Amphibia Returns to Hit the Open Road

Amphibia Season 2, Episode 1A/1B Review

We’ve waited nearly a year for it to come back. And while it was touch and go for a bit thanks to COVID-19, I’m happy to say that Amphibia’s here with a new season. If you guys saw my post on the season two trailer, then you know just how hyped I’ve been for Season Two. The Plantar’s are traveling beyond the valley in the journey of a lifetime. There’s gonna be danger, mystery, and more to be found. So without further ado, let’s begin the review.

Handy Anne

With the Spring thaw making it safe to leave the valley, the Plantar’s prepare to set out to find a way to get Anne home. Their destination: Newtopia, home of the Newts, the wisest people in Amphibia. Firstly, though, they need to disaster proof the house. At least, Anne tries to do so…with predictable results.

I, for one, find Anne’s over-the-top attempts to protect the Plantar’s Farm indicative of how much she cares about them. It shows just how far she’s come in her time with the family. However, it’s a little disappointing to see that she still hasn’t learned to “look before you leap.” Pun intended. Her actions lead to a giant vegetable monster that looks like a reference to an anime that I actually don’t know!

Anne takes care of the monster single-handedly, but there’s something odd about her that I think everyone should notice! For a brief moment, Anne’s eyes glow blue.

In a breakdown of the Season Two trailer, Awestruck Vox from The Roundtable on YouTube speculated that Anne may have gained some sort of magical powers from the music box. I think that he may have ended up being right! Could Anne have gained some sort of power we have yet to see in the show? That would explain a little of why she’s such a badass fighter. And that maybe she was brought to Amphibia for a reason. Either way, I doubt that this is the last we’ve seen of the Blue. Which is what I’m calling it until further notice!

Fort in the Road

The Plantar family’s on the road to Newtopia, ready for the trip of a lifetime. Too bad Hop Pop’s gone rule crazy and refuses to let anyone have fun. I get that he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt, but come on! The guy doesn’t even let the group stop at a diner for ice cream! ICE CREAM!

Sorry, I just love ice cream.

Anyhow, you’d think after spending all this time with Anne around, Hop Pop would loosen up on the kids. A lot of grownups would emphasize with his desire to keep them safe, but as Sprig points out, this is the trip of a lifetime. If they don’t enjoy the sights, they’ll regret it forever.

Ultimately, Hop Pop’s strict rules lead to the kids rebelling, with Anne and Sprig running off into some abandoned ruins. Abandoned ruins that, shockingly, have access to modern technology! Turns out, they stumbled into some old factory that Sprig accidentally turns on. And poor Hop Pop comes close to dying on an assembly line. They get away, but the question remains: who built the factory?

According to Hop Pop, the factory ruins have existed since before recorded history. Could they be part of an advanced civilization that was lost to time? This is Gravity Falls level mystery here, people; we know Dipper would eat this stuff up! Something tells me that this won’t be the last we see of this old tech on the trip, though. Mainly, because we see a giant robot appear out of the rubble.

Hop Right In!

So, this season premiere seems like a bit of a slow burn, but that’s alright. We’ve got an entire season’s worth of exploration and lore to cover, and I for one cannot wait to see what happens next. But I’m looking forward to learning about the most is what sort of powers Anne may have.

Think about it. When she opened the music box, she, Sasha, and Marcy were brought to Amphibia. Was it an accident or was it supposed to happen. And then there’s Anne’s glowing blue eyes. That has to be the work of magic! And the giant robot and computer? Perfect world-building material.

I have no clue what’s going to happen this season, but it looks like Matt Braly’s building us up to something big! If you’re not already watching Amphibia, then you guys are missing out!

I Give “Handy Anne” a 4.5/5 and “The Fort in the Road” a 4/5

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