Princess Connect! Re:Dive Season 2
Season Overview
Princess Connect! Re:Dive Season 2 continues and completes the story from the first season of the series. And, while the ending left the story open for a third season, I don’t really think that’s necessary. Season 2 ended in a good spot.
I can definitely see people making arguments for another season, though. After all, season 2 of Princess Connect was one of the highest-rated anime of the winter 2022 season, according to MyAnimeList. It’s clearly a well-liked series.
But with that said, I have a lot of complaints about this season of the series. And so, before I start complaining, allow me to balance it out somewhat by pointing out the things I liked about the season.
There are a lot of things Princess Connect has going for it. For starters, it has a lot of great character designs. I think that’s probably my favorite thing about the series. Though, having good character designs is expected from an anime based on a gacha game.
Another thing I like about the series is that it has good animation. Surprisingly, this is fairly common among anime based on gacha games as well. For other examples, just look at Azur Lane and Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front – Babylonia.
I’m not saying that budget equals better animation. But, animators are typically paid by the frame, and gacha games have a lot of money to spend.
Of course, Princess Connect also has both good comedy and good action at times. There’s almost something for everyone in this series. That’s good at times. But as I’ll explain later on, it can be bad too.
When the Plot Gets in the Way
My first big complaint about Princess Connect! Re:Dive Season 2 is one that I know I’ve made about other series in the past. I may have even made this complaint about the first season of the series (I don’t remember and I’m not going to check). The complaint is that it takes the plot too seriously.
Look, I’m sure there are people out there who were really invested in the plot of this series. I’m just not one of those people. I don’t watch Princess Connect for the plot. Instead, I watch it because I like seeing the main cast interact with each other and the supporting characters.
That doesn’t mean I think the series needs to be a fantasy slice of life anime. Obviously, going on adventures (to find things to eat) is what the Gourmet Guild is all about. And those adventures they go on lead to the group being put in crazy situations, which is fun.
But, once the series became more about saving the kingdom from an evil queen and all of that stuff, I didn’t care anymore. It’s not exactly a very interesting or unique plot. And the more the series focuses on this serious plot, the less it focuses on its more fun aspects.
The plot also splits up the Gourmet Guild, which I think hurts the series. The members of the Gourmet Guild are at their best when they’re all together. But because of the plot, Karyl and Pecorine were frequently isolated from the group.
I’d argue that KonoSuba and Princess Connect are very similar anime. And, while KonoSuba got a bit serious at times too, it tended to stay away from breaking up the main group’s dynamic — other than the one time Darkness went home for a bit.
Action, Comedy, Drama, Slice of Life, and More
Earlier in the review, I said there was almost something for everyone in Princess Connect. If I simply meant that the series had a girl for every taste, that would be good. Unfortunately, I mean that it has a genre for everyone. And why this is a problem also ties into what I was just saying about the plot getting in the way.
To me, Princess Connect doesn’t feel like a very cohesive series. One episode will have some great comedy with the main cast. Another will focus on some slice of life content with a group of side characters. And then there’ll be one that’s all action and drama.
It feels like it’s trying to pander to wildly different audiences in an attempt to get them all interested in the game it’s based on. And, actually, that’s exactly what it is doing. The series is effectively an advertisement for the game, which is where all the money is made.
This is really more of a complaint about anime based on gacha games. They have way too many characters and they try to do too many things. I get that they want to introduce as many characters and show as many different aspects of the series as possible. But does it really make for a good anime experience?
I think focusing primarily on the comedy, adventure, and action portions of the series would be ideal. The drama doesn’t really do it for me in Princess Connect. And I can do without all the extra slice of life stuff with the random supporting characters.
That said, I don’t think all the supporting characters need to go. There are many good ones; I personally like Eriko a lot. But, focusing on fewer of them while also expanding upon their personalities would make for a far more memorable series.
Conclusion
The general consensus is that Princess Connect! Re:Dive Season 2 is better than Season 1. However, I rated Season 2 lower. I gave it a 6/10. There were some really boring episodes in the middle of the season. And aside from maybe animation quality, I don’t think anything about this season was any better than the first.
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