I just picked up Valkyrie Profile 2 for a great deal, and I'm wondering if full enjoyment requires a playthrough of the first game.  I know that the second game is described as a prequel, but that doesn't always mean that the story isn't heavily related to other games in a series.

Does anyone have input on this? 

It's not requried at all, but there's plenty of references, fanservice and returning locations that people who played the first should recognize. After all, it does take place a couple of hundred years before VP1.

So in your estimation, should I wait to play the second until I have played through the first, if that is within the realm of possibility?

....if you want. It's not a huge deal, but I do think you'd get slightly more "bang" out of VP2 due to nostalgic reasons if you played VP1 first.

Cool. Thanks for the information, it is appreciated.