Isekai Cheat Magician: Yoiboshi no Matsuri to Majutsushi

As I was watching this I was constantly thinking that this wasn't as bad as the main ep's.* I ended up questioning if this was true and if it was true, why?
Was it because it's been two years since the 12 ep's first aired?
Was it because they decided on a different, overused, simple idea which the audience could possibly relate to better?
Maybe it's because they decided to not take itself too seriously which made it so the horrible fights didn't return?
And when it did take itself seriously, was it ever fitting and not over the top?
Yes to all, that being said they only could go ... so far with what they already had which made it so, at it's best it was somewhat enjoyable and at it's worst, you've felt you've already seen this done both in the same quality and better. To be honest you probably have which begs the questions:
Is this worth watching, and where does this stand score wise?
Short answers:
No/5
Long answers:
Assuming you've already seen the 12 ep's, you enjoyed them, and you haven't seen many specials like this then this will be worth your time. If even one of those is not depicting you then I'd advise you to stay away.
To answer the next we would need to have an understanding of what has happened in the ep soooooooo
Plot: . . . festival, booths, failure, shaved ice, dancing, and 1 minute ghost.
Great, got it? Good, now if that seems somewhat average for a "special" than you better believe that it's in the range from a 4-6, for the score. So I decided to give it a 5, not a 4 due to a grave visit for the later appearing 1 min ghost and my own enjoyment.

Ep's/Ep = Episodes/Episode

I just finished watching the main series, so watching this little extra episode seemed like a no-brainer. So, was this episode any good? Well, let's hop in and find out, shall we?

Story
After the battle at the capital, the heroes get to enjoy some R&R as a festival draws near. This is the perfect setup for a standalone episode like this one because viewers need breaks after world-shattering events, not to mention that characters need character development and to think about what has happened to them.

The basic plotline is that this festival allows the living to spend time with their dead relatives, facilitated by the magic ... of this world. This, of course, gives Taichi the opportunity to find closure after the death of Anastasia, a girl he met back in the original series. There isn't much I can say beyond that, but it still makes for a fun episode. (7/10)

Characters
Again, the character writing is what really elevates Isekai Cheat Magician. The episode itself is just the characters just having fun and Taichi himself getting to enjoy one intimate moment with a girl he loved. We also get to see characters from previous episodes get to have fun. (8/10)

Art
Because of the quieter and more relaxed atmopshere of the episode, the show doesn't need to go all out with its visual effects and instead can give more focus to the characters. (7/10)

Sounds
Since I watched the original series in English, I felt that watching this episode in its original Japanese was a nice change of pace. I shouldn't be surprised considering the talent involved in this series. We already know how talented Rie Takahashi (Rin), Sayaka Oohara (Lemiya) and Minami Tanaka (Myura) are, but I think this is the first time I listen to Kouhei Amasaki (Taichi) in a main role. Props to the guy. (8/10)

Conclusion
Not every installment in an action series needs to be big and epic. Sometimes, stories can benefit from smaller and slower-paced episodes like this one. No, this episode doesn't advance the main story in any meaningful way, but I do recommend it for the great character moments and the humor. (7/10)

The series was let down both by its generic nature and the generally low production standards, but I thought it all made sense and it had some promising elements. This extra episode was a surprise and although it suffers from the same quality issues I have to say that as a little bonus story it worked.

We revisit the main group of characters as they prepare for a 'day of the dead' type event, do some reminiscing and just hang around, slice of life style with a smidgin of romance. It was honestly nice to see the characters given some breathing room to develop their relationships ... just a tiny bit without the need to charge off after some plot and the ghost cameo at the end was a really nice touch.

When adventure shows do these one-off type episodes that put the characters in a light-hearted slice of life situation like doing a festival or just shopping around the town, it's only fun for the audience if those characters have manage to create a rapport or be likeable in any way. When you're instead actively rooting for against the happiness of those characters because you hate them so much, watching them do anything fun becomes torturous. I made it no secret how much I dislike this series and it's characters in my main review. I don't want to see them going to parties and eating shaved ... ice and dancing with ghosts. 4/10 I'd rather watch Sword Art again