Reviews

Bastard season 2 continues many of the same problems as previous seasons. Schneider is still boringly OP and what little plot emerges is too little too late. In fact, season 2 actually manages to exacerbate these problems. For example, a large number of new characters are introduced yet they receive little to no characterisation. However one of the most annoying problems with this series was its treatment of the female cast. The show had always  been fanservice heavy but its ramped up to eleven in some scenes in season 2, and not in a good way. Fanservice can be done well however bastard s2 is not an example of this. One notable example comes in a bathing scene where Tio Noto Yoko is bathing alone. Schenider comes in gets physical with her. She says no. Repeatedly. He continues and receives no real comeuppance or punishment outside of the usual anime comedy tropes. On the subject of badly written women, Arshes Nei, who was introduced in season 1 as an impressive General, a powerful figure in her own right, has since then degenerated into little more than a simp for Dark Schneider who does little other than cry over her relationship with him and pine for him on her own, in forest hut, for two whole years (the series takes place after a time skip) just because Schneider once told her do this, when she was a child!


Overall, the writing and characterisation is just as bad, if not worse, than previous season. If you want a fantasy themed villain protagonist anime that's better written. Watch Overlord instead.