Let me start by saying that I've watched Season 1 as well.
When it first aired I was skeptical about it, but I watched it just for laughs, and then got totally charmed by the characters and their need to break out into musical numbers.

It's a cute and lighthearted series about high school kids wanting to become professional stage musical (think broadway) actors someday. Don't go into this series looking for intense drama, or adrenaline pumping action. That's not what makes this series shine.
But, if you go in just looking to have a relaxing time with adorable interactions from the vast cast, or if you've already watched a couple idol series then well, I'd like to think you'd be surprised with Starmyu and how charming and catchy their songs are.

Okay, so I watched season 1 and I had a really fun time with it. Was it the most intense or interesting plot, no. But it gave me some really good laughs. Like this is the anime equivalent to high school musical and I just burst out laughing when they suddenly break into song. But one of my biggest ships came from this show (Ootori and Hoshitani). Their characters are very different each coming from different backgrounds, you just have to give it time. The art style was simple but honestly sometimes that okay.

I was skeptical at first but in the end I ended up loving it. (Also Ootori's voice actor also is Victor's from Yuri on Ice -- just saying).

I watched the first season of Starmyu in the fall of 2015 expecting it to just be another boring series that would be soon forgotten, something like Shonen Hollywood. The focus of actually being a musical peaked my interest though, and that area of the series didn't disappoint. The majority of the songs had been incredibly catchy and memorable, so much so that I still listen to or rewatch them even now. Its animation wasn't spectacular, and the first three episodes nothing special, but when thethe show kicks in — it really kicks in. The quality of the character drama, comedy, and plot all caught me by surprise based on how much hate the show got from critics based on the premiere and I found it to soon be the highlight of every week. As soon as the season came out on DVD I pre-ordered it as fast as I could, and then shared it with the rest of my family who all fell equally in love with it. When the show was announced for a second season, I was both excited and nervous to see where it would go.
Thankfully, any worries that this season, which picks up where the first left off, might not live up to the enjoyment factor it had before were soon put to bed. Seeing Team Otori back together again was a joy, and the new teams introduced with the inclusion of the competition for a musical added a fresh twist. Uozumi, one of the new characters overseeing the kids, is also a nice addition, especially with his... interesting relationship with Haruto. Haruto, Kaito's older brother, playing a bigger role this season, is also welcome after his setup in the first, even if not huge. His main tie to the plot at first is Ageha. Ageha, one of the new leads, is inspired by him, and perhaps a little to the yandere point. His dream intentionally mirrors Hoshitani's dreams presented in the first season, and seeing the two pursue those who inspire them in their own different ways and conflicting when they can't see eye to eye on how to do so properly adds interesting drama in the early episodes.
A big complaint I saw from the small amount of critics who deemed the show even worthy of covering for this season was that there are too many characters to keep up with. While there are definitely a few that slip through the cracks, both the returning cast and new additions are all so well-rounded in design and casting that I can easily name and remember personalities for pretty much everyone. The specific ones that still stand out as underdeveloped are Yuzuriha and Sazanami from the Kao Council, and the two newbies making up the Ancients that aren't Haruto or Uozumi, whom I can't even name without reference. This still never drags the show down for me though, as their designs are still interesting enough to keep them straight.
I do have some complaints about the season myself, however. Again, the first season didn't look amazing, but I was never distracted by poor animation. Unfortunately, in a lot the musical numbers, there's almost no animation in certain areas, and when there is, half the time it's missing a large amount of frames and all over the place. The reliance on a still frame sliding across the screen with maybe some lip movement at bare minimum was disappointing. The lack of them having much relevance to the plot this season was also a little disappointing. This whole season of songs felt like they were obligated a lot of the time, and not like the songs organically happen. That isn't to say they all look bad or don't work, though. WONDERFUL WONDER!, for example, is just as fun as anything in the first season, and the finale's two musical numbers were fantastic. As good as the music in the first was, though, switching mainly to around one musical number per episode, with maybe some slight singing from practicing the musical itself, was still definitely a downer for me. Not many of the songs from this season will be on repeat I expect.
Thankfully, in the time not spent singing, the season actually does devote the rest of its time to plot and character development more than the first. Kaito gets time to work out his conflicting emotions in being in a play his Broadway star brother had dominated when he was at the school. Tengenji confronts his family's kabuki tradition. Shu, or even the other teams' characters like Izumi and Ren are following their new paths directly. Nayuki and Ugawa get an entire episode just dealing with their insecurities, which I appreciated as I did feel they were among the least developed leads. Nayuki's relationship with Hoshitani, subtext or not, remains pretty darn cute. Another cute touch is when someone gives a special object to Hoshitani, they add it to the shot of his desk in the ending credits all the way up to the final episode. He doesn't a huge amount of development himself, and he's not my favorite, but he's definitely grown. Even if they've graduated, Otori and Hiragi still manage to have a presence, and eventually some plot later, which is appreciated as they were pretty enjoyable characters. Otori in the final episode in particular was quite moving.
Overall, the second season of Starmyu isn't as strong as the first in a lot of areas, especially in animation and music departments, but was still just as enjoyable for me, and the highlight of every week. The finale was definitely everything I wanted from it, and I'd love for more people to give this fantastic little show a chance beyond its premiere episodes and actually see the hidden gem underneath. It's not groundbreaking, and it's not filled with thrills or big twists, but it's still a fun and lovable treat — nowhere near deserving of being treated as if it's a trashy joke that nobody could ever like the way some critics talk it up. If you want some good old-fashioned power of friendship and sudden bursts of singing out emotions, and maybe a little subtext, check it out.

First of all I would like to thank whatever higher being out there for giving us Starmyu S2.

If you haven't watched Season 1 (including the OVAs) yet, I would recommend you do so before you watch Season 2. It's not like you can't watch S2 without S1, but there's a lot of continuity that would be lost if you didn't watch it.

(Very mild spoilers below.)

Starmyu is a series with overlaying messages neatly packaged inside a musical setting. While Season 1 was about youth, adulthood, and society, Season 2 is about identity and finding oneself. The series continues to have strong themes associated with achieving one's dream. Tada Shunsuke does a wonderful job tying together these ideas with beautiful imagery and sound. The musical pieces interwoven into the story echo the conflicts and resolutions within the work itself, and other facets of the show similarly mirror the dynamic relationships between the characters.

This series continues charms me with each episode, song, and smile.

It is difficult to describe Starmyu’s appeal in just words. (I have also never suffered so much second-hand embarrassment from an anime before. It was a very refreshing experience.) If you at any point in time were interested in picking up this anime about musical high school boys, I urge you to please do so.

Starmyu!!! I've been excited for S2 since I finished S1. It's well worth the wait, with new music, and loads more characters, as well as fleshing out backstory and relationships between everyone.

I absolutely adore musicals, and cute boys. So this was an absolute dream come true! Every character is pretty unique in their own way, the style is simple but clean, smooth, and pleasant, and the animation is fantastic! Usually dance scenes like this are done with CGI like Love Live or Dream fest, but it is ALL animated! And so gorgeous. The music is great, all these voice actors are skilled and border legendary.

I just truly truly cannot wait to see more starmyu. For me, its a perfect balance of simple, beautiful, strong, and interesting traits. I laugh, have intense feelings and the comedy is good but doesnt take away from the plot or serious moments. Its so well paced, theres not a dull moment where I'm not absorbed into the story, and they dont hold plot twists over your head.

You definitely should watch S1 before S2. It continues right after.
Look forward to amazing new characters, new music, and new growth for these boys ♥

I didn't see season one, and I admit I wasn't able to watch the first episode completely. It's dismally boring with shallow characters and a contrived plot. Basically, all of the characters look the same other than their hair style. The dance is also boring as the animation is so poor. the music is awful also. This anime appears to be aimed at adolescent girls as there are no women, and is an insult to their tastes. You can skip this one.