Record of Ragnarok II

A sequal that overcame its crucial flaws in order to deliver a highly entertaining cinematic expereience. Whilst not to say it has reached the quality of the big name shows, the fight choreography and animation has improved substantially from the first season. Movements and strikes are much more fluid and impactful. Frames are fresh and no longer recycled. Suspense is kept between scene cuts without excessive stalling. Character designs continue to be unique and flavorful, with the opening fight of this season, featuring Hercules versus Jack the ripper, being one of the best fights seen so far. The backstories are more in depth and coveredwith much more detail, as well as presenting much better motivations and targets for the fighters. The worst offender of the first season is the disasterous use of comedy, which was thankfully removed almost entirely in season 2. There was still some jokes here and there, and not all at the best of timings, but overall the immersion was not broken or ruined at all. If you have watched the first season, this sequal is the best part of it, minus the stuff that made season one feel unwatchable. I hope if this anime gets a third season, the production team follows the examples of this season to deliver another enjoyable anime.

It doesn't really have a plot, but each fight is like a final boss fight of an anime series. The depiction of the gods are also really creative, and beautifully drawn. I really like how they portrayed Buddah. They go in depth into the background of each fighter, which reminded me of Fate/Zero. I'd recommend this anime to people who like Baki fight scenes, and also people who are into Gods from all sorts of civilizations. There isn't really a good guy/bad guy in this series. The second season is definately better than the first season in my opion. I really enjoyed this anime!

The first part of the second season of Record of Ragnarok definitely has seen an improvement in production values. The use of 3D animation is far more desirable than the previous iteration. Unfortunately, passable animation, while an enhancement, is still not enough to overcome the lack of substance in the narrative. The matchups remain amusing, but more is needed to overcome the void left in storytelling. Like before, too many characters leave not enough room for meaningful exploration. The relevant audience members, valkyries, and remaining combatants simply exist, and basic knowledge dialogue explanations leave some characters feeling incompetent. This can be entertaining, but little else.