The story continues where we left off in the first season. The autumn elections are proceeding into the head to head matches. For those of you who thought this was a dragging part of the show, i'm afraid you'll be disappointed in this season. Nine of the thirteen episodes are dedicated to finishing the elections, and the ending is predictable, but not terrible. The last four episodes are dedicated to Souma growing again as he faces the next set of challenges. This nicely sets us up for another season, which i'll be looking forward to.
The art is top quality again. Soundtrack same as usual, though none of the music caught me.
The characters were mostly the same as they were in the previous season. There was little in the way of character development for anyone who didn't make it into the next stage of the elections. A new character was introduced and some side plots emerged a little but mostly everyone was the same. My only gripe here was that some of the characters lost a bit of the charm and the dialogue felt a bit forced and annoying. "You cant hope to beat me!" was literally said dozens of times. It just felt a little cheap and overused.
Overall I enjoyed this season but again it didn't feel as good. This season only had 13 episodes to work with and even though certain event were dragged out, it still felt rushed. The pacing of the first season was slow perhaps, but well done. Unfortunately there was something off with this seasons presentation and the pacing to be equally as good. For those who didn't like the ecchi bits of the first season, you may find the second season more appealing. There was far less sexual themed visions. This may seem like a win, but it also was a loss. Like I mentioned in my other review, even though it was over the top is still was able to convey the feeling of the food. This season though descriptive, was lackluster. It felt like the excitement, and the food was a bit wilted.
I think they did the right thing by showing us all of the cook off's. Though this season may have taken a dive in enjoyment, they left us with new possibilities and finished a section that could have meant the end of the show. I'll chalk this up to being a springboard season and await a fresh and enjoying season 3.
TLDR: Finishing up first season. Bit of a drop in quality in terms of characters and enjoyment. However it was still rather enjoyable.
