Amphibia - Season 2 - TV Review

I kind of wish how I knew how to start off this article because so often when I talk about animation I start off with how adults need to stop treating animation like it's just for kids. But in this case I'll be discussing a show that's clearly meant for kids, but also has some slightly more mature elements that kids should be introduced to at a younger age. Not sexuality or anything like that, but more stuff nearer to their age like what having a friend should really mean or how to know and accept who you are. These and other similar questions were present in the previous season of the show I'll be talking about this week and with the epic finale finally out (and because it's now fully on Disney Plus) I can now talk about season two of the incredible show: Amphibia!

Amphibia season two begins after the fight at Toad Tower between Anne (Brenda Song) and one of her close friends, Sasha (Anna Akana). Anne won the fight, but the battle emotionally tore both apart and both do not know where their third friend, Marcy, could be. But now, since the weather in the valley has improved, Anne and the Plantar family travel out of Wartwood to Newtopia, the capital of all of Amphibia. There they all hope to find answers to the mysterious music box that bought Anne and her friends to this mysterious world. The four meet new allies, new enemies, and learn a lot more of Amphibia than they were expecting to.

I was quite happy with the first season of Amphibia, praising the characters, visuals, and some of its comedy. It did have problems with a lack of consequences and too many "lesson" episodes, but overall I enjoyed season one of Amphibia. The world building was very fun and there were some interesting hints in the story of what was to come. In fact I've honestly been very excited to see the second season because Twitter kept on hinting that the show was getting more serious. Upon binging it as soon as it got on Disney Plus I could understand why. I'm going to keep spoilers to a minimum, but I will have to talk about a few important scenes for this review.

Season two of Amphibia was a lot like the previous season in its strengths and weaknesses: The visuals were really good, I really like a lot of the old and new characters, and the world building was also really good. Actually the world building in season two went really far, showing the audience and Anne a lot more of Amphibia than we expected! There are dry swamps, spooky forests, con-men (in an interesting "crossover" episode), bandits, and all sorts of dangers and attractions around Amphibia. The town of Wartwood is tiny compared the whole of Amphibia and there are lot mysteries have popped up from this season on so many things throughout this mysterious land.

The comedy in this season was strong as the previous one, with some really hilarious moments that I just loved! One of these involves Anne wanting to explore the culture of Newtopia and comparing being stuck inside a tour bus to how her mother wouldn't let her try food from other cultures because Anne stomach couldn't handle the spiciness. Having a number of close Asian friends I absolutely agreed with Anne's mother on this, but Anne's reaction after that flashback had me in stitches. The comedy wasn't as strong as least season, since that one was more of a sitcom than an adventure, but I'm still pleased with what I got.

Let's talk about a new character that was finally properly introduced in this season: Marcy Wu (voiced by Haley Tju). The last of the trio of friends that Anne and Sasha are in, Marcy Wu is kind, very intelligent, eager for knowledge, and highly resourceful. However, she is also incredibly clumsy and can often be oblivious to others and their problems, often with Anne saving her from getting hurt. Like Anne I quickly took approval of her because of her balance of positive and negative traits, like how a real person is. I mean yeah, the fact she almost takes serious injuries in the human world (including almost walking into a pit of snakes) because her eyes are glued to her Nintendo Switch was silly, but it also hammered in how bad her flaws can get. Plus that flashback was pretty dang funny.

I do wish there was more time for Sasha though. After Anne defeats her and shows that Sasha cannot push her around anymore, Sasha doesn't get much time to fully digest what happened. She gets one episode to think over that fight and a few small moments throughout the season to reflect on her actions, but that's mostly it. Anne and Marcy get a lot more screentime than Sasha and it feels... unbalanced. Even though she's controlling, manipulative, and has a hard time showing any weakness, she's bold, daring, and often has the backs of those she cares about. As a whole Sasha is the most complex of the trio and she deserved more episodes. What we got out of her was exciting and she had some big struggles, but I could have used another episode or two for her.

My other problem with the show though is the same in the previous season: Too many "lesson" episodes, like in a sitcom. You know, those episodes where there's a clear character problem and in the end that character realizes they made a mistake or realized a truth, then decide to do better in the future. Even in the big story episodes there's some sort of lesson. I know this is a show for younger audiences, I'm trying to evaluate the show from both and adult and a kid's perception, but sometimes you have to let kids have some adventures. I'm not saying I want the show to flip its tone like Adventure Time did after a couple of seasons, going from wacky adventures to deeper episodes with intense drama and relationships, but I also don't want the show to just lecture kids.

Another problem with so many lesson episodes is that the consequences of character's actions aren't as impactful as they should be. There is an episode this season that reminds us not to lie, which even the Anne says they've done already (which did give me a small chuckle). Yes, this is a kids show and maybe I'm being a little too harsh because I'm an adult, but doing too many of these lesson episodes will eventually lead to lack of lessons to teach and having characters take a step forward then two steps back in terms of character development. You can also have a character learn a lesson without talking about it near the start of an episode. Going with this option can make these lessons even more important to them as they'll be self-discoveries.

But even with so many lessons episodes, including one that is somewhat of a repeat in terms of learning about not lying, all the characters develop in interesting ways. Throughout this season the characters make a number of references to previous episodes. Most often for animation for younger viewers previous, smaller story plots are most often referenced at the very end during a very climatic moment. But in this season of Amphibia we see a ton of characters referencing their old adventures and how much they've grown from them, which is something I don't see very often! I might over-exaggerating my frustration with the sitcom-like episodes, but season two really does a great job in making an already colorful cast of characters and their world even more colorful and detailed.

Anne and the Plantars have especially evolved throughout the show, with Anne almost a full member of their family. From a monster to somebody they would fight to death to protect, it is so emotional how much they've grown together. I really liked that despite how much she's experienced in Amphibia she and the Plantars are still learning. Polly, who was originally a character I disliked, really grew throughout this season while still retaining a lot of childish mannerisms. Hop Pop and Sprig also changed this season as they grew closer to Anne. I'm very happy with how the creators treated their characters this season!

Lastly, I got to talk about the last episode of the season. The finale of season two was exactly what social media kept hinting at: Incredible action, multiple shocking moments for the audience and the characters, tension at the very max, and an animation sequence that made my eyes bulge out of my head. Having the episode start off with a warning that what was going to happen in this episode was going to be darker than usual (which wasn't in the previous season finale) indicated as much. There were plenty of moments that gave me chills and some really daring story beats that I wouldn't expect a kids show to go, but they did! Especially since it's a Disney property. Actually, since this finale was delayed by a few weeks, maybe Disney have a problem, but they let it go after some convincing and added that warning at the start. A third season has already been approved and the way this season ends has seriously hyped me for what's going to happen next! Seriously, what happens is something I don't think I've seen in fantasy animation (or at least "Western Animation") before.

Amphibia season two was very good, with a finale that easily blew every other episode out of the water and which I consider one of the best season finales I've ever seen. Almost everything from last season was improved a lot and the show has grown in very interesting ways. I'm really pumped for season 3 even though I just wrapped up season two for a second time. This show could join the likes of Gravity Falls as epic animations for younger audiences. It just needs to fix a few kinks in the writing and it'll be amazing! The finale of this season proves the showrunners are willing to make daring choices, they just have to keep going with that!

Tentative Score: 8.0/10

Definitive Score: 8.5/10

I feel like Disney hasn't been very nice to this show despite how popular it has become. I mean delaying the season two finale is one thing, but also accidentally having it leaked, along with how little the show has been promoted is awful. I mean the Owl House, which came out around the time Amphibia came out, has been promoted a lot more. I do hope with this epic season finale a lot more people will give Amphibia a chance.