B: The Beginning Succession
Synopsis — from MyAnimeList
In the first season of B: The Beginning, two men confronted their own past with great sacrifice. Maverick detective Keith Flick fought against his demons and finally exposed the dark secrets behind the Kingdom of Cremona. Mutant wunderkind Koku finally reunited with the most precious memory from his stolen childhood. Several months have passed since then, and the entire world seems to have forgotten the turmoil caused by those events. As Keith returns to the Royal Police to conduct his own investigation, Koku and Yuna try to enjoy an ordinary life in peace. But the consequences of the Jaula Blanca experiments are far from being extinct, as Koku soon discovers when his supposedly dead lab mate Kirisame suddenly shows up.
Audience Consensus
Audience reaction to B: The Beginning Succession is largely negative, with a significant portion of viewers feeling it was a disappointing sequel that failed to live up to the first season. While some praise for individual characters like Lily and general art quality exists, these are heavily overshadowed by criticism of the incoherent plot, rushed pacing, underdeveloped characters, and unresolved cliffhanger ending.
Strengths
- Keith's character development, especially his exploration of past feelings, is highlighted as a strong point in one episode.
- Lily is consistently praised as a standout character, bringing life and personality to the series.
- The art and animation quality are generally seen as improved or maintained from the first season, with fluid fight scenes and good character designs.
- The soundtrack and Japanese voice acting are noted as being of high quality and effective.
Weaknesses
- The story is frequently described as incoherent, illogical, rushed, predictable, and a disappointment compared to the first season.
- The sequel is criticized for being a 'bridge season' that sets up future plot points rather than providing a satisfying conclusion.
- Character development for many characters is lacking, with protagonists and supporting cast members receiving little attention or making questionable decisions.
- The plot suffers from continuity errors, retcons, unexplained plot points, and a lack of clear motivations for new antagonists.
- Production values are perceived to have dropped, with increased and poor-quality CGI, inconsistent shadows, and choppy animation.
- The short episode count (six episodes) is seen as detrimental to the story's pacing and development.
- New characters are generally disliked and poorly written.
- The ending is consistently cited as a major disappointment, being a cliffhanger that leaves the story unresolved.