A while ago, I was asked if I would review season 2 of Hazin Hotel like I did the first one. I said that I would, as long as it’s interesting enough to talk about. I’m happy to say that it is. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to it, other projects got in the way. Spoiler warning for Hazbin Hotel, season 1 and 2! If you want to watch it, stop reading. Let’s begin.
Like last time, I want to start with the bad parts. I didn’t like how stupid Charlie was. In the last season, Vox spied on her and Valentino sexually harassed her. Why is she inviting the Vees over? After they screw her over, she appears on their news show and gets humiliated all over again. How many times does she need to burn her hand on the stove before she stops touching it? In season 1, Charlie was naive and sheltered, but she wasn’t this frustratingly idiotic!
There are a few more problems (Sir Pentious doesn’t go to hell in episode five and prove redemption is possible, Abel’s character ark is rushed, etc.), but they’re small enough for me to look past. Let’s get to the good stuff. Last time, I complained about the show trying to cram too much content into eight episodes. That wasn’t a problem this time. Events progress at a more natural pace and the characters are given time to develop. Episode eight is a lot longer than usual, which gives the writers more time to do everything they want.
I complained about Charlie, but the rest of the characters more than make up for her. There is a lot of compelling arks: Sir Pentious finding his place in heaven, Sera being conflicted between fighting the sinners and making peace with them, Angel Dust and Husk developing their relationship, etc. Emily is similar to Charlie, but the show handles her so much better. She spent her whole life in heaven, of course she doesn’t know how to get sinners on her side. Her mistakes weren’t frustrating, they made sense.
Out of all the characters, my favorite is Vox. I like his design, his performance, his songs, etc. Adam was a good villain, but he needed more screentime. Vox is present all throughout the season. He manipulates people, grows his following and intimidates heaven itself. He is both hilarious and threatening. Despite his power, he’s also kind of pathetic. Even after he captures Alastor, he still lets his insults get to him. His ego drives away his fellow Vees and his carelessness largely contributes to his downfall. Vox is the most interesting and compelling character. Even after everything he did, I’m glad he’s still alive. I want to see what’s next for him.
The animation and the songs are both great, but I already praised them last time, so it’s hard not to repeat myself. I suppose I can talk about a few standouts. I love the designs of the new sinners, they’re all creative. Vox’s pet shark Shok.wav is designed and animated beautifully. Again, I’m glad he didn’t get destroyed. I don’t know why the Speaker of God disappears after episode two, but she’s also a joy to watch. She couldn’t have been easy to animate.
As for the songs, here’s a few that stand out in my mind.
Piss (A Love Song)- A love song between two people from different time periods combines music from different time periods. Great idea and, despite everything that could go wrong, great execution.
Clean It Up!- How can a song be so disgusting and cute and the same time? I don’t know, but Niffty pulls it off. Hazbin Hotel is popular in Japan, so that probably explains the anime part.
Easy- Why did it take me so long to realize that the dance is a metaphor for lesbian sex? I’m a straight guy! My frustration aside, it’s a sweet and romantic song, especially after all the bickering I sat through.
Live To Live- My favorite song of the season. It perfectly shows Sir Pentious’ character development and unique perspective. I love the message about how precious life is. It makes me glad to be alive every time I hear it.
And that’s all I have to say. This review turned out a bit longer than the last one. I’ve reviewed a lot of video games in the meantime, so maybe that’s the reason. All in all, the show stayed at the same level of quality. I’m not sure which season I like more, but they’re both good. I’m excited to see what’s in store for us in season three. Who knows, maybe I’ll write a whole essay about it.
P. S. You’ve probably heard of the lastest Twitter update. They’ve made it even easier to take people’s pictures without their permission and edit them with AI. Not just drawings, photographs too. I’ve decided to stop posting on Twitter and remove the link to my profile. I should’ve done it a long time ago. I didn’t even have a big following on it. Maybe I’ll come back if the platform fixes its problems, but I doubt that’s happening any time soon.