The first season struggled with episode length. While an episode was 8 minutes, the show only had 6 minutes of runtime, with 2 minutes of nonsense. While the anime progressed, the length increased from 8 minutes to 13, however, there was still a lot of nonsense after an episode ended. Season 2 seems to have changed this and almost the entire episode is an episode (compare season 1 ep 1, and season 2 ep 1, and you'll understand what I mean.
The anime style has completely changed from the first season. Usually, movie animations are crisper, which is fine for a short amount of time. However, the entire season has a crisp feel to it, and it can become hard to watch.
With the end of season 1, I was sure XFLAG didn't have more content to deliver. However, I a happy to have been proven wrong. Season 2 adds more characters, more monsters, and a new storyline that blend smoothly with the first season. There is now time for character development, and it is very enjoyable.
The first season did a great job of breaking the 4th wall, but it would get really annoying at times (again, more nonsense). The second season, on the other hand, has limited the breaking of the wall to a minimum, which is a huge plus.
Overall, I really enjoyed this anime. Other reviews across the internet tend to bash this anime. The issue is that those reviewers played the game before the anime came out, and it didn't live up to their expectations. I still have not played the game, so I really enjoy this anime. I would personally recommend watching season 1 and the OVAs, before playing the monster strike game. But that's just my honest opinion.
Now, it's on to season 3!
-JNutt22
