Artwork has disintegrated compared to season 1. Character and background work has slid precipitously. While the animation was never much to brag about, it's now the level of Saturday Morning Kid Vid. The producers cheaped out mightily.
Writing for the characters is almost nonexistent. The MMC and the main antagonist disappear almost immediately and we never get to see them again except as snippets. I have no idea why the writers took a 3rd tier character and suddenly make her a hime. Because she's cute? The other character are all 2D cardboard cutouts, including the supposed FMC. She's still stuck in the "cause trouble, cook her way out, rinse repeat" cycle.
The narrative is damned sparse. There was a bit of world building with the inclusion of the northern region. But a lot of that got glossed over badly and felt much too rushed or unexplained. There was only a minimal bit of plot progression. And the 'romance' was poorly portrayed. Isn't the clunky embarrassing part supposed to come BEFORE the marriage, not after? Poorly written indeed.
The VA work was less than mid. It could best be described as "going through the motions." With all the problems that never got rectified, it would be fair to call the direction poor.
Season 1 was relaxing enough to be pleasantly boring. Not so this season as it's chock full of disasters. I'd grade this fairly 62/100 for a D-. Not failing, but not because it didn't try. I'd suggest a nap and bite to eat anywhere else.
