How to kill a Hummingbird

"I didn't come back to get back what I lost. I just want to protect what's here now." Nomad - Megalobox 2

I did that thing where once I finished a season, I wasn't ready for bed so I ruined my sleep schedule to binge an entire second season. Megalobox 2 entitled "Nomad" (which I'll just call it that from here on) is a great follow up to an already great 1st season.

There are things that the second season changes that I think are definitely worth exploring and overall Nomad 'packs a punch'. The first season of megalobox has some big shoes to fill though, so does Nomad live up to the hype?

Let's talk about it:

Music

Alright, I've got my list of complaints about a few things that Nomad does a little worse than it's first season, but music isn't one of them. Again we have Mabanua going absolutely HAM on these tracks.

First, it's rare to see an anime take place in anything resembling Mexico or have anything to do with a Spanish flair - not only does Mabanua create some amazing Mexicana beats, he peppers the electronic mix that we loved from the first season - and then adds acoustic masterpieces that actually have a place in the story.

The music plays a part in the story in much the same way that the rap does from Devilman Crybaby, allowing for the fleshing of one of the main characters of the story.

From reggae, to electronic synth, all the way to acoustic singer/songwriter feels, there's a little bit of everything and it's all placed perfectly within the series.

Music: 5/5

Animation

With the animation of this series it's not complaint worthy. I don't have any complaints really. I also don't have undying praise for it.

The animation is solid, it's flashy and dark, it's well lighted and shaded. The fight scenes leave very little to be desired and things generally just look - good.

However I do think overall they fall a little flat in comparison the the first season. Like I said, it's not complaint worthy there's nothing to point to, to say that 'this is bad' but by the other side of that token there were no scenes that I felt the need to rewind because 'that was awesome!' Sure some of the fight scenes like the one where Mac goes ape-s#$% on his opponent is cool to see, but I think it's less of an animation cool-ness and more of a story element that we are a fan of.

Animation 4.5/5

Characters

Nomad focuses on a few different characters throughout different arcs, I'll try to go chronologically.

Chief

The first we'll talk about is Chief. The 'old' guy who can still throw a punch. Joe meets him on his road to recovery. Chief is the hero/anti-hero of a group of disenfranchised people who are making a small community out of an abandoned fairground. He stands for people that don't have a voice for themselves, and so in that regard he is a completely new face to the series. He wants to do the right thing, the right way always.

He is someone who has experienced loss and so is able to relate to Joe about it, but it feels like they got rid of him prematurely. Part of the struggle of this season is that there are arcs. It builds up a character only to really not focus on them for the following episodes. It's something that can be done, but when you only have 13 episodes it's hard to really get a feeling for anyone.

Edison Liu

The guy that beats Joe in the second Megalonia competition and sets the stage for everything that we see happening in the beginning of Nomad. He's Yuri's student and so in some ways can be seen as the antagonist of this season, but like Yuri he's not an actual 'villain' he's just the competition. He ends up getting injured and is then kind of benched as an idealist in the latter half of the season

I'm not saying that he's a bad character at all, watching him spar with Joe was very entertaining and had the season been about his journey as well as Joe's it could've been cool to see. Again I feel like Edison Liu is one of the characters that suffers from the shortage of episodes to characters that they try and develop.

Sachio/Mio

I want to mention these two together because they have a similar attitude and I think there's something to having the 'kid that feels abandoned' in both parts of this season. Sachio certainly changes from the mischievous miscreant in season 1, to a stubborn fighter in the second. The transformation feels a little forced - whereas Mio gets a decent amount of screen time and his progression into someone that comes around is more dynamic and entertaining.

I bring these two up because Sachio was one of my favorites in the first time and because the series tries to focus on two of these characters it misses out on developing both of them properly.

Ryugo Sakuma

Arguably the actual antagonist of this season. As with Yukiko of the former season he is behind the scenes setting things up to his liking. He's way worse though. We see that Yukiko has somewhat of a heart that was starting to appear in the first season and has come full force in the second - even to the point of fighting against Sakuma.

He's manipulative, arrogant, and rich. All things that make for a great antagonist, but in that way he seems completely one- dimensional. The thing that made Yukiko great was you could see the dilemma that she faced and the inner turmoil that she had, as if she were a real person with real thoughts and feelings. Sakuma? 'No tiene nada' he doesn't have any of that.

Mac Rosario/Joe

Hometown hero, boxer, father, and husband. They really try to make him stand out as someone who you want to cheer for. The series tries very hard to get him to be relatable, to give him a whole and complete story so that in his match against Joe the audience can decide who to root for.

However like with the other characters that we've already mentioned it falls flat. Whether it's because there was a shortage of time, or because he was never fully developed in the first place, the sense of backstory feels rushed, his struggles feel a little forced, and it makes it hard to root for him even at the end.

I'm putting Joe here, because in my review of Season 1 I thought that Joe felt a little flat. In this season it feels like my complaint was answered. At the cost of every other character. I guess you really can't have it both ways, but - I will say that the storyboard did a great job at manifesting an actual personality for Joe aside from someone who just likes to hit things.

Even though Joe's character development was leagues beyond what it was in the first, it still feels rushed. He goes from helping a town in need, to fixing up a gym, to fighting off drugs, to getting back in the ring with someone at the top of his game. I'm not saying that Nomad doesn't do a great job at incorporating some great mechanics to make it seem believable I'm just saying it falls a little flat.

Characters: 3/5

Plot

Nomad season 2 tries to convey a lot to it's audience. Loss, abandonment, what does someone do when they fade from glory? Death, the detriment of sports injury. Chasing your dreams, being a dreamer, greed, racism, and the underdog story are all themes in this season. (There are others, but they're minor comparatively).

It's a lot to chew on, and in this case I think it suffers. I've read reviews that say there are three episodes that Nomad weaves together 'the chief story' 'the Sachio story' and the 'Mac Rosario' story. These reviews often compliment Nomad on it's ability to blend and weave the stories together in one coherent piece.

That's not how I see it though. Yes, there are threads that connect the stories, and I don't want to make it seem like there aren't things that connect them. They feel forced though.

The story with the hummingbird that is the bedtime story? It's touching, but it doesn't feel quite real. Not entirely like a bedtime story anyway. Certainly not a child's favorite book. It fits the narrative in a great way, but it still feels forced. The stories don't weave to me, it feels disjointed, like each 'story' could've been given it's own season and that would've been the way to go.

It feels as though Nomad tried to handle too many things and lost what made it great in the first place. Boxing. For a show about boxing there weren't very many matches in the show, and the matches that did get shown were short and felt like exclamation points on an already finished sentence.

I should say, that I am being pretty critical on the story - because I am comparing it to the first season. As a series it works, but it doesn't stand alone like I think it attempts to do. Plot-wise it just feels a little weak - and a little less about boxing.

Plot 3.5/5

Overall

I need to say this: I liked Nomad. I really did, it's got loveable characters great animation, fantastic music and a coherent plot. You cannot say that for anime these days. You really can't, and when I say it falls flat, I'm probably being a little too critical but there it is. If you enjoyed the first season at all - you'll find this season to be rewarding and worth the watch as well.

My final score 4/5 - You should watch this

Extras:

People do disagree with me: Here's two reviews with different opinions. If you want to give em a look

https://screenrant.com/megalo-box-2-nomad-better-improve-first-season-why/

https://butwhythopodcast.com/2021/06/27/review-megalo-box-2-nomad/

The song that chief sings "El Canto del Colibri" is actually written and performed by Mabanua himself.

Honorable mention to characters: Oicho, Bonjiri, and Santa - of team nowhere.