Wise Man’s Grandchild Season 2 would certainly have a shot at blowing away audiences with Shin Wolford’s overpowered Isekai high school antics since future story arcs will be more action-packed. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that a 2nd season will be given a chance by the producers.
The Kenja no Mago anime (which is also known as Philosopher’s Grandson or Magi’s Grandson in English) has been popular on Crunchyroll streaming, but the reviews indicated early on that the series is ready to sink rather than swim.
Like with any anime, the chance of a second season largely depended on how fans support the TV show. And so far the discussion has centered on how the story handles tropes. This is the basis for the humor, but while often funny it’s nothing hilarious.
The anime both deconstructs/subverts bad isekai tropes while often running with parodies of the good tropes. For example, Shin will say, “I need to stronger,” and everyone is rightfully very afraid since Shin is the literal definition of an OP (overpowered) Isekai protagonist.
On the other hand, when Shin first met Sizilien von Claude (and Maria von Messina) some anime fans probably assumed Sicily was destined to fulfill the “first girl wins” trope in yet another isekai harem.
Instead, the anime had the two awkward lovebirds confess and become engaged within a single season without any female competitors attempting to intervene in a comedic fashion.
Unfortunately, eschewing troublesome tropes is not enough for anime greatness. Wise Man’s Grandchild reviews have a tendency to write off the anime since it lacks tension.
While Shin’s comedic antics often trample over all the bad tropes the problem is that subplots often fall flat. For example, Shin and Sicily’s dating seemed preordained and lacked any real obstacle to romantic bliss.
When Shin was forced to kill a classmate who turned into a Demonoid that offered a major chance for some serious character development, but any internal struggles or regrets were forgotten by the next episode.
In the end, the Kenja no Mago Season 2 anime will either stand or fall on its own. Based on the reviews thus far, fans have not completely embraced the common-sense-less Shin Wolford to the point that he’s destined to receive a chibi version in Isekai Quartet Season 2.
Still, for those complaining about the lack of tension or character development, it could be argued that the final act of the anime is when the story just starts to become interesting. And that’s where the source material plays a major factor.
This article provides everything that is known about Wise Man’s Grandchild Season 2 and all related news. As such, this article will be updated over time with news, rumors, and analysis. Meanwhile, let’s delve down into what is known for certain.
Wise Man’s Grandchild Season 2 release date predictions: Renewal unlikely?
As of the last update, Kadokawa, animation studio Silver Link, or any company related to the production of the anime has not officially confirmed the Kenja no Mago Season 2 release date. Nor has the production of a Magi’s Grandson sequel been announced.
Once the news is officially confirmed this article will be updated with the relevant information. In the meantime, it’s possible to speculate about when, or if, the Wise Man’s Grandchild Season 2 premiere date will occur in the future.
One huge factor in play is that Japanese publisher Kadokawa is intent on milking the currently popular Isekai genre for all it’s worth. The publisher released its Q2 2019 financial results in May 2019 and anime quarterly profits rose largely due to North American licensing income from Wise Man’s Grandchild and The Rising Of The Shield Hero.
Kadokawa intends on “focusing on creating and fostering new hit series” and releasing at least one Isekai anime per season. Kadokawa’s producers are already talking about The Rising Of The Shield Hero Season 2 and Re:Zero Season 2 has been confirmed, so why not Kenja no Mago Season 2?
Still, it’s notable the project was sent to animation studio Silver Link, which could be construed as a negative sign for the chances of a second season.
The studio is not exactly known for producing anime sequels with the noteworthy exception of the Strike Witches (see Strike Witches Season 3), Strike The Blood (see Strike The Blood Season 3), and Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya (see Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya Season 5) anime series.
Silver Link also produced the anime adaptation of Kadokawa’s Death March To The Parallel World Rhapsody series. Despite the publisher’s recent fondness for all things Isekai, Death March Season 2 still hasn’t been announced, either.
As such, Anime Geek is predicting that Wise Man’s Grandchild Season 2 will not be produced.
Wise Man’s Grandchild manga and light novel series compared to the Kenja no Mago anime
The story for the anime is based on the Kenja no Mago light novel series by author Tsuyoshi Yoshioka and illustrator Seiji Kikuchi. The story originally started in January 2015 as a web novel, but it was quickly picked up by publisher Enterbrain (which is a brand owned by parent company Kadokawa).
The Wise Man’s Grandchild book series is up to Volume 10 as of June 29, 219. Kenja no Mago Volume 12 has not yet been announced on the official website.
Starting in March 2016 the light novel series’ story began being adapted into the Kenja no Mago manga. Published in Young Ace Up magazine, the manga is written by the original creator and illustrated by Shunsuke Ogata (also known for drawing Corpse Party).
Although Funimation has produced a Wise Man’s Grandchild English dub for the anime series, no publisher has announced an official English translation for either the manga or light novel series.
However, there are multiple fan translation projects, including an English web novel.
The anime has been faithful to the essence of the story. Certain details (especially worldbuilding) are almost always cut, but the anime version is fairly close to the manga version. The parts that were cut from the anime make a major difference in the tone of the story.
The manga definitely has a darker tone since the bleak realities of war are depicted in all its gore and violence. To put the difference between the anime and manga into perspective, imagine Attack On Titan-level gore with the citizens of Bluesphere Kingdom being ripped into pieces by demonic beasts.
Besides bones and entrails, the manga doesn’t shy away from showing victims who were raped and strangled to death.
The anime chose to focus more on the light-hearted actions of Shin and his gang while quickly summarizing world events and the actions of side characters that lead up to the war against the demonic invasion.
Even if the bloody details are ignored, it could also be argued that both the manga and light novels definitely build the characters up in a more satisfying manner.
Warning: Some anime spoilers ahead.
Episode 9 adapted up through the engagement story of manga chapter 16. Episode 10 finally introduced the backstory of the villain Strom and it turns out he’s a rather sympathetic character (you almost want to feel sorry for the guy).
Based on the pacing of the anime, the aftermath of the battle between the Ultimate Magicians and the Demonoids invading the Sweed Kingdom was probably the best possible stopping point for the anime. The ending of Wise Man’s Grandchild Episode 12 was based on manga Chapter 21, the ending of Volume 6. For book readers, that’s the ending of light novel Volume 3.
Fans seeking to read ahead can pick up light novel Volume 4 or jump straight into the manga series, which is over 10 chapters ahead of the anime adaptation as of June 2019. Hopefully, a North American publisher will license the official English translation soon.
The good news is that the light novel series provides plenty of books for creating Wise Man’s Grandchild Season 2. There’s enough content for a two-cour season, or even Wise Man’s Grandchild Season 3.
Magi’s Grandson Season 2 spoilers (Plot summary/synopsis)
The last time we watched Shin, Sicily, and friends the Ultimate Magicians had been called into action against the world threat posed by Strom and his demons. The Earlshide Kingdom is attempting to create a united front against the Demonoids by creating a global coalition with other countries.
It’s believed that an alliance is necessary because if the Ultimate Magicians defeated the demons by themselves then other human nations might perceive Earlshide as the real threat to power.
But it may be a problem negotiating with the Ys Holy Nation and Els Federation of Free Commerce since they are so different from the other nations. The former is ruled by a state religion led by a Pope of Divine Church of Genesis Instruction and the latter is a republic governed by merchants.
With the Bluesphere Empire destroyed and occupied by Strom’s demons, who would be the leader in such a coalition? Earlshide Crown Prince August believes he is the best option for negotiating and thus the Ultimate Magicians set out to visit the countries of Darm, Caanan, and Kurt.
Meanwhile, the demons realize that Wolford is their largest threat so they begin to conspire and two demons named Cain and Abel (really) are sent to spy on the Ultimate Magicians. They realize that targeting Earlshide’s neighboring countries backfired on them so they decide to stage a far-off attack.
But then Zest (former peasant Espionage Unit intelligence officer to the Bluesphere Empire and now the demon leader who was the architect of the Sweed Kingdom raid) implies in a meeting with Strom that there is a spy within the human ranks of Earlshide!
Of course, just when everything is getting serious Shin, Sicily, and some of the others treat the political visit as an opportunity for sightseeing in Darm. Spotting a noble marriage, Shin and Sicily wistfully desire a church wedding.
Both humor and fan service make a comeback during all this seriousness when Shin suddenly finds himself walking the town surrounded by the pretty girls. Alice and Rin realize the local guys are jealous and decide to turn it into a joke by teasing Shin, but Sicily’s reaction isn’t joking with her angry magical aura!
Even the demon side’s antics can’t be taken too seriously since an experiment with demonization of animals literally has a horde of demons poking and prodding sheep in bewilderment. And, wouldn’t you know it, Shin and his gang accidentally stumble upon these very sheep (and a very macho shepherd named Garan Shupard) while traveling to Canaan.
Meanwhile, the demon spies Cain and Abel have been learning more about Shin. They even visit the home of Magi Merlin Wolford and the Earlshide Palace. The demons are detected very quickly, but not before they learn that Shin is engaged to Sicily. Based on this intelligence, the demons decide to target Sicily when the Ultimate Magicians visit Kurt Kingdom.
But Shin isn’t too worried about demons in Kurt Kingdom. If anything, he’s more worried about the hordes of fans of Magi Merlin and Guru Melinda that descend upon him once they realize Shin is their grandson. (And, of course, there’s more fan service and b**b jokes.)
Thus distracted, the demons succeed in a sneak attack on the fortified walls of Kurt. Investigating the explosions causes the Ultimate Magicians to split up into pairs, but the demons are only interested in targeting Shin and Sicily.
These particular demons are named Abel, Cain, Lawrence, Dante, Leonard, and Psyche. They’re combat veterans from the former Bluesphere Empire who can wield both magic and sword for close combat.
Audiences will be treated to an episode where the history of these former humans shows how they suffered from atrocities committed by the nobility class, which explains the squad’s motivations for turning their back on humanity.
The first season of the anime treated audiences to some well-animated action sequences and Wise Man’s Grandchild will only up the ante with the fight against the demon soldiers.
But right when it looks like the demon soldiers are winning, Shin lets loose a huge attack that causes the demons to strategically retreat… but they’ve already met their goal.
The anime will quickly shift gears back to being light-hearted. A summer break retreat at a sea resort means they break out the swimsuits once again.
As previously mentioned, the first season of the anime already adapted the magical beach volleyball scene, but manga Chapter 26 contains additional sunscreen shenanigans, b**b suffocations, and delinquent Grandpa fishing that Wise Man’s Grandchild Season 2 can cover. (Sicily is scary when jealous!)
For their heroic efforts, the entire Ultimate Magicians squad is given national rewards and accolades. But poor Shin is not amused at all when he’s bestowed the title King of Magicians Demon Lord Shin. “Holy Maiden” Sicily also gains unhealthy fervor and attention from her growing number of fans/worshippers.
Teaching everyone how to Gate properly results in antics, but then Shin learns about the existence of magic stones while working on a design for a wireless magical communication device (yes, Isekai Smartphone now has competition).
Found deep in the earth, the rare crystals are apparently magical energy that’s been shaped by pressure. And since Shin knows how diamonds are formed it’s not long before he’s amazing everyone and worrying his grandparents with a new invention that could change the balance of powers in the world.
Of course, since this is an Isekai comedy, the first thing Shin does with these artificial magic stones is to accidentally create magical birth control. Oopsie!
But with that out of the way, the return of the demons turns the story serious again. The demons’ end game is to force a scenario where Shin Wolford himself is demonized through his feelings of rage.
Their plan is to induce Shin into accidentally hurting or killing someone important so that he loses his reputation and popularity among the people.
The demons recognize that Shin becomes filled with berserker rage when Sicily is in peril. And so their plot hinges on capturing and kidnapping Sicily!
Unfortunately, anime fans will have to wait until the Wise Man’s Grandchild Season 2 release date to watch how Shin handles the demons’ plotting. Stay tuned!