REVIEW: ‘Dead Mount Death Play’ Season 1 Cour 2 Is A Mixed Bag

With the confrontation on the roof drawing more attention to Polka (Yuuki Sakakihara, Lycoris Recoil) than he ever wanted, more players begin to enter the game. But when some seem to have a connection to his home world, Polka is drawn deeper into the mysteries of who is pulling all the strings in Dead Mount Death Play Season 1 Cour 2.

This half of the season lands differently depending on whether you focus on the narrative or the characters in its world. While the characters continue to deliver the same kind of strangeness that the first half of the season began with to the same solid results, the plot grows as well, much to the series’ detriment. The plot’s first downfall is how repetitive it is.

Due to the mysterious nature of everything going on, from Polka’s magic shows capturing everyone’s attention to Solitaire’s (Hiroki Takahashi, Wonder Egg Priority) continued pursuit of those using the strange crest from Polka’s world as their symbol, there are a lot of questions getting asked, with many answers being found. What causes this search for answers to often struggle is that no one side of the story holds all the answers. So viewers are sometimes forced to watch as multiple factions at different points in Dead Mount Death Play Season 1 Cour 2 make the same discoveries, or find out something the viewer has known all along.This results in what could be impactful moments landing with a thud.

The other problem with the plot is how convoluted it becomes. Numerous new factions are introduced, some of our world, some from Polka’s, and as their stories intertwine and collide itt often becomes hard to keep track of. Especially since some groups begin impacting the story before we know who they are. This can lead to some reveals being further robbed of their impact as the audience tries to remember which group they are talking about again.

While Dead Mount Death Play Season 1 Cour 2‘s narrative build-up was fairly rocky, the characters continue to be thoroughly entertaining from moment to moment in the series. Quirky personalities, strange powers, and personal struggles all come together to form a cast that is far more than the sum of its parts. Bizarre changes to characters like Misaki Sakimiya’s (Inori Minase, Takt Op. Destiney)continuing transformation into the supernatural make the characters always engaging, even when the larger plot tries to do too much for its own good.

The only major character who struggles significantly is Tsubaki Iwanome (Takuya Eguchi, Spy x Family). Despite his frequent presence in most episodes of the series, he never seems to do anything. Generally one step behind the eight ball, he is the one that is most frequently guilty of the repetitive plot moments. The series also seems to struggle with how to handle him as a member of the police. His tactics and methods are often poorly implemented for who the character is supposed to be, making many of his decisions jarring.

The other major element of Dead Mount Death Play Season 1 Cour 2 is the action. As the various factions start to collide, physical confrontations begin happening with some interesting results. The wide variety of strange abilities on display is the biggest factor making these moments successful. What surprising or unforeseen technique will be deployed next keeps these moderately sized fight sequences engaging.

The visual presentation throughout the series is solid, if not always inspired. Except for a few highlight elements where interesting magical powers are utilized, the animation manages to bring everything within the story to the viewer in a functional way. The fight scenes are where the animation is the most mixed, due to it being where many of the aforementioned abilities get shown off. Seeing moments that elevate the visuals tends to call attention to how mid the rest of the production is.

When it’s all taken together, Dead Mount Death Play Season 1 Cour 2 delivers fun characters and some interesting moments that are often hampered by a convoluted plot that struggles to get out of its way. If personality can salvage a struggling narrative for you, this series can overcome its hardships to deliver the fun within its story.

Dead Mount Death Play Season 1 Cour 2 is streaming now on  Crunchyroll.