Isekai Quartet 2 is the second season of the crossover anime feature the isekai anime KonoSuba, Overlord, Re;Zero and The Saga of Tanya the Evil. It is once again comprised of twelve episodes, with each episode being around eleven minutes long. It now adds two more series to the mix, being guest appearances from The Rising of the Shield Hero and a cameo from Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious. The basic premise of the show remains the same. Characters from the various worlds are mysteriously summoned into this world, where they must attend “school”. It focuses on comedy through their various interactions with each other, and a chibi aesthetic is used to unify their looks. The chibi look makes all the characters super cute and adorable. The way that the new characters from Shield Hero and Cautious Hero get transported to this world due to a random red button appearing is equally as amusing as the original.
The first episode has to spend a short time to introduce the new characters. At the same time, it shows off how the existing characters are getting used to this world. They have a good idea of each other’s personalities and so can anticipate their antics. With the huge cast of characters, it focuses on a specific set of characters in each episode. This is a departure from the first season where it tries to incorporate more characters within the episode.
A lot of the jokes and gags only work if the viewer is familiar with each of the characters’ personalities, their worlds, and also their experiences. Thus it is essential to have watched those anime (up to the latest season at the time of its release, preferably) in order to fully understand all the in-jokes. This is a high barrier of entry but it is definitely worth it. While the humor doesn’t quite peak to the same level as the previous season, some of the best parts are the funny background events.
The anime keeps the cast in character, even mingling with others from all the different anime. Tanya is feared by all, and when she offers to help Aqua study, Aqua just outright rejects the offer. While Ainz is constantly mistaken for being omnipotent and amazing by everyone. And finally Aqua just being Aqua. It’s always interesting to see who each of the characters choose to spend time with. Tanya and Ainz get along really well, while Subaru and Kazuma understand each other’s plights.
Despite six series being featured in the anime, it is still very much a quartet as the bulk of the focus is still placed on the original four anime. It’s actually a bit of a disappointment at how little Shield Hero and especially Cautious Hero were featured. It just felt that Naofumi and Seiya weren’t properly mingled with the core cast that much. There were already a lot of supporting cast from each of the anime in the first season, and this season continues to add to that number. This leads to a few surprising new appearances. These moments are always the more enjoyable moments when a character you know but don’t expect turns up.
The themes of each episode are school related things such as rule breaking, detention and tests. There are some very fun episodes like the characters going all out with their powers while playing dodgeball. It continues on with these slice-of-life high school elements such as performing plays and participating in school festivals. It feels kind of… normal at times. There is a one scene tease of a reason behind pulling all the characters from their worlds into this school. Apart from that one thing, there is but nothing else in the season alluding to that. It tries to wrap up the season with a climax and boss battle but it doesn’t have the same shock factor, or epic factor, as the first season’s finale and feels too much like a retread.
Overall, while Isekai Quartet 2 is good, it doesn’t quite compare to the first season. This is partially due to the concept not being as fresh anymore, but more so due to the fact that the humor and jokes just aren’t as fun. Likewise, the theme songs are not as catchy, the characters feel underutilized and there are less amusing moments from the cast interacting with characters outside their anime.
----------------------------------------
For other anime reviews, have a look at this page.