Tales of Zestiria the X - Season 2 (Box Set Review)

By: RogueSymbiote

WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!Find my review for season 1 right here!Sorey continues to discover what it truly means to be the Shepherd. Joined by loyal friends, both human and seraph, Sorey seeks to purify malevolence from the world. As the seraphim train the Shepherd in the ways of purification, the Lord of Calamity amasses as deadly force twisted by corrupted human emotions.

Story Arc

Rose leads the party to Lastonbell where they are welcomed with open arms... for the most part. While Rose has the best intentions for aiding the people of this city, her methods are extreme. It is revealed that she is the leader of an assassination group known as the Scattered Bones. The assassins learn of a corrupt bishop and swiftly execute him in the dead of night. Sergei, leader of the Platinum Guard, is weary of Sorey's arrival to Lastonbell. Even though the Shepherd's actions have been noble, Sergei knows that his power would be too much to overcome if he were to turn on the city. Rose begins to hear the wind seraph Dezel and we learn that he has known and cared for her since she was young. The pair set off for revenge against Prince Konan who betrayed Rose's adopted father, leading to his murder.Sorey attempts to prevent the assassination of Prince Konan, but Rose is too quick. After inflicting a fatal wound on the malicious prince, he arises from his bed shrouded in malevolence. The corrupt Prince Konan is a hellion and ferociously attacks Rose. Chaos ensues and Sorey saves Rose from a collapsing tower while Konan falls to his apparent death. Rose is forced to accept that her methods of eliminating evil from the world are ultimately inconsequential. Sorey is summoned by the Emperor of Rolance to help purify his lands. The emperor recounts the tale of Artorius Collbrande, the savior who sacrificed a young man in an attempt to rid the world of human emotion in the hopes of eliminating malevolence once and for all. The ritual would have succeeded, if not for the sister of the sacrificed boy being unaffected. That woman was the Velvet Crowe. The current rampant malevolence in the world stems from the Velvet Crowe and her rage.

Wanting to aid Sorey in his quest, Rose becomes his squire and gains the ability to see seraphim and hellions. Alisha contacts Sorey telepathically and requests his assistance back in Ladylake. The main party rejoins Alisha and her troops. A dragon is causing havoc in the city and Sorey wishes to purify rather than kill it. With the aid of his squires, the Shepherd is successful in ridding the malevolence from the dragon. The purified seraph named Symonne regales the heroes of the great power possessed by the Lord of Calamity. In order to confront this powerful being, Dezel suggests that the squires learn the art of armitization. Much like Sorey's ability to merge with the seraphim, Alisha and Rose can also perform the armatus. Their union however is very dangerous for both them and the seraphim.As they near their final encounter, they are left with no other option but to attempt the armatus. Both unions are successful and they fight off a horde of dragons by Sorey's side. Sorey's unwillingness to kill the dragons leads to Dezel sacrificing himself in order to clear a path to Heldalf, the Lord of Calamity. Sorey and his allies fight valiantly against the embodiment of malevolence and further revelations come to light. Heldalf was cursed by a former shepherd for using a potential utopia as bait for a rival nation. Sorey realizes that Heldalf has removed himself from humanity as a means to protect them from his power. Sorey decides to armitize with all of the seraphim as a last stitch effort to purify Heldalf. Even with the upgrade in power, the malevolence is too strong and overtakes the Lord of Calamity, transforming him into a mindless beast. The Shepherd decides to trap Heldalf and himself in the Earth pulse in order to spend the time necessary to calm his rage. Sorey bids farewell to his friends and plummets into the void with Heldalf.Time passes and peace begins to spread throughout the land. Those infected by malevolence begin to heal and regain their identities. Mikleo returns to Elysia to pay respects to Sorey and is shocked when he begins to hear his best friend telepathically once again. Mikleo begins to frantically search for his friend and locates  Sorey overlooking the city below. Sorey explains how he successfully purified Heldalf and has returned to continue his duties as the Shepherd. The season ends with the duo armitizing and flying off to begin a new adventure.

Season 2 Review

The quality of animation from this series of breathtakingly beautiful. Tales of Zestiria the X has a refreshing and unique style that captivates. The action sequences are dynamic and exhilarating. I enjoyed the progression of the armitization technique. Rather than just have Sorey constantly merge with the seraphim, it was a smart choice to include Alisha and Rose in on the fun. This season filled in quite a few plot holes left by the first. The realization that the previous shepherd was not some faultless being was a solid redirection in the story. Not only did it add depth to the shepherd lineage, but it furthered the plot progression of the main antagonist.We finally learn why two episodes of season one focus on the Velvet Crowe. I for one absolutely love her character and I hope she gets a spinoff series. Some of the coolest moments from season one were in her episodes, but their disconnect from the main arc was off-putting. The music for this series is fantastic. You can feel the gravitas of the scenes from the music alone. I enjoyed the progression of multiple characters, which is hard to do with such a large cast. Rose definitely got her time in the spotlight along with Dezel. Alisha appeared to take more of a backseat in this installment, but still had her moments.

Now for the not so great stuff. The concepts in this series are so much greater than the execution. Don't get me wrong, I really do enjoy this series, but it could have been so much better. I understand that the narrative required both Alisha and Rose to master the armatus, but they both do so with relative ease after being told both they and the seraphim could die from it. It didn't bother me that Rose and Dezel could armitize based on their history, but Alisha and Edna do it without any practice at all. If it wasn't going to really have any adverse side effects, I don't see the point of hyping it up as a death defying ritual. Why did Lunarre decide to help out in the end? His character was underdeveloped and his sacrifice had no emotional significance. Maotelus' character was nothing more than narrative exposition. Heldalf's motivations were confusing and he ultimately was not really a villain at all. While some characters had growth, other went absolutely nowhere. There was also a lot of younger siblings being sacrificed in the flashbacks... Not exactly sure how to interpret that.

Box Set Review

This Blu-ray, DVD and Digital copy combo comes with all 13 episodes of season two. The anime can be enjoyed in both English and Japanese. Extras include promo videos, commercials, trailers, textless songs and episode commentaries by some of the voice actors for episodes 22 and 25. The box set art looks great and will be a fantastic addition to anyone's anime collection. You can find this box set right over here!While there are some flaws, Tales of Zestiria the X is a quick and fun watch. The animation alone warrants your attention. Now here's hoping season 3 gets approved and tells the story of the Velvet Crowe!Thanks to Funimation for the review copy!