Back to NutBarber's Profile NutBarber's Profile

** spoiler free, bief summary **

Season 2 of Shangri-La Frontier brings some solid entertainment, but it does have a few bumps along the way. One issue I had was the show jumping between multiple storylines in different games. While it doesn’t completely ruin the experience, it does pull you out of the main story flow and can be a bit jarring at times. Still, it’s not a huge deal-breaker, just a minor distraction.

Some episodes definitely drag and feel a bit boring, but the episodes that hit are definitely worth it and make up for those slower moments. When it’s good, it’s really good — bringing ... back that hype and excitement that makes the show fun.

The characters are pretty enjoyable. They’re not super deep, but they have enough personality and quirks to keep them interesting and fun to watch. They bring some lightheartedness to the story, even if their emotional range isn’t huge.

Animation is solid, especially in the action scenes. It fits the game-inspired world well, and the music is decent enough — it doesn’t stand out, but it doesn’t detract from the experience either.

Overall, Shangri-La Frontier Season 2 is a mixed bag. It’s definitely worth watching if you enjoyed Season 1, but it could’ve been more focused. It’s got its moments, and while some things don’t flow perfectly, it’s still a solid ride for fans of the series.

** spoiler free, bief summary **

Surprisingly, the story is quite entertaining — mostly because it has a clear sense of progress. The main character actually learns new things, makes useful connections, and steadily builds his life in the new world. It’s not directionless, which makes it feel more engaging than a lot of similar “laid-back” isekai series.

The characters, however, are pretty simple and not very deep. What’s a bit hard to swallow is how quickly and senselessly they start liking the main character — often without much justification. It feels a little forced and makes their relationships less meaningful than they could’ve been.

Still, if you’re ... looking for an easygoing fantasy series with light humor, food scenes, and a chill vibe — this one does the job well. Just don’t expect any major emotional investment, so Im giving it a score for what it is.

** spoiler free, bief summary **

This anime tells a simple story that isn't particularly original. While it's not outright bad, it doesn't bring anything fresh to the genre either. Some episodes are entertaining enough to keep you watching, while others feel a bit low-effort and lack energy. It’s best suited for times when you're bored and want something easy to watch without too much thinking.

The main character himself isn’t very memorable, but some of his companions manage to leave a better impression — although even a few of them, especially the two introduced near the end, didn’t get enough time to develop properly. Unfortunately, many ... side characters also feel underused, and the story as a whole ends up feeling somewhat unfinished. There’s no strong antagonist to provide real conflict or tension either.

The animation is average but gets the job done, and the art design isn’t bad. The music isn’t particularly memorable — not something you’d listen to on its own — but it doesn’t interrupt the viewing experience either.

Final Thoughts:
It’s not a must-watch, but not a complete waste of time either. If you’re looking for something light and easy to pass the time, it might do the trick. Just don’t expect anything groundbreaking or deeply engaging.

Frieren isn't deep. It's just empty in a pretty wrapper.
So I watched Frieren, and honestly... I just couldn’t keep these thoughts to myself.

People are constantly praising it for being emotional, thoughtful, and “beautifully slow.” And yeah, I get where they’re coming from. But to me, it felt more like someone telling me to stare at a river because it’s relaxing. Like… sure, it flows nicely — but where is the goal? What’s the point?

There’s no real conflict, no antagonist that actually matters, no moral dilemma to chew on. The characters just kind of go through the motions without ever really being challenged. Even Frieren herself ... — her "growth" feels way too safe and linear. She slowly becomes more emotional, but never hits any serious internal wall or has to make a tough decision. It’s all just kind of... flat.

And here’s the thing: the big message Frieren tries to deliver — that time, friendship, and shared memories are important . I figured that out a long time ago. So watching a show slowly spoon-feed me an idea I already understand just felt... pointless. Like reading a kids’ book about emotions I’ve already processed years ago.

If they condensed the story down to 4–5 episodes, it might’ve worked better. But dragging one simple thought across an entire season just made it feel like a low-calorie meal dressed up as fine dining.

Yeah, it looks pretty. The animation is great. The music is nice. But all of that is surface-level. Underneath, there’s just not much there. Emotional depth isn’t about being quiet and melancholy — it’s about delivering something that moves you or makes you think. Frieren didn’t do either, at least not for me.

Not every story needs to be action-packed, I totally get that. But if you’re gonna go slow, there better be something real waiting at the end.
With Frieren, I kept waiting — and it never came.

** spoiler free, bief summary **

1. Let's start with the story. What's important is the content of the story being entertaining and luckily that is delivered. However the conflicts that trigger the events are the stupidest thing. Usually the conflicts are driven by emotions like hate literally out of nowhere. There are no real basis for the hate other than "you cant use magic" which is awfully not deep at all and that makes the story feel artificially constructed rather than natural confluence of events.

2. The art and animations are great and fit well in the school setting. You can tell they have spent time ... animating it.

3. The music is also good. It matches the action and mood, but I wouldn’t say I’d go out of my way to listen to it.

4. Some characters are memorable, but their motivations are not believable. As for the main character, he is not confident, is a pushover, doesn’t grow, and while he is bright and knowledgeable, he lacks his own mind or opinions. Essentially, he’s the opposite of someone you would want to take inspiration from. However, there are bright sides when it comes to the positive relationships between characters and not conflicts. The relationships are the wholesome part of the story.

Overall, I think I was able to enjoy it. The weakest part for me is probably the main character, mainly because he’s just uninspiring, and I can’t say I enjoy watching characters who are losers at heart. However, although the plot isn’t impressive, I did enjoy the events a lot. It’s hard to ignore the obvious downsides, but what’s most important is that it’s entertaining, so I would recommend it if you’re bored. It’s definitely not in the 'must-watch' category, but it’s indeed watchable.

** Spoiler free brief summary **


The story is the strongest part of this anime, not only because of the plot itself but also because of the storytelling skills of the studio members. Some parts have been changed from the novels, which has upset some people, but I believe that the story structure in the anime, with only 20 minutes to deliver the impact, must be served differently, and they nailed it.
It is not something you will be bored watching. The anime does a great job with story structure, so you won’t be lost in what’s happening, making it guilty of being an anime masterpiece.

Animation is ... not a topic I will spend too much time on. Animation has always been a strong part of Mushoku and remains strong even now. There is a CGI moment, sadly, but I prefer it over waiting a year longer for the next season. Besides, it did not interrupt the flow of the anime, so I don’t see any problem. Animation is amazing.

The music will be the part I will criticize, which is evidence I’m not here only to praise it. It is by no means bad, but it is not something memorable. I would say the music is pretty boring, even though it complements the story very well. I think they could do a better job because it could have made the moments even more memorable, the fights more epic, and the excitement more intense. The only thing that made the music pass the minimum requirements is their judgment on where to use it. They withheld the music where they should to deliver maximum impact and skillfully chose the moments to use it to experience the most intense emotions. My final words are: the music sucks, but it’s implemented in a very intelligent way.

The characters are extremely relatable and the reason you will be hooked on the story. They are very complex and have their own personalities to the point they could be the main characters in their own stories. The characters are special because they all have their trademark personality without it being their whole personality, which is unprecedented in the history of anime on this level and scale. Even side characters have very complex origins, reasons, and motivations. The characters in this anime are not characters anymore; they are people.

Overall, this is THE anime. I cannot praise it enough. They've managed to get me hooked even in slice-of-life episodes, which is quite a feat. There is not a second worth skipping, and the enjoyment never lacks. Obviously, I will recommend this anime to anyone. You just have to have the stomach for the main character's morals from time to time, as it can ruin the relatability and create a disconnect between the watcher and the anime. But that’s not my problem, and therefore, a perfect score it is.

** spoiler free, bief summary **

The story is mediocre and nothing very new, but this anime is a perfect example that even mediocre stories can be high tier when put in good hands. This anime thrives on well-made scenes, and even if the story is kind of stupid, they made it enjoyable through impactful moments. Storytelling is also well done, so you shouldn’t be lost in what’s happening.

The animations are pretty good, though I’ve seen better, but it doesn’t take away anything major. Simply put, the art and animations are quite a bit above average.

Music and sound effects play such a major role that it’s ... unprecedented. This is how you use sounds and music to bring epicness to the fights. Normal conversations are not as good, but they know how to make fights spectacular.

The characters are not very complex, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They are easy and quite relaxing to watch because you know what to expect. I wouldn’t say they are interesting, though.

Overall, I am very pleasantly surprised. This is not what I expected from it. This anime was made by skilled people because the story is not that interesting, yet they made it quite engaging. I can recommend it.

** spoiler free, brief summary **

1. Story is great in my opinion, but that doesn't matter because storytelling does not suit very well with it. There's like three story lines in 20 min episodes and in the end none of them has satisfying progress, which makes it boring quite a bit. I dont think forcing two or three complex story lines in one episode is a good idea.

2. Art is nice as always, although I think they could do better job with CGI and some monsters. In the end, most of it is pretty enough.

3. from music I'm getting some strong Star Wars vibes and ... that wouldn't be so bad, if it would be used for epic or big moments only. There are some scenes where I think something lighter should be used, because from their music judgment, there is not so much of a difference between important moments and smaller. Overall I would rate music as good, but I wish they would use it better

4. characters are quite complex and I get why they need so much spot in episodes.
But are they interesting? - I would say yes but not every character shine in the spotlight. It's not so big of a deal till they are together, because they can compliment the story very well, but compliment the story is important sentence and you can feel it when they are separated.

Overall I think there are moments worth to watch, but it's not filled with progress, so naturally there are moments not so much worth to watch also. I don't think I can recommend it, but it's not bad enough to discourage you from watch it. I may change opinion and probably will when all episodes come out. Also, mind this review is for first 4 episodes and its early impression
Edit: It did get way better in further episodes and second half is like completely different anime. It fixed exactly what was wrong, but my review for fist 4 episodes stands. Now it's actually worth of recommendation. I'll give its 7/10 cause of bad start

**spoiler free, brief summary**

1. Story is isekai. We all know what isekai is, so I wont spend much time here. What makes it exceptional in a wierd pleasant way is that this world is dominated by women.
This brings unusual chalenges and situations. Its highly enjoyable to see the main character find a way to success even in this world. Storytelling makes it easy to understand, you don't even have to focus much, just enjoyble relax anime.

2. I'm not quite sure if I'm a fan of mecha in combination with swords and magic. Designs are nothing new and nothing what offends neither.. Animation's are just ... good enough, not very mindblowing.

3. Sound is not memorable. It does the job of complimenting the story from behind, but I wouldnt say it elevate atmosphere very much.

4. There are not so many characters, but the once they split focus on are not outright boring, which is nice, but they has not much depth. On the other hand, the one who carry the whole anime is the main character, he is just fun to watch. His cockyness gives the anime whole other aroma, which I really enjoyed, cause he is not tipical shonen moral crybaby police protagonist. His character traits works very well in this isekai.

Overall I appreciate how main character did find unique way to power and to me, it makes it interesting. Storytelling is not all over the place and that makes it enjoyable. I wouldn't say it's top tier anime, but it's an anime where you can just shut down and relax. I can recomend it, just don't expect high quality anime animations, music and stuff that needs money

** spoiler free, brief summary **
1. I have never seen better storytelling than Mushoku has. Story is just good because there is not much happening so far, not some big deals at least, but the way they gide you through it, is what really shines. Humor here is not that imoral as in first part, so thats a plus.

2. Art. I will not spend much time here and just tell you that art is top tier awesomeness

3. Sound, don't get me wrong, openings are very awesome, but I really think they could do better job with sound in specific scenes and bring out the ... epicness even more for fight particular. If you are fun of openings, you are free to enjoy, these are great.

4. Characters did visibly some mental progress and it's very enjoyable to see that. It is not very often when you see characters that feels like a real human beings and it's very easy to relate what brigs the enjoyment high up to the sky.

Overall this is must watch anime. I recommend it and it's highly enjoyable anime. Also I recommend some glass of vine to it.