Sit back relax, pray to god, whisper “Ains-sama,” cast EXPLOSION while returning from death as I present to you the anime review of Isekai Quartet season two. Lets begin shall we?
Note: the format of this review will be different than my usual reviews as I’ll simply be going over what’s new and briefly go over what stayed the same.
That being said, let’s quickly over what stayed the same; which is the animation and ost. If you were not a fan of the art-style from season one, then this won’t change your mind as it has pretty much stayed the same as it was. Same goes with the ost as it really hasn’t changed as well and is still some of the songs from the shows on display. So if you were a fan of both from season one, then I’m sure it will please you.
Now onto the rest. Season 2 picks up right where we left off with Roswaal introducing the new transfer students, which turned out to be Naofumi, Raphtalia and Filo from Rising of the Shield Hero. They get introduced to the rest of our cast who are now accustomed to school and they continue on with school life.
Again, the plot is very basic because it’s relying on the established characters to make the entertainment and put them in different scenarios; which still works. The scenario’s range from working part time jobs to playing a simple game of dodgeball to maintain the chemistry between our characters. Since they are more chummy now after getting used to one another, their interactions feel more natural. BUT, this affects one of the main charms about Isekai Quartet. One of the main reasons why season one worked was because of us predicting how these characters would interact with one another and watching it in action. Season two lacks this and now is relying on pure chemistry with each other to make it work. And while it does work, it doesn’t have the same draw factor. This season had to rely on the cast of Shield Hero to fill that void. In short though, it was very lacklustre.
The inclusion of the main cast of Shield Hero felt like nothing more than this season’s gimmick because, outside of episode one, they merely make cameos the majority of the time. They don’t really add much to the show as a whole and their chemistry with the rest of the cast was disappointing. Look, I get it, it’s a Quartet, but you would think that they would have a more significant role. But instead, they are merely forced into positions just to make their cameos.
Then there is the new opening and ending sequence. The opening, “Isekai Showtime” is less catchy than the season one opening and aims to be more stylish as a showcase. It once again shows off the main cast as they literally sing in a quartet as a performance, whereas the first opening was just confusion about the characters’ surroundings. Do I think this opening is better than season one? Well they are about the same in terms of enjoyment, even though they are slightly different. Same goes with the ED as it basically uses the same formula from season one’s ED. "Ponkotsu! Isekai Theater,” is sung this time by the actual best girls of their respective series Shalltear, Megumin, Rem and Viktoriya. It’s another quartet sing-along used in season one with 8-bit pixel designs of the characters. Again, it’s about the same in terms of enjoyment but not as endearing as season one.
And that last sentence really carries throughout the show. What Isekai Quartet is is a novelty and the thing is that novelties tend to wear off and it has started to take in effect for me. While I still enjoyed season two and had plenty of good jokes and comedic moments; with my favourites being how Kazuma wants to get chocolate from girls and the Wall of Jericho reference, it didn’t have the same impact as it did in season one. By the end, the novelty of these Isekai franchises living in the same world had worn off and now I just want more of their respective series. As much as I like seeing Ains and company on the screen interacting with these other Isekai characters, all it does is make me wish Madhouse would make season four of Overlord already. Same goes with Youjo Senki due to the movie leaving us on another cliffhanger. The inclusion of Shield Hero didn’t shake things up as much as I hoped and while it wasn’t the only Isekai franchise to make an appearance, it was the main draw and it honestly failed in my opinion.
I may seem negative when it comes to season two but I did enjoy my time as the formula did not change and the character interactions are still the main highlight, it’s just the formula is now starting to wear down on me. The novelty is wearing off. When we get season three, I hope we get more screen-time of other Isekai characters that can really shake things up. But for now, I will take what I can get.
Story: 5.5/10
Characters: 6/10
Animation: 7/10
Sound: 6/10
My Personal Enjoyment: 7/10
Overall score: 6.3/10 Recommendation: Consider it
