Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W

I finished rewatching this, so I feel that I should write a review as a sort of update to my initial thoughts from a long time ago. Haiyore! Nyaruko-san is a great example of how to have a gag show while still capturing the love and attention needed for the gags that they pull off. While, yes, there are moments where you've already seen the cliche numerous times, and the story isn't the most fleshed out thing ever, this benefits the show as it is able to focus on what it does best, which is to crack jokes and have a great time. Nyaruko is ... entertaining from the beginning to the end, and that's what makes this show so special.

Story: As stated above, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san doesn't really have a ridiculously fleshed out story line. The story that they do give is more episodal and serves to flesh out the characters rather than the story. While, yes, they do feature some overarching plot lines, Nyaruko-san focuses more on utilizing previous plot lines (such as the Kuuko arc) and cracks jokes the entire time that they're referenced, while the audience knows that it's going to come back to haunt the characters later. And while an episodal type of show is harmful for certain shows, Nyaruko-san benefits from this greatly as although everything is contained within its own episode, references from not just other shows but its own self can be given. You can see that the staff for this show put a lot of care and effort into capturing the essence of the original material, since everything that is done in the show is at the level or above the level of jokes found in the source material. While the story is more for developing the characters or maintaining the status quo by being a good point for jokes to be cracked, the show also isn't afraid to have the apparent passage of time be a factor in character desires and problems.

Art: Lots and lots of care was put into the art of Nyaruko. While at first glance, you'll see that the art is pretty much standard, what's the true star of the show is when they draw scenes that reference other anime. You've got menacings behind the characters, rose frames, etc. These all are small details that are essential to the references, but even if they were excluded, they would still be recognizable. I also love character designs, as they're vibrant and all are completely different from each other. There's something for everyone in this show, and it's amplified with the various other forms you see characters in.

Sound: You cannot talk about Nyaruko without being asked about the openings. Whether you love them or hate them, you can't deny that they have had an impact on the community and are also incredibly catchy. The openings bring out exactly what the show is about, with nonsensical lyrics and an upbeat/mysterious groove. The background music is also fitting, since it changes from your basic anime background music to creepy chanting in a matter of a scene switch. The voice acting is also really well done, especially from the Kuuko department. While she was with the industry for the role, Kuuko's VA gave amazing contrast between emotions that the character felt, from neutral, to scheming, to lust. The voice actress for Nyaruko also did a great job, especially with one of the episodes in the Kuuko arc. That scene in particular, and also the ending for that episode gave the show one of the best performances with emotional contrast in characters.

Character: While Nyaruko-san does not explore the story aspect as much as other shows, it definitely goes for character to make up for it. The cliches are all switched up in this show, apparent in Mahiro's tsundere qualities and Nyaruko's bashfulness. These traits serve to develop character and the relationships between them. Instead of just being a joke that the writers can shoehorn in every time Nyaruko confesses her love, the cold rejection that Mahiro gives eventually manifests itself into scenes where you as the audience sympathize with Nyaruko in some ways, as she is just trying her best to make everything work, but keeps getting denied everything. These traits lead into one of the most heartwarming scenes in the show. Other character interactions and traits also get a mention, but none are as impactful as the 2 main characters. Characters are also able to use gags to show their character and personality, from explaining that they haven't accepted being a supporting character to basically spilling out their intentions to only be given a sarcastic retort from Mahiro. These subtle details are what give characters more life, even if they're still outlandish in their own regards.

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed this show, back when I didn't get the references, and still even now. You can see the care and attention that the staff gave to the project right down to each individual reference. Panels get the extra detail needed to make certain screenshots of references memorable, from poses, to design in general, seen with Nyaruko's armor. Combined with the catchy openings and the second season's abundance of ending themes, this show is a real ride from start to finish.

Overall: Nyaruko-san is not a show for those who haven't watched enough to understand a good amount of the references, but other than that, it's a great show that everyone else can enjoy. It's fun, and filled with basically everything that a show can have just because of the nature of the jokes in the show. Nyaruko-san has found itself as one of my favorite series, and although some of that is based off of it being one of my first shows, it's mostly based off of the way that the writers can put in jokes while still maintaining its own style.

What happens when you mix the greatness of H.P. Lovecraft and the greed of corporate execs trying to make a quick buck on Moe? Total nonsensical fun, that's what!

There's not much to say about the remarkable cultural phenomenon that is Haiyore! Nyaruko-san and its sequel, other than the fact that it's otaku pandering at its most masochistic. One way to describe the show in one word is "references," and oh boy, are there plenty of them in the next installment. It's important to realize, though, that the show is a satire of otaku culture and decides to put Lovecraft's mythology into it to make it ... seem more like it has different lore like all other shows like it. Thankfully with all of this in mind, the show isn't as terrible or pandering as many claims it to be.

Again the comedy of Haiyore is mainly carried with satire and parodies of other anime. This time in the 2nd season, it seems to be focusing a lot more on mecha anime than anything else; there's even a reference to Cast Away with the volleyball Wilson in the background during a beach episode. If you know nothing about otaku culture, all of the jokes will fly over your head, and your only way of entertainment is watching cute girls - and boys - fall for this tsundere protagonist. The commendable effort put into the voice actors should be mentioned when talking about Haiyore because they do an excellent job putting all their talent into their characters. The one that is the most honorable is Kana Asumi voicing Nyaruko, who has this tremendous vocal range of being incredible zany and mischief that shines with the character. Miyu Matsuka, who voices Cthuko, has an attractive voice that fits nicely with Cthuko's fiery passion. The rest of the cast is good but isn't worth mentioning, although it's amusing to hear Eri Kitamura voicing a boy since we hardly listen to her in those roles.

All of the characters are eccentric and over the top to fit with the plot's primary premise, which is already dumb and silly. The sad thing is that there are actual profound moments that aren't very well done when it has sloppy pacing, from going between two different kinds of tone to a show. However, when Haiyore gets into comedy, it does its job relatively well, albeit not spectacular. It goes for the hyper-real route where the humor is very spastic and eccentric with how characters speak and how the animation is coordinated with each loose frame. If you despise fast-paced comedy with a passion, this will probably rub you the wrong way.

As mentioned earlier, art and animation are rather hard to look at in places. The character designs look average at best, the movements aren't very fluid, and they are mostly stagnant. The budget they had to live with making this shows the number of things they wanted to do, and I have to give credit where credit is due.

There's not much to talk about with regards to Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W other than it's just a continuation of the 1st season with nothing different between each other. Granted, there is some minor development with Mahiro and the rest of the leads now that he has grown with them for this long, but again if you never cared or liked the 1st season, you'll more likely find some other show to have fun with. At the very least, Haiyore is harmless fun, and that at most should be given a good score for better or for worse.

B-

The show stays the same tropey parody that sucked the first season.

Yes many things are there for people not to understand unless they watched other animes, and know the inside joke, others are just overused.

The same crappy harem style continues despite the nil points being given to each of the harem members. Imagine the harem you don't want and this is where Mahiro stands.

The same stupidity and hijinx that bored me senseless in season 1, bored me senseless in season 2. So as much as they try to push their comedy and harem, it just felt like a steamy bag of dog ... poo trash.

The fact no one still listens to Mahiro is more infuriating and as much as is their way of humour is pretty much stupid, if i stalked and sexually harassed someone, funny enough it wouldn't be humour. Doing it in an anime is fine to many and humerous.

So to me is fine if you like tropey parody crap, with no real originality but if you want something with a great story look elsewhere