Cooking with Valkyries II

Note: I am going to start by saying I adore Honkai Impact 3rd and everything around it, so this review would likely be more suited to someone who knows the Honkai story well which is why some may feel this could be rated too high. There's no point in me trying to rate solely off the anime on its own as its apart of that universe, also others have already done that. ____________________________________________________________________ Story: The story on the surface is reasonably simple and along the same vein as the first series. The valks + friends are doing various things in their daily life in this much happier alternate universeand show off the various meals they like to make/eat. There are some fun underlying story references from the game's main story dotted around too which are a great touch. Though the story isn't anything crazy but serves the series well. - 7/10 Art: The art seems to be a step up from the previous series and looks well directed, not only in the character design work but also through more effects used in animation (motion blur, shading ect...) also feels much smoother too which is a welcome addition. The food also looks amazing and makes me hungry every episode. - 8/10 Sound: Just like the first season, the second is both dubbed in JP and CN by the original voice actors, this just makes the anime feel like a perfect addition to the main story, giving a very familiar when watching. There are many fun sound effects used too like fading in and out voices and using great environmental sounds. Along with these hearing the sounds of food sizzling in a frying pan is always so nice. - 9/10 Character: Because this is a review including people's pre-knowledge on the game story/lore I assume that you know who they are quite well. In this series the cast are exactly how you would imagine them to be in these situations, using various items from the game story and having knowledge on things which make sense for their character. Along with this being able to see the characters in ways you could never see in the game is also an amazing sight. No issues at all with them all and loved seeing them together. - 10/10 Enjoyment: I absolutely loved watching this, as a fan being able to see the girls together having a good time is a really nice change from the dark mood the game story has. I also managed to learn a few recipes of my own which I plan to make, though undoubtedly not as good as how the girls make them look (other than Kiana, may do better than her). It's the perfect calm, happy side to the action-packed, dark main story of Honkai and each episode had me smiling throughout. Only thing I would ask is for the episodes just to be a bit longer, sometimes it ends just as im at peak enjoyment and end up saying "nooo is it over already". - 9/10 Overall: Just like an ice cream after a spicy meal this series is great at elevating the pain which the game's story produces. It's filled with cute and funny moments which had me smiling ear to ear throughout and many interactions which we are unlikely to see through Honkai Impact 3rd with many easter eggs as a nice addition. Even without knowing Honkai I believe many can still enjoy this cute healing anime without the prior knowledge of the world. I just hope they extend the episode lengths and one day soon make a season 3. - 9/10