KAKANLen09
December 22, 2024
Mixed Feelings
Reincarnated as an Aristocrat, Round 2 — This Isekai has evolved into something better, and I can finally say that this is quality Isekai...though with a set of quirks that still lags it down. It's safe to say that since Spring of this year, novelist Mirajin A's Tensei Kizoku, Kantei Skill de Nariagaru a.k.a As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World, has actually a lot of things going for it that makes it a quality "Isekai reincarnation" story in the making, though it wasn't fully realized when it seems that the series is taking the split-cour treatment to haveboth seasons air just a season apart so that the quality of the anime can be improved upon. And just after its opening notes of 6 months past, here we are back again on the second inning of the series, which dives straight into the menaces of wartime democracy. The question here for Season 2: Did the Appraisal portion actually improve on this portion of the series? And I have to say that it's a yes, though it's more of a wary "yes" than anything.
With Season 2 focusing much on the Missian war arc, at this point in time, Ars Louvent and the gang, after having the former's father pass away, have a good notion for the son to move on to better things ahead. He and everyone must prepare for the impending war at hand to progress Missian as once an autonomous country that, with the setbacks of its predecessors, divided the land into provinces, each their own, back to solvency and harmony once again. That's quite the lofty goal coming from a reincarnated young boy, who's now a Lord in his own right and leading people beneath him to ensure that friend or foe, everyone deserves a second chance in the pursuit of harmony. The thing is, reality is not so simple as to follow one ambitious dream, as the battle between good and evil has its drawbacks, with sacrifices having to be made as each person sees issues differently, specifically the rivalry between the Salamahkia family, to which the clear divide between brothers Couran and Vasmarque has drawn this war to a stalemate to unite Missian altogether. One must go, and the other will live on to see his dreams be realized once the generals have been culled, once and for all.
You can pretty much take my overall thoughts about Season 1 and apply it here, because they haven't quite addressed any significance about the characters themselves, though in this season, Ars got quite the upgrade that was sorely needed with his Appraisal abilities on the people that he hadn't yet met (which still is the focal point despite all of the war going on). Some people will like to lament that Ars's character development deteriorated because of the wartime subterfuge that he's not used to, and while I agree this to an extent, the son having his father Raven teach him about warfare back in Season 1 being the kicker to prepare for what Season 2's content lies ahead solves only half of the experience as a boy that's the equivalent of a peace treaty paper. But still, you cannot discount that Ars has been given proper development in the face of adversity when innocent lives are on the line from the pledging towards the loyalty of a young one who technically is only half-prepared on his wits for battle, despite his intelligent mindset thanks to his one and only valuable skill.
Putting the series in a split-cour format only will result in constraints in production, and sadly, Studio MOTHER and series director Takao Kato were wholly underprepared for the amount of time they had to spruce up Season 2 being heavy on the action department. It's very telling when sacrifices have to be made to make the non-stop, endless battles interesting, and it shows when production went sloppy at certain moments of the season. Season 1 looked better by a mile, but that's because the action wasn't as prominent as is the case for the sequel here.
The music, however, took a nosedive here. I don't know what it is, but while the OST remains consistent (as it's ever been), now the OP and ED songs have become boring as well. Not to shame on PassCode and Yuki Tanaka for their efforts, but Season 1 clearly wins this by tenfold.
When all else fails, the story will make up much of the experience, but don't count Tensei Kizoku, Kantei Skill de Nariagaru a.k.a As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World, in the same shoes as a similar show in its regard: last season's Shinmai Ossan Boukensha a.k.a The Ossan Newbie Adventurer. My criticism is that Mirajin A did improve on some things (like Ars's Appraisal skill) that make the series stand out, but like Season 1, it inches on key events to help make the difference that, depending on your outlook, will either shine or wither.
For me to say that Season 2 was pretty much like the first, but on the deteriorating side, I was hopeful that it could be a small improvement to aid what Season 1 had set up, but ended up having mixed feelings about it. It's still as tolerable, with the discretion that your mileage will vary on how you critique the series to begin with.
