Dream Festival! R

Compared to the first season, there is some improvement as found in Dream Festival! R. Sadly, though, the improvements only apply for the secondary issues. The primary issues --the issues desperately in need for improvements-- are still pretty much intact.

Let's start with the good points. For this second season, the art is definitely better. The characters are more animated, making their body language seem fluid and their facial expressions more engaging. Moreover, the Dorika element is better utilized this time around. While it seemed like in the first season the Dorika element occasionally felt forced and unnecessary, this time around it seems like Bandai Namco ... Pictures had become so much more confident, the Dorika manages to become both magical and sensible.

Now with the bad points. This is supposed to be the point of redemption for Bandai Namco Pictures to polish the main protagonist, Amamiya Kanade, from being too much of a blank canvas to being a proper center of the entire narrative. Unfortunately, lack of character developments makes Kanade even worse than a blank canvas: it is as if the studio commanded, "Look. This is the hero of the story so you HAVE TO like him!" Additionally, the introduction of brand new supporting characters ultimately does not deliver the spice this series had needed to make things more interesting. Another disappointing point is the development of KUROGANE. While in the first season this unit was the proper antithesis of DearDream, the overall "let's-be-friends-forever" vibe of the whole second season manages to neuter KUROFUNE's edge. Finally, we have that horrifying series finale-slash-recap episode.

At the end of the day, I decided to score the same grade for Dream Festival! R as its predecessor's, Dream Festival! At least with the unfortunate balance between the interesting and the disaster, both seasons manage to feel cohesive and it does make it better for the audience's experience to watch both seasons as one inseparable package. However, does this anime require the third season? Well, just like idols in real life, one shall better quit while still being ahead.

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