ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Back in the early 1990s, superhero cartoons were plentiful, including “X-Men: The Animated Series,” which I wasn’t able to fully appreciate until I binged it on Disney+ a few years ago. Because the show was so beloved, a reboot, “X-Men 97” was developed with the first season released back in 2024.
After a massive cliffhanger (and a couple years of waiting), the beginning of the second season was finally released at the beginning of this month and and must find their way back to the 1990s to stop big villain Apocalypse after being scattered through time at the end of the first season. I ended up absolutely loving the first season (while experiencing multiple emotions each episodes), and when the teaser trailer for the second season FINALLY dropped, I could not have been more excited and last week, I jumped right in.
To start, the animation for the second season is absolutely stunning in each episode so far, and the quality is definitely maintained (and even improved at a few points) from the first season. Everything flows really well, and I couldn’t help but notice just how visceral especially the fight scenes were – so much so, I’m kind of surprised the animators were allowed to go that far while putting everything together. The reboot maintains the feel of the original 1990s series with only some slight modernization, and the end result TOTALLY works. Overall, the show legitimately feels like you’re reading/watching a comic book, and it’s just pure eye candy.
This season is only four episodes in so far, and I’m absolutely loving the whole “team scattered throughout time” story, and I’m really enjoying seeing how things are playing out so far. Being only four episodes in, there are already a ton of twists and turns in the story, and there actually hasn’t been a lot I’ve been able to fully predict, which makes me extremely excited to see how the remaining episodes turn out. This season continues the show’s proclivity for absolute, pure heartbreak from the first season (if you know, you know), so beware of ALL the feelings. I also really like how both the “teams” are getting roughly the same amount of screen time/attention and how there’s not really any character getting more attention than everyone else. I also couldn’t help but notice how there really aren’t any punches being pulled with this season – the show is not R-rated by any means, but it’s definitely more intense than what’s normally seen in an animated show. If there’s one complaint I have with this aspect of this season, it’s the pacing – I know there’s the constraints of being a nine-episode season, but I feel like the show could benefit from allowing some parts of the story to breathe a little bit and be slightly more fleshed out. That’s also an issue I had with the first season, and I hope future seasons are allowed to slow down a little bit and let more aspects be fleshed out. Overall, the writing and story for this season remain STRONG and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
In terms of the voice cast, there are literally NO bad performances in this show. Everyone in the cast does an absolutely fantastic job so far this season, and it’s absolutely evident how much the voiceover actors seem to care about this show, and it DEFINITELY comes through in their performances, which makes for a great viewing experience. Overall, the casting directors did a great job picking everyone.
Overall, I am GREATLY enjoying the second season of “X-Men 97” so far, and I would give it a solid “A” grade. The animation is absolutely stunning throughout, with everything flowing really well while also being very visceral, especially the fight scenes. I’m absolutely loving the storyline so far, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season brings in the remaining episodes because so far, there’s been some laughter and a LOT of heart and emotion. The writing is VERY solid, and I love how everyone is getting relatively the same amount of screen time and attention, making for a very enjoyable viewing experience. The voice cast is also outstanding, and everyone in the cast was chosen perfectly. If you’re a fan of the original 1990s series and/or the first season of “X-Men 97,” you’ll enjoy what’s available of the second season.
