they can't stand it. As you can imagine because they don't care you don't care and the stakes feel non-existent. When your watching an anime about a war in a post apocalyptic world with two sides fighting for survival and you don't care who wins, you know there's a problem.

Art: The art is solid in this anime however there are a few things in the character design I take issue with. First why do all the buildings look the same? I admit I have never been to Japan but the characters do cover significant ground in this season hence I don't understand how one part of the city can look the exact same as another.

Story: WTF happened this season? This story was messy and all over the place, to be honset I cannot even tell you what happened. The pacing was so poor I skipped masses of minutes in episodes, and yes I can tell review this anime having done that because even if you don't watch about 2/3 of this anime the story STAYS THE SAME. Tons of filler with people standing around talking, often in the middle of battle. I often forgot there was even a war going on. Furthermore while this season was based around a campaign that was sold as having significance to the war against vampires overall this ramifications of Demon's Army's Plan was not made apparent until the very last episode. There was no buildup whatsoever, the preceding episodes were completely devoid of tension.

Enjoyment: I hated this anime. I don't even know why I watched it, the first season made it appear as if this anime was going somewhere interesting and then this season just let me down completely. You will stare at your computer screen asking WTF AM I WATCHING THIS?! If your like me and have only been fully committed to anime for the last few years (3 for me) and still have alto of classics to get through like I do then don't watch this, there are way better this both old and recent than this. Heck if your a sane human being don't watch this! Its not anime but if I wanna see the two brothers, one crazy, overpowered and reckless as fuck and the other tormented, classy and controlled go through thick and thin I'll watch The Originals.

Final Score: (2/10)

P.S: I did not go into all the areas of this anime because its so bad and the more I write the more I relieve it. I hope I gave you enough reasons TO NEVER WATCH THIS ANIME! Also I gave this anime a 4 which I now note is to high and will be changing ASAP.

This season doesn't even come close in terms of overall enjoyment to the first season. The storyline was chaotic and disorganized, it seemed to jump back and forth throughout the season - never settling down. The plot wasn't complex - it just didn't follow logic nor did it make much sense. I guess you could call it unique but not necessarily in a positive way.

The art was consistent with the kind found in the first season - industry standard and well-made, though nothing special. The backgrounds fit in well, accentuating rather than deterring from the scenes they were home to. ... The character designs were unique and none of the characters looked similar to one another. The artists didn't skimp out on this one - they made every character look distinct.

The characters were even less well-rounded than in the first season. My review of the first season highlighted the lack of depth in the characters shown. This season is an even worse offender in this regard. The entire show surrounds a war between humans and vampires and doesn't stop to consider the feelings of the characters mindlessly taking part in the bloodshed. That being said, the main antagonists turned out to be a surprise and not whom the viewer would expect to be villains.

I didn't find much joy watching this season of Owari no Seraph. However, it was necessary to complete the show and absorb as much of the storyline as possible. If you're a fan of constant exaggerated anime-style warfare, you'll likely relate to this season. I won't be rewatching Owari no Seraph unless the next season is released. The show ends on a terrible cliffhanger/plot twist and leaves the viewer feeling lost in the dark. Owari No Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen is not "awful" but there are certainly other anime out there more worthy of your time.

The second season delves more into the struggles of having a loved one on the opposite side of war. Mika the second main character adds depth to the story because of his selfishness, fear, and love towards his family. He is willing to sacrifice everything to have the companionship of a loved one. The stakes and losses are higher in the story. But the recklessness and stubbornness of the other main character ruin the story.

Also, the impact of the war only affects the side characters deeply not the main cast. And since there are no heavy burdens on them other than survival and protecting ... one another making the show shallow, because they have plot armor. The twist at the end was not well executed and we know the main characters will go into danger again because of the protagonist.

Owari no Seraph: Nagoya Kessen-hen

And here, too, little has changed. I honestly found the finale relatively creative in terms of the visually individual flow. But everything along the way, this was a purely generic fantasy/action anime with no real highlights or standouts. Even though I honestly found the rampage of Mikaele relatively interesting. In a better anime series, that scene could have really shined. But yet again, I found the scene really refreshing and appealing.

[Story 4]

The events of the first season continue, of course with the same deep-seated low quality. And no, that doesn't mean the animation.

The author still tried to pick up ... so many different concepts and couldn't do any of them justice, making the story feel like a mediocre action game from 2001. Including all the melodramatic aspects that were so popular back then.

[Characters 3]

I at least like the approach that they tried to make something out of Guren, despite everything he has been my favorite among the characters. To see what else the author has created with him, I'll just have to look into the manga. Nothing really happened in the anime itself. And he is clearly the best character.

The remainder were still cannon fodder, the stereo type group of the protagonist. And the Qlique of evil vampires. I liked them thanks to their style and appealing character. Unfortunately, none of them were convincing until the end of the second season. Especially not the guy with the bow who fires 2 arrows per season.

[Animations 6] Above average and satisfactorily done for an action based series after all. It had especially 2 moments of brilliance, like the fight between Mikaele and the demon hunter squad. Also the animations around the king of salt.

However, this also held enough within limits to not expect too much. I'm glad that at least a satisfactory amount of visual entertainment was offered.

[Music 5]

The outro is just about average, though. intro on the other hand is bad, both visually and musically nothing more than a cheap intro. I would have expected this level of music in any rom-com school novel.

The Osts, on the other hand, had some quality, especially the "King of Salt" theme has some recognition value.


Conclusion

Owari no Seraph is not a bad anime, but it falls just short of average quality. It's a collection of various ideas, with no real content or creativity enclosed within. The show just drags on and on before your eyes until the end.

However, for simple entertainment it's more than good enough, at least I can't say that I was bored to death.

[Enjoyment 5]

Overall, this anime was pretty bland and lacked that spark of excitement you would want from some fantasy story.

(Spoilers from season 1 + 2)

The plot mixes unnatural creatures and the modern world into one (which was strange because the idea of seeing lambos and helicopters in a story about vampires and demons seems very odd to me).

As for the characters, I rated them a 4. In season one, we see the change Yuu had once he understands that teamwork is necessary and he can’t fight alone, in this season, there is absolutely no change in development in him. All that’s new is that he has ... some scary god form who could defeat an Angel with salt.

None of the characters change throughout the series, they are just side characters who added no value to the plot. Kimizuki and Yoichi who’d you expect to be a big part of the plot, was just a random character thrown next to Yuu and kept yelling at him for his teeth gritting actions, same goes for mitsu and shinoa.

There are so many goals to achieve in a story, but the plot strays further from it and continues to add more and more unanswered questions. “Do you know how to change a vampire back to a human?” “No.” *fasts forward to saving guren and not one hint of how to revert vampires back to humans* it would be decades before we get to that point if the story just continues to fight vampires and kill more people.

I wasn’t surprised that this was pretty mediocre, as season 1 wasn’t as great either, but I honestly say this was worst than the first season. Barely any questions are answered, but more “plot twists,” keep appearing.

That being said, the OP, ED, and animation was solid. I did enjoy the Mika and Yuu interactions, even if it was only a couple minutes worth.