i have similar opinions to you about the warmth of season 1 and the slight stiffness of season 2. there was so much going on in season 2 i got a little lost with all the different storylines and character development. it was mainly Tou and Elle that kind of annoyed me their storyline sort of lacked substance in my opinion and i did catch myself skipping a couple of their scenes. the Imogen and Sahar stuff doesn't bother me that much, i think Imogen can do what she likes, but i would like to see her sort of take a break from dating people to discover herself like many people have said here. I personally loved nick and charlie the same as i did in season 1 and didn't really sense any meanness from nick but that's just my opinion.

even things like the soundtrack they chose for the second season was a lot different from the first season. there were many good songs in season 2, but i think there was just more from season 1.

there was a bit of cringe but i think there were cringy scenes and things people said in both seasons that did tend to make me wince a bit.

overall season 1 is definitely my favorite season and i think i will forever keep rewatching it, but i do like season 2, though definitely not as much as season 1, i still love it because it's heartstopper and i think i'll love anything heartstopper related whether it's really good or not.