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.
