I’d hardly call it the turn of the century or anything, but it still seems pretty impressive how far the arifureta Anime has come from its incredibly dubious start. After several studio changes and a season one opener that seemed to misrepresent the series’ tonal appeal, here we come to the wrap-up party for its second season, ending in an effective and mostly satisfying fashion. While that’s fine by me, I guess I mostly find myself hoping this worked out well for fans of the original work, ending up with a solid adaptation that complements their appreciation for the novel after all. This isn’t even the real end for arifureta either, as we have confirmation that there will be an OVA later this year. Which makes sense, given that the story is barely over by the end of this season. But much like Hajime’s growth from an ‘ordinary’ weakling to a rough-and-ready overpowered edge lord, the anime’s glow from the murky, wobbly mess it was originally in to a perfectly serviceable little fantasy caricature makes it an appreciable journey in itself.
Simply taking stock of the state of the product is appropriate enough at this stopping point, as much of this season finale also spends its time consolidating leftover pieces from the big bang of the last few episodes. The biggest unfinished thread is almost certainly Kaori’s fate, but as it was last week, the story is so sure she’ll be “okay” that the characters directly turn to the camera and tell us that before sending Hajime . in some other personal amusements. Instead, the biggest real return on an emotional investment comes from Ai-Chan-Sensei, which probably isn’t all that surprising to anyone who’s been paying attention through this arc, but it’s still nice to watch just for a feel. of completion.
Part of Ai-Sensei’s focus here is necessarily on her processing of guilt for the people killed around her and as a result of her in this battle. So he has to come to terms with the crowded church he took down, or the fact that Hiyama’s death, played somewhat flippantly as it happened in the last episode, was still an example of the death of one of her students, so she’s a little gutted about that too. The good thing here is that Hajime’s contribution in talking to Sensei about these feelings is not to insist on her personal method of burying any trauma under a tough facade, but to advise her to hold on to the weight and importance of that guilt. The association he asks for in it might seem like Hajime was basically asking Sensei to do some emotional work for him, but hearing him say it, his experiences so far have left him unsure if he even can You still experience those human extremes of emotion no more. Of course, our guy’s actions regarding his teammates, friends, and people like Myu indicate that he’s handling things in a healthier way than he thinks, but the worry of being there still rings true and fits with the Hajime’s desire to have a ‘far back’ for himself, both in terms of physically returning to Japan and living there, apart from his current vengeful disposition.
It’s that long-term mission statement that I’ve always cherished. arifureta, a fantasy and power makeover isekai who nonetheless sets his hero’s ultimate goal of returning to his original life after all. And given Sensei’s longstanding willingness to take on these kinds of burdens for all of her students, it fits and continues the unique reciprocal relationship between her and Hajime. Where her presence and her faith in him have comforted Hajime in the background of her struggles thus far, he can repay her favor by turning his back on her only to allow her to cry should she be overwhelmed by the her own struggles. . That just speaks to Hajime not being as insensitive as he would like everyone to think he is. what a moe
I’m glad this closer can provide that kind of emotional closure, as the rest is more mechanical plot stuff that gets worked out for future stories. In fact, Kaori survives, with the strange side effect that her soul moved into the body of the defeated Noint in the process, in an acquisition of power, so I didn’t see that coming from this story. They even expressly detail that the move was entirely Kaori’s wish and his old body is well in stasis and ready to migrate again once everything is settled. I appreciate how wild this is just as an expression of the lengths Kaori is now willing to go to in the service of Hajime’s adventuring harem. I guess there’s something to be said for conviction, and the animation here does a decent job of communicating that she’s still Kaori through facial expressions and the like, so it mostly works.
The other big change that happens in this stage of the story comes from Hajime finally bringing everyone else on the topic of “Gods are evil idiots”, and a large number of classmates decide to join him in the next one. stage of his adventures. I’m rather more concerned about this development, especially the crowd factor involved (how are they all going to fit in the Hummvee?!), even if I can see why within the narrative. For one thing, most of these people will have a lot more ground to interact with Eri the next time she shows up as a dedicated villain. Also, it is another point acting with Hajime’s arc since his original forced expulsion from the group. Yeah, there’s something a little obvious about suddenly finding out that everyone thinks he’s cool and wants to be his friend, but as long as the story doesn’t lean too heavily on Hajime, who revels in vindictive revenge for the change and, in Instead, he just acts cute. tsundere about the whole thing, I think it’s fine. Guess we’ll have to wait until then. IS (and who knows what other anime extensions) to see how this setup is really going to shake out.
Until the end, arifureta it is still arifureta, so even between all its emotional satisfaction and interesting changes to the status quo, this ending still can’t end without, say, a scene where all of Hajime’s wives feed him or Tio, like they always do , going back to the part about the sodomy of the dragon. . “I’ve never been so uncomfortable” in fact. But even though I don’t know if ‘respectable’ is a term he would associate with all of that, he still feels safe enough. I left the first season of arifureta with a surprising amount of hope for his future, and now I leave the second season reasonably satisfied with the fulfillment of that hope. It’s hardly “World’s Strongest”, but I don’t think there’s any shame in going from Commonplace to Decently Entertaining.
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Arifureta – From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Season 2 is currently streaming on Funimation.
Chris is a freelance writer who appreciates anime, action figures, and additional ancillary art. He can be found up too late posting screenshots on his Twitter.