Arifureta Season 2 Review: Much Better Than the First

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest has wrapped up its second season along with the rest of the Winter 2022 anime offerings, and it was a much better experience than the first! Ryo Shirakome and Takayaki's original novel series made its anime adaptation debut back in 2019, and response to the series was pretty mixed. Following along with many other Isekai projects that saw a classroom transported to another world, the main differentiator for this project was just how edgy it actually got. So edgy in fact that it really cycled between trying too hard and becoming an ironically enjoyable action experience. 

It was the kind of experience that eventually came together as the first season ended (especially with the English dub release kicking Hajime further into that B movie action hero territory), so there was a bit of hype leading into the second season. The first season was just as notable for its many issues as its successes (and in some cases even more so), so there was a curiosity as to whether or not the second season would follow in those footsteps. Thankfully, it really doesn't. There's a much better balance of the good with the rougher elements. 

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Season 2 kicks off a little while after the events of the first season, and is boosted by the fact that asread is now teaming up with Studio Mother rather than with White FOX seen in the first season. It's a little tougher to tell just how much has changed from one production to the other, but the second season feels glossier and a little more well put together than the first. Character designs are a little softer around the edges this time around, but it's not a huge difference in terms of overall design from one season to the next. 

There is a noticeable improvement of the CG animated sequences, however. Models are animated better, and are a complete visual overhaul from the ones seen in the first season. In terms of the traditionally animated fight sequences, it's sort of the same seen in the first season. Hajime's heavy gun arsenal doesn't really spark in terms of creative staging or movement. Much like the first season, the second revels in these moments where Hajime has a huge display of technological power. Unfortunately, they aren't terribly visually interesting either. The lighting is much better here, however, and thus is less obscured overall.

The main issue that many had with the first season is also why many others enjoy the series. It's edgier main character speaks with a harsh tongue but still ends up saving the day anyway. His need to seek revenge on his classmates drove him through that first season, but the second no longer has to deal with this. It benefits from having a Hajime that had grown to be more forgiving of others, and less prickly overall. He's still the same edge lord, but it's a bit sanded down. So it just feels like there's less wasted time in telling a story. 

That story itself isn't very compelling, however, and that's sort of the series as a whole too. It's more of Hajime exploring labyrinths, taking on enemies, and highly telegraphed betrayals. At this point it's become a sort of enjoyable snack that really helped during the weekly anime watching process. You could watch and episode of two of the second season in between some of the more challenging or more blockbuster level projects. It's like the second season hits exactly in just the right way it needs to.

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest's second season fulfills that need every anime fan has of a fun series that might not have very many standout sequences, but is still a pleasant watch. It's not emotionally rich, narratively complex, and nor does it have a compelling lore, but it's also hard to turn away. Watch one episode, watch two, and suddenly the whole season has gone by. Definitely a much better ride than the first season. 

Rating: 3 out 5

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest S2 is now streaming on FunimationNOW. The first season can be found on Crunchyroll.