Second Stage was half as long as First Stage. Although it was shorter it still packed just as much a punch as the first stage did. The race scenes in this one were awesome! The artwork was much cleaner and flowed WAY SMOOTHER than the first. You can tell that the storytelling and character development was the main focus of Second Stage. Overall it is an excellent series and I would watch it again without a doubt. I kind of feel sorry for Itsuki though. Poor Guy can't catch a break with ANY WOMAN! haha 9 out of 10