Reviews for Shangri-La Frontier Season 2

Top reviewer is not a 10/10 therefore I reject it. This show is awesome. I love it! Adventure genre is my jam. Any adventure anime that has a good writing and has entertaining characters is a 10 in my book. The events are fun and original. The girl companion is a rabbit that's MAX cute! The world is highly believable. What else could you ask for. Ultimately anyone rating this less than 10/10 doesn't know what fun is. I thoroughly enjoyed this anime. There wasn't a dull moment here. A real TOP tier production quality! The bees knees, The moms spaghetti. It's so good infact that I'm likely going to rewatch it for a third time soon. Oh and since I'm a God you can trust that my taste is Peak! If you don't give this show a 10, you don't know what divine grace looks like.

<3 01 8

I feel like this entire season is like a giant OVA that ends up as a spin-off! The more episodes go on, the less the series develops the world of Shangi, and at times, it seems like the author is fed up with his world or doesn't know where he wants to go and puts his main character in another universe... It's as if there were OVAs in the middle of the series, but the last third of the season is downright a spin-off!!! The pace of the series is way too slow; you could miss an episode without realizing it, the story is so stuck! There's twice as muchpointless blah blah as in season 1!

It's simple, they talk non-stop for the sake of saying nothing!

Entire episodes talking about the strategy that will be used, both during the action and during the "action," well, this is even more blah blah!!!

The characters spend three-quarters of the episodes commenting on what they're going to do or what happens during the action!

Action that's as repetitive as possible. It reminded me of DBZ, two episodes spent preparing an attack that does nothing...

That's the other problem of the season: the big monsters are like immortal, they keep coming back, 10 final attacks, etc., and at one point, the writers decide it's gone on long enough, and boom, the fight's over... and off we go for an OVA or a spin-off.

I'll watch season three when it's fully aired, and I think three-quarters of it will be skippable... and I won't be surprised if I lose interest in the middle.

Otherwise, more than ever, I don't understand the very good rating for this season and the number of people who recommend watching it...

It's simple, I find that this season is so bad that I lowered the previous season by one point (I gave it an 8, a very good rating for me, thinking that it was an intro that took its time and that in season 2 we would be more focused on the story... it's the opposite, season 1 seems to have given everything and now we're only on filler and a sort of saop opera animation and I expect the worst for the rest.

Just like season 1, this show is an amazing experience. I have yet to see an anime that emanates the feeling of gaming just as this one does. Not to mention the incredible worldbuilding. Somehow this video game world feels like a separate dimension that we, the protagonist and the watcher, have been isekaied into. I digress; I love this season's continuation of that story. In this season, Sunraku and friends are continuing their mission to level up and take on the impossibility of a game that is SLF. The fight scenes during this are very thought out and well animated. I love watching Sunraku abusinggame mechanics to speed through the game as fast as he can. That is exactly what a lot of gamers I know do! It is very grounded and realistic in that respect. I find myself baffled at how intelligent the fight scenes feel while using all of the introduced game mechanics and the pure physicality of the character model.

This story feels like it is created by gamers for gamers, which is exactly what I need in an anime.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I love how they occasionally switch between games to further the plot. Showing the other games Sunraku has been playing not only makes the story more immersive, but it is such a unique way to introduce characters and plot points. I feel a lot of people I know meet gamers through one game and then bring them along to the other games in their collection.

The voice acting I feel is great. I am watching the dubbed version, but somehow it is still very good. I know I've watched quite a few anime where the dub fails in comparison to the original Japanese voice acting, but the dub feels right. The voice actor for Rakuro/Sunraku goes HARD. There is also so much gamer lingo and gamer-esque jokes in the dub that further immerse the watcher into the experience. It makes me feel like I am watching a kid experience an incredibly detailed video game universe, which I am, but a lot of shows fail to write Gen Z kids.

I have already touched on this somewhat in this review, but the animation is great. I find it is smooth, the action sequences are well drawn, and the art style is exquisite. I love the detail of the eye movements while Sunraku is wearing the bird mask!

Overall, I wholeheartedly believe that this is the best video game anime I have seen, and I cannot wait for the anime to continue releasing for the season. I am reliving my childhood with every episode that I watch. This truly feels like the gamer experience in an anime, and I am here for it.

Shangri-la Frontier does something that no other "I got isekaied into a game world" series does. It plays it straight with no gimmicks. No SAO trapped in the game, no truck-kun reincarnation, no demon lord or Harem. It's a game and the protagonist is playing it because he likes games. That's it! The stakes here are his gamer's pride and nothing else. It is a slow burn and in season two our MC is finally allowed to do what he normally does in other games, find exploits and give the devs a run for their money! Objectively speaking putting a glitch hunter into a AAAwith none is an odd choice, He does shine when he gets to play around with the game mechanics though and thankfully we are getting more of that early in the season.

Because of how straight forward the series is being I want to give it a chance. It's nice to see a show about gamers actually being gamers, people who are internally motivated out of passion (or to spite each other!)... instead of a "we have Kirito at home" clone!

Well the second season is here and since the specifics were already covered on the first one, this one will be shorter and more straightforward, kinda like the show itself. People keep playing videogames in a mostly fun looking way so there are still reasons to be pleased with this continuation, but it’s definitely worse than its predecessor due to the following reasons: -The pacing is slower. The first season already had a slower pacing on its second half, and it became worse in here. Now the main characters have interacted and formed an alliance with other players that care about the lore and unique scenariosand epic bosses of the game and stuff, which is good, but now there is a lot more sitting down and talking and exposition going on.

-Speaking of exposition, it had become worse in this season compared to the one before it. Since the protagonist has leveled up and unlocked new weapons and abilities, there’s a lot more inner monologues about that, and even on screen there are a lot more explanations about in-game mechanics. And since the show moved on to the fights against the epic bosses that affect the whole in-game world, there is a lot more strategic discussion between the characters. Infamously, there is an episode where half of it or more was about a party planning what to do against an epic boss while having it occupied with a decoy.

-The protagonist is now more broken. He has access to an OP inventory full of powerful items that even serves as a room to teleport to, so he uses it in battle as an escape route to rest and heal a little, and to come back from, more geared up. Speaking of gear he also gets more powerful weapons as he levels up and works with NPCs, so he doesn’t struggle nor is as creative against small enemies as he used to be. Yes, it is a natural course in videogames in general so it makes sense for the writing to be that way, but it doesn’t really prevent it from being a slightly worse watching experience. Even when it seemed that he was disadvantaged at some point, he works his way around it and comes off as more OP and it never feels like he struggles much.

-There is little plot progression. Despite seemingly moving forward due to showing more characters, enemies and places within the in-game setting, the characters don’t really progress much in what they want to do in the game. The protagonist even gets a second chance against that one epic boss from the first season, for the MMORPG and the show to pull out a troll.

-There is focus on other type of content in it and not in the best ways. The series now bothers to explore the backstories of other characters and how they began to play videogames and roleplay and why they choose their playstyles in specific. Character fleshing is good but when an action show does it in the middle of a fight interrupting the flow of the series, it is an issue. And although I now don’t find Rei to be a creepy stalker, I still feel like her attraction to the protagonist is rather silly and superficial and I wish there was less focus on it.

-Related to that, the anime is now slightly more serious. Although still primarily a comedy action adventure show, since now characters even have entire episodes dedicated to introspect about why and how they play videogames and roleplay, they started to take, well, videogames, more seriously. It is nowhere near the embarrassing levels of other shows, which I already criticized on my review of the first season, but it was preferable as it was before.

-The series dedicates runtime to other videogames. I don’t really find this to be an issue, as it shows more of the characters outside the main game and playing more stuff and using other mechanics. I find that to be a nice change for a short while, and the anime even uses that to show how someone can get a burnout from a hobby, and it even ties the characters and events from those other games to the main one, so I don’t take it as wasted screentime. The directing even went to change the title of the anime at the beginning of some episodes and commercial brakes, which was a nice touch. Other people did find it to be an issue, so I think it was worth mentioning.

-Since I covered the occasional change of videogames, that leads me to talk about another actual problem which is the animation becoming worse. One of the other videogames is a so-so and far more generic looking mecha fighting game with far less customizations, so its aesthetics are more plain and boring looking, and even has weak CGI and less detailed artwork all around. But even within the main game, the artwork and character figures became weaker, the backgrounds and special effects, and even some epic monsters have now far more and more noticeable rather poor looking CGI. Even the motions and impact frames feel and look worse than they did before. At its best the series still looks great and sometimes even far better than it did in the first season, but its overall decline in visual quality is very prominent and can’t be denied. Near the end of the season, the characters play another fighting game with roleplay elements, which although it had uninteresting gameplay, it also featured interesting mind game like abilities and much more interesting and better visuals.

-Even the audio department is considerably worse. The music is still the same but less prominent and with a several case of lacking good insert songs, there are two new openings and two new endings, none of which I liked particularly but the first ending was nice to look because the characters were in suits and dresses. The voice acting is about the same, and the sound effects are far weaker than they were in the first season.

-The ending is still open of course, as the source material is ongoing, but it is also a double cliffhanger of sorts, so it is worse than the one from the first season. Luckily the continuation was already confirmed, but is that a good thing?

As a whole, the anime is still watchable to kill some time but it has undeniably become worse than it was and if they don’t stop its production for a little while to try and polish it to its previous level, it might affect the following entries to the point where they might become bad.

I’ve seen tons of freaking anime, and within a fair margin Shangri-La totally rules over the gaming fantasy genre, having the most epic fight sequences with Sunraku’s energized narratives. You def feel as though you’re getting a gaming itch scratched. That’s the idea behind this series, it’s meant to be fun, but also has depth to it not many people would be willing to admit. Pretty sure people per usual will come on here to hate eventually, imo they don’t realize they likely don’t care much for the gaming genre or understand why this series really does have substance, and is definitelynot aimless. It’s just like gaming irl, or watching a streamer game… almost a slice of life anime in this way but there’s much to be taken from Shangri-la Frontier. If you’re a gamer you know just how a part of virtual worlds we can become that in a way brings happiness into our physical life.

This show has an MC as a shining example of that and it’s why you never see him unhappy or without fire in his eyes. This anime is literally about that, and there’s life lessons to be seen within it shockingly if that’s what people criticize about it then there ya go. You’d be wrong is basically what I’m saying. SLF lays it down so simple and it’s even worth calling special since its lore is so bright and immense.

Watch with a lighthearted attitude, you’ll be sure to love it and laugh your ass off too. And if you glean some insight into your own life when you play games yourself, you’ll love & appreciate shangri-la even more.

ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ “Why do we play games? For their answers.”

Shangri-La Frontier, Round 2 — The God-tier game never ceases to amaze, and Challenge 2 Challenge is the perfect animosity for a studio name that never once shuns from giving the audience its hype train that never stops. What comes to mind when you think of "the greatest game that's ever lived?" There are a lot of games for that matter, so let's dumb it down to just anime depictions of it. Some will say that Sword Art Online still plays a huge precedent, being the franchise that has lasted on a golden platter since its 2012 debut, and that's no question at all being theVR MMORPG that pretty much influenced the gaming landscape in terms of anime. And within the last few years or so, the newest contender of mangaka Katarina's Shangri-La Frontier has been going strong since its Fall 2023 debut with studio C2C at the helm, and it's no surprise that we're once again back yet into another Fall-Winter seasonal crossover with the studio's first-ever 2-cour back-to-back sequel series enlisting of a god-tier game that never refuses to say never, because never is NOT enough.

With Season 2 continuing the leftovers from Volume 7 to the middle of Volume 14 of the manga, it's evident from Season 1 that there's no definition of a good stopping point, because from the intents of director Toshiyuki Kubooka, it is meant to keep each and every episode hyped for the next, to the next. And yes, given that Sunraku and the gang have weathered the storm against Weathermon the Tombguard (which was one of the major arcs of Season 1), going into Season 2 with the Ether Reactor arc, where Sunraku would eventually make his own secret Inventoria, only to face inherent difficulty in reckoning switching to yet another game for help and ideas, to then revisit his lifelong in-game nemesis once again to try and remove the initial curse set upon him with the Nightslayer's Shadow arc (which is quite the action-heavy arc), thereby taking a switch with yet another Unique Scenario of the Abyss City arc and the much-anticipated GGC arc that clearly defines what SLF is all about.

If you have to take a gander at how Season 2 does things differently, I will have to say to look out for both Lycagon's revisit as well as the other games that were played in the middle of SLF. Remember, Sunraku started out his journey as a total noob, only to be affected by Lycagon's curse the moment he was about to break the bank of the game's development stage. And because this boisterous creature is so hard to locate, it takes comrades and a well-executed strategy just to find the rare enemy alone to convince it to undo the curse on him. Sadly, as much as Sunraku wants to exact revenge on Lycagon, it backfires and induces him to a fault that everyone, from players to NPCs, will notice the evil aura emitting from him. The GGC aspect, though, really turns SLF into one glorified Gamer's Aura of a video game anime because of the other games in place, like Nephilim Hollow that allow for unlimited parallels of other SLF players in those games to take even more precedent. Once again, remember that when Sunraku met OiKatzo for the first time, it was in the trash game BERP for hardcore trash gamers, which is how he and Arthur Pencilgon a.k.a Towa Amane got into the whole SLF shtick in the first place. And the sequel expands a bit more from the local to the international stage, where eSports is at its height of fame and the hardcore know their skills fully well. It's always the integration of both internal and external factors that makes SLF one of the most tightly confined series I've seen, and it has been proven in Season 1, so it should be in Season 2 here as well.

I need not say that C2C has been pushing themselves like (the once) Studio Bind to pump out only one core source material, and they're continuing to nail flawless production and near-perfect animation prowess even for Season 2. Yes, there have been somewhat of production cuts that are obvious for the sequel, but it is overall still better than the average 3rd-rate studios out there who can't muster much.

OST continues to be just as great, with the tight integration that always works no matter what. The OP/ED set is where I have reservations of a hit-and-miss experience. LiSA's OP and otoha's ED knocked it out of the park for the 1st Cour, but Awich's OP and CVTLE's ED regressed it back for the 2nd Cour. To be fair, the songs are not bad at all, especially for the 2nd Cour with its rather dark depiction and 8-bit stylized features, but I don't think that it held its weight against what we have heard for almost 1.5 years now.

Still, managaka Katarina's Shangri-La Frontier still continues to impress in its consistency, and heck, we're not even anywhere remotely close to done with the adaptation, especially since Season 3 has been in the works for quite some time already. If there's any chance of catching up to SLF, now's the time to respond to the gamer vibes within you and just let loose your gamer bait rage to experience one of, if not, the greatest video game-inspired adaptations out there.

the story is really unique and they did the game scene so well the art is pretty funny at times but, the unique monsters look SICK every character has its own use not just a support for the MC, In all honesty i think anyone can enjoy this show especially gamers as it also shows us various other games as well keeping the story fresh and always making us hyped for the next landing on SLF!!! :D. all those who thought that no one should watch this your are RETAR- not gonna finish that cuz idk if its allowed but i don't think they watched even thefirst season to dislike the anime

After finishing Shangri-La Frontier season 2, I’m left with mixed feelings. Unfortunately, it’s hard to ignore that season 2 lost the "magic" that made the first season such a compelling watch. The excitement and mystery of exploring the world of SLF and taking on quests just aren’t there this time around. The animation quality has also taken a noticeable dive. The Weathermon battle in season 1 was intense and gripping, creating a real sense of tension, even with no actual stakes. In comparison, season 2’s battles feel hollow, almost cheap. I think the show could really benefit from a "Souls-like" system where dying has consequence(you lose all your money or drop 5 levels), without it, the fights lose their weight.

Ironically, the most engaging part of season 2 happens outside the game itself, but with those storylines still unresolved by the season's end, it leaves the whole arc feeling like it’s gone nowhere. By the conclusion, it’s hard to shake the feeling that not much was accomplished.

For anyone reading this who hasn’t watched Shangri-La Frontier season 2 yet, I’d recommend going in with lowered expectations.

And for those of you who have already seen it, I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that season 2 deserves a score lower than season 1.

I feel like this season had a lot of promise but it fell short of it's predecessor for a couple of reasons in my opinion. Season 1 presented other players as threats and the whole idea of PKers seemed a bit more important but in this season there weren't really any outside threats at all. Another thing that I liked in season 1 that they completed fumbled in season 2 is the eerie, mysterious feeling of the truth behind the world inside Shangri-La Frontier. For example, the vibes that were given off between Setsuna and Pencilgon felt like there was something deep and dark behind thegame that we would follow up on further this season.

The last problem I had with this season is the pacing. There's nothing wrong with our MC playing other games every now and then but there are times we are ramping up to a major plot point and Sunraku takes a break to meet up with someone in another game and it just takes you out of it because he'll be out the game for a couple episodes.

Oh! And Saiga (Psyger 0) is annoying.

Season 2 of Shangri-La Frontier hits like a truck. If I gave Season 1 a 7/10, Season 2 definitely deserves a straight 8/10. I already thought the first season surpassed Sword Art Online in my eyes, so the sequel... there's no competition! I originally rated Season 1 a 7 because I thought, "Here we go again, another anime set in an MMO world like Sword Art Online," something overdone and predictable. And judging by the synopsis, it didn’t seem like there would be much to expect. But that’s precisely what surprised me—it quickly impressed me. What really stood out was how Shangri-La Frontier breaks away fromthe usual isekai/MMORPG formulas. There’s no omnipresent villain, no overdramatic emotional weight, no world-ending threat around every corner. And yet, it works incredibly well.

While other anime try to force artificial stakes, Shangri-La Frontier chooses to show us a virtual world where characters genuinely enjoy themselves. We follow a passionate player who’s truly having fun. This decision to avoid constant tension and instead focus on the natural progression of a gamer—his encounters, small challenges, gaming routines, and discoveries—creates a refreshing and surprisingly addictive vibe. It feels like a slice-of-life for gamers, and that’s exactly what makes the show different and endearing.

I had read some of the manga before starting the anime but didn’t feel like continuing. Honestly, the anime completely won me over and brought the world to life in an incredible way. The animation is fluid and dynamic, and the visual effects during fights are top-notch. And I have to say: the anime is visually stunning. The colors, the art direction, the way the tone shifts whenever Sunraku tries a different game besides Shangri-La Frontier—it’s amazing. You really feel like you’re exploring distinct universes, each with its own atmosphere and visual identity.

Season 2 takes everything up a notch. The pacing is better, the story builds momentum without losing the “gaming enjoyment” approach that defines the series. The side characters are given more depth, and the story expands without betraying its original spirit. You can feel the creators’ desire to build a rich and coherent universe.

That’s where the difference with Sword Art Online really shows: SAO had massive potential but failed to deliver on its ideas. Shangri-La Frontier doesn’t overpromise—it simply succeeds at everything it sets out to do. It doesn’t try to make you believe “your life is at risk in the game,” but it does make you feel how fun, immersive, and even touching a virtual world can be.

Honestly, I might reconsider my Season 1 rating… maybe it deserves an 8/10 too! It wasn’t bad at all—quite the opposite, it was impressive. I just didn’t expect the sequel to raise the bar even higher. I was wrong. I absolutely loved Season 2, and it even got me back into reading the manga, which continues to be fantastic—smart, funny, and incredibly well-written.

In short, Shangri-La Frontier is an MMO anime that breaks the mold. Visually gorgeous, carefully written, full of love for video games and contagious passion. A true favorite that I highly recommend to anyone tired of the usual isekai clichés.

The consolidation of the best video game-themed anime. This season seeks to expand the story's vision of video games. Sure, it gives us a progressive continuation of the main story, but even the narrative itself works just like a video game. The story within the main game remains interesting: the hunt for the 7 Supremes. In the purest JRPG style, before any boss fight, there will be a thousand things to do, a thousand dialogues to read, and all that lore is just too enticing. The entire season was spent fighting two of them, and we're nowhere near beating them. Since this whole journey can beoverwhelming at times, the anime takes us on a break from this game to try to spend some time in other genres. This is how our protagonist takes us through a mecha combat game and a traditional fighting game. ShanFron knows his market, knows who he's talking to, and the more he presents, the more the affection he has for the video game industry becomes evident. It's not just about the games, but the players as well. Seeing all the different player classes is a great experience because it will lead you to forge a bond with the character who has a playstyle similar to yours.

Everything in the story is very well-crafted; when someone tells you that someone is strong, it's clearly demonstrated. They don't do it with a brutal display of strength, but rather with the complex gameplay mechanics you must employ to defeat your opponent. No major enemy is defeated in the same way, which adds a lot of dynamism to the fights. You won't see two identical strategies, nor two identical bosses. As the story progresses and experience accumulates, a sea of ​​new variants, tools, weapons, classes, and subclasses opens up, enriching what we see on screen because everything is constantly changing.

ShanFron is establishing itself as the best in the video game genre. This could be attributed merely to its animation, which never falters, but it's a story that is naturally charismatic. This should not be a recommendation but rather a requirement.

From the very first episode, Shangri-La Frontier immerses you in a vibrant and dynamic virtual world, where the protagonist, Sunraku, embarks on an epic journey filled with challenges, mystery, and intense battles. Unlike many other VRMMO anime, this series stands out by focusing on the player’s skill and strategy rather than just overpowering abilities, making every encounter feel earned and satisfying. The animation quality is breathtaking—each battle is fluid, detailed, and packed with energy. Whether it’s the smooth movement of Sunraku’s acrobatics or the menacing presence of legendary monsters, every scene is crafted with precision. The character designs are unique and memorable, and the world itselfis beautifully built, with a vast, immersive setting that feels alive.

One of the strongest aspects of the anime is its protagonist. Sunraku isn’t your typical overpowered hero—he’s a passionate gamer who thrives on overcoming challenges. His dedication, quick thinking, and love for "trash games" make him a refreshing and engaging lead. The supporting characters also add depth and charm to the story, each bringing their own personality and skills into the mix.

The pacing is excellent, with just the right balance of action, world-building, and character development. The storytelling keeps you hooked, and the sense of adventure is palpable in every episode. The music and sound design further enhance the experience, making battles even more intense and emotional.

Overall, Shangri-La Frontier is an anime that sets a new standard for the VRMMO genre. It’s a must-watch for fans of action-packed adventures, clever strategies, and immersive world-building. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer or just love a well-crafted story, this anime delivers on every front.

🔥 Final Verdict: 10/10 – An Absolute Masterpiece!

Would I dare say this second season of Shangri-La Frontier is even better than the first one? After its first season, this story still has much to offer! ShanFro has everything: a sensational animation, a good and intriguing story, well-developed action balanced with strategic discussions, and most importantly, it has endearing, captivating, eccentric and funny characters. Sunraku, after all the impressive things he has done so far, never fails to impress, even in this second season. This character is an insane player and always finds a way around when he's met with difficulty. It feels like nothing will be able to stop his creative mind. Addto that his spark of eccentricity and craziness, and you get the perfect combo to face anything in ShanFro.

The plot slowly progresses forward. Sunraku has to go on "side" quests in order to get the things he needs to reach his goal, but it is not a problem. Indeed, it works perfectly with this anime and the game of Shangri-La Frontier as it leads us to epic moments and battles that one would not expect to happen at that precise moment.

I have to say, there were two episodes early in this season where Sunraku plays another game with mecha and I didn't care much for these episodes. That said, they introduced characters that will be present in ShanFro right after; the episodes served a purpose. Although I did not care much about the mecha game, the rest of the season was perfect so that did not impact my overall enjoyment of this second season.

Shangri-La Frontier season 2 is still as creative as season 1, and the anime never gets boring. There is no redundancy, new elements are always introduced, as well as new characters, new weapons and new strategies. The universe of ShanFro is vast and amazing to discover. Moreover, I did find this season very funny once again. For all those reasons, ShanFro deserves a 10/10, and I wish more people talked about it!

I binged S1 and then 7 eps of S2 within 2 days (christmas break rotting ok dont judge). I gotta say, I am pleasantly surprised. I was expecting some furry anime which I wouldn't be the target audience for, but... this show is extremely entertaining; good animation, good pacing, good dialogue, good world-building, good comedy, good characters, no cringe, no harem (yet) - what else do you need? Sure, the plot isn't super grand or special, and it is kinda structured like a generic power fantasy (without a harem)... but it does it well, way better than other anime. In fact this might be my favoriteVR/gaming anime. They did a great job creating tension and interest with the premise of getting ahead of other players, the unique monsters and questlines, evading the guilds and PKers, and the exploration of the new world.

Just to list off some more things I like: the MCs and his companions have fun personalities and interactions, the fight choreography is super cool, the comedy is good (sometimes), the monsters are cool, the SLF world is immersive, the SLF fighting/magic system is fun, even the other games the MC plays are fun! I actually really like that the MC will swap between games, it make the show feel super grounded. I love how this show doesn't take itself too seriously, which I think is the best way of going about the isekai or VR genres which have been beaten to death.

Blah blah blah

Plot: idc (realistically a 6.5)

Storytelling: 10

Animation: 8

Characters: 10 (thank you for no harem and annoying MC)

Entertainment: 10

This review will cover season 1 and 2, since I watched them back to back and feel the quality is the same between them. Shangri-La Frontier is a really cool game. The world is nicely fleshed out, and the systems/npcs are all really nice. Shangri-La the anime is just alright though. Despite liking the game/world, the players really toe the line of being cringe in how hard they get into the game. To be honest, I'm not sure how many games the auther has played, since it doesn't feel like they are really playing a game a lot of the time. Like the game is supposed tobe super popular, but besides cities you barely see players. They never discuss instances, or servers. It seems like everyone is on the same server, which would be crazy for how popular it's supposed to be. They seem to randomly run into players sometimes in the wild though, so it's not instanced out there. Anyway, it just bothers me how the game doesn't feel like a true game a lot of the time, and the players seem to treat it too seriously a lot of the time.

Otherwise it's fun enough. I'll probably watch the next season. I recommend it if you don't care too much about that interesting of a story and just want a action filled plot.

In this 2nd season of Shangri-La the story continues for Sunraku, with many more special secret scenarios, unexpected flashy battles, lots of new skills, and worldbuilding. The focus of this anime keeps being fights, and all of the logistics, strategizing, teams creation and other aspects around those difficult fights, I'm starting to like the world on Shangri-La, and I don't mind the constant interruption of the main story for Sunraku to go out with friends, or just blow off some steam playing a different game, I actually really appreciated it, it reminded me of my own life playing online with friends and maybe getting temporarilybored of a good game and going into another game for a day just for nostalgia, to play another genre or to remember a classic.

There's a lot more character development, which was lacking in the 1st season. For example, we see an explanation of why Rei is so obsessed with Sunraku: He's kinda cute, he has a beautiful smile. Honestly, it makes sense for an adolescent girl to obsess over a boy just because of looks. Most characters are personality presets without much background, but they're relatable in many ways and for this kind of story I honestly don't expect them to be all that complex, they're likeable enough.

I still hate the couple of young girl developers that are supposedly the only ones creating Shangri-La, it breaks the suspension of disbelief needed to buy into the idea that there's a future with such advanced VR technology. We should be seeing creative directors just giving orders to gigantic programming or design teams, or nothing at all about the development would also be better.

Still, the main issue keeps being the pacing: there are very well-done fights that suffer because half of the action is just our characters running and talking strategies, while the boss either sits there waiting or just slowly chases them around. I also didn't appreciate the cliffhanger at the end.

Animation and sound design are good, the intros and outros really go well with the anime theme, very energetic.

Overall I think that this season is a slight improvement over the last one, or at least we get to find out more about the world and characters so the story is more enjoyable, but I still disliked that all issues in the previous seasons are still there.

tl;dr Season 2 keeps the good visuals, fights, and setting from season 1, but the pacing is much slower. Watching it at 1.5 speed makes it feel as fast and exciting as the first season. If you enjoyed season 1 but feel the second is too slow, try increasing the speed. It improves the experience a lot. The review: The second season is good, but the pacing is much worse compared to the first. In season 1, every scene felt smooth and fast. Episodes passed quickly, and each fight or event was enjoyable without feeling long. Season 2 has the same style, but the pacing is much slower.It is not boring at first, but after a few episodes, it becomes hard to keep focus because everything moves slowly.

I had to switch to 1.5 speed to enjoy it properly. At that speed, it suddenly felt like season 1 again — fast and enjoyable. My relative also said the same, and we watched the rest of the season like that. I believe they made the pacing slow on purpose, maybe to stretch the story to 25 episodes. It felt similar to writing a school test where you need 1000 words but only have 500 worth of ideas, so you add things just to reach the word count.

The animation is very good, just like the first season. The final part of the new fighting game was also done well. The soundtrack is decent but feels a little weaker this time. The opening song was disappointing at normal speed. It is rap, but the rapper speaks too slowly, and it does not sound like a real rap song. We skipped it after one or two episodes. But at 1.5 speed, it suddenly felt much better. We ended up listening to it every episode after that. This also supports my feeling that the show was made to be slower than it should be.

The art is solid. Not amazing, but good enough. I also liked that each season focuses on one character’s problems. It helps expand the cast step by step. The world setting is still strong, and nothing important feels missing or confusing.

Overall, I did enjoy this season, but only at 1.5 speed. At normal speed, it is too slow to enjoy in the same way as the first season. If you liked season 1, you will probably continue anyway, but if it feels too slow or less fun, try watching it faster. It changes the whole experience for the better.

Shangri la frontier is by far one of the best gaming world anime out there. it blends the real-world lives of the characters with the adventures of their in-game counterparts quite well. the first season was a real treat to watch but the second season really blew it out of the water literally. story: 9/10 Characters: 8/10 animation 10/10. the introduction of the new characters spanning across multiple game worlds is refreshing especially with the Nephilim hollow short arc. the one thing i didn't like that much was how they left the season end on a big cliffhanger, but half the fun of anime iswaiting for the next season to come out which is confirmed. i will note that if you want to watch this in the best possible way try watching from a VR headset if you can. this series is shaping up to be a true gaming genre classic and a lot of people can't wait to see what happens next.

Just like with season 1, season 2's strongest asset is the animations and art. Good pacing is still absent. NPCs are still annoying, main character still needs to get kicked in the shins, Shangria-La Frontier developers probably eat rocks. The only good parts are when they are not playing Shangria-La Frontier... Didn't really like the way they blue-balled viewers with the promise of a game turnament only for it to be hype-bait for season 3. Hopefully the turnament will have good pacing in season 3 and not be dragged out like a certain undead cyborg ninja fight from season 1...