Before I really break into anything, let me give you a short quote from the afterword of the light novel's first volume. (translated by frog-kun)
"This may seem sudden, but the "youth" that is commonly referred to by the world at large is a mistaken notion. It's a downright lie. Going on a date at Lalaport in your uniforms with a cute girl, getting invited by a friend to another school to eat lunch with a girl... those things just don't exist. Those things were works of complete fiction....
... In other words, that youth romantic comedy was filled with lies. And everyone is getting tricked.
Real youth was getting off school with just a guy friend, parking yourself at a Saizeriya and squatting there until night while surviving on only on drinks and focaccia. And all you do with him is say bad things about your classmates and complain about school. That was the true picture of youth. I'm speaking from experience here, so I'm pretty sure about it.
But at the same time, I don't really hate that kind of youth.
Getting excited about mixing together melon soda and orange juice and calling it "melage"... going on a field trip and playing mahjong with three other guys in the midst of that savage environment... falling into silence after seeing that girl I liked flirting with her boyfriend... now that I think back on those times, I could call each and every one of those fond memories.
Sorry, that was a lie. I hated that kind of youth. I wanted to go on a date with a girl in my uniform too. Hell, I still want to."
Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru is about those feelings, what reality is like versus the dreams of the version we wish we had. And it leads into my favorite story of all time.
However, I feel obliged to warn you, Season 1 captured the "comedy" portion of the title, with rather minimal (but a still existent) focus on the "romantic" part. Zoku is the opposite, it has comedy, but it takes a back seat to the romance.
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Story (10/10)
Zoku picks up right after Season 1. I'm not going to talk about plot here, rather how the story adds to this masterpiece, so don't worry about spoilers here.
The story of Zoku is at a rather difference pace than Oregairu's season 1. The first season focused on issues that were solved quickly. One request was covered an episode, or at most, two episodes. The pacing of Zoku is much slower, and in my opinion better.
But that pacing has a purpose (other than the fact that they wanted to get a second season out with less material). Hikigaya Hachiman kept making little sacrifices in the first season, ones that don't seem to have much significance, but over a number of them they build into one conflict that isn't so easy to solve.
These conflicts have solutions, and that's where the beauty of this anime starts to form. Almost every scene is seen from the perspective of Hachiman, When he understands something, you will understand it, If he doesn't understand it, you won't either, unless you have a keen eye. When he figures out the solution, you'll get it too.
And this adds so much to the re-watchability of this anime. Rewatch it once and you start to notice small little details that lead into the plot later on. Rewatch it twice and you start even more things that help you understand the characters (but that little facet is for later).
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Art: (10/10)
If you are like me, the art of season 1 was great. For its time it was pretty good, and it was a bit higher quality of the light novel art, it tried mimicking the style and it succeeded. Well the light novel art did evolve over time into something nicer and the anime didn't just keep up, it outdid the work it was adapted from.
The detail of the characters, the backdrops, the sunsets, each of them have a beauty rivaled by very few other anime series. In some cases, there are flashbacks to season 1, so you have to go back to that style from the new seasons art which would break the flow and feeling of the scenes, right?
Nope! Every flashback was redrawn with Zoku's style so you feel even more absorbed. This is a nice touch that I wish more anime did when they make a season 2 with a larger budget and more time. It was always awkward when they switched back and forth, and that little bit of extra work was worth it.
The animation is beautiful, most of you guys reading subs may miss it, but while the lips sync, there are like 3 to 4 shapes that the animators just run in a circle. It works, but it still feels awkward. Well this anime adds another 3-4 shapes which definitely helps. But when it comes down to important scenes, that's when the animation shines, and becomes strange at the same time.
Imagine drawing out the mouth so it changes shape and moves in a way that perfectly matches the shape of the mouth in real life. I have a scene from this anime sticking out it my mind it has that big of an impact. (suki... nano....) But that's isn't where this ends.
Most drawn animations try to avoid lots of rotations outside of the opening, its a lot more work. So when you find an anime that does it a lot (take Oregairu. Zoku) it shows how much effort these animators make. You cant just slide things around and have the program manipulate a few small changes, the artist must draw. a lot.
But that does mean some awkward moments exist, because those things are drawn and chained together a smooth flow is broken. It's not bad, but its noticeable (like playing a game at 60fps then cap it at 30, it doesn't look bad, just strange and unfamiliar.)
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Sound: (10/10)
I'm going to cut this short because it will just turn into a fandom.
The OP (Harumodoki) is sung once again by Yanagi Nagi, my favorite singer. Her voice is hauntingly beautiful anyway she sings, throw that together with some amazing composing and that OP is wonderful.
The ED (Everday World) is sung by Touyama Nao and Hayami Saori. Nao impressed me with the ballad version of Hello Alone back in season one (she plays Yuigahama Yui) and Hayami Saori's singing voice makes me want to cry.
Well its worth saying that I ordered the CD version of the OP and ED's from the past season imported from Japan, I love these songs that much, and the lyrics are just as touching.
The OST itself is very beautiful and not only matches, but enhances the mood of the show. Rests in the music are timed at key points with the dialogue and the tension of a conversation that seems friendly on top but has a lot of aggression underneath is enhanced thanks to the soundtrack.
As you can probably guess, two of my favorite voice actors are Touyama Nao and Hayami Saori. In all their other works they've done such a great job. But we can't just focus on the heroines.
Enter Eguchi Takuya. His voice acting is something else. Cold, dead, emotionless, perfect for Hikigaya, but when he needs to he can speak in a way that makes you want to laugh out loud (remember the "guys don't only think about obscene stuff" line from season 1, episode 1) He controls the flow and feel of the anime wonderfully, and he can play a full range of emotions.
There is one more person worth talking about here Sakura Ayane, she plays a new character introduced later (Isshiki Iroha). Her character is very difficult to play because she has a wide range of emotions that doesn't always match with what she's saying, and Sakura-san does her job exceedingly well. (I want to go into it more, but I can't because spoilers, lets just say Iroha has to sound fake and authentic at the same time)
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Characters: (10/10)
Oh where to begin. The biggest and best part of this series of the characters, so I intend to spend some time here. I'll give an overview of what makes all the characters as a whole amazing and give a non-spoiler in depth rundown of each of the four major characters.
What makes Oregairu special is that it is a story from the heart of Wataru Watari and his dreams of how his childhood went. He spent time thinking about the life he wished he had vs the life actually had. And what this leads to are smart, witty, realistic characters that the main viewing demographic (the otaku) can relate so much. I can pretty much all aspects of myself represented in each of these characters, although a little bit hyperbolized. (wait hyperbolized is a word?!?!?)
And these characters develop and change in a way that seems so insanely natural. You finish this and you rewatch season 1, your first thought is "was yukinoshita really this much of a bitch [that word was used in the anime, I reserve the right to keep this up even though it uses that word because it was used in the anime], Its not that her personality did a 180, its that you just never noticed it change that much because it felt so natural.
There is a point in this series when an unnamed character says one line. 5 seconds that completely destroys your perception of them, but it doesn't feel wrong, in fact it matches that character so well for being the exact opposite of what they have been acting like its scary. These kinds of characters are special.
Hikigaya Hachiman:
If you are expecting the heroic 8man here from season one, well too bad. He's starting to change, he still has his pessimistic outlook, but there are positives mixed it now too. He's the side of your mind that wants to give up when something, but pushes through because you have to. not because you want to. No one cares about him (or so he thinks) so he sacrifices himself, seeing no problem with it because the only people who would be hurt would be the nonexistent people that care about him. He's a loner and he can sacrifice himself, make himself the villain for others, because he's a loner. But oh boy that character development. (It's such a shame I cant spoil)
Yukinoshita Yukino:
She's the exact same as Hikigaya, but at the exact time the perfect opposite. Also a loner, she has the pain of someone who has. While hikigaya's existence faded out and was ignored, Yukinoshita was troubled because she was amazing and people were jealous. She could do anything she tried, she was smart, and she was pretty. Girls, prepare the torture tools. (I'm not jealous, no really I swear I'm not jealous). Yukinoshita instead of pushing through challenges she dislikes because she has to, pushes through those challenges because she feels she can change the outcome. You either give in to change, or you change the world so you don't have to. She hasn't really lived up to the classic image of a Tsundere. Shes more tsuntsun (hate) than deredere (love) for the sake of a description lets call her a tsuntsuntsuntsuntsuntsundere. And eventually all Tsunderes must change, right? right? there are stories that don't end that way, though. (I'm net telling you because I like you or anything, I'm just obliged as the guy writing the review *blush*)
Yuigahama Yui:
She acts as the oddgirl out, and the bridge at the same time. Yukinoshita and Hikigaya are so similar that Yuigahama's character doesn't belong in their relationship, she feels out of place, she's that different. But Yukinoshita and Hikigaya are also complete opposites, so you need someone completely social and outgoing to break them both open and act as a bridge. She may seem confident, but she has the problem of having to fit in. She always puts on this face to fit in with her friends, she's gotten quite good at it. In terms of development, you she may seem like the happy-go-lucky type, but Yuigahama is actually pretty amazing. And scary as hell. No seriously she is the only character that I have such a hard time reading, I'm terrified. I noticed it with some small details in season 1 and throughout season 2, but really she's scary. (hold me Totsuka, you tennis captain you, you can make me feel safe. Oh wait, he's a guy like me. God is an idiot.)
Ishiki Iroha: NEW CHARACTER!
I can't talk much about her. I have to say something insightful about her personality though. Iroha is the flattest character you will ever meet. She's so 2D her character seems fake. Well that's because it is, she's putting on a façade to hide her true self. She doesn't want to be hated, and she's pretty sure her true self will be, so she puts on a face. And we all know those are never perfect, they don't have the depth a real personality has. Go behind her cover, and all of a sudden you see this deep hole with an infinite depth. A little hint as to what to look out for if you want to understand her character, keep an eye out for her appearance vs her tone of voice, he small glances, and how she acts with just Hikigaya vs with others, how she hands bags around with just Hikigaya vs with others. The insight! The details here rival the literature you break down in high school English Literature (maybe an advanced course, but not AP)
These characters are beautiful, the lack depth in a way that actually adds insight and builds depth to their characters, they arnt static, they change in ways you don't even notice, and small facets in their personality and actions can be read into to help understand them. Honestly, I think these are some of the most perfected characters I've ever seen.
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Enjoyment: (10/10)
This is my favorite series ever. The calendar when I write this marks 2 days after Zoku's finale has come out. I've already rewatched the series already twice. I watched through season 1 in time for season 2, then season 2 weekly, then between the week of the second to last episode and last episode I rewatched the entire series from season 1, episode 1 through season 2, episode 12 in time for episode 13. Watched episode 13 at 2:00AM local time the second it got put up. Then I rewatched from season 1, episode 1 through season 2, episode 13. I love this thing that much. I own all the LN's including vol 11 which has been out for 4 days (at this point it time) (and I don't read/speak Japanese). Its an obsession. (Wataru Watari isn't bullying me into saying this, no seriously I'm really not being bullied, believe me, please.)
It's not for everyone, but Oregairu definitely captures a magical spark unrivaled by any other story for those that its pacing and style matches. And for the otaku, who lets face it in general happens to be the loner, it speaks to the heart. So, as I wait and hope Wataru Watari will continue writing past vol 14 so there will be enough material for a season 3 in two to three years, have a picture. It's taken from the Japanese art site Pixiv, but because that is loaded with R-18 stuff, I'm not going to link it there. Have my reupload instead- note this also contains all characters from BOTH season 1 and 2 minus one - from season 2) http://i.imgur.com/vnR7fdw.jpg The artist is IoNamichi (https://twitter.com/IoNaomichi)
