All the Announcements from Anime NYC 2023

Anime NYC 2023: High Card Season 2 Anime Premiere

ANN's coverage of Anime NYC 2023 sponsored by Yen Press and Ize Press!

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Last year, I found myself in one of the premiere halls at Anime NYC, watching the first episode of an original anime called High Card. Now, I found myself in that same hall to watch the premiere of season two. This premiere wasn't as involved as last year. The original creator, Homura Kawamoto, could not make it to New York, so the most this premiere offered outside of the episode itself was a nice recap trailer alongside some slides detailing the main cast. It is interesting because this recap revealed more information about the main characters than the actual show. For example, next to nothing has been disclosed about Vijay Kumar in season one outside of the fact that he likes plants, but his slide expanded on his motivations.

Afterward, we dove right into the first episode of season two. I forgot how much the show dripped with style. There's a very chill vibe about everything, and watching the characters tease each other on their way to work always elicits a smile from me. The show highlights the relationship dynamic between Finn and Chris after everything that happened between them in the finale of season one. Their roles are reversed since Chris became demoted due to his actions, and there are some nice parallels compared to when Finn first joined. The episode itself didn't have any significant recaps.

While I enjoyed the drama in the final couple of episodes regarding Chris's character, it did feel like we were taking a significant step away from the larger issue built up regarding the collection of the playing cards and the mystery behind Finn's family. Season two gets us back on track. There is a lot of political unrest due to the upcoming coronation for the next king of Fourlan. The current king hopes that all fifty-two playing cards will be collected before the subsequent coronation, thus putting a definitive endpoint for the series.

We also finally get a bit of explanation into Finn's backstory regarding his family's death and the Dark Knight's involvement. Season one ended with a teaser about the Dark Knight being involved in acquiring the playing cards, but here we see the knight and Finn cross paths. Finn's reaction was poignant. It appears the bodies of Finn's family were never recovered due to them being "burned to ashes." Considering that family is a big theme in the show, I'm pretty sure that Finn's brother is at least alive. It'll be interesting to see how that relationship contrasts with the developing relationship between Finn and Chris.

This is a solid start; I cannot wait to see more!