In my review of Ishura's first half last year, I wrote, “The one thing that frustrates me most about Ishura is that its promised tournament to decide the “True Hero" doesn't even begin during this season, which means the entire thing is but a prologue to the real story.” How little did I know that the season's second cour would only continue to use the first's template. Twenty-four episodes and ninety-seven named character introductions down, the supposedly central tournament hasn't even begun yet. The final episode's closing narration identifies at least the sixteen main “Shura” candidates.

I don't think I've ever watched a show stick so single-mindedly to such an unusual structure. Although several closely-related central plotlines are carefully threaded throughout this cour, almost every episode takes time out for yet more vignettes to expand the ludicrously-populated cast. Taken together, both Ishura cours comprise an almost incomparable feat of broad, complex world-building, with the biggest cast I've seen outside of something like George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novel series. (And I mean the novels, not the simplified Game of Thrones TV adaptation.)

The real genius of Ishura is that none of this is boring. A little overwhelming, yes, especially when it comes to not only parsing the complicated relationships between many of the primary players, but also ing who everyone is and what their goals are, but by some stroke of demonic inspiration, every character's backstory is compelling. I did not find myself tiring of any new character; in fact, I often wished a few received more screen time. Most Shura from the first cour make at least brief cameos to remind us of their continued existence, but the focus here is on introducing Yet More Characters, sixty-seven of them in this cour!

A few characters are more prominent than others – I particularly like giant bowman Mele the Horizon's Roar, who launches arrows the size of fully-grown redwood trees with the power of tactical nukes. Relatably anxious Kuuro the Cautious worries that he's losing his signature clairvoyance power, and his relationship with tiny winged homunculus Cuneigh the Wanderer is extremely sweet. Mestelexil the Box of Desperate Knowledge, is a childlike, perpetually giggling purple mecha/golem, always veering on the edge of unhinged, who fights on behalf of his talented engineer/mother. For vampire fans, attractive yet sinister mind-controlling Linaris the Obsidian is entertainingly Machiavellian (I wish she got more screen time), plus political operator Hiroto the Paradox is equally adept at puppeteering others for his gain. That's not to mention the formidable, gelatinous blob Psianop the Inexhaustible Stagnation, who looks like a steroid-packed version of Rimuru Tempest.

These characters are all so incredibly varied and entertaining that any one of them could probably carry an entire show of their own. I wonder if novel author Keiso is one of those folks who spends most of his time on an MMORPG character creation screen, perfecting his meticulously crafted avatar rather than playing the game itself. In the end, while Ishura's main plot doesn't move forward a whole lot this time, we learn far more about the world's history and the various factions within it. While the Kingdom of Auretia plans to hold the tournament to choose the True Hero, so many other nations and organizations' plans hinge on its outcome. Messy, complex drama is sure to result, especially considering the novel series continues long past this anime's conclusion. I can only hope this adaptation, of what so far only amounts to twenty-four episodes of prologue, receives more seasons in the future.

Visually, Ishura's second cour equals its first, in of often spectacular, gloriously daft action. My previous comparisons to the Fate franchise continue to hold accurate, so Fate/strange Fake is supposed to drop. The whole show looks incredibly slick and attractive, with every episode offering at least one instance of jaw-dropping spectacle or unexpected twist. With so much going on, it's hard to predict where the show will go next, and that helps keep it fresh.

My main gripe with Amazon in the past.)

Otherwise, I had a great time with Ishura. It rewards the viewer's full attention and, due to the sheer density of information overload, perhaps warrants a re-watch before any hypothetical future season. It's not a show you can follow while scrolling through social media or have on in the background while doing another task. There's so much to keep track of in this vibrant world that mashes together high fantasy, science fiction, isekai, supernatural, and battle royale genres. Now I can't help wondering what my full Ishura name would be. Probably something like “Cormack the Obsessive Anime Nerd.” I could see that on my gravestone, much to my family's dismay.