This is the season 2 of The Brave Yoshihiko series that further uses the momentum of its previous success and does it well. The Key of the Evil Spirit arc feels more like a second season you may not have asked for but it’s not a bad addition to the series. It takes up all the things that worked in the first season and adds more to the content without changing the formula. It’s a few points higher than the previous season overall and benefits mostly fans invested to the show. Image Source
You don’t need to watch the first season to get the gist of the second. It has rare moments where it draws some clips from the previous season but it can be viewed as a stand alone without feeling like you missed something. When I came upon the Yoshihiko series, I was introduced to clips from the second season and it didn’t feel like I was missing out anything from the plot. It’s the type of show that isn’t too invested on the plot but the story flow is more focused on how our heroes react to the circumstances forced upon them for comedy’s sake. They even included on their opening for the show the words "Low Budget Adventure".
There’s a growing demand for parody shows given that Japan has strict laws when it comes to copyright. Film producers often shy away from referencing other popculture icons on their shows in fear of lawsuits. We see some shows occasionally attempt to parody other shows but this gets a pass because the production company’s tend to be the same. Exactly how bad is the copyright laws there? Well the concept of memes is somewhat foreign to them given the nature that most memes use copyrighted images as a base to deliver the joke.
Plot:
A hundred years after the end of season 1, the seal that locks away the monsters from another realm has been stolen/lost. People cried out for help from the Buddha and in response for their plea, Yoshihiko’s team was raised from the dead. But this time they came back alive in their older adult forms corresponding to the time of their deaths. They also have to restart grinding some levels again as all previous progress from their last adventure were lost.
What’s New in the Second Season?
Not much really. They reused the same formula that made season 1 work and added more skits to the mix. There are parallels to how the plot progresses that resemble how the first season went down. These include having Yoshihiko’s sister doing cameos each episode, Yoshihiko losing his motivation to pursue his mission and get distracted, Merub’s useless spells, dialogues that break the 4th wall, and comedic skits that aren’t all that bad.
The most remarkable thing the show has done for this season is including more parody from other shows with Merub standing as speaker for the audience in pointing this out. Merub, while being a supporting character, accomplishes being the stage, the punchline, and driver for most of the comedic skits for the show with some 4th wall breaking insight.
The show is still as good as one has left it from season one. As a story about a hero trying to rid the world of evil, the Yoshihiko series is plot driven rather than a character driven story. The main difference between character driven vs plot driven is how the characters interact with the plot. Are they reactive or proactively driving the story with their own motivations. As far as the story goes, Yoshihiko and the rest are reacting to whatever comedic situations they find themselves along their quest to make the world a better place.
Having a plot driven story compliments the comedic skits as we, the audience, are far more invested on what happens to the heroes and how they react to whatever is thrown at them rather than focus on direct goals at hand which aren’t really that important unless the Buddha reminds them they are.
Do I recommend?
Yep, if you liked the first season already this one would also be a fun watch. The show may have it’s dull times when it comes to the dialogue especially when localized references are used but like any joke, it’s all hit or miss.
If you made it this far reading, thank you for your time.