Season 1 of Nisekoi, while not particularly original, did everything right: establish the premise, introduce all relevant characters, throw them into the typical rom-com situations, and explore the main plot mystery a bit while advancing the relationships, with a big shift in the grand finale. lots of well-timed humor, lots of doki-doki moments. and while nothing stood out as particularly interesting, the manga executed it all more than competently, and Shaft's anime adaption only futher elevates it into solid 8/10 territory.
Unfortunaley, the material for Season 1 was the best the manga had to offer, and that's where the "fell off" part comes into play. after the big Romeo and Juliet arc, everything comes to a grinding halt. the story drowns in endless filler, relationships dare not to progress under any circumstances, and new characters are being introduced to mask the fact that nothing actually happens from here on out.
thusly, Season 2 of Nisekoi simply feels like a collection of OVAs with no actual plot relevance. Shaft are still providing the same high quality producction as always, so at the very least it's nice to look at, and a lot of the gags still hit their mark. but while never truely boring, it ultimately does leave you with a sense of "why did I bother watching this?".
maybe in hopes of a Season 3?
in a weird way, we should be thankful that it never came to that, because after many years of non-progress and one-off Tsugumi-Filler chapters - admittedly the jokes were always still on point -, the Nisekoi manga ended in one of the most lackluster endings I have ever seen in a rom-com, only rivaled by the likes of To Love-Ru's "non-ending".
Admittedly, a lot of my negative thoughts stem from me knowing where it all ends: nowhere in particular if you don't read the manga, and with a meh ending if you do slog it through those 200+ chapters. so as harsh as my words may be, I cannot give Nisekoi: Season 2 lower than a light 7. because ultimately, I was entertained. it was a fun time, even if it lacked any substance. but I'd rather rewatch Season 1 multiple times over having to watch Season 2 ever again.
