I was quite skeptical going into this show because of the fact that music anime is not my strong suit as well as the fact that the first season of this show left a sour taste in my mouth. Despite the first season lacking key elements that made it a grind for me to watch this does not hinder the fact that White Album 2 was quite enjoyable even more so than I expected it to be. I love when any sequel to any anime can raise the bar from it predecessor and White Album 2 did just that with a completely different story only carrying over music that was used in the first season as a starting point and is the only connection that it makes to the prequel.
Not only does White Album 2 bring elements to an anime that I enjoy as a viewer. It captivated me with the heart-wrenching drama it portrayed throughout the show, it made me sympathize with the characters I enjoyed and rooted for, and it taught me the value of friendships.... And how fragile they truly are.....
Story: White Album 2 takes place in a traditional high school setting which is what I prefer in anime when realism, drama, and romance are what drive the story. We take the place of Haruki Kitahara who is part of the slowing dissipating club known as the "Light Music Club" and his dreams to someday play in the upcoming school festival. With his friends Touma Kazusa and Ogiso Setsuna by his side the story then unfolds as they together as a group must practice towards Kitahara's dream of playing in the the school festival through each of their own unique talents and skills. Let me admit this now so I can get this off my chest. Yes. It is a love triangle and with most love triangles things can seem quite predictable especially if you watch anime of this nature as is my favorite type of anime to watch on a regular basis; however, this doesn't mask the fact that this is a remarkable show for it seriousness and dark dramatic moments truly compensate for the traditional "generic" guidelines that this show has to follow. What I enjoyed most about this anime is sheer drama this show illustrates through these so called "friendships" the three of these characters share together. Selfishness, Betrayal, Love, and Friendship are the 4 main words I can use to describe this show and it does not disappoint those who want a good drama. We all know that when a love triangle is involved someone is bound to get hurt especially if someone breaks that triangle which is the fundamental reason why relationships stay in the friend zone all so that no ones feelings are hurt or left out. This show incorporates this ideal and blows it up "dramatically"... Literally..... And is part of the reason why I enjoyed this anime so much. I love any anime that has genuine realism to it because it makes me ponder if "This could actually happen?" even though I know it's an anime which is why White Album 2 has such a compelling story from beginning to end.
Characters: White Album 2 has 3 main characters that drive the show these characters being Haruki Kitahara who is our main male protagonist along with Touma Kazusa and Ogiso Setsuna who are our 2 female leads. Let's start with Haruki Kitahara, Kitahara overall is a genuine young man who cares for his friends and wants nothing but the best for them. Kitahara tries his hardest weather it be practicing guitar or helping someone out and this is what makes Kitahara a perfect target for someone to fall in love with. Next we have Touma (who is my personal favorite of the show) and she can be described in one word and that word is cold. Touma literally does nothing but sleep during class and after it all she does is practice on the piano (which she is really really good at) when she has time. She can be very pragmatic at times and other times she can be sincere and down to earth depending on her mood or if something is bothering her which is usually Kitahara and Ogiso most of the time. Lastly we have Ogiso Setsuna who can be described as our "Genki" character of the show. She just radiates sunshine and smiles and is often called a "beauty" in the eyes of most fellow classmates and to go even further she has a beautiful singing voice which is what drew in Kitahara to find her on top of the roof. These 3 characters are vital in the development of the show and each build off each other which in the ends leads to a powerful dramatic collapse in the end.
Art/Sound: The overall art of the show is... Great. It's simply great. Satelight productions did a great job producing this show just as they did with Aquarion and other various anime projects. The whole winter theme greatly enhances the drama because of the fact that it is cold, dark, and enduring and colors were on point not being way to colorful or bright to let the atmosphere of the show sink in for the viewers. Now let's talk about the sound, I'm going to try my hardest not to be biased towards sound just because it is a music anime but sound was outstanding and I just love the fact that they borrowed soundtracks from the "White Album" to use in "White Album 2" . The OST that I found simply amazing was called "Silent Winter Night" it was played just at the right times throughout the show and it it evoked a feeling every time it played. To this day when I hear "Silent Winter Night" I get goosebumps and it transports me back to those moments when the dramatic moments played synchronized perfectly with the song. Now let's talk about Openings and Endings, the opening to this show.... I loved... and it set the correct mood for the journey you are about to embark on. The ending on the other hand.... I found forgetful and didn't really do much to enhance the show for me personally. In the end, you are going to get great sound and art from this show and expect to get "The Feels" once all is said and done.
White Album 2 did a lot and has proven to me that drama can successfully blend with music to create a beautiful show. It gave me an anime that was enjoyable from start to finish, an anime that left me pumped and excited for the school festival from the start and left me emotionally torn and teary eyed in the end. I can't express enough how much I love the drama in the show and how serous the show can be with its dark and romantic elements. After all is said and done "White Album 2" was an overall amazing show with my only complaint being how short it was.... I know the anime was adapted off a visual novel and stretching the show could cause problems but in the end..... "White Album 2" left me sad yet happy that such a show exist.
