Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi Ni

Unfortunately, the production did this series very dirty in the second season.

First and most noticeable: they changed the visual identity of the anime.
In the first season the highlight of the animation was the beautiful background, patterns and overall visuals that were unique and different from other anime. However, the second season has very simplistic art style, reworking every character to the point that they lost too many details and even expressions (Oodanna has lost his adult charm, for example). Also, it's noticeable that the animation is low-budget, often repeating panels; most of the time we only see a character's mouth moving. The current art style ... makes it seem like a whole different anime.

Secondly, we have a 7 year gap between first and second season, but the second season starts with the story of a suppoting character (Kasuga) instead of the main characters.
Usually, when we have such a big gap between seasons, we start the second season re-intoducing the characters and their circumstances, to refresh the viewer's memory and bring back the nostalgic feelings. However, Kakuriyo II just starts focusing on the side character's story, barely having any development between Aoi and Oodanna (actually, he barely has any scenes until the end of episode 3).

Third point I would like to mention is that overall this season has been boring. This is a preliminar review after only 3 episodes, but it's impossible to say that this anime has been interesting so far. The mix of bad art + static animation + poor choice of scenes makes it hard to watch. If you are reading this review, you certainly have watched the first season of this anime, which means you won't be able to watch second season without comparing it to the first, and you will definitely find way more flaws than the ones I pointed out here.

Honestly, Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi is a great series, but the production on this second season is simply very bad and I can't recommend watching it. It's better to keep up with the story reading the manga or novel.

What have they done to this beautiful anime? The backgrounds have become one-dimensional, the characters all look emaciated and unbalanced. None of the attention to detail present in the first season is anywhere to be found. It's a travesty! Someone please get in touch with the studios and get the original animators back, lol! I sure hope both the plot and the quality improve before too much more of the season is released, I'm crying that an anime I waited so long for looks like a child drew it. If you are new to the series, suggest you dive in ... with season 1 for a better experience.

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, the 2nd Bake — 5 words, 1 sentence: What the hell happened here?

In the realm of sequels and the like, there are only 2 things that stop the momentum of hyping up a series and reclaiming back the attention that it once had: improved production and the considerable time gap, so everyone would've obviously forgotten what's been done in the seasons before, and there would have to be some short recap and re-teaching of what has happened thus far. However, in the very rare case where sequels truly drop the bomb in their respective ways (of which the ONE ... egregious example of Kaiu Shirai's Yakusoku no Neverland a.k.a. The Promised Neverland, will always be the shining black sheep of sequels gone awfully wrong), even decent series like novelist Midori Yuuma's Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi, a.k.a. Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, should serve a decent follow-up given its age in its anime format. Yet, regrettably, like the former Black Sheep king, this show also doesn't fare well being a sequel in both ways.

With Kakuriyo's premiere season back in Spring-Summer 2018, this 7-year-long gap between seasons, at least for its time then and now, should be served with at least somewhat of a recap so that people (that I'm assuming have watched all 26 episodes right before Season 2) should at least be reminded of the sequence of events that led to MC Aoi Tsubaki and her ordained marriage with Odanna, the Master Innkeeper of the Tenjin-ya inn, of which Aoi had quite the history of legend as the granddaughter of Shiro Tsubaki, someone with strong Ayakashi powers and who is a respected legend in the Hidden Realm. Yet, for all intents and purposes, the decision was made to instead just flake this information and continue with the adaptation of the LNs (from Volume 6 onwards) and complete the anime regardless of its declining quality; it just is a pain to see how much the AniManga industry has to go for broke and finish the job by hook or by crook.

For starters, it's not a surprise seeing Aoi Tsubaki and her newly established restaurant, Moonflower (co-created with Ginji), flourish all the more with incoming attention towards the young human lady herself, spreading her name far and wide to the Hidden Realm. Conversely, that shakes up the Hidden Realm when Odanna's horrid past catches up with him, as former enemies try to dig up his past and label him as an evil ogre god. As much as Aoi believes that as a fact and wants to embrace him in a hostile environment, the Ayakashi are gunning for the biggest war of their lives, not just from an eating aesthetic, but of how the Ayakashi is run under its supreme leader, the king. Naturally, Aoi is there to assist him and the others alongside her, choosing her side to face against the tough crowd, appealing to the ayakashi not influenced by the matter, though this time, it's a fight all the way to the ayakashi king's courts that Odanna is not the same evil ogre as he once was. Through blood, sweat, and tears, Aoi and the other ayakashi must fight on.

Unsurprisingly, almost all of the main staff were replaced, as did with the times. While series scriptwriter Tomoko Konparu and music composer Takuro Iga stood on the most important bits of anime being its overall production and direction, this is where it truly gets ugly. If you thought that studio Gonzo is back from their grave helping out with the series' adaptation in animation, you're sorely mistaken, as although Kakuriyo was once under their banner, they've basically shut down their animation division once COVID broke and let others take their stead, as such with Makaria (and Luminas as their co-production studio collab) completely taking over production for the sequel. As a result, Season 2 feels unpolished, unrefined, and cheap as a whole, and the Gonzo quality is all but a mere memory. Even the staff team feels like a slipshod handle of last-minute gathering, with rookie director Joe Yoshizaki at the helm after his work on Spring's Yami Healer, a.k.a. The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows, which he clearly either is not ready for or is limited to the overall budget for the show's run.

Needless to say, when both production and direction took a nosedive, everything fell apart with it, as did the music itself too. Takuro Iga continues to do a plentiful job on the series' OST, but both the OP and ED theme songs, led by Nao Touyama, are both respectively mediocre and decent to the point that her memorable OP song for the premiere season easily trounces them all.

I really don't know what to say, other than to mention that Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi, a.k.a. Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits's fall from grace is THIS starkly obvious that even pre-COVID seasonal veterans (like myself) both itch and etch the show as basically unwatchable. Season 1 for its time was somewhat decent and serviceable, but Season 2 takes such a nosedive that I can't even recognize the show almost to its brim, even when it does show some bits of quality.

At the end of it all, nothing but crocodile tears can be flowed for how shows are taken in this day and age, and series like Kakuriyo areshed just "business as normal," being used not for longevity, but to create a buck.

Get ready to have some more food porn served up, piping hot!

Artwork has disintegrated compared to season 1. Character and background work has slid precipitously. While the animation was never much to brag about, it's now the level of Saturday Morning Kid Vid. The producers cheaped out mightily.

Writing for the characters is almost nonexistent. The MMC and the main antagonist disappear almost immediately and we never get to see them again except as snippets. I have no idea why the writers took a 3rd tier character and suddenly make her a hime. Because she's cute? The other character are all 2D cardboard cutouts, ... including the supposed FMC. She's still stuck in the "cause trouble, cook her way out, rinse repeat" cycle.

The narrative is damned sparse. There was a bit of world building with the inclusion of the northern region. But a lot of that got glossed over badly and felt much too rushed or unexplained. There was only a minimal bit of plot progression. And the 'romance' was poorly portrayed. Isn't the clunky embarrassing part supposed to come BEFORE the marriage, not after? Poorly written indeed.

The VA work was less than mid. It could best be described as "going through the motions." With all the problems that never got rectified, it would be fair to call the direction poor.

Season 1 was relaxing enough to be pleasantly boring. Not so this season as it's chock full of disasters. I'd grade this fairly 62/100 for a D-. Not failing, but not because it didn't try. I'd suggest a nap and bite to eat anywhere else.

If you liked the first season you might be compelled to watch. The story itself is at least continuing on from the last season which means all the characters are mostly back as the plot permits.

That's the good side. The problem is the animation budget for the season was 25 cents and hope. All of the characters designs are simplified to the point of just being miserable, their movements are poor and often feel like armatures playing with dolls in a dollhouse, the backgrounds are simplistic and uneventful and they don't even take the time to add dynamism to them so any character is standing ... stiffly, and the food is where the extra penny went because it's the only thing with a smidge of heart.

The first episode chooses redraw the scene of Aoi and the master inkeeper meeting on the steps of the temple from the first episode of season 1, as a way of recaping her ending up in the spirit realm and right from the start the background is worse, the camera cuts instead of following the arch of the gate, and jumps abruptly to his mask.

I wanted to love it, I wanted to enjoy it. There are some truly good parts in there. But the way this season was handled I am certain we will not see more ever again.

Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi is back, not to resounding success, but with a completely workable second season. For me, the heart of Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi is the idea that a mixture of pure-hearted sincerity and delicious food can warm the heart of anyone, and that key element is what carries this season. While this is a bit of a conceit, it's not that far from reality. Real sincerity does open our hearts, and humans have always been susceptible to the charm of a good meal.

I also enjoyed the considerable expansion of the world. We got to meet several intriguing new characters and travel to new locations. ... Addressing the locations first, they were all charming and had some nice visual appeal, although the latter point was damaged a bit by the decline in the quality of the art in this season. The new characters were a much more welcome addition, with a confectionery rival of sorts for Aoi really starring in her brief role that hopefully will be reprised in future seasons.

I do admit that there is a drop in art and animation quality compared to the previous season, but it was not a precipitous drop. Rather, the animation fell from having a bit of added art to being simply workmanlike. The art is still appealing and has some degree of charm, just to a lesser extent compared to the first season. One could also argue that the stories were a little more simplistic this season, but that might just be rose colored glasses for the past on my part. In reality, stories told where sincerity wins the day tend toward formulaic conflicts, so I can't really blame Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi for being in the middle of the pack here. The only real flaw I would ascribe to this season is the absence of one of the cast members for part of the season due to the course of the plot. While this plot arc may deliver more in the future, it really weakens this season since some of my favorite character interactions were diminished.

This second season is a welcome addition to the anime. It wasn't everything I could have dreamed of for a second season, but neither did I feel disappointed by its existence. Aoi continues to charm in her role, and the food looks as delicious as ever. When you want some cozy drama and eye candy food, settle down for a comfortable ride.

i started this anime as something to watch when im bored but omg it became my favorite anime and i binged it all the way,i beg for a season 3,i need it to live a good life,i reccomend this anime with my heart
The only reason why i didnt give it a 10 star rating is cuz the ending of season 2 left me speachless,hence why i want a season 3,aside from that i love this
The story is so unique to me and has so much potential,Its an anime ive been looking for years
i dont understand people not liking the art style in season 2 as ... for me it just looks higher quality,it makes the anime still look nice even when its at 720p
The characters reached my heart i just wish there was a bit more romance
If youre someone who is tired of the same thing over and over again in animes you will LOVE it as well

for a cast that claims to look up to and respect the main character, they sure as hell ignore her wishes and will to not get sold to a random man. she opened up the restaurant for that reason bro why does everyone keep ignoring her? even when the other love interest stands up to her, he repeatedly claims it's because she is a gift for the master. despite everything, the biggest title she holds in the end is still an exchange for the irresponsibility of her grandfather. literallly what else can i say. i liked the food though. it's funny how quickly it ... works for everyone. i wish the restaurant was more the focus of the story. we would see the master less perhaps. both of the love interests are insufferable though. one of them is spineless, the other's redemption is failed in my eyes.

Took me 2 tries to finish it. At first I couldn't quite figure out why I had to take so long to finish, but on the second go, and further in to the season, I realized why. The quality vastly differed from the first season that it was utterly jarring and off-putting at times. I mean, if this was the sequel we got after waiting so long, I would rather we did not get one to begin with.

The character designs had such significant alterations that I almost could not recognize some of the key characters. Where in season 1, Odanna sama and Ginji looked attractive, ... here in season 2 they just looked ridiculous and goofy. Even the adorable Chibi looked plain ugly in this iteration. Such an affront to the romanticism of the original series I must say. And to make matters worst, the terrible character update just had to be paired with horrid, choppy and downright lazy animation. It all seems like an exercise in pure nonchalance to the fans of the original series.

Even the writing could not be spared. It was just downright lazy, and had such terrible flow that it felt like such a mockery to intelligence. Seriously I had to wonder at many a times why even bother having a second season if this was the kind of crap they were going to serve up.

Frustratingly though, I still want to know what happens next. But if this kind of crap is what's going to follow, then I would rather they just end it now. In the meantime, I will be washing my eyes out with soap, and then re-watching season 1 to try and forget that I ever watched this.

Season 1 was absolutely amazing. The art style blended beautifully with the story, and everything felt perfectly balanced. I honestly gave it the highest score because it truly deserved it.
But Season 2 was quite disappointing for me. The art style didn’t feel the same as before, and it lost that special charm Season 1 had. Odanna’s character, who left such a strong and memorable impression in Season 1, didn’t feel as impactful this time. The same goes for Genji-san , something about his presence felt different.
If there will be a Season 3, I really hope it brings back the magic of Season 1 🙂 especially ... the original art style and strong character presence that made the first season so special.

Overall, I was slightly disappointed as it seems to have dropped quite a lot from the first season with the change in art style making things look off with characters looking ill and no real plot thread it felt like meandering through different environments. I did like the expansion of the world it is set in and some of the new characters, which did bring in some tensions that were not kept up well. The cooking was featured more but didn't have much of an impact. It feels rushed and diluted compared to the first season which I enjoyed. This was designated to a background ... watch, ultimately Just OK.

Kakuriyo returned after a long hiatus and it was not quite what I was expecting. From a technical standpoint, the modern animation lacked the charm of season 1 and also reduced the dramatic tension of the story itself. Then the story was in that weird place where we're moving from one normal to a new normal but since it was only twelve episodes, it felt like everything stopped at an awkward spot and the ending was not really satisfying. I appreciate that they didn't technically give us a cliffhanger, but I think a cliffhanger might have put some pep in the season's step. In terms ... of characters, I am still invested in their stories and care about them, although the new animation style made it difficult for me to recognize some of them. The fact all of the scenes of things that happened in the first season were reanimated did not help job my memory. This is why I put down mixed feelings. I feel like if you're invested in Aoi's story then this is worth watching, but if you are looking for an anime on the quality level of the previous season, then this is not it by a long shot. Which is a shame.

If you can't decide if watching this season would be worth it, think of it this way: If you want to know what happens next, watch season 2 but be prepared for it to move a bit sluggishly and lack the charm of season 1. If you would rather just skip to a manga adaptation instead, you might be be missing much.