Okay so I should say that I didn’t like season 2 of Blue Orchestra as much as season 1. That’s not to say I didn’t like it because I did, it was still honestly probably better than most recent anime. My biggest problem with it is that it doesn’t have as much of the deep drama that made me fall in love with the first season. Although it does have some. The biggest time it digs into that is within the first few episodes. We get introduced to a new female character named Mizuki Machii. Her problem is thatshe has an extremely controlling mother who wanted her to be the leader of her school’s orchestra. In some ways it’s kind of a cliché depiction of abusive parents that are seen a lot in anime, but what makes it work for me is the connection she develops with Hajime Aono, the main male MC. The two of them develop a genuine, wholesome, even if a bit dramatic (at first) friendship based on their own traumatic pasts. Parents that basically forced them to perform music even though they didn’t want to at first. The only difference is that Hajime eventually found genuine love for the violin, whereas Mizuki chose to quit much to the anger of her mother. Very similar circumstances that led to two equally valid paths. I also really liked that the topic of Hajime’s father is brought up during their conversation, and we see how his feelings on him are complicated. He does respect and admire him to a certain extent for introducing him to the violin, and for his incredible skill at the instrument, but he does stress that he hates him for abandoning his family, and for forcing his own self worth to tie to the violin for so many years.

Other than that there’s not much else for me to say. All of the other returning characters are just as good as in season 1 for the most part, at least on the surface level, but most of them don’t get a lot of screentime. Even Ritsuko, except for when Hajime reminisces on his past and how far the two of them have come together. By the way, I totally ship them. I have since season 1, but season 2 does have some moments that cement how much I ship them. They’re incredibly cute together. While I didn’t love Season 2 as much as season 1 I still liked it well enough. It had a lot of great things in it, but it had a lot more scenes that were boring too. Also there’s this really crappy antagonist, I don’t even remember his name, that gets like no resolution, we never learn why he acts so crappy to the main characters. But regardless, I will watch season 3 if it ever happens.