Don't you just hate when you're watching a show, and absolutely nothing happens? Think if you're watching pokemon or Naruto and you just hit a stream of filler. That is how I felt about the second season of ZnT. Between the plot, characters, and pacing, things are either not developed, or wholly discarded outright.
As a standalone show, this series was actually better than the first. There were a number of different plotlines, political intrigue, battles and etc. that made this a pretty decent watch. And that would be all well and good, if this were its own series. The problem here, is that this is the second season of an original show, and is not only vastly different, but a complete departure from everything developed in the first part of the show.
I started watching ZnT because I was looking for a funny drama/comedy with an eclectic cast of characters, and in many ways, that was exactly what I got. The first season of the show introduced us to some interesting people, while developing Saito's split feelings about leaving home and staying loyal to Louise, all which culminated in an interesting final battle.
The second season throws this all completely out the window, using plot points and people only when it is convenient for them. Series mainstays like Kirche, Tabitha, and Guiche are pushed aside in favor of the "Musketeer Guard" and their leader Agnes. Agnes was nowhere near as interesting as anyone from season 1, and her Dungletail plotline took up valuable screentime. Did this subplot have ANYTHING to do with ANY of the main characters? NO. Agnes should have upped and solved her issue by herself, rather than dragging the whole show down with her. The Musketeer guard is never explained (as guns were a complete novelty to people at the end of season 1, seeing Zero in action). In addition, Zero was only used for travel, and really lost the luster that made it such a cool development at the end of season 1. The interesting points about humans and machinery from Earth is also dropped, in favor of reviving Prince Wales just so she could tell Henrietta (whom apparently he loved?) that she can date other guys.
This was not the only plotline that suffered. The story is no longer about Louise and Saito, but about the princess and agnes. Instead of solving their own problems and finding themselves, both mains are relegated to the position of "Princess Guard", standing by until she finds a use for them she deems fit. Though love for the princess keeps them going, this was not what built the first season up. Whereas there was obvious progression of Louise's feelings for Saito in season 1, their interactions here are run-of-the-mill and painfully predictable. Louise gets mad at Saito, leaves in a huff, another girl comes by to see him, Louise comes back to catch them in a compromising position, shocks him, then feels bad and tries to make up. In some shows, this kind of repetitive action can be funny (think Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan), but here it just feels dated and derivative. Its as if the developers wanted us to to think the show was still about these 2, but in reality, you could have picked any other 2 leads from any other anime, and the plot would have still turned out the same.
This wouldn't have been a problem if the first series had implied/stated that the war on Albion was bigger than this battle. In the beginning of the first episode, we discover that the war is not actually over, and it remains a huge plot point until the end of this show. It is very painful to see a plotpoint you thought had worked itself out in the first season rear its ugly head again. Valuable opportunities were lost in character development, and on the whole, it just felt like every episode was trying to use up screentime. It basically ends up with main characters making grand assumptions, and (most of the time) ending up right. Characters are introduced and quickly killed off
Despite obvious faults in the plot and characters, animation has definitely improved, as has the music. And while people have stated that the 3rd season is full of fillers, Better to have the old characters back rather than plots and people we care absolutely nothing about. Overall, I just recommend watching the last 2 episodes of this show and reading a summary of the rest. Don't waste your time.
Overall 6/10 |