I wondered what the novel readers felt about the second part. I agree with your summary. Unless the novel was…
They need to learn how to tighten up scripts. Fewer episodes and less moral preaching would be a good start. Even if I love a show it's gonna start dragging at some point with useless filler if it's anything over 25 -30 eps. Even then most would do best at no more than 20. And not everything needs to be a moral lesson when telling a story.
I liked this. I have zero interest in watching the sequel tho. To me, this story ended perfectly with this one. Also, the replacement of the 2ML going forward also contributes to my lack of enthusiasm for the sequel. The story ended well here.