This time, with the addition of a sports anime episode, the parody elements aren't only picking from the magical girl and BL genres! There are also even more references to significant Japanese cultural icons and staples that may go over the heads of a Western audience, but there is plenty of situational humor that is enjoyable and easy to grasp.
Admittedly, season 2 does try to do too many things. By giving the antagonists a more complex backstory and tossing in a commentary about idol culture (because idols were trendy at the time and still are), the story garners a lot of interest... but the pacing is less than ideal. The hints and flashbacks scattered throughout the season succeeded at building suspense, only to dump a lot of exposition that leads to more questions in the finale. In the process, it created fascinating new characters that are easy to get attached to! Unfortunately, if you aren't a fan of idols or twincest (a la Ouran High School Host Club), the antagonists of this arc may not be your cup of tea.
As for the returning main cast, despite the episodes that attempt to provide some answers to lingering questions in season 1, their stories are largely left open-ended and ripe for fan interpretation. Plus, for anyone looking to expand their 18+ shipping repertoire, more adult characters join the ensemble and there is oh-so-much potential!
While the monsters of the week are still occasionally very relatable, the increase in gross humor this season detracts from the catharsis of their healing, which had become such a staple of the original season for many fans. Yumoto's speeches to them often felt less impactful this time around. Thankfully, not all of them felt rushed or dissonant to the problems the monsters were facing, but enough of them did that it was noticeable, although this may have been intended to reflect how the Battle Lovers care even less about fighting than before. As the primary focus shifts to humor that pokes fun at the bizarreness of antagonists struggling to engage heroes who refuse to respond, if you are a fan of season 1 and are expecting season 2 to treat the Loveless the same way, this shift in tone may be disappointing.
Overall, I highly recommend this season to anyone who enjoyed the concept of the original show and is looking for another 12 episodes of silly parody fun with the Battle Lovers and their ridiculous space grandpa.
