Anime 51986 Pui Pui Molcar Driving School

Season 2 of Pui Pui Molcar is a cute but lacklustre follow-up to a bizarre(ly) excellent first season.

Almost the entire season takes place in a "driving school", which is part of why it doesn't feel as interesting, as the set doesn't change and the situations begin to feel too-familiar - however, it's really only the first six episodes that drag slightly, and later episodes change up the formula by utilising the set in interesting ways or having episodes focused around the driving school in a different location (such as the water episode).

But this doesn't mean it's not worth watching. Just like the first ... season, it's got excellent (and adorable!) sound design, eye-catching and fluid animation, and there are enough hilarious/heartwarming/ridiculous moments to keep your attention. (Predictably, at least one moment made me seriously teary-eyed, which is absurd for a kid's show about guinea pig cars).

If you liked the first season you'll still like this one, and since the entire season is just over thirty minutes long, there's no good reason not to binge it.

I seem to be more of a cynic and a critic than most on this website, but that didn't prevent me from loving the first season of 'Pui Pui Molcar'. Every episode brought unique premises, varied locations, and briskly paced jokes that were presented entirely visually in the unfortunately dying medium of stop motion. As such, I was excited when I heard a new season was coming. All I really hoped for was more fun situations, but this season took a different direction. Nearly every episode is housed and framed in a driving school for the Molcars.

Now, this is just speculation, but it's certainly possible ... that this approach was taken to save on resources. It's definitely not entirely practical to build a desert set for a single episode like they did in the first season. However, it's undeniable that this season is far more monotonous, both in writing and location. Aside from two shake-ups, the entire series takes place in this school. And that aside, most episodes are pretty conventional and straightforward, which was rarely true of season one. As such, even the episodes that live up to that season one quality are far less memorable.

At the end of the day though, it's still good. Aside from the nearly singular location, the visuals are still great, the series is still pretty great at silent comedy, and no episodes outstay their welcome. I just hope that if there's another season, it returns to a less inhibited format. 7/10.

Molcar Driving School is a sequel to the surprise hit of 2021. However, its setting being constrained to a single location does squander its potential for creativity. The show is still entertaining, don't get me wrong. But most scenarios involving the Molcars are unfortunately predictable and lack that insanity, that spark, that madness that drove many fans to loving the original series.

Most scenarios presented in the episode are fairly standard fare with the Molcars showcasing various levels of (in)competence as they go through driving school with a strict drill instructor. With a few exceptions, like that VR episode or that space episode, Driving School ... is a fine, but disappointing sequel to one of the most imaginative shows out there. Doing a fairly grounded and normal sequel is not how you follow up on grand expectations.