driveknight said:I don't know if I have changed over the years or if season 2 is much better but I am enjoying it way more. From what I remember a lot of the running gags in season 1 I wasn't a fan of are less common in season 2. The world building in s2 seems better because we are given context as to how strong the different races really are as well as the main cast, which I'm sure would make the season 1 rewatch much better which was intended. Also season 1 felt more like "now we meet this person, now we meet this person". This is still in s2, to some degree, but with such a large cast new and returning characters are able to play off each other and create tons of different dynamics.
Let me know what your opinions are of both seasons, I'm very interested.
I'm only on ep 13 of s2 so no spoilers past then please.
I'm a novel and manga reader.
What I can say is that while seasons 1 and 2 are relatively faithful to the novel, there's a lot of problems in season 1 overall due to them rushing through certain arcs and cutting all the world building established through Makoto's internal monologues. I also found season 1 focused a lot more on the comedic and episodic moments, rather than really giving characters room to breathe. Season 2 is similar, but I find it improves on the pacing and storytelling, as well as the world building albeit some details are still lost. Characters are given the moments they need to flesh themselves out, but what I believe Season 1 and 2 horribly fail to capture is Makoto's growing mentality and character development which rely on his internal monologues and subtle clues throughout the novel. Much of what you should understand about him after S1, you just can't due to all the cuts. For instance, his growing detachment from humanity as the series goes on is something I feel is never well expressed in Season 1 or Season 2. It's part of what makes him such a a tragic character, central to the world, and such an incredibly lethal force in the world of Tsukimichi. I tend to enjoy stories where the protagonist is central to their own journey rather than the entire world, so I can appreciate different perspectives. However, Makoto is written so well as a driving force in Tsukimichi's world that his perspective remains compelling and engaging for me. He has no value for life and kills anyone unrelated to him that hurts those he considers his family without hesitation, even with regards to the major factions he destabilizes or the casualties of his actions. Even his vengeance to kill the Goddess is a path of destruction for everyone around him, but he still desires it. There's an incredible amount of psychological warfare and moral conflicts with others and himself that Makoto faces over the series that are not able to be expressed in the anime like they are in the source material, and so Makoto comes across as a CLICHE isekai hero when he's a complete DECONSTRUCTION of the isekai hero.
If I am to speak on other characters, I can also say that the anime focuses largely on Tomoe's light hearted moments which make her seem less multidimensional than she is in the novel where she becomes more well versed with strategy and tactics as the series goes on to become Makoto's right hand. Mio's backstory and psychological struggles when first meeting Makoto and her overcoming them to become more devoted to him are also completely skipped so she just suddenly appears to do a character shift in the anime instead. Another small misconception in the anime about Makoto is by cutting out important monologues and conversations, making him seem dense. In reality, he sees Tomoe and Mio as family and he's unable to love them in a romantic way which they come to understand, choosing to support Makoto in more independent ways while still holding onto their feelings for him. Shiki's also a multifaceted character in the novels that's completely sidelined in the anime as just an advisor side character, when he has many sides to himself, and personally grows after meeting Makoto finding a unique purpose. I'm not even going to speak on the antagonists or other characters like those in the Adventure Guild, who feel more like plot devices in the anime, compared to the incredibly complex and deep characters they are in the novel that change the world around them and deeply influence Makoto.
Personally speaking, I only picked up the novel and manga after watching and loving episode 1 of season 1, as I could already tell things were being left out. I'm honestly so happy I did. To summarize, the novel author puts a lot of consideration into philosophical ideas like morality, the duality of Makoto's nature (human and inhuman), or the burden of power. He really develops and fleshes out characters well especially Makoto with his multitude of flaws like his growing detachment with his humanity, or his growing performance as a merchant as he fails and changes his mindset learning significant lessons that help him become more well-balanced, have greater foresight, and see the consequences of his decisions. These are things that are all not well expressed in the anime adaptations as they forsake the intricate world building and character depth for the sake of speeding things along.
Anyways, sorry for the ramble. I just love to talk about this series as I'm still reading it and it just keeps getting better. To be clear, I'm not saying I don't still love the anime. I still do, but I'm just pointing out how the issues in this anime as an adaptation of the novel have led to the varying problems you mentioned experiencing with S1 and S2 (with some specific details). Also, these aren't spoilers. These are mostly things that should be understood by the end of Season 1 and some by the end of Season 2, but they really can't be understood without reading the novel up to the point where S2 ends. NOVEL >>> MANGA >> ANIME |
