“My Adventures With Superman: Season Two” Review

Although adorned with an anime influence, there’s a retro wholesomeness to My Adventures With Superman. Far from the dismal darkness of Zack Snyder’s interpretations and the bland ribbings of the LEGO movie, it’s refreshing to have a show that understand the hallmarks of what makes Superman a great superhero. Season two continues along the same route and approaches tougher topics of lineage, friendship, xenophobia, and romance more vocally than the first season.

There’s more of an ongoing story with the first season finishing with a promise of Braniac as the next big villain. As Superman (Jack Quaid) learns more about his heritage, he discovers that he’s not entirely alone. He has a cousin, Kara (Kiana Madeira), who could get him closer to learning more about his history and find somebody to connect with. At the same time, Lois Lane (Alice Lee) is soaring in her career that she’s pressured into making a transition over to Gotham.

Both developments find the characters drifting apart and fearing that their romance may be short-lived. That’s to say nothing of the continuing sabotage efforts by Amanda Waller (Debra Wilson) and her nerdy tech Lex Luthor (Max Mittelman). They’ve made bigger strides in not only developing weapons that could fight back against Superman but setting a hostile tone for how the alien hero should be feared more than revered. All of this culminates as the destructive forces of Brainiac loom over Metropolis, leading to unlikely allies and social revelations amid turbulent times.

While there are heavier stakes on the line, the charm hasn’t diminished one bit. There’s a brilliant mix of both, as in one episode that starts with Superman embarrassingly excepting a charity bachelor auction and ends with Clark and Lois breaking up. In that same episode, there’s a cute relationship that Kara forms with the chipper Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid), only to switch gears entirely when she encounters Clark. The heart remains firmly in place of a gleeful and sensitive Superman, making his inevitable triumphant climax hit hard.

Special kudos should be given for Michael Emerson in the role of Brainiac. For playing a version of the villain with the most expressionless face, Emerson provides a perfect amount of menace to this character. He bypasses the dry robotics of previous incarnations and transforms the robot into a devious warlord. His manipulative plans for Superman and Kara are masterfully assembled where there are some massive hurdles for the lingering Kryptonians to fight back on.

Some new iterations of characters are introduced into this season, featuring a strong mecha revision of Doctor John Irons and his transformation into the hammer-wielding hero Steel. My heart warmed with how the returning characters of season one played a bigger role with romantic reconciliation. Monsieur Mallah and Brain advance their romantic dynamic as much as their universe-traversing discoveries. Livewire and Heat Wave also have a compellingly clever relationship that starts with them fighting amid a heist and sharing a kiss after their successful operation. Moments of that sweetness showcases how multi-faceted this Superman series can be, never feeling like it’s trying to be little more than the anime version of the character, though it does have a lot of fun with anime tropes.

My Adventures With Superman continues to highlight the best of the blue boy in red shorts. Every episode brings so much joy for the warm nature of Clark’s care for his family and friends, as well as excitement for seeing whether or not he can salvage his relationships, identity, and planet. The anime aesthetic bodes well for the highly expressive nature of the characters as well as the power of love saving the day amid a rock soundtrack that feels like the climax of a wondrous anime. There’s tease about where the next season might go and I kind of like it that way. There’s no telling where this show could go next, but, after two seasons, there’s so much potential and charm to make one as thirsty for season three as they are thirsty to see himbo Superman and eccentric Lois dash off to the next big story.