The Misfit of Demon King Academy 2 - Reviews

The second season of The Misfit of Demon King Academy is one of the greatest examples of how and why not to do a second season of a great anime. The first season of the series was amazing. On paper it was a stereotypical example of a generic Isekai but the execution was flawless and as the story unfolded it drip fed you these small hints at a greater story that built up to an awesome and satisfying conclusion. All of which the 2nd season almost immediately throws out the window.

The second season starts with a retcon, adding in this new character that "was there the whole time!" and really minimizes the work the first season put in. After which it proceeds to do nothing new, the second season retreads a lot of ground the first season covered and doesn't add anything new or interesting to the conversation. The second season jumped the shark; it should have ended with the original series. 

This review is only based on paricial episodes, as this show is currently on hiatus. I expected a decent sequel, maybe not as fun as the first season (which was a pleasant surprise) , but generic fun. However....I'm not sure what this is. I reviewed S1 before starting S2 and I still can't follow what is happening. What is going on? Please read at lease the section about the plot before bothering with this sesaon.

Animation

Animation is fine. Nothing special, but far from terrible. Doesn't stand out wither way.

Characters

Not going to bothing into details here, because if you're reading this, chances are you've seen S1 and know most of them. There are just two major things I wanted to touch on. First, the voice actor for Anos was changed. And I'm not sure if its just the voice/tone, or if its the writing too, but his character seems to have suddenly changed dramatically. If you told me that in the next episode it would be revealed an evil character had been masquerading as Anos since the first episode, I'd believe you. It's a jarring personality change for a main character.

Secondly, they introduced a pile of side characters, mostly baddies, and I can't for the life of me figure out who they are, who they work for, and why they are there. I noticed one seemed to be a good guy for a scene? Didn't make sense. I'll get into more of this in a second, but again, I can't believe how much has changed from S1. S1 was easy to follow, and now I only know who the main characters are.

Story

Mostly going to focus on the writing. The TERRIBLE writing. This season is so much of a mess, I literally have no idea what is happening. And I know it is not just me. Some folks in the forum, and the person I'm watching it with, are also completely lost. It's moving at a slow pace, but it is just not possible to follow what is happening. I'm not sure of the exact reason; could be from too many irrelevant side characters, an unclear overall goal, confusing scenes, shifting tones....whatever it is, it makes the show basically unwatchable. I have seen four episodes and I honestly have no clue what is happening. I don't think I've ever watched an anime with such a poorly written plot. It's not like a mystery series where the viewer is purposely kept in the dark about plot points for reveals. The characters are literally wandering about for whatever reason, doing whatever it is they are doing, and I don't know who anyone is. You have to fuck up pretty bad to confuse viewers this much.



Overall

I enjoyed the first season. It's not the type of show I typically watch, but after seeing a few clips I decided to check it out and I had fun with it. I was looking forward to this season. However, it's just unwatchable. The plot is such a mess it's unclear what is actually happening for episodes at a time. And that's not just my opinion, it is confusing for others as well. Since S1 had a good wrapped up ending, I think it's best if we all collectively forget this season exists.

Look, I love Season 1... But Season 2 was just... bland...

it was hard to follow the plot and the things that made Season 1 great was not even incorporated into S2... we know he is OP, but even so... he hides himself because reasons... and now suddenly things happened in the past that wasnt mentioned in Season 1... it feels like they created plots in the back story for use in Season 2.... its all over the place like my comment... thats how much this season made me angry... i had to drop this by episode 8... and it took me long to even get to 8...Id rather watch a talking vending machine than this season

Just a normal anime that can be enjoyed by many.

Yes, very helpful review, I know.

6/10. Nothing else to say.

This reminds me of "a certain magical index" where the story is so convoluted and long winded at times, it subtracts from the enjoyment. You can still watch it, but you have to have the right mind set. It'll definately make more sense if you binge watch it.

The main char is OP and thats ok if you still have challenges in the story in the right way, such as the struggles of subordinates (it does).

A large chunk of this season is a love story or two which is a bit annoying as usual, but also good at times and ultimately ends in a satisfying way.