The OP does not go anywhere near "This Fire"

In fact, it's pretty underwhelming. I always played This Fire but the OP for this season I'm skipping

I just finished watching so things are still a bit fresh and I might change my mind later on. Still, first impressions are good in their own way.

I liked it, even though it didn't feel as impactful as season 1. I don't mean it in terms of "less drama" or anything like that, it just never really meshed into as coherent and effective whole as the original. Still good though.

Some general thoughts:

• Use of multiple art styles was pretty nice.
• I (mostly) like the soundtrack but I don't think the music was used as well as in S1.
• Not totally on board with the retread of previous media (start with cyberpsychosis, the whole construct business, a big stand-off against corp forces in badlands etc).
• Story presentation felt a little disconnected and all over the place at times. Not terrible but it did negate some of the impact for me.
• I'm glad it wasn't a repeat of near complete tragedy from S1 and gave us a somewhat positive ending. Dystopic media with zero hope just doesn't hit as good in my opinion.

::: spoiler spoiler
Arasaka won. Capricorn managed to make a successful backup of her personality matrix on Weak Kingsley. It's the only reason he acts alive after Talia kills him.

Can't wait to see what she does next.

wait, what do you mean there are novels?
:::

Overall, this season was quite good, though not quite as strong as the first. From a technical standpoint, I have no complaints – Studio Trigger did a solid job. My only gripe, much like in the first season, is the inclusion of a Polish song in the soundtrack, presumably as a nod to CD Projekt's Polish roots. In my opinion, it's terrible, especially if you know the language and can understand the lyrics. Aside from that minor source of cringe, it was excellent.

::: spoiler spoilers for the whole season In terms of the plot, however, things were a bit weaker. It feels as though a 10 episode format was simply too short to properly flesh out every storyline, even though the narrative structure itself seemed quite well-conceived. While having a larger cast with interconnected arcs is a great idea, the short season didn't provide enough breathing room for the audience to form a truly solid emotional connection with the characters.

Kingsley's story, despite a promising beginning and middle parts, lacked a proper conclusion. The ending we got felt somewhat forced, as if the writers weren't sure how to tie his arc back to the rest of the cast once his role had been fulfilled. I have similar feelings regarding Roman's storyline. Even though we got to know him best, his relationships with other characters, particularly Talia, felt disproportionately deep, given how few actual interactions we saw between them on screen. Because of this, the tearful farewell at the end felt a bit forced to me.

I enjoyed the storylines involving Talia and David the most. Though, as I mentioned, I wish they’d been given more time. They would have benefited from a longer format.

I didn't care for the somewhat contrived callbacks to the first season. It felt like the creators wanted us to point at the screen, and go, "Look, look! I know that guy!"- like in that one meme. A reference to the Tanaka assassination would have been a sufficient nod to the previous season. Constantly bringing up Martinez serves no real purpose. I also have mixed feelings about yet another David dying in a massive clash with Arasaka, only for some symbolic part of him to reach for the stars or some shit. That felt kinda cheesy. Furthermore, Omi suddenly changing her tune – going from being firmly opposed to David's lifestyle to "fuck yeah, I’ll be your driver" – felt like an odd choice that didn't quite fit her character. :::

I know I've focused more on what I didn't like, but all in all, it was a solid season. It just wasn't as strong as the first, which, for the record, was very close to a 10/10 for me. Falling short of that standard doesn't make this season bad. It’s just that the first season set the bar incredibly high. I give this season 8/10.

I’ll probably will be able to finish this in 2 weeks, with all the other shows I’m watching. NBA season also starts tonight so my evening watching schedule is getting pretty tight.

Make a mega thread next time, with comments per episode. Cripes.

hell yea, a bulk release!