When we last left Summer Camp Island, we discovered a magical campsite that was filled with cuteness, witches, and many unusual but likable adventures. With season one being such a success for Cartoon Network, it made sense to make another season as this time will be diving deep into the world of Summer Camp Island’s magical creatures as well as learning that there may be more to the characters than we originally thought.
We continue with longtime friends Oscar and Hedgehog as there are many new adventures and discoveries to be made on the strange and magical place of Summer Camp Island. There are also new developments such as Hedgehog becoming a witch and learning that self-absorbed camp counselor Suzie, might not be entirely what she seems when the audience first meet her.
The series continues its streak of being an Adventure Time meets Arthur type show in its style and its tone. The relationship between Hedgehog and Oscar is still just as adorable as it was in the last season and the predicaments they find themselves in keep pushing in creativity as we are introduced to many familiar, and even new faces among the camp. The second season is great at adding on what made the first season a delight while throwing new material for our characters to deal with. Most of the episodes are written by the show’s creator Julia Pott who has worked on Adventure time beforehand and her style of writing can almost be similar to how an episode of Adventure Time was created. Hedgehog gets a nice arc in some episodes about learning to be a witch and trying to stay on Suzie’s good side when it comes to perfecting her craft. There are even some interesting relationship statuses between characters which does Harkin back to the way Adventure Time dealt with different characters having unusual but sweet and meaningful bonds.
The overall animation style could be argued to be an improvement over the last season as we get to experience more creatively put-together places that only add to Summer Camp Island’s world building. The style of the characters has some resemblance to Adventure time’s characters but still feels different to make it stand out from the other shows on Cartoon Network. The backgrounds have this otherworldly feel to them and many locations are beautifully realized both in execution and on a visual scale. There are a lot of creative places our characters go to that bring out a different feel when revealed to the audience as they continue to embrace the concept of how Summer Camp Island is unlike any other camp you’ve seen before. The music proceeds with the mellow synthesized beats that bring a calm and welcoming tone to how the camp is presented.
This season brought in new and interesting character arcs and world building alongside the typical fun and delightful adventures Oscar and Hedgehog find themselves in. most of the episodes are well put together and bring out that feeling of childlike wonder that even grown-ups will feel rather nostalgic for. If you loved the first season, then you absolutely dig this season as it counties with adventures that push characterizations forward while having as much fun with the concept as possible.
(Final Grade: B+)