Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy Season 2 just premiered, and although I still found it as fascinating as I did three years ago, I also found it funny that my watching experience was mostly me trying my best to recall the events of the last season. Thankfully, the premiere had plenty of little pieces here and there for me to pick up, so it didn’t take very long for me to remember the awesome journeys of our unlucky hero, Makoto Misumi. Honestly, though, episode 1 didn’t really come off as a strong premiere. It was, however, a light and entertaining episode that easily helped reintroduce the cast and hero all over again — and well, I genuinely appreciate that.
Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- was actually one of my first anime reviews here at Anime Corner that happened right after I binge-read TenSura. That said, I took great pleasure in seeing all the fast-paced plot developments of Makoto’s unlucky isekai hero adventures. It was under the radar at the time and was not exactly what people expected (dull designs, not-so-special visuals, corny comedy, low-budget-ish kind of vibes), but that’s exactly the charming part for me — Tsukimichi is a unique gem of its own with its ensemble cast (Natsuki Hanae, Ayane Sakura and Akari Kito), creative world-building, and the wild, unhinged shenanigans of its storytelling. Now, Season 2 will be running for two cours straight with a total of 25 episodes. How fun is that?
To recap the first season’s events, it all began when Makoto Misumi was transported into a fantasy world where he would be bestowed as a Hero. Instead, Makoto is discarded and cursed by the goddess, ultimately throwing him into a series of extraordinary unfortunate events. In a stroke of luck (or not?), Makoto found trustworthy companions and was able to work his way up as a merchant and adventurer. Some epic battles happened here and there, but in the present, he wishes to find out more about his parents and travel to the academy city, Rosgard, for more business. If you didn’t skip the Season 2 opening theme, you’d find some teasers of it too.
Mio and Tomoe Watches Over Makoto’s Demiplane
While Makoto goes away on business, he leaves the former Greater Dragon, Tomoe, and the former Spider of Calamity, Mio, to look after their Demiplane kingdom. The premise that Mio wants to make nutritious meals for Makoto and intentionally involves the entire population of the Demiplane as taste testers is my favorite part of the Tsukimichi Season 2 episode 1. That said, it’s actually the bits of the supporting characters that make the premiere very lively and funny. That’s not to say that Makoto’s part was boring, but it’s just that Mio and Tomoe have always had an energetic and competitive dynamic when it comes to serving their Master. Their entire screen time was a treat to watch and although this joke has been used many times in anime, the premiere succeeded in being very entertaining since it also re-introduced the other monsters and demi-humans.
Everyone reacted horribly (hurled, died, grieved, sent into existential crises for bananas) from Mio’s bizarre, inedible food. Great ingredients don’t naturally mean great food after all, just like how different races have different palates. Let’s not forget, Mio is the spider of disaster.
I do find it interesting though that Mio is trying so hard to learn how to cook. It’s exactly like Shion’s abominable cooking in TenSura, but while that comes from a place of wanting to appease Rimuru, at least Shuna eventually mastered the art and ultimately delivered the same appetizing food their isekai hero once enjoyed in Japan. That said, I’m curious to see how far Mio can go. Especially right after Tomoe channels her inner samurai and encourages Mio to embark on a culinary adventure to “widen her knowledge on ingredients and other cooking styles.”
Makoto and the Moon Over the Ruined Castle
Meanwhile, Makoto Misumu goes off on his own in the outside world. For someone who wants to lay low, he attracts a lot of attention by being a suspiciously experienced adventurer despite his low level, not to mention his “demi-human ugliness.” I’ve actually forgotten that this was one of the anime’s jokes so it’s quite refreshing to go through it again. Later though, he goes against his own promise not to interfere with human affairs. His silent realm is the stuff of nightmares as he takes out the bandits one by one with just his bow and arrow. We’re also reminded of the defensive power of the dwarves’ armor because nothing harms him. At this point, Makoto’s already established his own set of magic skills and build, but the most iconic are his fiery arrows, the same ones in the first season’s premiere and finale (gosh, I loved that finale).
Tsukimichi Season 2 episode 1 did a great job of highlighting how calculating and strong Makoto is now. Seeing this whole sequence was very satisfying (as all overpowered wins do) and although I question the value of this side-story to the overall plot, I don’t necessarily hate the idea of seeing our hero look good. This underlines Makoto’s motivations as the failed hero, whether it be to expand his kingdom, stop a bandit from tainting the name of his favorite song, “Moon Over The Ruined Castle,” or act out of pure kindness. Overall, and I say this with adoration, the premiere was just so plain, yet so fun. In a world where the pain of Jujutsu Kaisen: Shibuya Arc exists, this positive blandness of Tsukimichi is something a show and the viewers need every once in a while.
Tsukimichi Season 2 Premiere – Concluding Thoughts
The episode wraps up as Shiki (voiced by Kenjiro Tsuda) informs his master that he’s booked an expensive room, something that was heavily emphasized by the girls because their master is deserving of such luxuries, given that his fellow Heroes were warmly welcomed in other countries. I also don’t blame Makoto for his hatred for the goddess, but it’s also nice to see that he isn’t as bitter as before anymore. It seems like our hero has matured in combat and character.
After what seemed like an introductory filler-ish episode, I’m glad that it ended with something to look forward to about the second season’s plot — the world of the anime’s story is finally expanding. I admit that it’s a bit worrisome given the episode count and the pacing last season, but on the other hand, this much room could also be just what the anime needs to up its game.
All in all, Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- Season 2 episode 1 was a good, entertaining, and nostalgic premiere. It was pretty quick in reminding us how Makoto has adapted and is overcoming his unfortunate fate. It also wasn’t exactly impactful enough to pull viewers in since it didn’t have any wow factors, but it was at least fun. For example, I’ve forgotten how silly Tomoe and Mio’s dynamics were, and I especially loved that the first episode was just about Mio’s horrendous cooking. It was an efficient comedic way to present the cast while giving most of the serious excitement to Makoto. I like that the mastery of his acquired skills makes him more overpowering and mysterious than ever, and that actually makes Makoto quite scary and cool at the same time. Again, this made up for quite a satisfying first episode, and with a full season ahead of us, it’s great that the premiere indulged us in these silly and exciting bits. I can’t wait to see more of it soon.
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Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- Season 2 is streaming on Crunchyroll and Bilibili.
©Kei Azumi, AlphaPolis/”Tsukimichi” Production Committee
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