First of all, I should clarify that I haven’t watched the original series. I do plan to, and my opinion might change afterward, but these are my thoughts after finishing the first season. **Warning: possible spoilers!** To begin with, I want to highlight the technical aspects and give credit to Sunrise for their work. While it doesn’t reach the level of studios like MAPPA or Ufotable, they still delivered a very dynamic and enjoyable experience in that regard. Both the opening and ending themes were excellent in my opinion, especially the ending. As for the overall soundtrack, it’s not particularly remarkable, but it does its job wellenough.

As for the story itself, it was an entertaining and fun series. While it’s not a masterpiece, it fulfills its purpose, and I was satisfied since I never felt bored while watching it.

Even though I haven’t seen the original series, I have to admit that this sequel made some fairly bold decisions regarding the original characters, especially Ryou. I can understand why longtime fans might not like this aspect, although trust me, things could have turned out much worse.

Regarding the main cast, I really enjoyed them. Their personalities may not be deeply complex, but they are well-defined. More importantly, I liked how they gradually built genuine bonds of friendship and teamwork. Gai and Ryuusei were, in my opinion, the best characters in the cast. While I would have liked Ryuusei to stay longer, it was very clear that his death was necessary to drive the development of Gai and the others.

I also really liked Shion’s addition to the team after Ryuusei’s death. He didn’t feel like a replacement, but rather like his own character who found his place without overwriting what Ryuusei meant to the group. He integrates well with the others in his own way. Gai’s redemption arc was also well handled. It’s not the most complex, but it works and never feels forced, which makes his eventual sacrifice at the end of the season believable and consistent with his character.

I also appreciated that the series stayed consistent with its own rules and didn’t rely on contrived plot devices to save characters. In Mirei’s case, for example, one might expect that since she’s the “pretty girl” of the group, the story would pull some convenient twist to restore her after her transformation, but it doesn’t. She meets the same fate as Ryuusei, and honestly, I respect that decision.

As for the villains, Ramaga is easily the weakest character in the series. He’s a very basic, uncharismatic villain who only stands out because of Katsuyuki Konishi’s voice acting and the fact that he possesses Ryou’s body. Aside from that, there’s not much to him. The Ten Braves weren’t particularly threatening either. In fact, five of them are defeated far too quickly. However, they at least had more entertaining personalities than Ramaga, and it was always nice to see them in their daily lives when they weren’t fighting, which made them more endearing. Sasuke is definitely my favorite among the Ten Braves.

The weakest aspect of the series is the action. Most fights are too short and lack emotional weight. As mentioned before, half of the Ten Braves are taken out very quickly. While this is understandable given the episode count and pacing, it does hurt their effectiveness as antagonists. The best fights in the series, in my opinion, were:

- The fight against Ryuusei after his transformation, due to the emotional impact of his death on Gai and the others.
- Shion vs. Gai, as it was necessary to firmly establish Shion as a new member of the team.
- The fight against Mirei after her transformation, which also carried strong emotional weight for the protagonists.
- The fight against Byakuen, as it was important for Jun’s character conflict, as well as his connection to the original series.

In the end, what kept me invested in the series until the very end were the protagonists. They are, for me, the strongest aspect of the show, especially Gai.

Personally, I’m really looking forward to July for the second season, especially after the cliffhanger in the final episode where the Celestial Realm is revealed as the new enemy and Ryuusei appears to have been revived.

And please, please… I really hope Gai is alive in the second season. I know this contradicts what I said earlier about plot conveniences, but I don’t care what kind of explanation they use, just save him. My boy truly deserves to be happy with his friends!

**Score: 7/10**