A Returner's Magic Should Be Special Season 2 Episode 1: Episode 1
Manga chapter 68-73
Oshimeter
19 Ratings
EPISODE REVIEWS
So Season 2 finally showed up, and Episode 1 doesn’t mess around. It basically yeets Desir and the others right back into the mess in Evernatten against Esteban and his crew like “Miss us? Too bad, fight’s already started.” No long “previously on” segment, no soft landing, no “hey remember that one guy with the hair?” Just “welcome back, here’s another Shadow World problem, try not to die.” Peak hospitality. I still like Desir a lot. He’s not the usual overpowered guy who just screams louder until the animators give him a new power-up. His real edge is that he actually *thinks*. He looks at the battlefield, figures out what’s going on faster than everyone else, and starts directing people like a very stressed project manager who somehow still has the entire wiki memorized. Watching him do that is more interesting than pure power-fantasy stuff. Meanwhile I’d still be standing there trying to remember which way is north and whether I locked the front door. The rest of the group helps keep it fun too. Pram’s still got that mix of charm and actual skill (my sweet stabby golden retriever who could definitely kill a man and then apologize about it), and Azest gets some good moments in the fight. Her magic makes her useful, and it’s nice seeing her more involved instead of just standing around looking regal and mildly judgmental, like she walked into the wrong party and is too polite to leave. The chemistry between them still works, even if the episode doesn’t give them a ton of quiet time to just talk. Peaceful group hangouts are apparently illegal in this universe. Someone call HR. The fights are decent when the strategy and the magic actually mix. Desir doesn’t just overpower people every time, which I appreciate. Working around what the enemy is good at feels smarter than turning every scene into a light-show contest sponsored by “who can make the biggest explosion.” That said, some of the confrontations still feel a bit too easy or straightforward. The stakes are there, but not every exchange lands as hard as it could. Occasionally it feels like the enemy showed up without doing the reading and is now winging it with pure vibes. Pacing’s fine for the most part. It moves quick, which is both good and a little annoying. Skipping the big recap is respectful if you remember Season 1, but if your memory’s a bit fuzzy you might spend the first chunk just trying to orient yourself. Once things get going the main conflict is easy enough to follow. It’s like hopping on a moving train and being told “you’ll figure it out, trust the process.” Very cool of them. Visually it’s mixed. Some of the magical effects look solid and the action has a few exciting stretches, especially when Azest is doing her thing. Character designs are still nice. But the animation isn’t consistently polished. A few movements and camera angles look awkward, and some shots feel a little cheap for a season premiere. It’s not bad, just not as sharp as I was hoping. Think “solid B- student who definitely did the homework but definitely did not stay up all night perfecting the presentation slides.” Music does its job without standing out much. It supports the tension and the bigger moments okay, but I didn’t walk away humming anything or thinking the score was particularly special. Functional background music is the unsung hero of mid-tier anime. It clocks in, does the work, and leaves without asking for a raise. Overall it’s a solid enough return. Gets the story moving again, brings back the characters I actually care about, and shows that Desir’s still got a long road ahead. The mix of planning, magic, and group dynamics is still the main draw. My bigger issues are the uneven animation, a few underwhelming fights, and not enough breathing room between all the chaos. It’s not some mind-blowing premiere, but it’s good enough that I’m still interested in where it goes next. Desir’s still enjoyable, the party works, and the premise hasn’t worn out yet. Wouldn’t mind if they stopped walking into life-threatening situations for like five minutes, but apparently that’s not how this world operates. Someone really needs to invent vacation days for regressors.
This season started off pretty well and they still managed to add some comedic value to it.
No recap at all just threw us straight into a snow city and I spent ten minutes trying to remember how Shadow Worlds work. Great fight though once my brain caught up
10
