English Dub Season Review: By the Grace of the Gods Season Two

Based on the Japanese light novel series written by Roy and illustrated by Ririnra. The story further continues the adventures of 30-something Salaryman who is chosen by three gods to be reincarnated into a fantasy world after living a sad life, using his past knowledge and experience combined with new powers bestowed to him by the aforementioned gods to help others and live a bountiful life.

On the technical side, the series was animated by Maho Film and directed by Takeyuki Yanase, with Yuka Yamada as a screenwriter, Kaho Deguchi as character designer with Ririnra credited with the original designs, and Hiroaki Tsutsumi composing the music. MindaRyn performed the opening theme “Way to go”, while Azusa Tadokoro performed the ending theme “Drum-shiki Tansaki” which give off a lighthearted and fun atmosphere throughout.

While the first season brought with it a sense of childlike wonder about the new world, the second season is all about business. Literally. He runs a laundromat, and he goes from place to place to make this business better. Not for money, nor to introduce decent labor rights into a medieval society, but because all his business pals basically tell him that has got a good thing going on, and to keep going with it.

Despite some of the good things this show has going for it by retaining the same charm from the first season and the new characters are pretty charming. But the main problem of this show is the random pacing and a lack of focus.

There are just so many things going on this season that they just speedran through every episode but somehow made it slow in a lot of ways. For example, I don’t mind Elia devoted episodes as it seems to be the closest thing to an end goal having these two together as the entire show mostly is spent on seeing them grow separately as individuals before possibly reaching that point.

I dig the happiness vibes this show often has, and they know how to play it safe for kids new to anime, but realistically conflict creates drama. And in this show, nobody is ever unhappy here, rarely are there any conflicts, no high-stakes risks or realism, therefore this genre is evidently for those who dislike when the protagonist experiences any sort of challenge or danger.

I mean we do get random spots of action here and there, but never a major ongoing conflict or threat like most fantasy/adventure, or Isekai anime would often have. Heck, even Ascendence of a Bookworm’s escalating conflicts came from either disagreements with other people, or a corrupt, backwards-thinking government hierarchy.

Overall, this is in no way a bad Anime. But it squanders some potential in terms of making it compelling for grown adults who want more action and substance. Don’t get me wrong, the show has a relaxing atmosphere and is great for underage kids, but everything seems to go Ryoma’s way a little too much. Sometimes we want to see our protagonists struggle to achieve their goals. It makes them feel earned, rewarding, and easy to root for when they do reach their goals. If Season 3 happens, I hope they further expand upon its world-building and give the show some sort of meaningful conclusion…