CHVRCHES, a synthpop band out of Glasgow, is releasing their second full-length LP, Every Open Eye, on September 25, which is soon. I’m really excited, because I loved their debut album so much, The Bones of What You Believe. But with the anticipation of their sophomore release comes my probably needlessly negative doubts. A term thrown around a lot for things like this is “sophomore slump”, meaning that things aren’t as good the second time around. Though the singles suggest otherwise, I’m a little nervous to see how they pull it off the second time. Oh, this is about anime, trust me.
I wanted to apply this to anime, and I noticed it’s relevance while watching the second season of Nisekoi. I really like it, and it doesn’t feel lazy, but it feels a lot more predictable, and there are too many new characters shoved in to make it a bit more interesting. And while it isn’t bad, it made me realize all of the uninspired anime sequels that fall short of their predecessors. You know, “sophomore slumps”. It’s always neat to see some great characters doing some new things, but if the creators behind the project know that’s all people are coming back for, things tend to turn out sort of lackluster and sometimes boring. When a season ends well, maybe it’s best to leave that alone. But if demand is high enough to see the same characters doing similar things, then why not rake in whatever money you can?
I think a good example of this is Chuunibyou’s second season, Heart Throb. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t hard to see how loosely it applied to the first. It felt too different, and the new girl who’s name I should Google but won’t bother to was there to carry the show’s plot for the most part, and I felt like she did this too much. Less emphasis on Rikka means less fun, and throwing Dekomori and Kumin to the side is pretty disgraceful too. But I’d still be into a third season so whatever
But of course that isn’t too dismiss sequels entirely. Sometimes, even when unnecessary, a second season can be a blessing. For example, watching more Non Non Biyori is always a good thing. Watching more Yuru Yuri is brilliant (and we get a season three super soon aaaahhh). And Mushi-Shi? Amazing. You just have to know what you’re doing and what you’re direction is, because it is always better to focus on making a good show over making a good amount of money. What good is working in an artistic industry when you aren’t even concerned about artistic credibility, anyway?
Maybe poor second seasons shouldn’t be avoided by viewers, but more by creators. A bad thing can be a great example, but nobody wants to be a great example of what not to do. Learn from others mistakes. And listen to CHVRCHES. You’ll probably like them.
KyoMato 