The animation and soundtrack are good.
We met the main character Hana briefly in the prequel. He's grumpy, keeps to himself, and doesn't get along with his dad, which makes sense since his parents are hardly there.
The pacing is off though. Hana and his friends are the same age as Yoh was during the Shaman Fight, but they're already as strong as Yoh was at the very end. It's a shonen so the story revolves around them, but it feels a bit extreme. One character is only 7 years old and supposedly the strongest!
The original cast is mostly still around for some reason, but they just let these kids fight a world-ending battle.
The story builds on the prequel and continues the Shaman Fight, but it feels a bit unnatural at times. The characters all seem to understand what's happening, but the main character, Hana, is completely left in the dark. It seems like the author forgot to tell her what's going on! This lack of explanation is frustrating, especially since Hana clearly needs some guidance.
Some characters, like Tamao, feel forced into their new roles. The way they portray her now is completely different from how she was before. It's hard to believe she would act this way.
Because of these issues, I almost gave up on the show halfway through. However, the last few episodes offered a glimmer of hope. Hana finally started to develop as a character, and the plot itself became more interesting. Since I haven't read the manga, I'm unsure if this improvement is temporary. I'll wait for reviews before deciding if I'll watch the next season.
