First episode of the season! I think I did myself a disservice by getting a little too hyped up about the second season, but I'm sure Feel won't horribly ruin my expectations. So let's start talking about the episode!
I'm really glad that they reanimated the concert and rooftop scenes. I wasn't expecting it, but the difference in animation quality is astounding (it is CGI, but still really good aside from Yui's weird sideways head bob). I also liked the fact that they were superimposed on to each other, as it was a nice juxtaposition. This start is also a good way to remind viewers what just happened in the last season, which helps explain 8man's current situation in this first episode.
The OP is good, but it doesn't feel right. The song itself is gorgeous, but the animations to go with it are meh. It's pretty obvious that they reused a lot of the preview animations, and there's a lot of static backgrounds. It's also missing Iroha best girl, which really bothers me. Maybe we will get something better in the future, but for now, I can be content with this. Volume 6.5 Bonus Track Spoilers.
The episode itself feels really like season one in terms of storytelling (which isn't surprising considering it has the same writer). 8man's monologues are still the same, the characters still act like they should, and I don't believe anything got worse. But unfortunately, the pacing still feels rushed. It's pretty shocking for them to go through half of volume 7 in just a single episode, and I'm pretty sure the next episode is gonna be the end of the volume. While it's not terrible, the series does a lot better with slower pacing, since many of the scenes in these next few volumes are super important. It's also (almost) confirmed that volume 8 will be done by the 5th episode, which leaves 2 volumes to cover in about 6-7 episodes. One small benefit to the quicker pace is that we get to experience some really nice moments from volume 10, but I still would've preferred ending on volume 9.
I would say Feel are doing a decent job right now. The quicker pace may worry some fans, but as long as they properly adapt the really important parts, I think everything should be fine. If you aren't an LN reader, then this series should still be really enjoyable to you. Even though LN readers will be complaining a lot, it's more about issues with what they choose to adapt. The only time they would riot is if they completely cut out/underplay the few series-defining moments that are yet to come.
So before I end my long-winded talk, I recommend everyone who hasn't read the LN to read it. Even though everyone knows that LNs have crap writing, I can assure you that this series doesn't. The prose is really good, even better than some books I've read, and the translation is also pretty good. You can also read along with the anime to see the difference between the two. So if you are gonna read it, this episode covers chapters 1-6 of volume 7.
Holy crap the threads on /a/ are bad.