REVIEW: ‘Record of Ragnarok’ Season 2 Keeps Hitting

Record of Ragnarok is an exciting blend of hyper-stylized animation, fantastic action, and intriguing explorations of mythological gods and heroes. The manga series from mangaka Ajichika, Shinya Umemura, and Takumi Fukui is an easy favorite and is currently being published in English by VIZ Media via their VIZ Signature imprint. Last season of the anime left the score between gods and humans at two to one, leaving the door open for humanity in Record of Ragnarok Season 2 Part 1. Still, with even more terrifying deities in the line-up, it won’t be easy.

If you didn’t tune into season one, Record of Ragnarok is a battle anime that uses absurdity and style to explore mythology, religion, and legends of both historical figures and pantheons. In the series, the God’s Council, a group of gods from across the global and temporal pantheon, review whether or not humans deserve to live for another 1000 years. But after 7 million years of human history, the gods come to the decision that humans are irredeemable and must go extinct. That is until the Valkyrie Brunhilde proposes to give them one last chance to prove their worth, and the gods agree to hold the battle of Ragnarok, a tournament with 13 notable humans from across history against 13 of the most powerful gods engaging in duels to the death. Humanity will be spared if their side achieves seven victories in the competition.

Last season saw Lü Bu vs Thor, Zeus versus Adam, and Kojiro Sasaki vs Poseidon, with humanity only winning once. Now to kick off Record of Ragnarok Season 2 Part 1, the battle isn’t noble against noble, but instead humanity’s worst versus the demigod whose honor let him ascend to divinity: Jack the Ripper vs Hercules. With this first battle, the series is asking you to root for humanity by, well, rooting for objectively one of the worst people to have ever lived, made legend by the fact he was never caught.

The art in the narrative here comes from Brunhilde’s own disgust at choosing him and Hercules’ propped up as a noble and honorable god (this one didn’t kill his wife and children, apparently). The series never portrays Jack the Ripper as someone good or whole but instead, as a necessary evil to overcome the onslaught of the gods. The way Brunhilde has put forth a fighter who proves why humanity should be extinct to save it makes the story interesting and a tad bit complex.

Sure, the overall narrative in Record of Ragnarok is simple and thin, but the battles themselves contain much to explore. While the manga uses the moments between capturing the battle itself to highlight the stories behind the fighters, the anime expands on giving the perspective of the crowd and other deities that helps to add depth to the characters on screen. Don’t get me wrong, the highlight of the series remains how it reinterprets existing stories that audiences are familiar with through both the way power manifest itself and through flashbacks all the same.

While each of the ones featured in Record of Ragnarok Season 2 Part 1 are phenomenal takes, the way the series has rewritten Hercules as essentially humanity’s biggest champion who has wound up on the side of the gods is honestly amazing. Hercules is unrecognizable from other iterations we’ve seen in pop culture and from the Greek myth itself, but somehow, I don’t care. That makes the start of the season its strongest point. It’s about stooping to the level of the gods to save humanity. At first, I didn’t understand why this season’s first battle took up half of its episodes, but the interpretations of the characters are allowed to grow and add commentary on the battle between gods and humanity in a deeper way than the last season.

With such a strong start, the season doubles down on exploring strength and history with Raiden Tameemon vs. Shiva. Another embodiment of humanity’s vices, Raiden is a giant of a man with a past that offers much more sympathy than Jack the Ripper – but not by much, given just how annoying Raiden’s personality is before his match. While the two fight in an extravagant and aggressive battle, knowing that Buddha is coming to the field next leaves me itching for Season 3 immediately. Buddha is easily the best character design in the manga, and he would continue to be in the anime if only we got to see his fight sooner rather than later. This isn’t a feeling that viewers who haven’t read the manga will feel, which allows the fight between Raiden and Shiva to play out as one of the best animated of the entire series. It’s more violent and aggressive and packs an emotional punch too.

The largest issue with Record of Ragnarok Season 2 Part 1 is that, while I enjoy the battles taking multiple episodes to allow the depth to build, the overarching story in the present seems like too much of an afterthought. But since Record of Ragnarok is still an ongoing manga, I’m sure the choice is made to keep from outpacing the battles that haven’t been decided in the manga as of yet. That said, this messes with the season’s pacing overall and makes the 10-episode order feel incredibly short. Additionally, in the manga, Brunhilde’s impact as a character is felt beyond just her champion choices. Brunhilde is intelligent, fierce, and continually asserts herself in the story. However, in the anime, she and the Valkyries, in general, seem to take the seat furthest from the narrative which is frustrating, to say the least.

That said, Record of Ragnarok Season 2 Part 1 is another absurdist and violent take on mythology that is even better than the first season. I want more battles, more gods and humans, and that’s the best thing a running series can do: make me want to keep coming back and investing my time in it. Record of Ragnarok Season 2, like the series in general, is an acquired taste, but by doubling down on everything that made last season great and with even better animation from studio Graphinica, this is a series to jump into.

Record of Ragnarok Season 2 Part 1 and Part 2 are available now, exclusively on Netflix.