Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭

(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)

In Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭, Utaha is a writer. Or, as she may say, a creator or creative. And I view myself in the same way.

I started writing officially as a critic, reviewer, and essayist about three-and-a-half years ago now. I’ve written hundreds of pieces, thousands upon thousands of words. It’s technically not my career (as much as I dream it to be), but I see it as an extension of myself and not just any other fun aside of mine (because of the seriousness with which I pursue this field). Thus, I exist ... within this quasi state of not quite a professional yet more than just a hobbyist. Either way, I’m a creator all the same.

Being a creator brings with it certain challenges and caveats that may not be immediately noticeable to somebody who is not. Sodatekata Flat (ditching the symbol from here on out since it’s a pain to copy-paste it constantly) understands this sentiment, presenting a sequel that surprises in its newfound direction.

STORY

As a sequel to the semi-popular first season of the Sodatekata anime, Sodatekata Flat brings the audience back to greet some familiar faces. Utaha, Eriri, Megumi, and Tomoya, the majority members of their doujin-circle company titled Blessing Software, continue work on the visual novel that they have worked tirelessly to complete. However, the anime has conflict on the horizon for this hodgepodge group.

For starters, this season is no longer an introduction but instead a continuation. So, to focus on the seriousness and the drama, Sodatekata Flat reels in a lot of its signature meta comedy. Not that it isn’t there of course. Indeed, it’s a motif that counts as one part of the foundation to the show. Characters still spout the occasional line, and they take part in those brief scenes that invoke the same sense of self-awareness just like the good old days.

Take some dialogue from Utaha. After she and Tomoya finish watching a movie while on their “date,” she ribs the very anime she finds herself in: “The script was completely clichéd, but they’re able to get away with it because of the good art and performances.” Another (rather on-the-nose) example comes later on. A friend of Tomoya’s, frustrated by the fact that his immense luck sandwiches him between Utaha and Eriri, annoys the leading guy, leading him to remark how he now understands what a protagonist in a typical harem anime must endure from his fellow friends.

To reiterate, these and other comedic asides are not tossed out the window but rather reduced to give way for the all-important drama. With the extra room, said drama improves.

To elaborate, the first season juggled past events and current conflicts split between five girls. Sodatekata Flat instead trims the fat. It focuses on just the current conflicts split between only three girls now. Narrowing its reach in this fashion tightens the direction and execution of the drama, thereby giving it a flourish it has always wanted within this series.

This flourish comes through in a lot of key moments throughout the season. Utaha and Tomoya share an intimate scene together as they collaborate on the routes and writing for their game. Extra meta conversations and clever wordplay notwithstanding (e.g., “It’s already mixed in. A part of you is already inside what’s mine.”) With Eriri, their getaway of sorts gives them the chance to connect, to praise, and to apologize as a means to bolster their relationship. And a Good Will Hunting-esque moment between Tomoya (i.e., Robin Williams) and Kato (i.e., Matt Damon) occurs as he repeatedly lets her know that their fallout wasn’t her fault in the slightest.

On top of the drama, Sodatekata Flat also includes a couple of narrative choices that further keep the show in good graces. Icy Tail, the band from last season, make an appearance in this season to provide extra hands during the swift prototyping of their game. The title of Tomoya’s second game ties back to this anime for the ultimate-meta detail: “How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend.” The final episode includes a full-circle finish during the recreated date with Kato when they go back to the same mall visited in the first season.

Above anything else in the anime, it hones in on a somewhat niche theme to strengthen its backbone. The very first episode of this second season establishes the idea almost right away. It tells a tiny tale on the origin of Utaha and Eriri’s distaste yet appreciation for the other. The episode’s angle can be summarized as “separate the art and the artist.”

With this proverb in mind, Sodatekata Flat carries it along throughout the entire season, placing emphasis on the relationships between Tomoya and the three girls as they collectively finish their shared project. He challenges Utaha’s work despite the clear implications behind its construction. He respects Eriri’s artistic space to a detrimental degree twice over. He fails to recognize Kato’s contributions overall. In other words, separating the art and the artist isn’t such an easy task when those involved are the very people one holds most dear.

Remnants of this theme exist in the last season too, especially with Utaha’s characterization. But, because of that tighter focus and because of the increased importance on the drama, it takes on a much greater role and purpose throughout this season.

Sodatekata Flat does trip up on a couple of specific details. Both the competition subplot with Rouge en Rouge and the eventual “evil” producer named Akane do not themselves earn too much in the way of involvement, context, and tension. They (understandably) take a backseat to the interpersonal drama of Tomoya and his group. However, while it may not seem like much, a lot of the drama stems so heavily from that subplot and this character. So, unfortunately, said drama doesn’t reach the pinnacle of its trajectory. To clarify, the events and outcomes are nice to see, but the foundation is less solid than it intends to be.

Potential problems aside, Sodatekata Flat has a good story here. By delivering tighter drama and a centralized theme, the show pushes past its harem-comedy roots, giving the audience something interesting and different to behold when compared to its already well-liked predecessor.

ART & ANIMATION

Sodatekata Flat carries over the same artistic direction as it used in its first season.

For instance, some frames will still take on colorful gradients as a means to spice up the general look of the anime as Tomoya and the others talk with and amongst each other. It also brings back many a camera angle to play around with. From a low shot looking up at Utaha as she steps on and digs her foot into Tomoya (and by extension the audience) to a faraway capture of him and Kato within a recording room, the cinematography further ups the visual appeal.

Returning also are the different risqué shots of the girls, like Utaha sprawled out on her bed in nothing but a bath robe or a centered shot of Kato whose loose shirt exposes the top of her breasts as she lifts herself up while laying on her stomach. This season clearly favors the drama more so than the comedy, so, while these shots are no doubt titillating, they are not as appropriate with Sodatekata Flat sinking its teeth into seriousness.

Nevertheless, the anime does even more to flair itself up. Certain comedic sequences will border the screen in manga panels. Very emotional moments throw floating paper into the air as a couple of characters cry together. Classic cherry-blossom petals signal the start of a new beginning as two other characters vow to not give up despite the recent difficulties life has thrown their way.

Moving on, background art once again does not extend too far beyond Tomoya’s room and their school, but a cottage of sorts in the woods and locales within the city change up the environment when and where they can. The static setting does invite better actual animation, though. Utaha violently tapping her heel out of frustration, Eriri harshly slapping Tomoya with her twin-tail hair, and Megumi subtly jiggling her thigh with her phone as she sits and waits are just a few small examples that demonstrate the solid movement of the characters’ actions.

And as one last carry over, the designs of said characters maintain their attractiveness. Utaha’s bodacious looks, Eriri’s slender figure, Megumi’s plain yet cute appearance. All their different outfits add variety, and their striking eyes greet the audience, too.

Yes, the artistic direction does stay the same. But, thankfully, that’s clearly a very good thing.

CHARACTERS

In Sodatekata’s first season, the characters of the show brought with them a lot of personality and fun that equated to a stronger anime overall. In Sodatekata Flat, their characteristics have not left. But, much like the story and its focus on the drama, they earn more in the way of development as people rather than whatever comedy they create.

Nowhere does this increased focus apply more than with Utaha and Eriri. Both girls are experts in their respective fields of writing and drawing, and both girls still vie for Tomoya’s attention whenever and wherever they can. So, the show challenges these two details.

For Utaha, much of her character centers on what she describe as “a dour, vindictive, and awful woman.” Knowing of her impending separation due to graduation and light-novel business, she indirectly approaches Tomoya about his true feelings of her as she submits her writing for their game. Tomoya’s non-answer at first infuriates and then saddens Utaha, for not only does it denounce her skills but also it avoids giving her what she really wants: him. But they work through this hurdle. His words about wanting everyone to be happy in the end resonate with her, and her words on their combined creation touch him. The two grow closer as a result.

For Eriri, she does what she can to keep tabs on Utaha’s advances with Tomoya and builds a friendship with Megumi that stands as its own outlier of sorts among all the relationships present. Most importantly, she struggles artistically. As the deadline for their game creeps ever closer, she slows down and frets over the possibilities. So much so that she collapses from mental exhaustion – in wanting to create something brilliant and in needing Tomoya’s belief in her. She earns both (despite “losing” in the contest with Izumi). The two grow closer as a result.

That’s individually. Together, they grow closer, too. In the beginning, the anime depicts the multifaceted nature of their relationship. They bicker and quarrel over Tomoya, but they have a deep respect for their works. Eriri awes Utaha with her immaculate paintings, and Utaha forces tears out of Eriri as she reads her pristine passages.

Yet Eriri calls Utaha’s writing “calculated,” and Utaha calls Eriri’s drawing as fueled by nothing but “revenge.” Meaning, while they may hate each other, and they may simultaneously like each other’s works, they also have a deeper connection than they may not have ever realized in the purpose behind their drive.

Over the first half of the season, they continue on their own paths. Utaha pens some of the final writing of their game as made by “Aki Utako,” taking part of her own penname and melding it with Tomoya’s real name as a fantasy-come-true for the passionate young woman (much to Eriri’s chagrin). But she also tells Tomoya that she wishes to work with Eriri again, for, despite their differences, she cannot ignore Eriri’s incredible, moving talent. As for Eriri, she finds a brand-new style that goes beyond her normal capabilities, and she finally has a stronger bond with Tomoya that she has also never had before. But she seems to hit a slump, for she has gone weeks now without drawing or painting anything.

It all culminates as the personal and the passion collide.

Utaha is tasked with the unfortunate role of declining Tomoya’s invitation for his new game idea. Her heartfelt apologies give way to a set of flashback scenes. In said scenes, when pressed about her slump, Eriri yells at Utaha. Hard. She says how whatever she draws for their circle will not be personally beneficial anymore and that she already has Tomoya’s sympathy which means she really does not need anything else.

Then in barges Akane Kosaka. She invites both Utaha and Eriri to work on a historic project she has lined up. They read the outline – and it floors them. Akane instructs them simply: die. Die for this project. Put everything they have and then some into this game to make it the best thing anybody has ever seen. She even goes so far as to belittle Utaha and Eriri. For the former, she’s only on as a babysitter of sorts, to keep watch over Eriri since she, not Utaha, is the only one who really must be onboard. For the latter, she not only berates her for her self-inflicted woes but also recreates her new incredible style, letting Eriri know quite harshly that she still has a long way to go.

Utaha, having already voiced her opinion to Tomoya about following Eriri, leaves the final decision up to blonde illustrator as to whether they enlist themselves after hearing the proposition and that mean woman’s harsh words. In a gripping, dramatic moment, Eriri sacrifices the personal to pursue the passion in earnest. Akane’s insults get her completely out of her slump, but, in doing so, she has betrayed Tomoya once again. That, despite his compassion for her, she cannot be with him if she wants to attain higher heights. Utaha comforts her, detailing how this time she will not be alone, that she is complicit in this betrayal. For she, too, has something to prove to Akane: that underestimating her abilities will be the biggest mistake of that woman’s life.

This moment in Sodatekata Flat is arguably the most wonderful in the series to date. For three reasons. One, it strengthens the relationship between these two rivals into that of friendship when they have been honorary acquaintances at best for nearly two whole seasons. Two, it pushes them away from Tomoya, their anchor, as a means to demonstrate development of their characters. And three, it not only explores what a creator must forego in the pursuit of his or her passion but also ties back to the story’s “separate the art and the artist” theme by separating their own individual art and artistry in an introspective sense.

And so, on amicable terms, Utaha and Eriri figuratively break up with Tomoya – but not outright or even forever. Eriri takes Tomoya’s glasses as a memento to keep on her new journey, and Utaha turns Mr. Ethical into Mr. Unethical, sharing their first kisses with each other. The wording and the ending even hint at their soon-to-be return. After all, there’s no reason why they can’t ever come back.

In other words, they don’t really, fully separate from Tomoya. That seems a little unfair insofar as it defeats the purpose of their development as characters. Yet that would also not make much sense since it has been established without a shadow of a doubt how important he is to them on every level imaginable. Plus, the anime’s skill in flipping this dramatic event into a comedic one without missing a beat – Utaha’s “I will give up on giving up” is seriously hilarious – stays true to their characters while still progressing them forward with and without their beloved.

For all intents and purposes, Sodatekata Flat is Utaha and Eriri’s story. What about Megumi, though? Yes, her lower presence in the anime fits her characterization quite well, but she doesn’t go without focus.

Indeed, the anime spends a lot of time highlighting how Megumi isn’t as “boring” as she may appear. She demonstrates her passion when she runs off the train to get ready to work on their game for the whole weekend. She expresses concern for Eriri as she lives for a time away from home to work. She gets mad at Tomoya for not including her in any of the troubles encountered. She cries at his sincere approach in mending their relationship afterwards. She acts all cute at his place when cooking, bathing, and sleeping, something so uncharacteristic of her that she asks him to forget what she did that day. She suppresses laughter (as best she can) towards his “stylish” new glasses (that she herself picked out for him).

Comparatively, the first season somewhat casted her as the normal girl who accentuates the oddities of the others and supports everyone from the sidelines. In this season, Megumi very much becomes her own person. She evolves away from that flat personality and into a rounder character – all while still delivering on those passive-aggressive comments. To put it differently, she may be “boring,” but she is anything but.

And what of Tomoya himself? Truth be told, he’s the weakest of the main four. With the conflict involved stemming from and pertaining to each of the girls, he doesn’t have much going for him throughout the season. Even so, as already gleaned, he plays the harem-protagonist role well, helping each girl as best he can and building his relationships in different directions. Moreover, they help him. Utaha, Eriri, and Megumi either give him the room he needs to blossom into a phenomenal creator or support him when he clearly needs it most. Thus, in this story that focuses on three other main characters first and primes him for the final leg of his arc later, Tomoya receives just enough relevant attention to make his presence worthwhile.

One last footnote (since it makes sense to call her that): Michiru. What a complete waste of a character – is what would be fair to say if the anime failed to address her at all. Barring a quick interlude at about the halfway mark of the season, she finally appears right at the end when the audience has most likely already written her off at this point in time. True to form, Utaha and Eriri throw meta comments her way about how she has been gone for the entire second half of the season and how she only now shows up in act three of the finale. It not only makes for a smart joke but also covers the show’s bases in the nick of time.

Disregarding Michiru (which is what the anime would most likely want anyway), Utaha, Eriri, Megumi, and Tomoya clearly experience a lot within this season. Development of their characters, growth in their relationships, key moments to pinpoint, better writing overall. All while staying true to themselves. Altogether, they are arguably the best aspect of this whole second season.

MUSIC & SOUND

For some anime, voice acting dominates with pure, notable technique. Sodatekata Flat once again finds itself in this category for each of the four main characters this season. Ai Kayano as Utaha delivers sultry and angry tones when and where needed. Saori Oonishi as Eriri cutes and embarrasses her way to victory, and her need to say “Utaha Kasumigaoka!” when addressing or referring to her rival still brings a chuckle every time. Kiyono Yasuno as Megumi refrains from inflecting any emotion into the plain girl’s voice until absolutely necessary. And Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Tomoya hollers, yelps, and cries like the best of them.

The VA performances take the crown, but some of the sound-effects within the anime also deserve a shoutout. From the weird bird noises Utaha and Eriri let loose as heard by Megumi and Tomoya from afar to a the fast forwarding of a tape as the afternoon blazes by, the show’s sound-effect game is on point for the majority of its run.

Unfortunately, after the VA performances and some of those sound-effects, the quality of the audio cannot keep up (a hard task really). That is to say, much of what the audience hears does not usually go anywhere too interesting.

The original soundtrack sounds the best of what remains of the bunch. It has a slow, guitar track for those semi-tense times. Bass and snapping for when a lackadaisical groove is required. And a light yet “heavy” set of acoustic strings caress the rarer serene moments that dot the anime. Nothing here stands out in a major way, but these songs from the OST support Sodatekata Flat nevertheless.

That just leaves the opening track and the ending track. Much less impressive, this combo of music does not have too strong of a foothold.

The OP, “Stella Breeze,” takes on a more whimsical vibe with its dainty instrumentation and optimistic tone which somewhat clashes with the heavier drama of the season. Moreover, the vocalist can’t quite nail those nuanced notes when necessary. It’s at least a catchy song, especially in the second half, so it’s not a total loss on the show’s part.

By comparison, the (main) ED, “Sakura-iro Diary,” is even less daring. It does incorporate piano into the mix and extra vocalists to spice up the lyrical delivery. But still, its straightforward beat and simplistic nature create a rather mundane offering that is certainly not as intriguing as the content that precedes it.

Thankfully, those VA performances shine bright, so the grievances with the lagging music across the board do not damper the experience as much as they normally would.

ENJOYMENT

As a creator, this anime spoke to me on some level.

I do not claim to harbor the same skills as Utaha or Eriri. People the world over do not admire my talents let alone hand me job offers that nobody in their right mind would refuse. However, as a writer myself, I understand the struggle.

I’ve seen maybe one other anime tackle the woes of an artist, but seeing it here regardless let me relate to what they went through. I have written pieces that do not reach my own personal standards. I have been through slumps (i.e., writer’s block) that prevent me from doing what I love to do. I have foregone situations personal to me in pursuit of ever grander heights.

And that’s why this whole outcome stings more than it probably should. Utaha is my favorite character in the show for the snide bombshell she is, so I obviously want her to win. Yet it’s obvious who is supposed to win in the end (she and Eriri say as much back in the first season).

So I (read: everyone) already knew it was coming. It didn’t lessen the blow any less, though. Seeing her leave the circle, pursuing another project without her beloved, put me in a conflicted mood for quite a while. It makes me sad to see friends and relationships and people split apart. Be they in real life or from so many episodes and hours of an anime.

But it was all amplified by the fact that I knew her choice was correct. Her staying and winning is the happily-ever-after route that just doesn’t make sense given the show’s aims. Indeed, while I am mostly ambivalent towards Eriri, her similar struggles made me sad to see her defeated, too, despite how much she did not want it to be so.

Thus, my first reaction was disappointment – in them for moving on and in the anime for not giving me that happy ending. But, again, after thinking on it more, that disappointment turned to acceptance. The creator in me knew it had to be this way. On a story level, a character level, and a realistic level. As they say, “the truth hurts,” and that just about sums it up.

Or at least, it should, for part of me justifies their paths. They aren’t going anywhere, and it’s not like they can’t visit each other when they want. More importantly, reviewing this season so late benefits me nicely, replacing that acceptance with cautious optimism. A brand-new sequel-finale movie was announced just back in December of 2017, and, literally just the other day, phrasing about an “alternate route” have surfaced.

Will any of this mean anything in the end? Who knows. Until then, Utaha and Eriri will be more absent from Tomoya’s life and from the story than how I would prefer. Which just makes me for sure invested in wanting to see how this tale will officially conclude.

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭ demonstrates that a sequel can trounce its predecessor. The nice artistic direction and the passable music remain the same, but the better drama and the stronger character writing make for marked improvements that elevate the series to a higher level. No caveats attached.

SUMMARY

Story: Good, “separating the art from the artist,” the narrative’s tighter focus on drama and the different events throughout the season craft a tale that goes beyond its harem limitations

Art & Animation: Good, tons of flair from the stylistic presentation and the varied cinematography back the attractive designs and the nice level of movement

Characters: Great, Utaha and Eriri sacrifice the personal for the passion as their defined arcs play out, Megumi grows into her own person, and they reciprocate Tomoya in turn

Music & Sound: Fine, wonderful VA performances make up for a weak OP-ED combo, the OST aids the drama well enough, and the occasional sound-effects are appreciated

Enjoyment: Great, fun to see the characters back again, but, most importantly, it was a more impactful experience than thought possible, especially as a creator

Final Score: 8/10

Quick Thoughts:
Attempts to add drama and depth to basic harem fell flat.

Story:
This season covers some backstory between Eriri and Utaha, the completion of Blessing Software's game, and plans for the group going forward. Central to all of this is the group (Namely Eriri, Utaha, and Megumi) putting pressure on Tomoya to make his priorities clear, both business-wise and romantically. There's little to no subtlety put into how this is presented, and the end result is something frustrating to watch. Whether it's through direct communication or subliminally through the scripts they write for the game, the girls feelings and expectations are in plain sight for Tomoya, ... yet they use the typical oblivious harem protag cliché to stretch this drama over a full season.
These flaws aren't made up for by other aspects of the story. Fanservice is fairly minimal this season and comedic moments are mostly non-existant. They tried to add some romantic tension, but it's been obvious from the first episode who Tomoya would choose (if he ever does decide to choose). I felt that the ending invalidated attempts to change up the dynamic between the group.

Character:
My opinions on the main cast haven't changed much. The heavy focus on Eriri, Utaha, and Tomoya didn't do much but increase the amount of melodrama while putting their worst traits on full display. Megumi basically just played team mom the whole season, and Michiru had almost no screentime. The only relevant new side character is Akane Kosaka, and she doesn't do much but add to the pile of melodrama.

Enjoyment:
I didn't enjoy this season very much. I'd imagine if you found Eriri and Utaha's backstory compelling, maybe the rest of season could be enjoyable as well, but I couldn't find it interesting.

Alright I got suckered into it.

I really loved this show even more than the first season. It repeated what it did well in the first season (analogies to the anime, light novel, and gaming industry) while also improving on what it lacked in the first season (the story is an allegory to the industry, but it also works well as its own standalone story). Two things I think came together to make this season a success:

Character: I still can't get enough of Megumi Kano. After this, she's going on my character list, because I was enthralled by her. It could just be that she's a ... character I don't really see often. She's intentionally boring, but that also makes her outbursts and spurts of emotion that much more captivating. The minor shifts in how she acts absolutely contributed to her perception as a character, and they didn't need over-reactive animations to do it. Additionally, characters grow throughout this season and progress to new positions by the end of it. These changes weren't necessarily "good" for everyone involved, yet they were natural and almost sadly (in a good way) expected.

The Narrative: Each arc or sub-plot directly tied into something related to the industry. Past that, characters often have recurring roles related to these different industry happenings. Toyomo obviously represents the ideal consumer, the two artists represent the creators, and Megumi much more of the passing audience. Each of them has a different idea of what makes their products "work" yet it's hard to keep all their concepts together at one time. One might point out schedules as a good motivator, while passion seems to be more effective to another. I found myself touched at both what these characters had to go through as people, but also as producers who want to see a project come to fruition.

For me, this series was a hit outta the park.

Spoilers from episode 9 onwards, I wrote in Portuguese and just translated into English with the Google translator




The anime has a very light and relaxed atmosphere most of the time, I thought about quitting at the end of the first season but it had a satisfying ending and made me watch the second season, during the initial episodes the protagonist receives some hints about his personality and in the episode we have the shock of reality and a direct criticism about his lack of "steady pulse", the world of the protagonist collapses and then you believe that there will be a character development, that the ... protagonist will make a choice and evolve as person, however, in the end the anime puts comedy moments to lighten the mood and all the drama previously made loses all meaning, if it hadn’t done the drama it would be a standard anime with a 6 or 7 note, if it had enjoyed all the drama done to evolve the protagonist would have taken a 10 but as the drama was totally idle and breaks the pace of the rest of the anime he does not deserve a score higher than 3

Original review in Portuguese below:




O anime tem um clima bem leve e descontraído a maior parte do tempo , pensei em largar ainda no final da primeira temporada mas ela teve um final satisfatório e me fez assistir a segunda temporada, durante os episódios iniciais o protagonista recebe algumas indiretas sobre a sua personalidade e no episodio temos o choque de realidade e uma critica direta sobre a sua falta de "pulso firme", o mundo do protagonista desaba e aí você acredita que vai haver um desenvolvimento de personagem , que o protagonista irá fazer uma escolha e evoluir como pessoa, porém, no final o anime coloca momentos de comedia para aliviar o clima e todo o drama feito anteriormente perde todo o sentido, se não tivesse feito o drama seria um anime padrão com nota 6 ou 7, se tivesse aproveitado todo o drama feito para evoluir o protagonista teria levado um 10 mas como o drama foi totalmente à toa e quebra o ritmo de todo o resto do anime ele não merece uma nota maior que 3

Since this is my first review it's not going to be as polished or as detailed as others, but I had a strong urge to write a review after watching the latest episode.

First of all, I'd like to point out that despite the cliche and typical character designs, there is still that hint of spice added in which I'll build on later.

Art:
I don't really see any differences in the art compared to last season. Same, clean and pretty art. Not spectacular but not bad at all. I don't really have an eye for art in anime but I feel like it's good.

Story/Character:
The story continues off ... from the first season (obviously) but the tone has completely changed in my opinion. Despite all the fan service and light comedy, the story has become much more serious and built upon. Last season, everything was more casual and although there was character development throughout each episode, there is definitely more going on this season.

We already know that each heroine has feelings for the main character, but we didn't know how strong their emotions really were. In this season we see Eriri and Utaha thoroughly built upon. We see them cry, smile and their actions that they take in order to win over the protagonist. Each of these scenes tugs on my heart strings as if you are that character suffering. You start to sympathize and actually relate to them in contrast to the earlier season.

However, despite their strong emotion and such. We really start to wonder how on earth the protagonist was capable to woo these girls. Each episode we see pathetic little Tomoya doing his thing. Unaware of these girls feelings. He lacks development and it's like he's only there for comedic relief. I honestly dislike the protagonist and wish he actually had some talent except his otaku passion. He continues to stress me out with his actions >:(

Also, the story constantly shifts from positive to negative. The changes are abrupt and sudden and the theme of the anime blurs. Happy??? or is this anime meant to be serious???. I don't really know but I'll keep watching it because I like the heroines hehe XD.

Sound:
Some nice music at certain bits that strengthen the scenes. The sound is just like most anime. Happy and upbeat at happy moments and vice versa.

Enjoyment:
I wouldn't watch this on it's own. I'm currently watching while doing my assignments and it's alright. When some scenes pop up I'll watch for a bit. Ehhh, really a big dissapointment, I liked how they changed the tone of the anime but, not really working out.

Hard to believe but, if they just kept the easy going friendly harem route then it might actually be better than it is now.

(This review will contain spoilers so don't read it unless you've finished the anime)

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata (A.K.A Saekano), oh what a nice little series you have been. As soon as I heard there was going to be a second season, Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata Flat, I jumped for joy. More of Mr. Ethical and his harem mucking about just trying to make a dating sim, or so I thought. At first, most of us had thought that there would be your typical competition for the main protagonists, and there was, but we never would have thought that we would receive an ending like that.

Before ... we get to that certain ending, let's start off with the story structure itself. It progressed rather nicely although I did get a little confused with the flashback of visiting Akane. It's not some fantasy with secret powers so there aren't really any plotholes or unexplainable things to talk about. Even though it took quite the serious turn, the story overall is rather plain as it is a typical "harem" anime, but what it lacks in story it makes up for it in character development. Now, I know what you're saying, "But if the story isn't all that good, what's the point in having developed characters in such a boring environment? It's like buying a car only to have it sit in a garage." It only seems that way at first and I'll admit I got a little bored too, but once they started adding in parts where it's just Tomoya and one of the heroines it starts to get exciting and here's why:

1) The relationships start to take more of intimate form. Ships that had set sail had now nearly reached new shores, especially with Utaha-senpai.
2) It foreshadowed the reason why Tomoya had held Eriri back from bringing out her full potential.
3) It's more of a preference, but it allowed us to see some of favorite ships sail strong.
4) The way you can see Katou's personality changing is cute and almost like watching a child grow up.

The art is rather pleasant and started to look more dramatic as the episodes progressed and lost the fan service touch in my opinion(not saying it was a bad thing). I feel the legs of the heroines were kind of plain and shave been done better, but I'm not one to judge because I can't draw limbs good.

Anyways, back to the nearing end of the anime, I nearly started to cry. It made me feel like taking a dark path towards alcohol and becoming a NEET. I kept on hoping and praying that they wouldn't join Akane and I thought it would be cliché and they would stay with Blessing Software, but as soon as I saw that Eriri could draw again after being insulted, I knew it was over. I knew that they wouldn't stay with Tomoya forever. I knew that Blessing Software would never be the same again. It is quite the feels trip. I lost it when Eriri said that she wouldn't be able to draw anymore if she had stayed with Tomoya. It was like she had broken up with and would move on and bury him in the last.

When you become a leader, you can't be too soft towards your partners or else they lose the reason to keep trying and improve. They'll lose the reason why they chose you. Tomoya had learned this the hard way and lost his two most important members of his Circle, but now that they're gone all he wants is to see them be the best they can now that they aren't being held back by him.

i think, i hate season 2 of this anime , but i will wait for season 3 , and If the animation is no season three , i will hate this anime forever......
and this is the the best anime i ever watch....

i will always wait for season 3........

Story - 3
i hate it , when i watch eps 9 and after that i lose my mood to watch eps 10-11 , but i still watched it until end....
Art - 10
Too perfect if that just for this suck anime....
Sound - 10
... perfect , good combine
character - 100
tooo perfect just for this anime....
Enjoyment - 6
i can calm down when i watching it , i just want to know the end of this anime quickly....
Overall - 1
Because the eps 9-11, i'm forget the story of this anime from eps 1 to 8

i hope there will be season 3 of this anime...
thanks....

#Saad

This keeps up to par with the last season and introduces new development by building off of what happened last season. Megumi is still kind of salty, Eriri is worn out and Utaha has something new to focus on. Despite all that, our MC wants to get everyone back together for another game, Cherry Blessing lives on. Rivalry is still apparent in this one but with different characters in different ways.

These characters have been driven apart but learn to still be friends and such, decisions as well as sacrifices must be made in order for them to be happy with their lives after the ... game's release. It has to do with dealing with the loss of some people in the team just as well as the new opportunities that arose from Cherry Blessing.

Also side note: Just wanted to say how much I like Utaha once again, how she bounces her leg or fidgets when agitated or thinking, talks about how writing a story is, as well as the tests she has to go through this season.

I'm a bit thrown off by the end especially with the romance route they decided (I have a bone to pick) but soon there will be a movie so for another time. It leaves you with the idea that there's a different but bright future ahead for our characters so we'll see.

### Story (8.5/10)
The story was pretty entertaining, but I'm predisposed towards the slice-of-life genre, particularly the subgenre of a group of talented underdogs aiming for a particular goal. A few caveats: the fact that the MC, Tomoya-kun, has so many girls lusting after him is only semi-convincing, given his lack of talents or a riveting personality (although he does have a certain passionate aura, he's still just a closet otaku). But what's even more annoying is Tomoya's complete inability to detect the subtle (and not-so subtle cues) from these women that he is *not* in the friendzone. Tomoya is a massive otaku, and that he ... fails to realize that these women are into him -- despite the countless light novels, dating sims, and anime, he has consumed -- is hard to believe. Of course, that's my only nitpick with the show's plot; for the most part, it's still very entertaining.

I haven't watched enough anime to make any comparisons, but the cinematography stands out. This is a dialogue-heavy show, and the viewer is kept interested by employing a variety of camera angles -- the character's face is often eschewed for their stockings, feet, or chest regions.

### Art (9.5/10)
The art is amazing! The show is entertaining to watch in no small part due to its fantastic art style, with vivid colours and strong hues.

### Sound (6/10)
The soundtrack wasn't as noteworthy as the other aspects of the show. It's not bad by any means -- some of the OP/EDs are decent. It's just not remarkable.

### Characters (7.5/10)
The characters are well-developed, albeit trope-y. The show relies quite a bit on tropes, and it does border on the cliche at times, but the occasional meta-humour coupled with the sheer magnitude of tropery makes it (mostly) forgivable.

### Enjoyment (9/10)
This was a highly enjoyable watch. After watching the first season, I expected the second to be a mediocre cash-in, but it exceeded my expectations. Personally, I'd recommend skipping Episode 0, the fanservice episode, because it was enough of a turn-off that I almost gave up on the show. But your mileage may vary.

### Overall (8.5/10)
Overall, I'd give it an 8.5/10. I have biases both towards and against the show, so if I had to be more cautionary, I'd give it an 8.

What a brilliant show this is and I'm glad I'm writing my first review for this. When I watched Season 1, it was good. Nothing to be blown away. But Season 2 seemed like a different show in itself. The characters, the art, the interactions, andthe music was all top-notch. I loved every single moment in this season except for episode 9 and 10(Was a little disappointed there). Anyway, I loved episode 8 and 11. The whole series was very well written save for 1-2 episodes. And I can't say enough about the OST of Flat. It is such a beautiful opening.

The biggest ... change for me in this season was Megumi's character development. She was surpassing herself with easch episode. Her character development went linearly upwards and it was nice to see how she went from someone who was unnoticable in Season 1 to being the life of the show in Season 2.

To wrap it up, I have watched many shows like Kaguya sama, Takagi san, Bokuben, and CCS but none of them have moved me as emotionally as Saekano did. The ending episodes were full of emotions and I literally cried in episode 11 when Tomoya broke down. All in all, this is one of those masterpieces which you would rewatch without getting bored.

A full 10/10 from me. Great show, great characters and a Great watch.

Long story short,
The story is what makes me love this anime. Could have been a 10/10 if there is better animation or sound though. Yes, it has your generic romcom/harem anime tags. But they become generic is because they work. This season of Saekano definitely still retain those tags but gearing more towards the character drama. You should try watching it. Don’t like it? It’s okay, you do you.

First half of the season continue where season 1 left off and basically done with the story "arc" which is nice that they don't drag it for too long and end it in a tasteful ... way. Which then follow up with new plot in the second half of the season. However, a certain development happened in the new plot which definitely displeased some people, and I totally understand why they feel that way. To me, what happened during that development was very realistic like I can actually see it happening in real life within the industry. The decisions that were made by the characters make senses and were justifiable be that for the sake of their passion, pride, respect, friendship, love, you name it. Yes, it is one possible outcome out of the many possibilities, but I think it flows perfectly well with the personality and background of the characters that were established till that point.

As for the character relationship aspect, each female characters had feeling for the male protagonist because the male protagonist did something that mean a lot to each of them during the past. Well, I can’t say much about that for the childhood friend tag characters though.

Now let’s talk about why it’s not 10/10.
Animation: Just Good
Sound: Good but not that memorable or notable.
Characters:
Male protagonist can be annoying at time. Don’t really like Eriri but by no means she is a boring or bad character. She played her roll in the story that’s what matter. A lot of fanservice that turns people off. Though, I am not really bothered or give a shit about the fanservice. Could wish that maybe Michiru has more screen time or more involved in the second half of the season.

It should be an 8/10 overall but I am biased about this particular one. Not gonna lie, I enjoyed this anime way more than I expected. Which says a lot about the anime or says a lot about my taste, I don't know. You be the judge :P

Aaah~ The second season of How to raise a boring girlfriend, plus flat. Where to begin?
Well, first, just let me get this out of my chest: This was the A1 Pictures atempt to become Shaft and you can see that very clearly in the second episode. The scenary, the camera shots and cuts between dialogues, the change in colors just to make emphasis while they speak and the constant flip of the hair of one our heroines are pretty reminiscent of the Shaft formula. Not to mention som of the songs have the same feeling as the Ara**gi loose talks with anybody from the show. ... Now, while this could sound bad, it was kind of good, I really enjoy it (That's talking in Shaft terms).

Now let's start with the review in general.
-Story: 7
We follow our same protagonists in their adventure to make a game. Not change at all from the first one.

-Art: 8
The standard for A1, nothing too fancy, not so elaborate. Good.

-Sound: 7
This could be lower, just because I don't remember any great song or anything that makes me feel something for the show. It's just not there.

Characters: 9
This is where the good stuff comes in, the thing that makes the series shine. It's characters.
We have a good mixture of something for everybody, but some are very cliché cough*tsundere*cough so I just wanna talk about the ones that are great.
This time we've seen a great deveploment in our main heroines, specially in Kato who simply took the cake, by being her. The "most borring girl" was the most interesting, frankly awesome deveploment for her. This alone make the whole show worth.
What about the other two? Well, Utaha-senpai was there for the fanservice and Eriri for the childhood friend paper who's depress because she can't paint anymore. They both have their problems too, but they didn't have as much impact as Kato did.

Enjoyment: 8
Even though I've said some bad things of the show, there is a lot of good things that I don't explain because I'm too lazy and I like to say bad first so the good things can let you with a good feeling aferwards.

Overall: 8
It's a descent show. Nothing new. No mind-bending ending. No nothing. But you get an awesome character deveploment and that's what I think makes a great show.

So if you have the time and want to, go watch the show.

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata Flat

(En esta crítica hay spoilers)

Este anime es una joya escondida, he visto mas de 400 animes (aunque no los he agregado todos a mi cuenta) y pocas veces me había emocionado tanto con una serie, la evolución de los personajes es buenísima, la supuesta traición de Eriri y Utaha esta muy bien hecha, los momentos ebn los que van mostrando como si les duele traicionar a Tomoya pero al mismo tiempo saben que no pueden seguir con el son hermosos, esa escena con Eriri gritándole a Utaha sobre como le duele saber que trabajaría mejor en la empresa de Akane es ... preciosa, el sufrimiento de Utaha esta bien escondido, pero no es como si no existiera, si eres observador puedes notar desde el capítulo anterior como Utaha se siente mal por lo que le esta haciendo a Tomoya, de hecho, puedo apostar que si se hiciera un spin-off de esta serie aprovecharían para contar el debate interno que tuvo que haber pasado Utaha decidiendo como contarle a Tomoya su participaciçon en un nuevo proyecto, teniendo en cuenta la magnitud del mismo, los pensamientos que había en su cabeza al hacerlo, y sobretodo el miedo que experimentaba al pensar que Tomoya no le perdonaría.

Como habrán notado me parece que la historia esta muy bien trabajada, como pocas en el mudno de los animes harem, los sentimienrtos de los personajes femeninos están ahí siempre, pero no son usados como una excusa humrística con el fin de entretener al espectador con ecchi sin sentido (aunque si hay ecchi sin sentido). El arte, como se esperaría de A-1 Pictures, es esplendido, personalmente amo el diseño de personajes de esta serie, sobre todo en los ojos, la animación no falla, es verdaderamente una obra de A-1 Pictures. El Sonido esta perfecto, en las escenas tristes podrías no notarlo pero esta ahí, aumentando el sentimiento, en las escenas felices esta ahí, para aliñar la mezcla, y en las escenas tensas la música frena, es un trabajo perfecto, sin fallas, pero carece de originalidad. Los personajes se cmportan como humanos con las personalidades gastadas de los animes harem, Eriri, la Tsundere rubia con coletas es una Tsundere rubia con coletas la mayor parte del tiempo, pero su lado dere no se muestra ante el protagonista, se muestra cuando esta sola, me recuerda un poco en ese sentido a Chitoge de Nisekoi, es indefensa y se empieza a hundir, la mayor parte del tiempo en el que nos muestran a Eriri sola esta cuestionandose todo, esta cayendo en una espiral depresiva, solo que para momentos despues llegue Tomoya a arreglarlo todo, siempre se esta debatiendo cuando esta sola, muestra el arrepentimeinto por la falta de sinceridad de sus palabras con Tomoya, es como si una Tsundere cobrará una vida real. Utaha es la senpai obsesiva con razgos de Yandere y la muestran como tal pero aún así le dan un desarrollo, nos muestran como ha mejorado para complacer a un único fan, nos muestran como al mismo tiempo se ha visto reflejada en cada una de sus obras, y nos muestran como el desprecio hacia esa mejoría la enoja realmente, la hacen un humano más, hacen que el estereotipo de Yandere loca pase a "chica ligeramente posesiva con aquel al que ama" de una forma sublime, no es una Yandere, pero nos lo siguen repitinedo, mientras mas escenas esten supuestas a mostrar la posesividad de Utaha mas se van mostrando sus inseguridades, no es una Yandere, pero nos hacen creer eso hasta el final de la serie en el que la observamos aceptar la respuesta de Tomoya. Megumi es la típica Kuudere (y como las Kuuderes me encantan eso ya le da un extra como personaje xd) pero eso es solo al final de la serie, de hecho, la premisa de esta serie es convertirla en una Waifu que atrape el corazón de todos y antes de que nos demos cuenta, lo han logrado, pero no somos nosotros los únicos que no nos damos cuenta, los personajes tampoco, pero poco a poco empieza a mostrar más y más sus sentimientos, antes de que nos demos cuenta, ella se vuelve núcleo de todo el circulo, ella es el núcleo de Blessing Software. Tomoya es un protagonista de harem normal, excepto que no toma todas las decisiones correctas, en otros harem el prota toma la decisión incorrecta sola y únicamente cuando la situación lo requiere, cuando no tienen como avanzar y tienen que empezar a meter un poco del pasado de las heroínas, para que el luego lo arregle con frases extremadamente perfectas y todo vuelva al status quo. Los secundarios (incluyendo a Michiru y Izumi) cumplen su trabajo, son una forma de avanzar la trama sin que se sienta demasiado forzado, Izumi y Michiru, de hecho, son introducidas como integrantes del harem, pero, si nos fijamos bien no lo son, cuando no son necesarias desaparecen, no desarrollan sentimientos hacia el protagonista tan profundos como los de Utaha o Eriri, estan allí como pilares de la trama, y antes de que te preguntes si volverán a aparecer, ya están por ahí, ya sea dándole motivación a Utaha, Eriri o Tomoya, o preparando una conversación de comedia, lo mismo para el resto de los secundarios, los introducen y solo vuelven cuando son necesarios.

Historia: 9
Arte: 9
Sonido: 8
Personajes: 10
Disfrute: 9
Nota Final: 9

The first season was my 2nd most favourite slice of life/drama anime of all time (topped by Yahari) and I enjoyed the second season but the tone was very different from the first. It dragged the drama to the next episode and then the next and then the next until the last one. I loved many scenes in it especially with Kato, but the anime didn't go as I wished the first season would.
First season gave me positive feelings and appreciation for every small thing, but the second season made me feel that watching it was a chore not fun anymore. It was depressing and ... the icing on the cake was the NTR in the infamous episode 9.
The art, sound, and direction (the movement of characters and background) were top notch just as the first season, but that can't help enjoying the anime.
I honestly would rather to have a boring ending than having what I had.
This anime was the only anime I was anticipating since finishing the first season, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment. This is turning into a rant more than a review but I just had to drop the monkey off of my shoulder and just forget about it.
May would like it but if you expect it to be like the first season I suggest reading the negative reviews first

Overall, SaeKano is an entertaining take on the creative industry with a set of characters that aren't hard to love and a direction that leaves much to be desired, which unfortunately, is not unlikely done on purpose. Beautiful animation, but not masterful. Appropriate music as well as character image songs. A select few insert songs are actually very, very good. Personally, Eternal Flat and Blooming Lily made me feel really emotional. The series is worth it, but definitely far from perfect.

The series gives off an impression of being your typical, feel-good harem: an average MC with a harem composed of pre-loved character tropes. For the ... most part, the anime embraces its genres. For better or for worse, the anime is not entirely unique, nor are its progressions.

The second season is an upgrade of the first in every aspect: story, art, voice acting, and most notably, character development. Because the anime did give the impression of being simple, the conflicts between the leads were pleasant little surprises; meaningful and emotional, surprising but not forced.

Having impure motivations for art. Having respect and admiration for another creative's work. Choosing between comfort and growth. The incorporation of these concepts (and more) presented believable insights on the life of a creative through emotive instances, that being the core of the story. This is not to say the relationships in the story are strictly creative and professional. The mutual love and resentment Tomoya has with Eriri, and the unclear, but heartwarming companionship he has with Megumi, too, are strong points. The development of the characters are so natural and so subtle that when the anime itself makes mention of very gradual change, the realization is sudden. They changed. They grew. It isn't farfetched, but it is easy to miss if you don't pay attention.

The open ending, for better or for worse, stayed true to the series' first impressions: light and easy. While of the same nature as the first season's ending, the second season was concluded not as cleanly, and not as satisfyingly. The series very rarely strays from what it promises. But after the unforeseen, tasteful drama came a characteristically non-committal resolution, leaving a bitter taste. The story had potential and a good set of lead characters. It could've been more than your typical harem anime; it simply decided against it.

How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend II is a series that had a lot of potential, but ultimately left me with an empty feeling in my heart. On one hand, it had one of the most original and dynamic anime heroines. The show handled the heavy parts well and provided balance with comedy. On the other hand, I feel like the creators could’ve explored certain plot points more. I'm aware that the trope-ish characters were meant to be two-dimensional, but I also feel that they deserved more development. Plus, I found the fanservice more bothersome than other ecchi shows with parody elements in them. It’s ... as if most the visuals budget went toward those scenes. Moreover, no satisfying conclusion was met with the story. I understand that this is common for anime (often for good reason), but I still consider open endings the cancer of this green earth.

All in all, though, Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata is pretty enjoyable.

This can be a 10/10, i like the drama in the second part of the season, that give a twist of a story that was becoming repetitive very fast.
But it's not a 10/10 for some mistakes.

SPOILERS

First of all, Eriri make no sense quitting the club like that.
I understand Utaha that want to grow as an artist, and i will be fine if Eriri want to do the same thing, but that was not the case. She quit because the MC don't scream at her like crazy to make her lazy ass to work.
That is it.
That is how she explain it.
If you need ... that, you are no artist, you are a masochist.
That is one one thing, but the big mistake of the show is how they manage the drama.
In that, the reaction of MC was too soft.
Very mature for him, but also very boring.
In just few minutes he force himself to like the thing that both his best artists are leaving him.
That is no good, of course i understand that he wants them to grow as artists, but at the same time you can't be so unselfish to not give a fuck of yourself, is just too much.
The show could be so much more interesting with more fights in that moment, at a point to break their relationships.

So this is the first review that I have written for any anime on this site. I found the anime to be incredibly enjoyable, more than I possibly thought it'd be. The story is rather typical and probably one of the lower points of the anime because of how common the "We gotta make the deadline for X we've all been working on". And this ties in with the characters in the show too, which are almost all also typical anime tropes.
Tomoya is an incredibly loud guy who loves his otaku culture above almost all else.

Eriri is the classic childhood friend who has ... a history with the MC which almost all other girls don't. The tsundere.

Utaha is the beautiful talented genius who fits the "Ice Queen" role of the show to everyone outside their friend group. Reminds me very much of Yukinon from Oregairu except with copious amounts of flirting.

Michiru is a part of the MC's family who I really feel is just thrown in the mix with the other girls. Also pretty flirty, common for an anime in the harem genre.

And now for the girl who I think single handedly saves the show for me. Katou.
Megumi is the most realistic girl out of all of the above. She is pretty quiet but is one of the most straightforward girls in all the anime I've watched. If she is pissed, she will tell MC. If she thinks he's fucking up, she will tell him without any of that dense beating around the bush bullshit that frustrates me to no end in most harem animes. I think she is the most "human" girl in the show, where it wouldn't be odd to meet someone like her. With her interest in MC, she doesn't act like Eriri or Utaha whenever she and MC have a nice touching moment.
The characters are mostly nothing special save Megumi. She bumped my score from a 6 in character, to an 8.

The art style is great. A scene with Megumi in the middle of the season, really showed her expressions towards Tomoya and even though some may claim that Megumi lacks emotions, the art style and the way the animators show her face in crucial moments can shut down any of those claims. The specific scene in particular I mentioned above, sent chills down my spine after Megumi had a word with Tomoya.

The sound is average, they really have good atmosphere with the sound in the many close moments Tomoya has with all the main cast. Nothing exceptional but still nice.

I enjoyed this anime heavily because it resonated with me personally, because of the main heroine and her relationship with Tomoya. I think this is a really good anime for one in the Harem genre and has many aspects of other good anime, like Oregairu. Definitely worth a watch.

I'm not used to write any reviews but after than one, something really broke me i had to do one.
It is a long time since i watched first season, but i do remember i really enjoyed while watching it. That's why i was really happy to start watching next one, but somewhere i feel like it went in a wrong way

ART: 9
If we were compering it to titles of eg. Makoto Shinkai like Kotonoha no Niwa or last big one like Kimi no Na wa, it wasn't special at all, but i think we can easly say comparing to modern animes, this anime sometimes had ... really beautiful scenes

Sound: 7
7 - good, i think its perfect word, it wasnt enything amusing, but it wasnt bad at all, it was just... good

Character: 8
And here where the problem starts. We can clearly see the common types of character that usually are used in such genre and that's not a bad thing. I have to say that anime operate with those types really well. The problem is that i'm feeling like anime has a problem with their development. I feel like main hero's change at the end was too rushed, it's hard to say any difference in his character through whole anime and then on the end he has changed. About main 3 girls.... i feel like writer just changed his mind in the second half of second season. Because Utaha and Eriri as they were really interesting to that moment, later i felt like author just got rid of them and instead of them in the main plan came Megumi what was kind of shocking for me, because until then that character was kind of neutral for me (maybe its just me)

Story: 7
The hardest part for me. For sure anime tries to tell the story and move subjects which you won't see in many anime (i know maybe like 2 of them). It talks about eg. finding motivation, losing it, the reasons behind it or problems with starting as small team trying to make together something good, problems in team etc. At that part was really good..... BUT it was only 11 episodes and i feel like anime forgot about what genre is it. Especially about it's main one (even if i understand you can't blame it for not having something, it's just our way to classify it, but well... in this case it does includes it for sure) If you really hope for romance, dont watch it, because you will just get frustrated. Anime tried to build that thread but then it suddenly just dropped that for a sake of the subjects i was talking about. (not even saying that through whole anime, it had problem with it) (Well, it was maybe such problem for me because i love those kinds of anime, so i was really disappointed with it). And the last part - the ending..... right... the ending... the worst part. I'm probably the first person to hope for a good ending no matter where/what (like main character is), but even if anime has ended with

LITTLE SPOILER OF ENDING==================

'everyone being happy'... i can't just look how fake it was. Probably it should be done in more episodes, it would be hard to solve, and probably not everyone would be happy, but i think no matter how big chance it was for them, not only they should talk with him or i should say tell him (because i think he would still agreed for their sake), but even if we go with route when they didn't tell him and did exact same thing as he did for Magumi, i don't think he would be so happy without even drop of being angry or frustrated. The most shocking part was how he and Megumi were so woesome in the first moment, but especially she (the person who didn't speak to Tomoya after his work with first game) forgave them so easly that betrayal (because it was exactly it). And then there comes back the romance part, what the hell was that...?! + Megumin happend to be main girl?! i think she was the last one to be her~
I don't remember what relations he had with Iori so i can't judge about that part when he helped him. But mainly that ending for me was just fake, nothing less, noting more.

i really hope i won't see the scenario in the third season with his new team and then them, joing back to the studio after they will finish they work on that RPG game - as i love happy endings - for me that would be awful.

=========================

Overall: 8
Because it was really enjoyable one, all flaws hurted me even more and with my really positive rating 8 is max i can give it, because i do feel like this anime wasted the romance it tried to connect to main idea. And with bad ending, probaby it's still pretty good score.

tl;dr: A solid continuation that builds on the characters and bonds from the first season for some really strong emotional beats with some of them, though at the expense of mostly ignoring the rest.

This is the second season of Saekano, and picks up pretty much exactly where the first season left off. The game circle, now known as Blessing Software, is continuing their work on the galge Cherry Blessing. The first half of the season doesn’t do all that much, basically just continuing how things were in the first season and setting some thematic foundation for where things will go after. The first episode starts ... off just showcasing the cast again, though it does also show how pretty strong bonds have been developed between all of them, including between Utaha and Eriri. The rest of the first half focuses more on Utaha. There isn’t any major development in Utaha or her relationship with Tomoya, but it begins fleshing out some important themes, mainly that a producer needs to be able to be strict with the creators under them, and though the creators may take it personally and be hurt by it, it has to be done.

The second half is where things start changing tremendously, things start moving much faster, and the plot gets far more intense. This half starts focused on Eriri and what is necessary for her to grow as an artist, and in the process also manages to flesh out her bond with Tomoya quite a bit more. The plot of most of this wasn’t that rushed, but the plot advanced incredibly quickly towards the end to the point it kind of feels like its flying right past a climax while only glossing over it. From there it emphasizes the bonds of the group as a whole and the importance of each member, with a particular focus on Katou where she actually gets development and fleshed out somewhat well.

This builds up to the finale where everything built up gets dealt with and gets dealt with hard. It goes pretty in depth into themes regarding what it takes for a creator to grow, and how what are positive bonds in other contexts can be chains preventing growth in this one and how more toxic relationships may actually be beneficial instead. It deals with issues where characters motivations don’t align and there’s a difficult choice to be made, wherein no one is wrong or wants to hurt anyone else, but it has to happen anyway. It ultimately examines the bonds between the members of Blessing Software in a new context, and results in a lot of really emotional moments. The way things end are considerably different from where they started so it feels like the plot has definitely moved forward, for better or worse. Though in the end, while it does get pretty bitter, it ends on a pretty sweet and positive note that’s both really amusing and hopeful for where the story will go from here, which is a really satisfying way to end.

The most difficult thing to discuss about the finale, and the second half overall really, is the pacing. It’s not like it’s overtly fast the entire time, but it has phases where it moves ridiculously fast, going from key moment to key moment without any room to breath. Surprisingly, this definitely had a major positive effect, in that it allowed the emotional beats to essentially build on each other and hit a peak near the end that was ridiculously high and that I don’t think it would manage to reach if it wasn’t so fast paced.

But on the other hand, the standard negatives of super fast pacing still apply. There are some key themes regarding characters that I don’t think the anime fleshes out well enough, the main one being that Tomoyo is able to be strict with Utaha’s work despite automatically loving it as a major fan of hers, but is unable to be too hard on Eriri due to their childhood together. It also completely ignores characters that aren’t immediately important, such as Michiru who has essentially zero presence the entire season let alone any actual development, but it also glosses over Iori and Izumi who it seems to lightly hint will become more important going forward, but it doesn’t do enough with them if that really is the case. I’ve thought long and hard about it, and I’m still completely undecided on whether the fast pacing was worth it or not, so I’ll just leave it at that.

The art and animation are just as good as they were in the first season, which if you don’t remember, is really great with a good art style, good use of framing, etc. I still don’t know what the shifts in art style are meant to indicate though, beyond that one time it shifted to look like Monogatari which was probably just a straight up reference to Monogatari. On that note, I like how this season had a lot of references to other otaku media. The first season did as well, but I think this one went further, and I appreciated how Tomoya’s collection of merchandise visibly grew. Mahouka and Aokana represent! The soundtrack was solid enough but didn’t especially stand out other than a few well used insert songs. The OP and both EDs were all pretty great, and I liked how it reflected Katou’s change in hair style.