While "1.0 You Are (Not) Alone" was essentially a frame by frame remake, “2.0” tries to shake things up a little. It retells the same story with a few twists, but also tries to add new characters, new events and give a grander sense of scale. Most of the extra fat has been trimmed, and some unconvincing situations have been corrected (above all, the somewhat ridiculous coincidence that saw Toji suddenly becoming a pilot). The voyeuristic boobie panty tease shots are still there, unfortunately.

The portrayal of the characters’ emotional state and inner conflicts might not be as subtle as it used to be, but they still managed to deal with the most important issues within a reasonable running time.

Above all, I appreciated how the film has its own self-contained plot line and is (almost) perfectly enjoyable as a standalone piece. Unfortunately, the other “Rebuild” entries felt more like overlong anime episodes rather than actual films.