I loved the first season of Hilda with its likable/loveable characters, great world-building, and an overall relaxed, but also adventurous tone. Originally created as a graphic novel series by Luke Pearson, this little but bold cartoon seemed to be a great success for Netflix, so you can bet that I was overjoyed when it was announced that a second season was in the works. While my somewhat high expectations may have made the second outing feel not quite as refreshing as the first time around, Hilda “Season 2” is still a solid season that isn’t without its stand out moments, and it’s an overall great addition to the original adventures from my favorite blue-haired herione.
The series picks up right where the last season left off. Hilda finds out more about Trollberg’s defense system as it’s lead by a self-absorbed Erik Alhberg who is not very good at his job. Not only that, Hilda and the gang learn about a secret society of witches that lies underneath their feet and Frida gets a chance to become a Witch in training. Much like before, there are many other adventures Hilda and her pals go on that lead to many lessons learned and many new discoveries that are made, as we will get to see a bunch of characters both old and new.
This season is great at taking the elements that worked the first time around and build upon different character arcs and world-building. There will be plenty of adventure and interesting new characters to come across, but the heart of the show still stays intact as a lot of the episodes are also about Hilda and her relationships with the people she meets. One thing that gets more expanded upon is Hilda and Mums relationship as we get to see Hilda argue against her Mum’s wishes which are something we haven’t really explored in the past season and the good thing is that it dosn’t go to the point of being to mean spirited as there is still a level of understanding about how each of the characters feels in certain situations. There are even many different setups that get established during the course of the season and luckily each of them pays off in the way you’d expect them to.
There are even some plot threads that have been explored in other shows beforehand but Hilda is great at making something old feel like it’s being told for the first time. The only downside is that unlike before where almost every episode was constantly great, I think this season started up kinda weak with the first few episodes. They are not bad episodes, in fact, they are good episodes, but I felt like they didn’t quite have the same feeling that the previous season did If you get my drift. Thankfully the episodes do keep getting better as the season progresses and the stories do start to feel like what the first season was like. It may be a bit nitpicky, but the end result was still solidly satisfying in the end enough for me to say “Hilda, it’s so good to have you back”.
The animation carries the same style that we’ve all come to love from the first season but adds just enough new visuals to expand upon Hilda’s ever-creative environment. The original color palette of primary colors is still strong in the city of Trollberg and a lot of the shots feel like something from a cinematic production as a lot of the show’s sets are huge with plenty of detail to spare and there are even some jaw-dropping visuals that can feel threatening or comforting. The world-building expands from last time as we get to see more hidden secrets about Trollberg and even find out about the truth when we see the hidden society of witches which is kind of reminiscent of something from Harry Potter in its visuals. The music still enchants with its mellow toned synthesized tunes that can even work very effectively in the season’s more emotional moments
I’ll admit and say that I was at first worried that the second season wasn’t gonna be as good as before when I saw the first few episodes. Yet by the time I got halfway through the season I started to feel the exact same feelings I remember getting from the last season and by that time I was hooked once more. Despite having a bit of a weak beginning, the second season of Hilda did finish on a very strong note and though I wish that the first few episodes could have been worked on a bit more, that is in no way saying anything bad because Hilda season two is still a solid followup from last time and with the last episode leaving on a cliffhanger, I can bet that there is another season in the works as I speak and I’m all the more excited for it.
(Final Grade: A-)