Shangri-La Frontier: Kusoge Hunter, Kamige ni Idoman to su 2nd Season

Ever since Rakurou "Sunraku" Hizutome started to play the extremely popular virtual reality game Shangri-La Frontier, he has truly fallen in love with it. Sunraku has quickly made a big name for himself by fighting two of the seven unique, nearly unbeatable monsters, which is unthinkable for most players. To progress the game's story, he sets out on an adventure with his leporine guide, Emul, to acquire a magic operation unit from an ancient workshop.

Though Sunraku breezes through this quest alongside his clanmates Towa "Arthur Pencilgon" Amane and Kei "OiKatzo" Uomi, there seems to be an ulterior motive as to why the two of them decided to help Sunraku in the first place. Nevertheless, Sunraku gains valuable knowledge and allies, critical for his advancement in the game. By seeking out powerful enemies and unraveling the inner workings of the game's world, Sunraku may just change Shangri-La Frontier forever.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hizutome, Rakurou Main

Uchida, Yuuma Japanese

Emul ing

Hidaka, Rina Japanese

Amane, Towa ing

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Saiga, Rei ing

Waki, Azumi Japanese

Vysache ing

Ootsuka, Akio Japanese

Uomi, Kei ing

Koichi, Makoto Japanese

Hakamori no Wethermon ing

Hayami, Show Japanese

Bilac ing

Tomita, Miyu Japanese

Akitsu, Akane ing

Terasaki, Yuka Japanese

Rust ing

Takahashi, Rie Japanese

Kubooka, Toshiyuki Director

Fujita, Akiko Sound Director

Fudeyasu, Kazuyuki Script, Series Composition

Hiraike, Yoshimasa Storyboard

Reviews

May 5, 2025

Elizatonne78

Recommended

Season 2 of Shangri-La Frontier hits like a truck. If I gave Season 1 a 7/10, Season 2 definitely deserves a straight 8/10. I already thought the first season sured Sword Art Online in my eyes, so the sequel... there's no competition!

I originally rated Season 1 a 7 because I thought, "Here we go again, another anime set in an MMO world like Sword Art Online," something overdone and predictable. And judging by the synopsis, it didn’t seem like there would be much to expect. But that’s precisely what surprised me—it quickly impressed me. What really stood out was how Shangri-La Frontier breaks away from ... the usual isekai/MMORPG formulas. There’s no omnipresent villain, no overdramatic emotional weight, no world-ending threat around every corner. And yet, it works incredibly well.

While other anime try to force artificial stakes, Shangri-La Frontier chooses to show us a virtual world where characters genuinely enjoy themselves. We follow a ionate player who’s truly having fun. This decision to avoid constant tension and instead focus on the natural progression of a gamer—his encounters, small challenges, gaming routines, and discoveries—creates a refreshing and surprisingly addictive vibe. It feels like a slice-of-life for gamers, and that’s exactly what makes the show different and endearing.

I had read some of the manga before starting the anime but didn’t feel like continuing. Honestly, the anime completely won me over and brought the world to life in an incredible way. The animation is fluid and dynamic, and the visual effects during fights are top-notch. And I have to say: the anime is visually stunning. The colors, the art direction, the way the tone shifts whenever Sunraku tries a different game besides Shangri-La Frontier—it’s amazing. You really feel like you’re exploring distinct universes, each with its own atmosphere and visual identity.

Season 2 takes everything up a notch. The pacing is better, the story builds momentum without losing the “gaming enjoyment” approach that defines the series. The side characters are given more depth, and the story expands without betraying its original spirit. You can feel the creators’ desire to build a rich and coherent universe.

That’s where the difference with Sword Art Online really shows: SAO had massive potential but failed to deliver on its ideas. Shangri-La Frontier doesn’t overpromise—it simply succeeds at everything it sets out to do. It doesn’t try to make you believe “your life is at risk in the game,” but it does make you feel how fun, immersive, and even touching a virtual world can be.

Honestly, I might reconsider my Season 1 rating… maybe it deserves an 8/10 too! It wasn’t bad at all—quite the opposite, it was impressive. I just didn’t expect the sequel to raise the bar even higher. I was wrong. I absolutely loved Season 2, and it even got me back into reading the manga, which continues to be fantastic—smart, funny, and incredibly well-written.

In short, Shangri-La Frontier is an MMO anime that breaks the mold. Visually gorgeous, carefully written, full of love for video games and contagious ion. A true favorite that I highly recommend to anyone tired of the usual isekai clichés.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Apr 9, 2025

pitagotnobread

Mixed Feelings

I feel like this season had a lot of promise but it fell short of it's predecessor for a couple of reasons in my opinion.

Season 1 presented other players as threats and the whole idea of PKers seemed a bit more important but in this season there weren't really any outside threats at all.

Another thing that I liked in season 1 that they completed fumbled in season 2 is the eerie, mysterious feeling of the truth behind the world inside Shangri-La Frontier. For example, the vibes that were given off between Setsuna and Pencilgon felt like there was something deep and dark behind the ... game that we would follow up on further this season.

The last problem I had with this season is the pacing. There's nothing wrong with our MC playing other games every now and then but there are times we are ramping up to a major plot point and Sunraku takes a break to meet up with someone in another game and it just takes you out of it because he'll be out the game for a couple episodes.

Oh! And Saiga (Psyger 0) is annoying.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Apr 20, 2025

CHALOKLAM

Not Recommended

I feel like this entire season is like a giant OVA that ends up as a spin-off!

The more episodes go on, the less the series develops the world of Shangi, and at times, it seems like the author is fed up with his world or doesn't know where he wants to go and puts his main character in another universe...
It's as if there were OVAs in the middle of the series,
but the last third of the season is downright a spin-off!!!

The pace of the series is way too slow; you could miss an episode without realizing it, the story is so stuck!
There's twice as much ... pointless blah blah as in season 1!
It's simple, they talk non-stop for the sake of saying nothing!
Entire episodes talking about the strategy that will be used, both during the action and during the "action," well, this is even more blah blah!!!
The characters spend three-quarters of the episodes commenting on what they're going to do or what happens during the action!

Action that's as repetitive as possible. It reminded me of DBZ, two episodes spent preparing an attack that does nothing...
That's the other problem of the season: the big monsters are like immortal, they keep coming back, 10 final attacks, etc., and at one point, the writers decide it's gone on long enough, and boom, the fight's over... and off we go for an OVA or a spin-off.

I'll watch season three when it's fully aired, and I think three-quarters of it will be skippable... and I won't be surprised if I lose interest in the middle.

Otherwise, more than ever, I don't understand the very good rating for this season and the number of people who recommend watching it...
It's simple, I find that this season is so bad that I lowered the previous season by one point (I gave it an 8, a very good rating for me, thinking that it was an intro that took its time and that in season 2 we would be more focused on the story... it's the opposite, season 1 seems to have given everything and now we're only on filler and a sort of saop opera animation and I expect the worst for the rest.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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