CATDOLL: Popular sequel takes over the July new animation screen

As of now, most of the first episodes of July's new anime have already aired. If you look closely at the new anime list, you'll find that many sequels to popular works have been released this summer, and of course the moving taste they bring has not changed at all.

It is worth noting that some of these sequels are second seasons produced after a year, and some are "new works in my lifetime" released after several years, covering a wide range of novel adaptations, comic adaptations, and game adaptations. Compared with this time of year in previous years, there are more "veterans" in the new series in July this year, which is bound to lead to a more intense battle.

Food Wars! Season 2

After the first season of "Food Wars! Soma" was broadcast last year, this work full of food and welfare has gained super popularity, and its special program "Matsuoka Shokudo" has also been well received. With the audience's expectations, "Food Wars! Soma" will return again in July to continue telling the story of the autumn auditions full of gunpowder.

At the end of the first season, the preliminary round of the autumn selection ended, but at this time, an uninvited guest suddenly appeared and forced the original advanced contestants out. In the second season, the identity of this big guy will be revealed, and his appearance makes the black and white contradictions of the whole work burst to the extreme.

Magical Girl Illya Season 4

As a spin-off of the popular Fate series, Magical Girl Illya has entered the fourth season of animation. In the previous seasons of the animation, we learned about a series of daily stories that happened to Illya after she was reborn as a magical girl, and enjoyed many benefits that we all like. Now, the story will advance in another direction, showing a new plot in a different world line.

It was thought that Illya could continue to enjoy the lesbian life with her good friends Miyu and Kuro, but unexpectedly, a battle dragged them into a new dispute, and they also staged a cruel card battle with the newly appeared mysterious girl. At the same time, more secrets about Miyu will be revealed in the fourth season.

The Heroic Legend of Arslan Season 2

"The Heroic Legend of Arslan" is a long-standing work by science fiction novelist Yoshiki Tanaka. It was adapted into an animation and aired again in April last year, gaining great popularity. It is worth mentioning that this is a fantasy novel that Yoshiki Tanaka has published since 1986, and it has been 30 years now! Moreover, this work has a grand world view and involves many forces, which makes it very enjoyable to read.

In 2015, "The Heroic Legend of Arslan" was adapted into a new animation, which won unanimous praise from new and old audiences. Old audiences were excited to see "Princess Arslan in motion", and new audiences were also moved by the tense plot and exquisite character settings of this work. In July this year, the "Silver-haired Princess" returned to the screen with many of her confidants. Can her journey to restore her country once again arouse heated discussions among the audience?

D-Gray-man Season 2

Another old work, D-Gray-man, was adapted into a 100-episode TV animation between 2006 and 2008, and became a hit for many people. Due to its novel subject matter and excellent character creation, D-Gray-man has become a classic, and it does not seem outdated even when it is broadcast today.

After a lapse of ten years, the second season of "Darksiders" appeared in the list of new shows in July, which made old viewers excited. The second season of the animation uses a new production team and voice actor lineup. Although it gives people a novel feeling, after watching the first episode, it still feels a bit inconsistent, especially the image of the much-watched heroine Lee Na-ri has changed drastically, which also made many viewers complain, "Did she have plastic surgery?!"

Of course, the soundtrack of the second season of "Derek Derrick" is still as exciting and passionate as it was ten years ago, allowing old audiences to regain some of their good memories of following the show in the past.

"Love Live!" Sunshine! ! 》

Unlike the "Season 2" and "Season 3" of the above sequels, "Love Live! Sunshine! !" directly changed the title of the work and told a brand new story. Although the main characters of the story of "Love Live! Sunshine! !" have completely changed, judging from the background setting, the new team is deeply influenced by the old team μ's, so it can be said to be an orthodox sequel.

Influenced by her senior μ's, the girl Takahashi Chika aims to become a school idol. She actively recruits more teammates and moves forward with the other eight members of the team, performing a series of youth inspirational stories in the seaside town. Since it is an idol animation, selling songs is essential. In the first episode alone, there are many theme songs and insert songs.

If you ask what is the most touching part of the first episode of "Love Live! Sunshine! !", it is μ's who played in the background when Chika expressed her feelings in the later part of the plot. When this scene appeared, many viewers were deeply moved, especially when the song "Start Dash! !" was played, the complex emotions of the alternation between the old and the new emerged instantly, which made people feel mixed emotions.

For the sequels of these popular works, on the one hand, the production team must create quality that is not inferior to the first season and ensure the authenticity of the new works. On the other hand, they must also innovate and not stick to the pattern of the previous season's animation, so that the audience can discover new fun from the "routines"... In this summer when many blockbusters gather, which sequels can successfully win the double acclaim of word-of-mouth and sales?