#S2e02 is the only episode that’s on S1’s level in terms of having a 4chs:1ep ratio and allows things to breathe

[fullscoreshenanigans]

#hello I'm the artist this is my sideblog- #I just wanted to say something because I liked the whole analysis in the tags so much omg #I actually- never watched season 2- #So this was mostly done by the vibes I had after the S1 finale lol #I'm glad it matches with the start of S2!! #also what you mentioned about the moment with Isabella #:') poor boy was just being forced to grow up more and more #even though he already knew a lot of stuff the fact that he had to confront it sure wasn't easy #I might have to watch S2 now lol #anyway #i just wanted to answer in a way to say thanks for liking my drawing :'D #have a nice day and stuff <3

Aaaah thank you for being inspired and taking the time to share your work with community. <3 The essence you capture in your piece is one of the many aspects of the series that appeals to me and engenders my endearment for it, and it's always nice to see that resonate with other people too.

Slight spoilers but they don’t get to ruminate on that feeling of wondrous awe at the new world they find themselves in for too long because Things™ Happen fairly quickly, but despite its many, many shortcomings, I still highly recommend watching the first three episodes of S2 for what the medium shift is able to bring to the experience, namely the soundtrack and the voices. It’s another retooling of the main theme, but “The Adventures of Ugo” alongside “The Deep Forest” and “Guidance of Minerva’s Pen” to me capture the range of inquisitive exploration born of satiating curiosity purely for the sake of it:

To awe at the grand scale of what they’re experiencing being beyond their wildest imaginations, a thrumming undercurrent of magnificence and excitement reaching grand heights tinged with an aura of the ethereal:

To that retooling of the main theme that contextualizes all of this being possible due to their shared love and affection for their family pushing them to strive for the ideal:

That they’re experiencing this alongside each other and are unified in this new adventure by this previously used melody acting as a grounding, quiet swell of affection and gratitude that’s so beautiful when you consider the transformation it’s undergone.

From Leslie’s original rendition, not yet touched by tragedy, to Isabella’s refuge of strength as a song of solitary sacrifice and survival, to being the final straw that would have sealed Ray’s fate as well as his mournful and lonely solace in what would have been his final hour (again the anime has its problems but I will never not applaud the choice to have him hum the lullaby in the dining hall before Emma comes to talk to him. The layers of that have been fucking me up since I first watched the series in 2021.) And the children collectively take on that association and transform it into a song of familial love and solidarity that refuses to perpetuate that cycle of systemic sacrifice and violence.

Replay Value’s video touches upon this in greater length for the first season,

And while I think one could argue that S2 eventually winds up relying on the love and goodwill built around this theme too much to carry a heavily truncated and butchered story, I can’t deny my personal affection for it. If that’s something that might appeal to you, I think you could get some level of enjoyment out of at least the first three episodes of season 2.

In that moment, as the sun was rising and the snow was melting, he looked like the curious child he always was. ❄️