Nisekoi: is a sequel to the first season that picks up where the previous season left off and continues essentially in the same manner. There are a couple key differences however. The first would be the addition of a few new characters, mainly Haru. In some ways, she seems to be taking Chitoge's original place as the one constantly attacking Raku considering Chitoge herself has changed a good amount from her original character, but her personality beyond that is different enough in that she's a lot more down to Earth that she stands out on her own. Her character introduction and character aren't all that great but work well enough and overall I think she's a solid addition to the cast. The rest of the introduced characters are side characters that push the main characters in various directions, and they do a decent enough job of that, while mostly being solid on their own. Of especial note is Chitoge's mother, who is crazy awesome and has a crazy awesome theme too. The other main difference, is that while it does pop up a few times, the locket and the past are far less important compared to the previous season. One of the things I really disliked about the first season was that it kept up bringing the past and the locket, building up suspense, and then in the end having all that go absolutely nowhere. This season doesn't advance anything in that regard either, but it doesn't focus on it either so it wasn't an issue at all. Hence, it gets to focus on other things which are far more interesting. It provides background to the heroines irrespective of their connections to the locket and past. This also means that the stories and drama this season does have actually get to have a point and don't just flounder in the end, so they actually manage to have an impact and it feels like characters personalities come through a lot better. The series is still very lighthearted and full of humor, more so than the first season I would say, but like the first season this season does a pretty good job of this, and with the more serious aspects and story concepts being much better it feels much better paced, and hence overall more enjoyable. Still, it should be noted that while this season doesn't screw around trying to pretend something is going to happen and then not having anything happen, ultimately the end conclusion of not much happening remains, and while it is amusing and introduces new characters, overall the story doesn't feel like its been advanced any significant degree.
The art and animation are solid and feel pretty normal by Shaft standards. The OP was great. I still feel there are too many EDs, but I felt they were better than the ones in the first season so there is that at least. The soundtrack wasn't particularly memorable other than the track that often opens episodes as in the first season, and Chitoge's mother's theme. The random side story with magical girls was also random but quite amusing.
