Reborn as a Vending Machine season 2 episode 1 review: A lively beginning that turns intense very quickly

Reborn as a Vending Machine season 2 episode 1, titled Hunters and Motives, aired on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. One of the most highly anticipated Isekai anime finally returned with its sequel in the Summer of 2025. While the episode started really calm and lively, it soon became very intense, getting right into the main premise of the second season.

This Reborn as a Vending Machine season 2 episode 1 review focuses on an in-depth analysis of the premiere episode, looking at several aspects of the episode. From production quality to a breakdown of the episode 1 narrative, here is a complete review of the Summer 2025 Isekai anime's pilot episode.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the Reborn as a Vending Machine season 2 episode 1.

Reborn as a Vending Machine season 2 episode 1 review: A brief synopsis and narrative criticism

A brief synopsis of the episode

Still from the anime (Image via Studio Gokumi, AXsiZ)

Reborn as a Vending Machine season 2 episode 1 begins in a very calm manner by showing some of the main characters, Lammis and Hulemy, enjoying a drink out of Boxxo as they talk about how the summer season has started. Moments later, Mishuel joins them and asks Boxxo to take him in as his disciple.

After a while, Director Bear is seen approaching them and informing them about the meeting taking place at Dead's Lament's Stratum. After Boxxo, Mishuel, Lammis, and Huelmy accompany Bear, they reach the Stratum, only to find several other directors arriving moments later.

The director's meeting begins calmly, with them talking about the Netherlord and his connection to the Demon Lord, who rules the northern region outside of the dungeon. However, it soon gets intense with Bear declaring that they should fight back against the Netherlord and defeat him. The other directors also agreed unanimously with his decision.

Still from Reborn as a Vending Machine season 2 episode 1 (Image via Studio Gokumi, AXsiZ)

Several other ace hunters arrived at the Stratum and prepped themselves for the hunt to begin for the Netherlord. The next day, they formed smaller groups and went out to find the Netherlord. While searching, Boxxo's party came across some minions whom they took care of quite easily, and decided to rest up for the night.

The next day, Boxxo and the others reached the Netherlord's location and started fighting off his minions. However, after a while, they realised that the minions could regenerate and the only way to take them out was to defeat Netherlord. Despite their efforts, the Netherlord survived and told them that it was his plan all along to gather all the ace hunters in one place, so that the rest of the dungeon was left unprotected.

A narrative criticism of the episode

The 24-minute-long Reborn as a Vending Machine season 2 episode 1 started pretty calmly but was soon turned pretty intense with the whole Netherlord sequence. The pilot episode did not hesitate to get right into matters and kept fillers away from the narrative. Furthermore, it served as a perfect pivot for the rest of the series' narrative to follow through.

The episode also stayed true to the adaptation narrative from the Light Novel and manga series by Hirukuma. While the fans thought the Netherlord was the main antagonist by the end of season 1, a small introduction to the Demon Lord's character also worked in favour of paving the story further while maintaining the fans' interest.

Reborn as a Vending Machine season 2 episode 1 review: Production, animation, and voice acting criticism

Studio Gokumi and AXsiZ stayed true to the production, delivering the same high-quality animation seen in the last season. Personally, Reborn as a Vending Machine season 2 episode 1 might even have a slight edge over the previous season's animation quality.

Under the direction of Takashi Yamamoto for season 2 and character designs by Takahiro Sakai, the animation quality was enhanced by how well the effects matched the fight sequences in the episode. The voice actors for the main cast also did a wonderful job of conveying the emotions each character expressed in every scene.

Final thoughts

To sum it up, Reborn as a Vending Machine season 2 episode 1 was a great presentation to follow up on where the story was left out at the end of the first season. From the animation to the narrative of the episode, it serves as the perfect way to kick off the sequel for such a highly anticipated Isekai anime.

With that in mind, it can be concluded that the upcoming episode in the season will also maintain the quality and deliver on the narrative. With such a unique concept written by the author Hirukuma, the production houses Gokumi and AXsiZ did a great job with the first episode and will likely do so for the future ones as well.

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About the author

Ribhu Ghosh is an Anime Journalist at Sportskeeda. With a degree in Journalism under the Calcutta University, his deep-rooted passion for anime and manga led him to pursue a career in writing about the same.

Along with his 6 years of experience as an illustrator and digital artist for various overseas anime studios and companies, he also aspires to write storylines. Ribhu's creative journey has been profoundly influenced by renowned mangakas such as Sui Ishida, Masashi Kishimoto, Kohei Horikoshi, and Koyoharu Gotouge.

Ribhu's enthusiasm for storytelling and illustration is evident in his meticulous approach to reporting. He values accuracy and relevance and always prioritizes thorough research.

If given a chance, he would return to 2014 and be a part of the Tokyo Ghoul series, as he admires its action scenes, story, plot twists, art, and adaptation from the manga.

When he's not writing, Ribhu enjoys illustrating, playing chess, and engaging in outdoor activities like badminton. His diverse interests extend to music, cooking, reading, and gaming, all of which complement his passion for entertainment.

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Edited by Bharath S