Animation:
There have been some superficial changes with the animation style since the first season. The overall color scheme is a bit softer/less saturated and drawing lines are thinner. Detail levels are comparable with the first season and overall the series still looks very good and crisp. Characters are all readily identifiable from the first season although Yozora has apparently dyed her hair and Rika ditches her fake eyeglasses and changes her hairstyle daily. A lot of activities take place outside of school and thus there are a lot of outfits/character compared to your typical slice of life school series.
There is very little action here except for a small scuffle at the climax. There is also less ecchi/nudity than the first season. The majority of the ecchi is just bouncy and through conversations (as well as a few galge scenes). Overall this is relatively "clean" compared to true ecchi-based shows. Though to be hones I am quite thankful that they didn't resort to upskirt cameras and accidental gropings.
Sound:
Everything sounds appropriately in sync with the original show. I don't particularly like the new OP. The ED is a bit better with a lighter rock and more tangible melody. As with the first season, the BGM is light and fitting.
The VAs all return from the original season and give likewise great performances. Kanae Itou, Kana Hanazawa, and Marina Inoue all do outstanding in their respective rolls, especially kanahana who usually voices softer roles.
Story:
This section is going to be fairly subjective for once. If a viewer is looking for progress from the ending of the original haganai, then one can say that the story is practically non-existent; the story is, for the most part, a sequence of half-episode long comic shorts. If a viewer is looking for small but interesting additional character facts and potentially a bit of tension, then the story isn't all that bad at all. I fit a bit more into the latter category as (given the ending of haganai 1) I wasn't expecting any significant progress.
What makes this second season enjoyable is the execution of the short segments. One of my favorites would definitely be the theme park scene where everyone taunts the roller coaster in character before being thrown around in absolute terror. The episodes don't really build on each other much until the second half of the show beginning with a preparation for a school fair. This then builds up to an eventual climax where Kodaka is forced to confront the fact that he essentially has established a harem. Though the conclusion is just as unsatisfactory as the first, at least we knew it was coming this time.
Character:
Though all characters have been established in the first season, each character is either further developed or given additional background. Throughout the show, all characters remain true to their original characterizations; for example Yozora is still a tomboyish, sadistic schemer and Sena is still the two-faced galge-loving, aloof bijin. Many of the character interactions are very entertaining and the eventual development between Kodaka and the girls is royally overdue.
If there's any negative, lingering aftertaste with the show, it's definitely with Kodaka and his unusual and (imo) tasteless means of avoiding the situation that he essentially created.
Value:
If anything, I think Haganai Next takes the best of the original series and amplified the quantity. Though an actual story would be nice, the execution of the existing pieces worked well. An entertaining watch for those who liked the characters in the first season.
