Review of Edens Zero Season 2
Edens Zero to me is one of the best “grand adventure” anime out there. It’s a shame that it’s been so overlooked, but it really deserves the praise. It’s got such a unique and interesting world, great characters and it doesn’t shy away from dark themes. A must watch for any action and adventure fan. I liked Edens Zero season 1, but I felt at some points it dragged on and had a lot of empty space. Season 2 is an end to end roller coaster of emotions. There’s almost nonstop action and Shiki and his friends are constantly having to overcome new challenges. The antagonistsfeel imposing and the stakes are well done. There’s a true sense of gravity(pun intended) to every battle. The world building also opens up a lot more in this season. We finally get to see other parts of the cosmos and get a sense of how vast this universe is, including all the various species, people and abilities out there.
What gets me the most excited about this story is that Mashima has an incredible way of making you feel like you’re on an actual quest with these characters. We’re not just watching things play out, but actually being immersed in the story. The best way I can describe it is as the old Toonami anime from back in the day. You know how you’d come home from school and turn on the tv to watch anime. It just felt like you were part of the story with the characters. That’s Eden’s zero for me. Few shows in recent years have had that. Dai no Daibouken, Black Clover, but I think EZ might do it the best. It is really easy to fall in love with this story and characters.
I really appreciate that they weren’t afraid to test character deaths out in this season or showing blood as characters get shot. It just really feels like a more intense experience that subverts some usual shonen tropes. The first half of the series with Drakken Joe as the antagonist is genuinely nerve wracking at times. I remember thinking to myself “how are they going to get out of this” at several points and just being amazed at how Mashima-sensei wrote himself out of situations.
The action scenes are way better this season too. JC staff just seem to have upped their game completely production wise here. Pacing, art, fight choreography it’s all really solid. No complaints on the technical aspects.
Edens Zero S2 takes the series to a different level in my opinion. It’s definitely a more serious approach to the story and expands upon the lore introduced in season 1. Every single character has time to shine and grows substantially. It’s a complete improvement over the first season and an awesome watch.
Edens Zero s2 gets 9 out of 10.