White Album 2

White Album 2 is definitely one of the most unique romance shows I've ever watched.

Just to reduce any confusion, you can watch White Album 2 from the start (it's not a season 2) , it's not completely related to the White Album.

Story:
Haruki, Kazusa and Setsuna performing at the school stage and the problems later in the story. This is not a spoiler since it's shown at the first scene. However, the story involves Haruki's journey in saving the light music club and the hardships involved in it. The story is definitely confusing as it is not fully set in chronological order.

Animation:
While the animation is ... not perfect, it done pretty well.

Characters:
The characters mainly focus in development and the flaws when it comes to romance, the communications involved in it and the result of it. A lot of the times, it's hard to watch the characters.

Overall, I didn't explain much since I don't want to spoil anything if you are considering seeing this piece. This approach is much different than what we see in many modern romance anime and I'm all for it. However, this series may result in viewers having a sorrow feeling which is why it's hard to recommend to people who are looking for a more joyful watch.

9/10

“White Album 2” is what happens when You take the name of something that actually had an interesting premise, slap a “2” at the end and make it a generic love triangle.

Most people have an opinion that “White Album 2” is much better than “White Album” and I tend to agree… for the first 5 episodes. After that it becomes a generic, boring and painfully predictable piece of a class B romance.

The story revolves around a musically skilled but socially inept daughter of a famous pianist, a school sweetheart that all the bays drool over and a pragmatic but dull af boy. Their ... ambition to perform in a school festival, to become friends forever and the drama revolving around a love triangle. Pretty common stuff to be honest.

As for the main cast…
Haruki Kitahara - an intelligent, preachy, annoying at times but caring young man aka our resident moron. After all, what's a romance anime without one? To be honest, for the first 5 episodes I liked him as the protagonist. He was determined to achieve his goal, the fact that he actually had one set him above most of the protagonists, unfortunately after that it’s all downhill for him. He becomes a bland, goalless, passive character with a slight hint of a backbone late in the last episode.

Kazusa Touma - A very skilled musically young woman. She sits next to Kitahara in class and sleeps most of the time while at school. She does have an attitude problem when it comes to most people and teachers. Her social skills are beyond horrendous, she’s unable to verbalise her own thoughts and feelings up until the last two episodes. Despite that, she's more than happy to take on the role of Kitahara’s music teacher. To be honest she’s the worst of all three main characters. She has a semi-sad backstory involving her famous mother but all in all she’s just a spoiled brat and changes very little across the show. The only thing that does change is that she actually grows a pair and confesses her feelings… in a dumb, roundabout way but I guess it still counts.

Setsuna Ogiso - last of the three stooges. Setsuna is a pretty, vocally talented school sweetheart. She befriends Kitahara and Touma rather quickly and is the catalyst of change that starts with Touma and her ability to verbalise emotions. To be honest she’s the least annoying of the main cast. She’s straightforward and in her own twisted way, cares about her friends. She’s the most aware of the social dynamic between the main cast and does have some reservations about intruding but that doesn’t last long. The reason why I think she’s the best of tha main cast is that she’s not reserved like Touma and isn’t as dense as Kitahara. She even volunteers to play the villain (and fails) just so Kitahara can feel better about himself (which he doesn’t deserve, at this point he’s pretty much scum).

The plot is divided into two distinct arcs. The Festival arc and whatever the hell the shit after is. Don’t get me wrong in a vacuum the second part of the show would be serviceable but contrasted to the first park it crashes and burns quite a bit. In the second part everyone loses their drive and motivation and focuses on keeping their friendship intact. Something that at this point is impossible and only Touma seems to realise that and even tries to step aside to let Kitahara and Ogiso have their space. It’s really badly written. EVERYTHING that happens in the second part could be avoided if Kitahara took some time before jumping into something he didn’t actually wanted.

That’s why I have problems giving a proper numerical value to the show. The first part is properly written, nicely directed, has some good music and is all in all enjoyable. The second part (starting from episode 6) is a goddamn shit show. It’s like a whole different cast of people made that part. The writing is lazy, using only the most cliched tropes out there and relies almost entirely on plot armor and deus ex machinas for its development.

I guess You can still watch this but after the first half get a drink to soften the blow.

White Album 2 Review: A Soul-Crushing Disaster Masquerading as Romance

White Album 2 is an anime that proves that sometimes, even well-executed production values and a decent soundtrack can't save a show from being an utterly miserable experience. Marketed as a romantic drama, it quickly devolves into a frustrating, emotionally manipulative mess that leaves viewers with nothing but regret for ever hitting play.

Weak, Unsympathetic Characters
The story revolves around Haruki Kitahara, a painfully bland protagonist who, despite his supposed intelligence and sensitivity, is incapable of making a single rational decision. His romantic entanglement with the two main heroines—Setsuna Ogiso and Kazusa Touma—is a masterclass in how not ... to write compelling character relationships. Setsuna is written as the generic “perfect” girl with a hidden manipulative side, while Kazusa is the cold, aloof type with a heart of gold, except she too falls apart in the worst ways possible. None of these characters behave like real people, and their actions make it impossible to root for anyone.

A Love Triangle From Hell
If you enjoy watching characters make the worst possible decisions at every turn, White Album 2 is for you. The love triangle is excruciating, not because it’s heartbreaking, but because it’s infuriating. Haruki flip-flops between the two girls, cheats, lies, and generally lacks any backbone. Instead of portraying a realistic or tragic romance, the show wallows in melodrama, creating tension not through genuine emotional depth but through forced misunderstandings and unnecessary betrayals.

Melodrama Overload
The show attempts to tug at the heartstrings with overwrought emotional scenes, but they feel manipulative rather than earned. Every conversation drags on painfully, and instead of offering genuine character growth, the story spirals into a predictable trainwreck. The conflicts are repetitive, and the resolution—if you can even call it that—feels both unsatisfying and pointless.

An Ending That Feels Like a Slap in the Face
If you make it to the final episode, congratulations—you’ve endured one of the most frustrating anime romances ever written. The ending isn’t bittersweet; it’s just bitter. It offers no sense of catharsis, no closure, and worst of all, it makes you feel like all the suffering was for nothing. If you’re hoping for character redemption, don’t bother. The show revels in leaving things in the most unsatisfying way possible.

Final Verdict: Avoid at All Costs
While White Album 2 has nice animation and a strong soundtrack, those are the only redeeming qualities of this disaster. The characters are unlikable, the story is frustratingly predictable, and the romance is just an endless cycle of bad decisions and emotional manipulation. If you value your time, stay far away from this anime. There are far better romance dramas out there that don’t rely on insufferable characters and pointless suffering to tell their story.

Final Score: 1/10 – Everything is garbage.