In this article, we’ll be talking about the anime Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody and whether it will still be getting a second installment. About three years have already passed since the anime adaption of Hiro Anana’s light novel series first premiered on TV. The fantastic series was animated by none other than Silver Link, an animation studio known for its other projects such as Kokoro Connect and Strike the Blood.
If you’re the kind of otaku who enjoys isekai anime or if you’re new to this kind of genre, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody is a definite must-watch. If you’re a fan of the anime, you’re probably looking for news or announcements about a second installment. Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place. We’d be more than happy to share with you what we know.
A Recap of Season 1
As mentioned, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody was initially released as a web novel in 2013, and it was later adapted into a manga and anime series. The manga series was published in 2014, while the anime premiered in 2016. With Shin Ōnuma as the director, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody ran for 12 episodes in total for the first season.
Now, here’s a recap of the events in Season 1. Note that this will be full of spoilers, so tread carefully if you haven’t watched the show yet. The anime begins with Ichiro Suzuki, a 29-year-old gaming programmer who was tasked by his company to fix several technical issues found within two MMORPGs, ensuring that they’re both ready before publication. The bug wasn’t an easy fix, so Ichiro had to work overtime during the weekend to try and smash it.
Unfortunately, Ichiro’s job was too stressful and demanding to his body, so much so that he passed away in his sleep. When he awoke, he could see that he was somehow in a parallel world that looked and functioned so much like the fantasy RPG games he helped develop in the other world.
Given his brand-new life in this New World, Ichiro renames himself Satou Pendragon, which is what he called himself when he ran beta tests in his previous job as a programmer. Being suddenly teleported to a fantasy world, specifically to the world of the RPG game you were working on, can be difficult to wrap your head around.
Of course, Ichiro feels that confusion, but just before he could fully wrap his head around the strange situation he’s in, he suddenly gets ambushed by a group of lizard men. As such, he has no choice but to defend himself using three “Meteor Rain” attacks. While fending off the lizardmen, he accidentally slays a god at the same time, causing his stats to drastically increase.
Finally understanding his difficult predicament, Ichiro makes it his goal to accomplish the game’s objectives and missions so he could find a way out of it and return to his world. With his raised stats, magical skills, and advanced weapons, Ichiro starts his journey. Along the way, he makes friends with various allies, including Lulu, Zina Marienteil, Arisa, Pochi, Liza, and Tama.
Will There Ever Be a Season 2?
At the moment, we have yet to hear any news or announcements as to whether Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody will be picked up for another season. However, if you consider the glass half-full, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the show has been canceled either. After all, the animation studio hasn’t said anything official just yet.
As such, we can only hope that Silver Link and all the other companies involved in the production of this anime are just busy at the moment or fully booked and that they’ll renew the show for a second season at some point.
Some might argue that the isekai genre is boring or a dried-out category, especially since most isekai anime and manga pretty much have a similar premise. However, despite that, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody was pretty much well-received among anime lovers and isekai fans, even those who live outside of Japan. So, this could be a significant indicator that the show won’t be canceled as the demand is quite high.
Not only that, but Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody’s first season ended with a major cliffhanger, and many anime-only fans are still waiting for all their burning questions to be answered. The fact that it ended with a cliffhanger could also be an indication that Silver Link still plans on continuing the story at some point in the future.
Despite not having any official statements, many fans are still optimistic about Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody’s future, and they continue to hold on to the possibility that a second installment is still on the table.
Is There Enough Source Material Left?
At the moment, the Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody light novel series has 23 volumes. In other words, there’s still a ton of content left for a potential Season 2 because the first season barely covered the first three volumes. So if Silver Link does decide to renew the anime for a second installment, we know for sure that there’s still a lot of shenanigans that can happen, not to mention that there would probably be filler episodes too to bulk up the season.
Season 2 Release Date
Again, there’s no official news just yet about Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody Season 2, so we only have predictions and guesses as a basis for now. But if Silver Link renews the show, it could debut by late 2022, seeing as we’re almost done with 2021.
Conclusion
While not everyone enjoys the isekai genre, it’s easy to see the appeal of Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody and many anime fans seem to really enjoy its storyline, too. It’s unfortunate, however, that news of a second season is taking this long and that fans have to wait indefinitely for any official announcements. Still, there are many reasons why Silver Link should renew the anime for Season 2, especially since they can still gather inspiration from the source material.
