At first glance, Edens Zero had an identity issue. Off the heels of the incredibly successful Fairy Tail franchise, Edens Zero needed to do a lot to prove itself as Hiro Mashima's next exciting adventure. None of this was helped by the fact that Mashima took the quirky reuse of some characters from previous franchises (like what happened between Rave Master and Fairy Tail) and made them even more obvious. Edens Zero reused character models, names, and concepts to a borderline distracting degree that initially could give the impression that Mashima was riding the coattails of his former success. However, by the end of season one, the series justified itself as its standalone series that used that familiarity to its advantage by subverting expectations for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

Season two runs with that concept even further, creating a show that goes out of its way to create a story that does almost everything Fairy Tail couldn't. The tone is darker, the stakes are higher, and it feels authentic, with consequences connecting one arc to another. Fun concepts like time travel are expanded upon in more unique, engaging ways, and overall, we're given a show that is finally hitting its stride. From the first episode, it steps everything up significantly, from scale to action.

This is best exemplified by the show's villains, which I always thought were the show's weakest element back in season one. While they were evil bastards that I wanted to see pounded into the ground, the season one villains didn't have much presence. That is a complete non-issue with two of the main villains of season two, like Drakken Joe and the surprising return of the Demon King. The former takes this no-nonsense, unexpected mob-boss approach to villainy. Drakken is the epitome of a villain that gets shit done, and when you see what he can accomplish from the first few episodes, it creates some incredibly striking yet disturbing imagery. The presentation doesn't get as dark as the original manga, but this season pushes how much the animation staff could get away with, and I appreciate it.

The Demon King is the antithesis of what we saw in Fairy Tail. This personal villain invoked such a terrifying presence despite his overall goofy design. The reasoning behind his actions keeps the audience engaged. The series already had an overarching mystery with glimpses of the future, but The Demon King is a different mystery that affects the present. Why is the Demon King doing what he's doing? Is he being controlled by some other force, or is this really how he's always been, and there are gaps in Shiki's memory? It's hard to say, but I love how Edens Zero can effectively keep me guessing with his story while delivering the high-octane adventure it promised.

That high-octane adventure occurs in a much darker world with war, poverty, and racism. Like many other works of science fiction, the racism allegory tries to be framed as this sense of tension between humans and robots. However, it's not the most nuanced. This fraught element of its worldbuilding has a solid foundation, but the series isn't interested in building on it. Shiki is a human raised by robots and considers them his friends. At the same time, half of the main cast are robots that struggle between following directives and having personal desires. There are robots like Pino who seek to become human. You could effortlessly weave a theme of racism and classism using humanity with our cast representing a hopeful future for these ongoing struggles aboard their desegregated ship. However, that's not the kind of story Edens Zero feels like telling. Occasionally, a character will treat a robot like a lower-class citizen, but it rarely rises above a writing shortcut to tell the audience to hate that racist character. Then, ironically, when the Demon King says he's going to destroy humanity for robots' sake, it feels obligatory, like he's making an excuse himself.

Maybe that's the point? But at least as far as season two goes, any allusions to racism or classism feel more like they're just there to show how dark the universe is, which is a perfect contrast to Shiki and our main cast, who try to bring a little bit of light to all the places they visit, it's just a shame that some elements like these racism allegories don't go anywhere beyond the surface level. You can tell that they genuinely improve the lives of the people they interact with, but will all these small bits of kindness add up in the grand scheme of things? That is the big question that I think Edens Zero is subtly asking. The character antics are fun, and after a season of getting everybody together, you can see this crew come into their own. They feel like a proper family, and I want to see them succeed.

I touched upon the presentation before, but to go into a bit more detail about it, it's good. Given that I've read the original manga already, I would've preferred a darker tone overall. Sometimes, moments emphasize heavy shadows to help a scene feel darker, but other times, it uses colors like purple to keep things vibrant. It doesn't always work. We get some fun camera angles with Shiki's gravity powers, and while the show will occasionally use more stilted forms of animation, it's sparingly. It's a well-animated action series that plays around with its set pieces, whether it's a confined jungle or the vast recesses of space. The animation quality looks amazing when things kick into overdrive (see what I did there?). I can't say the same about the music. I'm struggling to remember certain tracks besides the main theme, but the best I can say is that it's good accompaniment.

Honestly, the biggest issue with Edens Zero Season 2 is that it doesn't do anything to rectify the earlier season's pacing issues. Edens Zero's episode structure isn't based around weekly viewing. Instead, it is centered around the binge model. There are some moments where an episode will have separate events directly flow into each other, but the timing at which those events will happen in an episode is seemingly random. An episode can have the climax to an arc happening within ten minutes of an episode, and then the rest of that episode is dedicated to transitioning into the next arc. This might not affect you if you're bingeing the series on a platform where you can skip the openings and recaps. However, it does make the overall episode compositions feel uneven. Unless you're watching the entire show in one sitting, there will be episodes that feel less satisfying than others because half the episodes don't end on any definitive satisfactory points.

This even carries through until the end of the season, which ends in the middle of a war right before our heroes confront the final antagonist. It's incredibly anti-climactic, especially when the last few moments are spent giving us quick glimpses into what is to come in season three, similar to what happened in season one. However, this time, I feel it's a bit more frustrating, especially when I've read ahead in the original manga and know that things will only get darker.

Overall, Eden Zero season 2 is a firm step up from season 1 and better establishes the franchise as its own unique show that doesn't need to rely on the legacy of Fairy Tail to be interesting. Undoubtedly, Hiro Mashima could create expansive worlds with exciting ideas; arguably, his most popular series is the one where he actively decided not to do that. I don't know if Edens Zero will match the popularity of Fairy Tail, but it is a story that seeks to leave a darker impact on its viewers. The villains feel personal, the characters are charming, and the consequences feel incredibly heavy, with an engaging mystery in the background that keeps me coming back for more. If season one left you on the fence, I think season two does a better job of showing you what's in store, and if I'm right about what is to come next, then it will only get more intense when season three finally rears its disturbing head.