Reincarnated as a Sword Season 2

Episodes 1-4

The first couple of episodes of Reincarnated as a Sword II did well at bringing back much of the fun and effective approach that made the first season such a pleasant surprise. It's not reinventing the modern isekai wheel, but that's what's impressive about it. This is an anime that shows how simply strong storytelling with a healthy respect for the ideas inherent in its world can make the genre work—Teacher and Fran have something to prove in opposition to their perceived status as a mere object and unevolving slave race. And they have to work to surmount their opposition, not being as inherently overpowered as so many wish-fulfillment isekai heroes.

Some of those rules are still beholden to the over-explanations that are so annoyingly inherent to the genre, though the Sword show has shown that it's trying to mitigate that point in its second season already. The descriptions of Jean the necromancer's situation and how some of his powers work in the first two episodes come off more briskly, and make the min-maxing and repurposing of abilities actually seem fun. Some of the more blunt stat-based standbys still fall into the traps that the first season did, and the third episode of this new season opens up with a flashback to Teacher and Fran trying out buff-stacking that's all too technical a back-ported showcase of that sort of element.

But if some of the show's iffier impulses are still present, that precludes everything they power still sticking around as well, and as the third episode gets underway, that includes the fabulous fight scenes that so (unexpectedly?) defined that first season. Parts of this had already been seen in the battles with the undead mooks and mini-bosses in the previous episode, but the third episode brings in a battle with the Skeleton Knight that lasts virtually the entire episode—a Big Fight Episode as Reincarnated as a Sword so regularly showed it could pull off. And wouldn't you know it, it still works here!

The anime's always had a strong sense for choreography powering its combat, with Fran's off-balance fighting style wielding the massive Teacher making the swordfighting fun to watch. And Reincarnated as a Sword understands that adding on other abilities and elements to a character's kit is more opportunities for layers to the fight. So now that the dynamic duo has Jet as a summonable companion, the Skeleton Knight summons its own skeleton horse for a sidekick fight—and then Teacher and Fran force a switch in who's fighting who to keep their opponents on their toes.

It's so effectively structured in terms of moving parts that it makes me just a little disappointed that the writing of the fight can't find more for Jean to do. The nominal explanation is that he's conserving his abilities for the bigger boss battle ahead, but it still sticks out when he can barely manage to sling a healing spell at Fran, or try one trick on the Skeleton Knight that ends up not even working. At least part of this is borne out of me liking Jean a lot as a guest star, and not only do I want to see him do more, it gets me still trying to suss out entirely how on-the-level he is. Him hanging back, biding his time with these undead opponents gives the air of ulterior motives, especially with his minion Stephan mysteriously heading out on a secret mission in the second episode.

It does seem to pay off properly in the fourth episode, with Jean revealing his secret staff (wait, that sounds suggestive) to try to even the field against the overpowered final boss, the Lich. It only works a little bit, but that's fine as a way to more organically hold Jean back in the fight and also demonstrate what Teacher and Fran really look like taking on an opponent they aren't even close to strong enough for. On the base level, this goes back to that point I appreciate about Reincarnated as a Sword: that Fran and Teacher aren't as strong as overpowered isekai heroes. They have to work for their victories, and sometimes that work is so futile that Teacher would've been right in his initial instinct to nope out of the fight altogether.

It's underscored by the brutality on display as they get beat. Fran's graduated, after a fashion, and the dungeon enemies she's up against are on a whole 'nother level now, with this new season reveling in that. Even before the fight with the Lich, battling the Skeleton Knight inflicts some violent damage on Fran, nearly severing limbs and prompting a lot of twisted faces with blood spurting out. These same effects are on display even more as she and Teacher struggle against the Lich. It highlights the increased danger level of the new adventures, and it also plays up the sharpening edge that this reincarnated sword has this season, alongside the blood-soaked intro animation and dark, angsty Lich-origin flashbacks in the episodes.

That's fair; for all my complaining about other, low-effort isekai, I couldn't then turn around and criticize this one for trying too hard. It lends it flavor, anyway, and even pays off that backstory when the Lich gets depowered by having his own memories possessed. Stephan, I'm sorry I ever doubted you. That's cool as a turnaround, since it brings so many elements set up across episodes together. Less impressive is Teacher and Fran doing their own part to nullify the Lich's invulnerability by just…pulling a Skill Steal on him at the right moment to steal the one skill that was making the whole trick work. This was led into a bit in its own way, with the Lich lowering his guard so Teacher could get a proper look at all he had going on. But it still feels like a too-quick cop-out, rooted entirely in video game stat logic, especially when the previous fight made a whole thing of Teacher and Fran not being able to steal skills of a certain level.

So even as a good isekai, Reincarnated as a Sword is always going to be held back by being an isekai, and willing to give into those cheaper indulgences. It's just the nature of the beast. If it still mostly makes it work—and thus far, I believe it does—it's worth keeping up with. This opening arc being four episodes long and only just looking like it's going to finish next week shows the escalation of its ambition: Fran and Teacher have taken on a truly tough mission, and this was just a baseline subquest they stumbled upon while exploring the overworld. It's big action that plays to the show's strengths, making it a rare isekai anime that's actually earned its confidence.

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Reincarnated as a Sword Season 2 is currently streaming on HIDIVE.

While you were partying, Chris studied the blade, which is why he's here to talk about swords for another season. See him saying s-words sometimes on his socials.