SIDE CHARACTERS - Started off very rough, but got much better with time.
One of my biggest issues with Season 1 was the side characters. Many of them had dislikable personalities and made questionable choices that ruined the quality of the show. Whether it was a pervert that just wanted to watch IRL sexual tension, a friend that kept setting up awkward encounters, or a mother that somehow misunderstood everything without ever thinking things through… it made their screen time a pain to watch. For the first few episodes, it seemed like things were heading in the same exact direction. But then, we got the light at the end of the tunnel.
One of the best decisions this season has made is focusing on the full introduction of the Uzaki family, some of the most entertaining side characters I’ve seen in RomCom this year. Each character has a realistic but likable persona (including a “reworked” Uzaki mother), making the dynamics between the family and Sakurai feel natural and entertaining. This is a welcome change to the previously mentioned side characters whose only goal seemed to be forcibly intervening with the main couple. On top of this, each family member has heavily interacted with Sakurai without Sakurai knowing who the other person is. This starts an interesting build-up toward Sakurai and the Uzaki family formally meeting each other, bringing the potential for funny “that was you???” moments.
In particular, I found the relationship between Fujio (Uzaki’s father) and Sakurai to be one of the funniest parts of the season. Neither knows just how closely connected they are to each other, so when they discuss private-life problems, it’s a lot more personal than they both think. This has a wonderful payoff towards the end of the season by creating a super funny situation that was worth the wait.
COUPLE CHEMISTRY - When you let things play out organically, you get a healthier dynamic.
Again, one of the biggest issues with Season 1 was how forced most moments between Uzaki and Sakurai felt. My personal entertainment was always at its peak when I was just watching the two of them interact naturally with each other. But whenever a side character tried to “speed things up” or introduce tension, the dynamic would feel stiff and awkward.
But with the change in side characters comes a change in main character interactions. Season 2 lets Uzaki and Sakurai just hang out like friends, which is kind of the whole premise of the show. Moments of romantic tension are developed naturally through the actions and personality of each character, making the whole relationship feel believable and strong. So when all this tension is brought up during the big finale, I’m left with the sense that this is what both characters truly want, not what the author, audience, or side characters demand.
RELATIONSHIP PROGRESS - A slow burn is fine, great even, but don’t get too repetitive.
If there is one criticism I want to remark on, it’s how repetitive some things can get when watching the romantic side of things. Again, I really appreciate the slow but natural development of progress in the relationship. However, there were a lot of times when Sakurai or Uzaki stumbled upon the same feelings created from the same situations seen before.
The best example I can think of is Sakurai calling Uzaki by her first name, Hana. We saw in Season 1 that Uzaki wanted Sakurai to use her given name as a way of demonstrating their closeness. Sakurai, feeling awkward about the whole idea, doesn’t really budge until Uzaki gets mad. This same exact situation is played out again in Season 2 when Sakurai calls other characters by their first name but not Hana. Sure, you could say this introduces Hana’s feelings of jealousy, but the core of the problem is still Sakurai feeling awkward about closing the gap between them.
And this recycling of previously explored developments is used again and again for multiple scenes. I feel like Japanese college friends do more than just bicker, play video games, and drink… so the author should find more unique ways to bring out progress in their relationship. It doesn’t have to be exclusive to this show or built off complete chance, but it shouldn’t be the same thing I saw a couple of episodes ago.
FINAL VERDICT - Worth a watch for any RomCom enjoyers, especially those seeking an organic, slow-burn relationship development.
“Uzaki Wants to Hang Out” is not perfect by any means, and I don’t think it could ever reach the level of greatness seen in legendary RomComs like “Kaguya: Love is War”. However, this season was well worth my time and I think it will be worth yours too. I recommend giving it a shot if you found the main characters entertaining enough in Season 1.
