(two stars like this ** means that there is a spoiler coming up, and you should skip to the next set of stars)
And here we come to a sequel. Sequels can be a good thing, if expressed correctly and if it is relevant to the parent story, much like an OVA. And let’s be honest – if a show is THAT good, and it ends in a sort of open ended way, shouldn’t it just stay like that? I mean, I’m pretty sure no one wants to know what happened to Azmaria at the end of Chrono Crusade. And though I used to hope for it, I like the way the Code Geass series ended. You were left with either believing he was dead or alive in some other world. Quite honestly, I think that’s the best kind of ending – one that you’ll remember long after finishing the story. And this sequel is just passable. I preferred the way the first season ended, because it was just at the cataclysm that Ciel dies. Or, it was assumed so. I just don’t like the way it all took off. And sadly, it doesn’t look like they’re done. (I'm grading this according to the MAL number ruling - a six is fair, meaning its not great but it isn't bad either.
Art:
The art hasn’t changed much if at all from the first season. If there was a change, then it was so small I couldn’t even notice it. So I’ll give it the same art score I would’ve given the first season.
Sounds:
Nothing to say about the ending and opening soundtracks. They weren’t overly enjoyable or disappointing, they were just ok. The soundtrack in the show, however, is a different story. The sound track of the second season is just as enjoyable as the soundtrack of the first. Beautiful melodies that mask sorrow or that exempt it all together – that’s the kind of music you can hope to hear from this show.
Story:
To make it simply and clear: There really is no story at the beginning. The first episode brings Ciel back, and then it’s just…“what?” until episode 6. Don’t get me wrong, you enjoy this arc, as you reminisce with old characters, but it all seems irrelevant to the story – and that’s a problem. This, to me, is always what can make any viewer drop an anime. If the show flies way out with an idea or its arc is too long and irrelevant, you gotta wonder why you’re still watching it. I can’t tell you how many shows I was excited to watch, that I ended up dropping because the arcs got too boring and I began to question its relevance. But this is not the case, it was a little over played, yes, but it was enjoyable, and that makes up for it. In the end, the reconciliation of the characters, though late and not very deep, is strong, albeit a little more confusing than it should have been.
Characters:
Ciel and Sebastian are old news. Elizabeth has very obviously taken a liking to Ciel, even more so than is noticeable in the first season. And sadly, you don’t get to see much of her after the first few episodes. And then we get to Alois Trancy. A homoerotic, sadistic **(actually gay, as we see in the first scene)** freak. **People may argue that he was forced into it, but he doesn’t seem at all deeply affected by it. Almost like it just doesn’t bother him.** He is utterly disgusting and despicable to say the least. It’s not because he’s gay, but because of the way he acts and the way he treats others. His butler, Claude, is another freaky one. When you meet him, you sort of get the feeling he’s like…Sebastian from wal-mart. Like, Sebastian is a nicely polished Lamborghini or BMW, and Claude is just a cheap knock off, like a 90’s era Toyota Corolla, or Dodge Grand Caravan. They just don’t compare. Maybe I’m being a little biased, perhaps because I already know Sebastian from the first season and have seen just how good he is at what he does. And, his humor has upped its ante from the first season – there was one specific part that I couldn’t stop laughing about midway through the series that I had to watch again and again. You also start to wonder what the hell other characters are even doing in the story. And the truth is, you won’t know until you get to episode 5 or whatever, when the story starts to make sense, as they’re all explaining what has happened thus far. In simpler terms, your favorite characters don’t exactly get enough air time this time around. I was honestly hoping for some more bonding with Lizzy. But that was shot.
Enjoyment:
While I still wouldn’t exactly categorize this show as pure fan service or maybe even partly fan service, it does deliver a lot of what you’re hoping to see. Not because its eye candy, although that is sometimes the case, but because it relates to the story, or helps set up a premise to the next or future setting. I thoroughly enjoyed this series. Even though the first few episodes you’re confused to no end, the last few episodes stick to the main plot and the point it is trying to get across is received clearly. Though, the ending was probably a disappointment simply because it ended, and made you think that the story could honestly have just not even started if it was going to end the way it did. **With Sebastian being trapped into eternal loyalty.**
Faults:
I think the series was a great piece of work, but to be perfectly honest, it almost seems like the creators tried to make something out of nothing. I think that they wanted another season, and to make it possible, they brought Ciel back. He was dead at the end of the first season, and it should have just ended there. If the production team had wanted to do more work, they could’ve just chosen to do an entirely new series. I wanted to watch this sequel because I assumed it would ONLY be based on Alois Trancy and his butler. **Now, however, they’re both dead.** And it only seems like it’ll get worse, as word of a possible 3rd season is going around.
Overall:
This being a direct sequel, you are obligated to watch the first season in order to get this one. I honestly thought this was going to be a standalone show with just Alois, but that was wrong. Way wrong. Anywho, it was a great watch. I have personally been getting pretty bored with all the new anime coming out this season, as they are either too cliché or they haven’t finished (I had a bad experience waiting for Bakemonogatari to finish, since I started watching it a week before the last episode was supposed to come out, only to find out that the last episode was going to be coming out HALF A DAMN YEAR LATER). I’ve started to watch MM! and the new To-LOVE-ru, and hope to finish them soon to write a review.
