Record Of Ragnarok Fans Are Pleasantly Surprised By The CGI Quality In Season 2
Netflix has long been a viable source of anime — showcasing both emerging and established titles. "Record of Ragnarok" represents another push by the service to license exclusive manga adaptations. The source material, from writers Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui, is a relative newcomer to the market — first publishing in 2017. Establishing it as an anime this early in the story's run puts the property at an advantage over long-running titles that can be intimidating to those new to the medium.
The anime and manga focus on a tournament that originates with the Gods; impending destruction comes with a final challenge to save humanity. Those chosen to fight have 13 events and help which comes from unexpected places. What unfolds is conflicts in addition to difficult alliances between Valkyries, Humans, and the Gods themselves. Reviewers found continued interest in what awaited the characters during Season 1. "This is shonen anime at its finest, and even the most jaded of fans will find something to like here," Decider wrote.
While fans found a lot to love about this streaming adaptation, there was one major complaint about it. For certain viewers, it was enough of a distraction that their enjoyment level dropped. Season 2 may be laying those complaints to rest, and viewers couldn't be happier.
Many fans were impressed with CGI quality
Getting the right look for any animated property can be challenging, especially when the source material is so distinctive. "Record of Ragnarok" tried to replicate the outstanding design while also finding a way to set itself apart from other similar titles. For many, the look came with hard-to-ignore flaws.
Season 2 is proving to be a step up in the eyes of many fans; it seems to have paid off, especially when dealing with the all-important fights. These battles are key to the project, and getting them just right is crucial to success. "The cgi and animation hybrid they used for some of the fights was some of the best I've seen," wrote Twitter user @Martin09526430.
A constant complaint appeared to be a slideshow appearance that chose images over movement; the problem lessened with a new approach to battles in Season 2. Some found the improvement seemed to come through better in certain fights. "Although you can tell they put a lot more into the Jack vs Hercules then the Raiden vs Shiva fight which was a bit disappointing," wrote Redditor u/Dawslord97. "Hopefully if we get a season 3 they improve even further."
Viewers with no knowledge of the manga also spoke up about the changes. U/lifeswitness admitted to not reading the manga before watching the series, but their opinions on CGI echoed those in the know. "It's such a massive improvement over season 1 that I wasn't sure if it was even the same studio or show," they posted.
Not everyone thought the 1st season's animation was that bad — except for one key part. "The animation in season 1 was good tho," wrote u/MattMysterious9. "the only bad part was adam vs zeus in the final part man that sucked."
Not everyone is liking the series' design
As with any project, there are some detractors that are still unhappy with the series. Whether a fan of the manga or just not interested in "Record" itself, the objections often mention the style or look. "The story is garbage, the art style is horrible, the character designs are so nonsensical," Redditor u/TheRedNileKing_13 posted.
Their take on the design as well as how the whole aesthetic was presented led others to respond in agreement. For u/PPManners, a new way to experience the original manga offered much better results. "Those YouTube videos with the manga panels with epic soundtracks were way better than the anime," they posted. The videos in question were not linked, so there's no way for other fans to make a decision on that claim. Still, many other manga fans have done similar things and manga properties themselves have used it as a promotional tool
All of the social media posts against the look, as well as other aspects surrounding the project, might be best summed up by u/ Appropriate-Shoe-266."The manga is a 10/10 for what it's supposed to do. It can't get better than what it presents as a fighting short anime," they wrote. "The anime is a 2/10 cuz it ruins everything." No matter what opinion fans have, the anime adaptation promises more surprises when the second part of Season 2 debuts later in 2023 (via Dexerto).