New Saga episode 2 review: Sotsu x Studio Clutch begins Kyle's hero journey speedrun

New Saga episode 2 premiered on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 2:15 am JST. Unlike the premiere episode that saw the anime set up Kyle's story, the second episode focused on the protagonist's hero journey speedrun. Needless to say, the second episode was far more fun than the premiere.

While the second episode alone isn't enough to judge what the rest of the anime may look like, given its plot, there is a likely chance that the future episodes might follow a similar pattern to New Saga episode 2. So, let's analyze the anime episode's narrative, character designs, production, and cast to see what Sotsu and Studio Clutch did right in the anime's second episode.

New Saga episode 2 review: Narrative and character designs

Kyle as seen in New Saga episode 2 (Image via Sotsu, Studio Clutch)

Unlike New Saga episode 1, which essentially introduced fans to the anime's plot, the second episode displayed what the rest of the anime could end up looking like. The anime's first episode saw Kyle get sent back to the past, during which he realized he could change his fate by starting early preparations to fight the Demon Lord.

However, the second episode saw him make his first steps towards this mission. As part of this, Kyle teamed up with Theron, Liese, and Urza to head out on an adventure that Kyle makes far later during his original timeline. In doing so, Kyle effectively planned to speedrun his life from his previous timeline and gather all the powers and allies he could as early as possible. In doing so, he hoped to be much more prepared to fight the demons.

Leila as seen in New Saga episode 2 (Image via Sotsu, Studio Clutch)

With that, fans can expect to see Kyle make haste until the moment he reaches the same stage as he was during his battle against the demon lord.

As for the character designs, New Saga episode 2 introduced fans to three new characters - Leila, Urza, and Sildonia Zeeles. While the anime has yet to introduce fans to Sildonia, the episode has elaborated on the other characters.

Urza as seen in New Saga episode 2 (Image via Sotsu, Studio Clutch)

Leila is Theron's mother and Kyle's master. Unlike Theron, Leila has red hair, tanned skin, and a toned body. As for her outfit, while it was revealed in the first episode, the anime did not provide enough material to critique. Leila dons a risque outfit with only strips of white fabric wrapped around her. Additionally, she wears red shorts and a long black vest. As for Urza, she, too, effectively has the same design as in the original timeline. The only difference is that she looks younger and does not carry the staff.

Lastly, as for Sildonia, the character's design bears some resemblance to divine characters seen in other anime. With silver hair, purple eyes, and clothes to match them, Sildonia's design oozes an aura that depicts her abundant strength and significance in the story.

Production and cast

Sildonia as seen in New Saga episode 2 (Image via Sotsu, Studio Clutch)

As for the production, Sotsu x Studio Clutch did a similar job as in the anime's first episode. The animation featured nothing to complain about, except for some storyboarding that could have been done differently for a far higher-quality anime episode.

As for the cast performances, while the main cast from the previous episode again put on a great performance, Asami Seto as Urza was a standout. Additionally, while Minami Takahashi's role as Sildonia was quite small in New Saga episode 2, she managed to leave fans with a mysterious vibe to her character.

Final thoughts on New Saga episode 2

Liese and Theron as seen in New Saga episode 2 (Image via Sotsu, Studio Clutch)

New Saga episode 2 was a much faster-paced episode than the first one. This is because the anime's premiere wanted to take its time establishing its story. In comparison, the second episode followed a narrative that would be a staple for the anime moving forward. Therefore, similar to the anime's second episode, fans can expect its future episodes to be quick and story-centric.