I didn't get much of the hate for season 1 but I understand a lot of the criticism it received. Yes the characters were a bit much and somewhat inconsistent / and or overly dramatic I admit, and the villains were weak. But I felt there was a decent base to work with and I did appreciate the high stakes.
What season 2 did for me at least was correct a lot of those issues for me. I feel the characters in this season (not all of them) were given A LOT more depth which helped me relate to them and care for them more. Some characters do get the short end tho and the season has some acing issues. That being said I do think the season is a step up from season 1
In season one I felt that Maria was a little, well, useless? I just largely couldn't understand the emphasis on her outside being Tera and Emmanuel's daughter. She served her purpose for those two but never felt much like a character herself, her only trait really being anger. Here they devout a decent amount of time to her and give some depth to her anger that results in some of the best scenes in this season.
Annette had a great backstory in season but similar to Maria, just felt like her only trait was anger. Similar again to Maria, they flesh out her magic, beliefs and self doubts that result in a satisfying character arc. She also has a lot better chemistry / connection with the other characters to the point of it being an essential plot point that builds well and has genuine impact in the story.
Drolta was easily one of the weakest characters of season 1. She looked like a character from Cyberpunk and acted like a sassy teenager. I was really confused by the choices made for her character. This season I was surprised at how much backstory they gave her and how much it shifted the view of the character as a benefit. It was like watching a different character almost. She went from shallow to deep and for me it really worked and saved the character. I also appreciated the parallels made between her and Emmanuel, regarding faith and devotion. That's all I'll say about that.
Ritcher, Alucard, and Juste don't have as much to do but their chemistry is fun to watch. All three do have growth although not as exponential, but they didn't feel shallow to me personally.
I think the story overall was better paced this time around with more development taking place for more characters. There are still some slow moments but I was engaged most of the time.
I know this is a given but the action is great. Animation looked stunning and I appreciate all the details that went tink the fights especially given how hard those must be to animate.
It's looking like a season 3 is on the horizon. There are a few characters I think still need some genuine fleshing out and if you've seen the season you probably know who. I'm excited to see where the story goes.
Season 2, definitely steps in the right direction.
