Hataraku maó-sama! - Season 2

It took almost ten years, but the sequel is finally here, and it’s far from disappointing. Its above-average quality still largely builds on the characters and their interactions. The chemistry between them still works after all these years. The atmosphere and vibe of the whole series are just as enjoyable as before, and the plot is still interesting enough. Some things start to unravel a bit in the last few episodes and others get slightly tangled up, which balances out the middle part (the beach and farm episodes) where I sometimes felt like nothing important was happening. New characters have appeared, and all I can say about them is that Alas Ramus is incredibly cute, Lyra is quite interesting, and I want to know more about her role in the story. She's obviously very important to both main characters. Gabriel is a witty yet dangerous and cunning enemy that I appreciate more than Sariel in Season 1. The show is still very enjoyable for me despite some of its weaker parts. What I didn't like, though, is the new animation style. I know Studio 3Hz very well, I've seen almost all of their work and I like it, but here it just feels off. I recognize most of the characters visually, but something about them feels different, and even the attention to detail and drawing just seems worse than in the first season. Plus, most of the fights that take place here feel worse overall, sort of bland and dull. Yes, you can get used to the style, and the fights aren't everything, but it still takes at least a point away from an otherwise great experience. When I subtract half a point for the weaker plot in places, I'm at 7.5/10 which corresponds to how much fun I had. It's still a decent and above-average series for me, driven by the characters, story, and atmosphere. I’m even looking forward to the third season which has been announced for 2023, but compared to the first (almost a decade older) season, it leaves a little to be desired (especially in terms of the visuals). (29.09.2022)