(There will be SPOILERS in my review)
[Story]: (9/10) (SPOILERS)
"Comedy aside, Realistic teenage-drama kicks in"
This is the second season of "My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO" created by a new studio called "Studio Feel". The second season picks up immediately right after the events of the first season, continuing the adventures of the Service Club.
At this point, I'm pretty sure that most of us were expecting a romantic pay-off because this is the second season and it was the right moment to just show us who's the best girl..In other words, who's the girl Hikki's going to end up with. Unfortunately, that's not the case. It still kinda deals with the members of the Service Club taking requests from other students but there's a difference. A huge difference, in fact.
You remember the last 3 episodes from the first season (Not including the extra episode.)? Where Hachiman played the role of a villain to help Yukino? The second season basically takes the dark atmosphere of the last 3 episodes of the first season and continues with that same atmosphere. The hilarious moments that you saw in the first half of the first season are reduced to ashes. There are still some funny moments but the amount of drama in this season outweighs the amount of comedy.
Continuing on from my first paragraph..Like I said, there's a difference. Each requests that comes up is like a story arc and each story arc explores the main characters like Hiki's ideal or Yukino's relationship with her family (especially her bitchy annoying older sister), the issues that they have, the on-going love triangle (which happens in the 2nd half), and etc. I'm going to use the outer/inner layer example again. The outer layer are the requests from the characters. They're like a disguise...How should I put it....An excuse to explore the main characters which is the inner layer of the show...Yea, that's the right explanation. Without the outer layer of the show then the inner layer simply wouldn't exist. You get what I'm saying?
I probably shouldn't have complaint when I said that the previous season movies at a snail pacing because this season's pacing is a bit rushed. It's only a minor issue though. The pacing is not really a big issue because it's not rushed to the point where the show would have time skips and confusing-ass episodes due to rushed explanations or something.
I really have no idea whether I should be extremely mad or be ok with the show's inconclusive ending. In my first paragraph, I said that the show did not have any romantic pay-offs. None of the main characters end up with each other and there's still no "direct" confession from the girls or Hikki. I said "direct" confession because Yui "indirectly" confessed her feelings to Hiki. Though, she said it in a way that isn't too obvious.
I have no problem with inconclusive endings but I do have problems with inconclusive endings when an anime does it. The problem with the anime industry is the producer or the studios barely creates a 3rd Season due to its niche market. Let's say that the show really ends here..Do I have to read the LN just so I can get a conclusive ending? No way in hell..What's worse is the fact that the story is almost over on the source material. Meaning there probably wouldn't be enough episodes for the 3rd Season. I also want to point out that the show ended on the worst possible moment, where the characters are starting to reveal and realize their feelings towards each other. *sigh*.
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[Art/Animation]: (10/10)
"Studio Feel giving us the feels"
I really want to laugh every time I see a person claiming that the first season's animation is better...Please tell me how. The S1's character design looks like it was rushed and the animation looked like an A-1 Picture's anime but slightly worse. Thank god they handed the show to someone else..Someone who can produce a high-quality animation like......like Studio Feel. Studio Feel did an amazing job with the animation, especially the character designs. The character design looks neat, clean, they look more matured, and they all look normally drawn.. Hell, even Hachiman doesn't look like a "dead fish eye" person anymore which is great.
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[Sound]: (10/10)
For the most part, the show's soundtrack are recycled from the first season. Not that I'm complaining or anything..They were great from the start so I'm glad they didn't replace most of them. Now the OP and ED theme song(s).
The OP theme song is "Harumodoki" by Nagi Yanagi and the ED theme song is "Everyday world" by Yukino and Yui. The ED theme song has 2 variants. First is the Ballade version by Yui and the second one is the Ballade version by Yukino. In my most honest and biased opinion, the OP theme song for this season is miles better than the first one. The song has that calm atmosphere that somehow fits the romantic drama atmosphere the show has. On the other hand, the ED theme song is also a lot better than the first ED theme song. The song also has that same tone the OP has. I also love Yukino and Yui's voice, making these 2 characters a perfect singing duet.
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[Characters]: (10/10) (SPOILERS)
"I want something genuine" -Hikigaya Hachiman
Never before has an anime made me want these characters to not get together but at the same time making me want to see them get together. Sounds confusing? Let me explain and I did put a "Spoilers" tag so here's the spoiler.
At the end, there was one scene where Yuki and Yui started noticing or have already noticed their feelings towards Hiki. If one of them reveals their feelings to Hachiman then the friendship between these 3 characters might or will most likely fall apart. What if Yui and Hiki got together? What will happen to Yukino? She's already in a terrible state. Let's say the situation is flipped around, what will happen to Yui? It will just end up in a love triangle. There's also the fact that Hachiman might have "feelings" for Yukino based on what I've seen on the second half of this season. If that is true then what's going to happen to Yui? Either way, their friendship is f*cked unless Yukino is happy with Hiki and Yui's new relationship and vice versa or they could try polygamy. I need to kill myself just for suggesting the latter option. I really don't want to see their current relationship to fall apart. On the other hand, I signed up expecting Romance and by god's name they will give me goddamn Romance.
What makes this so different from other love triangles out there that you mainly see in Romantic Comedies? This scene was a lot more realistic in terms of potential love triangle that could break their friendship apart. Just look at the ending episode again..Yui didn't want to confess her feelings to Hiki immediately because she cared for Yukino's feelings. But if Yukino doesn't make a choice then she will make a move on Hikki. Yukino's feelings was taken in for consideration but at the same time, she didn't want to give up her own feelings or else she might regret it later on. When was the last time you see a character doing that sh*t?
In most Rom-Coms out there, the best girl always wins and the "third wheel" girl always and I mean ALWAYS gives up her own feelings just so the "man of her dreams" and the "best girl" can get together. It's predictable and that's not how it always works in real life. That "third wheel" girl can't just give up on her feelings that easily. You finally met the man of your dreams and you're just going to give it up to some girl you probably don't even like?! It's like the "third wheel" female character's feelings wasn't taken into consideration and she's just like "Oh, you can take my prince charming anytime..I'm cool with it". Bitch, you're not and you need to stop lying to yourself. Anyways....
In SNAFU's case, it's unpredictable. To this day, I still have no idea whether Hiki will pick Yui or Yukino.
Now this is what you call a developed characters. I mean, the characters were already developed in the first season but the second season further developed these characters making me want to care for these people's relationship. Most noticeably is Hiki, Yui, Yukino and most of the side characters in the show. Hell, even Ebina..one of the most useless side characters (and also extremely funny) got a development in this season and it was a good one. I'm talking about Ebina's true personality and why she doesn't date boys.
I really want to talk about the character progression from first season up to the last episode of the second season. The progression was like an immature bully kid to a grown man who now works at a Children's Aid. Just compare Hikki from the first season and this season. It's like night and day. The guy hated everyone, including Yukino and now he pretty much sacrifices himself for the good of the others and he also cares for Yukino and Yui. It's the same case for Yukino and Yui. I'm not going to provide examples for Yukino and Yui's progression because you get my point.
One last thing that I want to talk about are the new characters introduced for this season. First is Iroha Ishiki...She is one of my new favourite characters in the series because of the way she acts. She's like a hybrid of Hikigaya Hachiman. She maintains a cute appearance and has an image of an "innocent girl" but on the inside, she's a rotten girl. She doesn't care what other people think of her except her appearance. I also love the running gag between Hiki and Ishiki where Ishiki keeps rejecting Hiki...as a joke, of course. One more character that I want to talk about is Kaori Orimoto..All you need to know about her is she's a Class A scumbag. However, there is no other girls that's worse than her other than Haruno, a Class S bitch that deserves to be hanged on a public street.
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[Enjoyment]: (9.5/10)
I enjoyed the second season way more than the first season. I really did and I wouldn't mind watching it for the 3rd time. That's right, I watched the show for the 2nd time just so I can write this review. However, what prevented me from enjoying the show to the fullest is that goddamn "Mother of all Cliffhagers" at the end. They ended the show on the worst possible moment.
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[VERDICT]
"My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO" is a perfect example of a perfect sequel. It has a very well-written storyline, complex and almost realistic characters, and a perfect romantic drama that contains little to no romantic cliches. This is a must watch if you have seen the predecessor.
[OVERALL]: (9.6/10)
Pros:
+Example of a Perfect Sequel
+Realistic Teenage-Drama
+Great Storyline
+Great Soundtrack
+Outstanding OP and ED theme songs.
+Characters have depth and almost realistic/complex characters
Cons:
-Inconclusive Ending
