Tsubasa Chronicle 2nd Season

Compared to the first season in which I did really like, the 2nd season was less climatic and actually more 'peaceful', yet I kept watching it till the end, probably just to see a resolution to the story or maybe just due to liking the main characters.

Animation: This is what I shall always be critical about, I have never liked BeeTrain's style which tends to drag the story and make everything slower paced than they are supposed to be. Noir and Madlax have been a snore fest for me, Tsubasa Chronicles although having a manga to backup, had almost the same pacing with characters wearing ... static expressions throughout the episodes with the exceptions of a few gasps and shouts... I mean... they are even lazy to make livelier expressions! And due to NHK restrictions, everything has been toned down. A little more blood and gore like the anime X or as projected in the manga would have propelled this anime to a higher rating, how they tried to make everything bloodless just seemed awkward. Don't misunderstand, CLAMPs art is still really good, its just the animation that did not live up to standards

Sound: No one has complaints here, Yuki Kajiura's music continues to excel with some great tracks like Crying Alone, Aikoi and Broken Sword of Justice, in fact, almost everyone would agree that the music is the main factor that still keeps viewers interested. For this season I preferred the ending to the opening, an uplifting, lively song full of hope and happiness, perfectly suited for Syaoran and Sakura's feelings. The seiyuus gave the same pleasing performances as before.

Story: there were some arcs that were very good, like the Ashura arc, Kurogane's past and the Piffle arc. Some fillers were quite interesting too while some others like back to ChunHyang's world were just too repetitive. It was very apparant that they were trying to save the 2nd Syaoran bit as a climax for the next season by dragging out the plot to the extent of turning it into 'finding one feather an episode'. Therefore as an intermediate bit for the Tsubasa series, this season didn't leave too strong of an impression, yet it did succeed in leaving some questions and desire for the next season, thanks to the excellent Kurogane arc and the mysterious 'Syaoran in the tube' which gave hints to the other side of Tsubasa, a darker and unpredictable plot which was to be unfolded in the future.

Character: The good point of Tsubasa is that the group of main characters are basically lovable, with different personalities and from different backgrounds, yet giving off a feel like they are one big happy family who care for each other very much. Mainly 2 obvious character developments were done in this season, including the background story of Kurogane and most importantly, Sakura does have a bit more development compared to the walking shell in the 1st season. Syaoran, Mokona and Fai were still their usual selves but I never minded that because seeing this group interacting is basically one of the fun moments of Tsubasa. Although thanks to the rigid animation, the characters still gave off a rather stony, lifeless feel. It may just be me but yes, compared to the other animated Clamp works, this seemed too obvious.

I did still enjoy this series, thanks to the excellent music and my love for the Sakura+Syaoran pairing but still I can't help thinking this could have been handled a lot better with such a strong manga to back it up. In other words, it had potential, but it just didn't live up to most expectations.
If you are fond of the first season though you might like the second season. However it would be advisable not to read the manga first or you'd get very disappointed with how this anime turned out to be

Choose the title you find more appropriate: Tsubasa Filler Chronicles or Tsubasa Disappointing Chronicles, because either way, I wouldn't exactly call this an actual "season two".

STORY: CLAMP's ever so popular (And probably my favorite CLAMP title) massive cross over manga series, Tsubasa, continues on it's second anime season.

With it's likable main cast: the determined Syaoran, the kind and sweet Sakura, gruff swordsman Kurogane, the goofy but mysterious Fai, and of course the mascot, Mokona all in toll, most fans are expecting another enjoyable (and hopefully with a faster paced story) world(s) traveling adventure as they continue to collect feathers in order to return Sakura's lost ... memories.

And from what I can tell, that's exactly what the producers were hoping for, that the fans love the characters just enough to watch this season, so they can get away with very pointless episodes, and with little actual story material only follow about three story arcs from the manga that barely cover half of the animes episode span, and the rest of it becoming boring filler episodes (With nine straight filler episodes until its end).
It's not that these episodes are the most absolutely terrible things in the world, it's just that the writers, unfortunately, seem to have taken advantage of the traveling to different worlds concept for the sake of being a cash in, with no effort on expanding the story.
And what's the worse side-effect of a mostly filler season? Little to almost no character development at all.
The cast are simply boring husks of themselves, they don't develop, they don't do anything different, they just stay the same.

Going further into laziness, this anime constantly rehashes all of it's side characters from various other series created by CLAMP, which is another concept that got taken advantage of from the manga, that even fans of other CLAMP titles will tire of these recurring characters. Which was something manga was charming and famous for.
Another noticeable fact is the series main antagonist does little to nothing at all in the story (Less than what what he did in the manga I mean) except a few chats with his female subordinate or a few speeches.
And in the end, hardly any progress is made in the story, that ended up becoming just a waste of time.

ART: Constant low budget animation, that sometimes have obvious quality issues, and Tsubasa deserved better than this, even flipping through pages of the manga looked better than half of the anime, which only adds to the disappointment.

SOUND: But unlike the animation, it appears that they had put effort with a bigger budget for the background music, though there are some techno background music that sounds totally out of place, and the theme music is nothing special compared to season one's.
The english dub in the first season suffered a lot from the voice actors having to get used to their roles in a slow start up feel, but thankfully in season two it's not the main problem anymore.
The english cast itself is quite an impressive line up with big name voice actors Vic Mignogna, Chris Sabat, Monica Rial, and Jason Liebrecht voicing the main cast.
Especially Chris Sabat who is well suited for Kurogane and Monica Rial was an excellent choice for Sakura.
But even with the improvements to the english dub, it is still underwhelming.

OVERALL:
The Good:
+ The Tsubasa crew enters in its "second season."

The Bad:
- Almost no character development at all.
- Very boring filler episodes make up the majority of the season, taking advantage of several concepts the manga has in order to make these episodes.
- Bland theme music and a sub par english dub.
- Disappointing animation.

I feel that by the end of the season many fans will feel that they wasted their time, but not completely hate it, just feel very disappointed that very little of manga's story made it's way to the anime's "second season".

When first presented with Tsubasa Chronicle’s not inconsiderable length of fifty-two episodes across two seasons, I found myself lulled into a naïve state of optimism—surely, such ample time would suffice to unfurl a narrative rich and satisfyingly complete. Alas, dear reader, how woefully mistaken I was, though perhaps the middling score on MAL should have served as a prophetic warning.

One might excuse older anime series their indulgence in filler episodes; indeed, many manage to weave through these superfluous detours toward an agreeable, if not wholly gratifying, conclusion. Tsubasa, however, exhibits no such decorum. Instead, it ambles aimlessly, squandering vast stretches of its runtime on trivial ... filler, achieving neither resolution nor narrative clarity. This approach culminates, absurdly, in an ending so threadbare that the anime virtually demands its viewers take up the manga, thus arrogantly assuming patience and enthusiasm still persist after such narrative betrayal.

Indeed, it is maddeningly perplexing how a series endowed with fifty-two episodes could manage to resolve virtually none of the tantalizing enigmas it promised—most egregiously, the true identity and intentions of the principal antagonist, or the cryptic origins of the eye-patched Syaoran. These mysteries were teased and foreshadowed with deceptive elegance, enticing one to believe their eventual clarification imminent—only to leave them cruelly dangling in perpetual suspense. Such narrative negligence compelled me—a reluctant manga reader by admission—to forsake my usual preferences and seek answers in the source material.

To compound my distress, one considers the current landscape of anime—replete with morally vacuous harems and uninspired isekais—which, inexplicably, receive more thorough, considered adaptations. The irony is bitter indeed, dear viewer, that such productions enjoy a lavish treatment denied to a story of Tsubasa’s inherent potential and intrigue.

The visual execution of Tsubasa Chronicle offers no solace either. Animation—or rather, the lack thereof—descends frequently into abject mediocrity, presenting scenes predominantly composed of lifeless still frames devoid of any meaningful kinetic grace. More distracting still is the deplorable inconsistency of character art, especially glaring in the depiction of Sakura, whose features fluctuate alarmingly from scene to scene. I am normally forgiving of such technical lapses, provided they remain unobtrusive; however, the visuals of Tsubasa were persistently and distractingly inadequate, thereby sabotaging what little immersion the narrative occasionally achieved.

If one is to find a redeeming grace, it is unquestionably Yuki Kajiura’s exquisite musical score, which, regrettably, serves only to accentuate the discordance between artistic aspiration and shoddy realization. Apart from this singular exception, the remainder of the soundtrack is thoroughly unremarkable, with opening and ending themes so lackluster that their melodies dissipate from memory before they have properly concluded.

Regarding the dramatis personae, they fare scarcely better. The characters, though not outright objectionable, suffer grievously in comparison with their more vibrant manga counterparts. Rendered blandly generic by the anime’s indifferent scripting, they scarcely evolve beyond superficial caricatures. The notable exception to this dreariness is Mokona, whose spirited demeanor alone injects a fleeting moment of genuine charm into an otherwise monotonous affair. Shockingly, certain key characters—including the aforementioned principal antagonist—are not even granted the courtesy of being named, further underscoring the adaptation's neglect.

The dismal disparity between anime and manga grows ever more apparent upon exploration of the manga’s depths. The anime, reduced to a simplistic adventure sprinkled with occasional comedic relief, scarcely hints at the manga’s true narrative complexity and emotional resonance. Indeed, discerning canon from filler was trivial—canon episodes radiated depth, advanced character arcs, and propelled the story forward, whereas filler episodes lingered as tedious, inconsequential interludes marred by thematic inconsistencies and hastily contrived explanations.

Although I have yet to explore the OVAs—which reputedly possess greater merit—I am painfully aware they too fail to provide narrative closure. Thus, my disappointment in Tsubasa Chronicle remains profoundly undiminished.

In closing, I fervently implore CLAMP to advocate for a complete remake, executed by a studio of sufficient caliber—perhaps Production I.G., Madhouse, or, daring to dream, ufotable. Merely appending a third season would be wholly inadequate. Until such an improbable day arrives, I shall confine my attentions exclusively to the manga, finding solace within pages unsullied by the anime's manifold deficiencies.