English Dub Season Review: In Another World With My Smartphone Season Two

Based on the Japanese light novel series written by Patora Fuyuhara and illustrated by Eiji Usatsuka.The story continues the adventures of Touya Mochizuki who’s now grown accustomed to his new life in another world. Armed with his trusty smartphone, the teenager accepts small quests at his leisure while spending time with his new fiancées: Yumina Urnea Belfast, Yae Kokonoe, and twin sisters Linse and Elze Shileska. But even in a relaxing environment, Touya is only beginning to understand the responsibilities that come with these engagements.

In addition to his romantic woes, the elder fairy Leen wishes to locate the remaining pieces of Babylon, the floating island that the mysterious Professor Regina Babylon created five thousand years ago. Touya reluctantly accepts her request and seeks out the teleportation circles that will lead to the islands. However, strange monsters known as “The Phrase” have emerged—possibly powerful enough to destroy the world. In order to save the second life he was given, Touya must weaponize ancient technologies to fight these monsters—all while balancing his overwhelming number of relationships…

On the technical side, the second season was animated by J.C.Staff and directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki, with Deko Akao handling the series composition, Chinatsu Kameyama designing the characters and serving as chief animation director, and Kei Yoshikawa and Kōhei Yamada composing the music. With much of the English Dub cast reprising their roles from the first season.Gemstone7 performed the opening theme song “Real Diamond” while the Japanese female cast of Maaya Uchida, Yui Fukuo, Chinatsu Akatsuki, Marika Kouno, Nanami Yamashita, and Sumire Uesaka. performed different versions of the ending theme song “Isekai Jewelery”.

There’s something to be said for a show such as “In Another World with My Smartphone” that delivers precisely what its audience wants, even if it results in a product that could be called “by the numbers” at best and “creatively bankrupt” at worst. There is indeed a function for anime’s indulgences in junk food, and much like the endless sea of snacks in a supermarket section, everyone has the flavor that they flock to get their fix. At its core, It’s not aspiring to be anything more than an excuse to indulge in silliness for a half-hour every week.

This is further exemplified in later episodes when Touya spontaneously does things throughout Season 2 such as create a public bathhouse in the span of about ten seconds, finds out that there’s a substantial request for Yaoi (gay male) fiction in-universe, or doesn’t need to worry about jealousy because all his future wives are so mutually excited to add another to their group, it’s a feature of the show rather than any sort of detriment. On the subject, the “Harem” aspect is both a blessing and a curse because the majority of this season seemed like it was gravitated towards either making the girls happy or getting a new girl added through unexpected circumstances. Whenever they speak together, they almost feel interchangeable and often fall into typical anime archetypes without adding much substance to the story.

At the very least, what compelled me to keep watching the most would have to be the unraveling story that involves this monstrous antagonistic force called “The Phrase” which at times went a bit dark during Touya’s quest to slowly collect all the parts of “Babylon” along with finding solutions to put a stop to these creatures for good. The Phrase effectively comes across as a legit threat, but it’s sometimes overshadowed by the aforementioned “Harem” stuff and sometimes Touya encounters a new challenge here or there such as learning how to run his kingdom, or putting a stop to some shitty villains within other kingdoms and thereby gaining an ally that hopefully plays a significant supporting role somewhere down the line.

Overall, this was an okay season that attempts to offer something new whenever it remembers there’s an actual plot underneath the wackiness. The anime occasionally delivers amusing moments and playful interactions among the characters. And while some of these lighthearted elements provide some entertainment value, it isn’t enough to primarily focus on the plot when it needs it. Hopefully, when Season 3 becomes a thing, it attempts to find a balance between the comedic “Harem” stuff and this battle that it seems to be building up to with the new Allies (and future brides) that Touya has gained through his adventures and beyond.