Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku

Let's start with the good. Oregairu has some great, believable characters. From the beginning of the series, I've always thought Hachiman was one of the best main characters ever spawned in anime, with his hyper-realistic and negative outlook on the world and human relations. He takes everything we expect out of an anime protagonist; naivety, loved by all characters, attractiveness; and turns it on its head. He is looked down on as a creep by all of his classmates, he seems to have come to terms with this. Yukino and Yui are really the first two real friends he ever has, but due to his reputation and his bitterness, none of them are really willing to admit it. It only stands to reason that this would create some complicated drama between them but.... I felt like I was watching a daytime soap opera or some other generic drama-filled pedantic depressing romp through the lives of a bunch of people who just can't seem to get it together. Every episode spiraled further downward into a depressing confusing mess of emotions that just didn't seem to go anywhere and were never properly explained. Where the first season had some decent comedy mixed in with the drama, the second season had more drama, like frosting on pudding. It was convoluted, thick and heavy, and it always left a bitter taste in my mouth when the episode was over. Even the last episode, despite its fun, cute, and otherwise enjoyable moments just devolved into meaningless babble about "the real thing" and how something-or-the-other is ending or something-or-the-other would never be the same, and then the credits rolled, like if George Carlin were to end his routine with a Laffy Taffy joke and proudly bow and leave the stage. Everyone seemed to love the second season of Oragairu. I did not. I kept watching, hoping to see some kind of development, but it just flat-lined at that deadpan, semi-intellectual woe-is-me drama after a few episodes and stayed there until the end. If you're looking for more clever Hachiman antics, more comedy, more cute tension between the main characters, or any kind of mix of ups and downs, you might just have to wait for the third season. If you liked the first season, statistically you will probably (unlike me) like the second season, but prepare for constant debilitating, depressing drama.

Hikigaya Hachiman, a high school loner who has no need of friends and looks at the world realistically and chooses his goals and makes choices according to that. Feeling and emotions have no importance to him. Yukino Yukinoshita, a high school girl, probably the most intelligent and beautiful girl in her school. Thinks of herself as superior to all others and looks down on them. Also thinks she has no need of friends due to past experiences. Yui Yuigahama, a free spirited high school girl who is keen to make friends with everyone. Enjoying her youth to the fullest. But she tends to sacrifice herself in order to gain approval of her friends. When these three come together in the volunteers club, a wave of emotions and mutual understanding arises. This was what happened in the prequel. This sequel again shows the gang taking on requests. But now, more focus has been given to the relations between them and the feelings they have for each other. Conflicts arise, misunderstandings occur and feelings are conveyed in this exciting sequel that definitely lives up to the reputation and takes it to another level. Art & Animation: Feel studio was doing the work this time. Starting out, I felt uncomfortable as to what would happen in the sequel but the result was remarkable. The art and animation quality is superb, much better than the prequel. The character design is almost the same, just improving on the previous ones to keep up with this modern age of animation. Characters: New characters are introduced with the old ones getting reduced screentime. But they have importance to the show. Some new characters get an awful lot of attention but in the end, it is all about the trio. Enjoyment: Just as I loved the prequel, I love this one too. The better animation made it more enjoyable and the theme songs were awesome to listen to. The reason this anime is so good is because it doesn't go with your cliche romance settings. This isn't as much about romance between two people as much as it is about the emotions and understanding between a group of friends who love what they have and want to protect it no matter what. Sure, you may want some cliche romance (I want one too) but looking beyond that, this anime is truly one of a kind and one can't help but love how it all works out.

Note: Covers both seasons Oregairu’s premise, on the surface seems like a typical romance comedy. It had all the components to formulate such a series, however, what it truly seeks for, is the viewer’s recognition of the aspect of realism and negativity, how the social system operates and its cruelty to those who deceive it; it portrays a story of Hachiman Hikigaya, an pessimistic protagonist, who rejects reality and conceives it to be almost like a prison, his hope in social interactions in turmoil, due to his past experiences with the downsides of love and life. So what happens? Well you guessed it; Yukino Yukinoshita, a girl of every student’s dreams, not only beautiful but a genius. However, the catch is, she has quite the cynical personality, so what happens when you allow these two characters to interact? Calamity. The humor that sparks between the two is nothing short of a masterpiece, that’s not where it stops however, let’s just tie the loose ends of what at this point you assume to be, a typical romcom and include add another girl into the scene, said person is Yui Yuigahama, she is cheerful whatever the occasion and almost serves as the glue for the trio’s relationship, throughout the course of the show, whether it is humor, or a darker aspect of the story. Although its comedy is gold, that is not its selling point, but rather the characters themselves are what makes this series cross over from the typical sorts, to what I would consider a masterpiece, although this aspect of the show was not prevalent near the beginning of the series, but rather the latter and for the entirety of season 2, it is pretty interesting, as by following such a pattern, I assume the author is trying to convey that “Nothing can be the same once you truly get to know an individual”, which is quite the focal part of the anime. It’s these post-event interactions which allow these characters to mature. As a story however, there isn’t actually much to it, which is as expected of a slice of life, however between season 1 and season 2, there is a large difference, as season 1 is rather dependent on the comedy until the latter parts, but season 2 is entirely dramatic to supplement character growth, which comedy would somewhat negate so I believe it to be for the good, going back to the former point however, I personally believe the lack of plot augments this show, as it means we have no reason to be distracted away from its main attraction; the characters. All of the characters in this show seem typical, but in reality most are actually not. Let’s just nitpick some of them. Hachiman, the main character, is at the very centre of this show, not only in terms of his position, but his depth. This is due to the capacity of information he relays through his monologues, which exaggerate his characterisation to a ridiculous degree. His focus on realism is so adamant, that he is almost naïve in his approaches to life, which is interesting as his nemesis in the series, Hayato Hayama, is like our loveable MC in a way, as his ability to be realistic is in the same plane, however he shines where Hachiman doesn’t, in that he knows off certain situations and hence is aware of where his ability to say something would benefit or go against him, that’s what makes him the “ideal” character, whilst Hachiman on the other hand is portrayed as the villain, something Hachiman accepts and almost looks up to that side of him. Yukino, is another character, that is very much fleshed out, and another one on the surface that I assumed to be typical. However, yet again to be slapped in the face! Her character development infact dwells on her inner conflict of emotions, but most importantly due to her interactions with Hachiman, but it worked both ways, which is something I am quite keen about in Oregairu, how social interactions, which were originally seen as taboo to Hachiman, almost changed both of them into something else. Now, Yui, on the other hand, has nothing to her, as Hachiman said himself, she is just a nice girl, now, you would probably think, what was the author’s purpose behind this? Whilst, I can’t say this for certain, I think it’s because due to not being emotionally scarred in any way, she can act towards Hachiman and Yukino as a glue, however it’s clear that due to her lack of awareness of such matters, she is often isolated from the conversations, even though it seems as though Hachiman is being isolated, due to his seat position in the club. Moving on to the artwork, it’s terribly generic, particularly in season 2, where the style was completely altered, destroying Hachiman’s iconic “deadfish” eye in the process. I think the deep lying fact behind it is to show how the surface of the series can be generic, and the outlook of the characters can supplement such a deceitful thought. OST in the series, was excellent and complemented the specific scenarios incredibly well. I also enjoyed all openings and endings, particularly the Zoku ending, where it was altered for one episode to be slow paced, to reflect on taste of the episode. As for the conclusion, this series is one of my favourites of all time, particularly season 2, as it elaborates more on the relationships of the trio, hence bringing out more of its positive aspects, as deficit, what was lost from season 1 was comedy, and even though that was solid, I believe it would seem forced due to the seriousness of the plot during the 2nd season in opposed to the first for the majority. Regardless, I enjoyed both seasons, and I had a lot of fun writing this review, thanks for reading and I hope you give this series a try!

TL;DR: While the first season of Oregairu was superficial and perfunctory, the second season taught us that using words like superficial and perfunctory makes us sound pretty smart. It took me so long to write this review because I've been reading through the numerous analytical theses of the characters and apparently this show has a deeper meaning than any of us can begin to understand so obviously I'm just too dumb to get it. I had high hopes for a season 2 of Oregairu. The first season captivated me with it's light-hearted comedy that could be serious when necessary, with some especially memorable moments. After watching season 2, it's hard to believe they are the same anime. I guess it was because the studio switch, but I wouldn't know. What basically happened was the anime became very.... realistic. To start, the art style changed from a unique, goofy, full-of-character style to, in my opinion, generic. Sure, perhaps the 'quality' of the art went up with a larger budget, but the characters ended up looking uninspired. This is most evident in comparing Yukino's design changes; she lost her ice-cold stare and attitude with it. Even Hachiman's iconic green hair is gone. As for the story.... dear god I could not care any less. With the majority of anime taking place in some kind of high school setting, there should be something that makes it stand out, whether it be something supernatural or something just plain funny. But Oregairu 2 is just plain high school drama. Nothing to supplement it. Just teenagers LARPing as adults. I can tell you right now, as realistic as the show was trying to be, no modern high schooler has the social or communication skills to act like an Oregairu character. It feels like a live action drama, not an anime. What I hate is how the show tried to hang on to the idea that Hachiman is some loser loner so poeple watching could still "ReLate" to him, yet he somehow has leagues of friends and people who rely on him and is able to convey his emotions through speech effortlessly. No loser can do that, but if we said the MC was a chad nobody could relate to him!!!11 There are also no rom-com elements. There's maybe a few hamfisted 'romance' scenes to egg on the viewers but we all get blue-balled as nothing ever comes out of them. Not to mention that no sane person would put up with the sheer animosity the characters have for each other. The show tries so hard to be realistic that it ends up feeling faker than it's goofy over the top first season. In an attempt to part ways with the 'shallowness' of season 1, Zoku ends up becoming some pseudo-deep petty drama that anime-loving, "hachiman-is-so-relatable", pretentious high schoolers can write their grade 11 English class analytical thesis to feel superior to their small brain classmates who could never understand the deepness of why hachiman cried a lot. As for art, sound, etc, it was completely adequate. Nothing memorable. Overall, if you can tolerate the slow pacing, banal characters and story, then... there you go. A sequel to Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru.

My "Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku" review Story: My verdict: a Mediocre 5. Art: My Verdict: a Fair 6 Sound: My verdict: a Good 7 Character: My Verdict: Mediocre 5 Enjoyment: My verdict: a Fair 6 Overall: My Verdict: a Fair 6 Ok, so the 2nd sequel has ended and it ended in a dull tune, so far nothing much has develop except with the introduction of Iroha Isshiki as another addition to the MC guy's already difficult to understand harem pie, as always the romance is somewhat ambiguous where one cannot tell as to whom the MC guy is gonna go for his 2 MC girls whom also have a certain ambiguity with their feelings for the guy, however the said ambiguity has been tone down where we now see the 2 of them having to compete for the MC guy's affection....too bad that the MC guy still prefers to be a rock in a hard place, since in the last episode the MC guy himself has cut short one of the MC girl's planned confession, so storywise (up) the story plot hasn't change much in its overall context and still a mediocre. On the art category(up), I'd say that it was a Fair since there isn't much on the fanservice for this anime to sell, but as usual it still rely on the school uniform moe, the sound (up) is good when we talk about the opening title "Harumodoki" by by Nagi Yanagi and "Everyday World" which is the closing theme since both fit well with the anime theme. Character(up), since the anime is all about Hikki's SNAFU Romance, I basically see no differences at all from the 1st sequel to this 2nd sequel, not even the introduction of Iroha and Kaori has contributed to any amount in this anime, in fact it only made me irritated about all the characters in this anime, on the enjoyment and overall of this anime (up), well it was fair enough at one point to be able to see the MC guy who wants to be an asshole but he can't were we see him do such task that seemly doesn't really make him an ass rather an opposite of what he wants to project, also there where moments as to the relationship between Yukinon and her mom where at one point we were made to think that she maybe made married to someone....or at least that what I think , but it was nice that it wasn't that way, but for me to give this anime's overall a high score was just isn't a fair thing to do since like I've said, this anime ended in a dull tune as excepted in most anime with a harem genre. Season 3???????? I think it'll be better if studio Feel and TBS just leave it as a light novel or if there gonna be a manga adaptation then leave it there as well if the next season will end up in an ambiguous manner.

So, hi, first review, yeah, not very used to it... Just finished the season. Before it, I watched the first one, get interested to the whole story, started the Light Novel and... Was amazed. The "Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru." This light novel is truly one of the best things I've ever read. It's so simple: you just take school, a guy, two girls, age's problems we all had. That works. And usually that's what we call shounen. When you're 14 it looks magnificent for you, when you're 18 it isn't so amazing already, and so on... But when your school is a normal, real-like one, when your guy is an aloof one not because of his bad fate, but because he is quite a smart one, who has his own way, and he is NOT a looser, when your girls is real-like too, not some gorem-type stuff, when problems are very believable, then you have a seinen. And "OreGairu" is the last one. Why it is so great and enjoyable, why the story looks so interesting, and the characters look so real, why the slightest feel of romance makes us more exited then when we watch some usual "show and tell it all" romance? The only firm answer I have—it's surely because of Wataru Watari's, the author of Light Novel's, fascinating story writing and creating skills. The "OreGairu" is always in the first places among light novel, usually the first one. It started in 2011, and in 2012 it has already win it's first reward—Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!, Best Novel Series, 15th place. It is the most prestigious light novel guide book in Japan, which tells us things. And that was only the beginning, who would thought about that: Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! 2013 6th place in Best Novel Series, Wataru Watari 6th place in Best Illustrator, Ponkan8 4th place in Best Male Character, Hachiman Hikigaya 8th place in Best Female Character, Yukino Yukinoshita Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! 2014 1st place in Best Novel Series, Wataru Watari 2nd place in Best Illustrator, Ponkan8 1st place in Best Male Character, Hachiman Hikigaya 2nd place in Best Female Character, Yukino Yukinoshita 4th place in Best Female Character, Yui Yuigahama Yes. Things are just like this. In short, in the moment, "OreGairu" is the best LN series ever made. One of the, at least. Wow, lot's of text, sorry! Well, about the "Zoku" season. From the beginning the only and the main one question was "Could "Feel" make it right? The way readers would be happy and people who didn't read LN would want too?". And the answer is YES. The 10th score is not for the LN, it is exactly for the adaptation. That's how you make adaptations! That's how! Let's just quickly look! Story - 9 Well, the original one is marvellous, but they could spoil it, they were making 8 (!!!) volumes in 13 (!!!) episodes! God, is it even possible to make this at least good? And they did it. They shortened the not-so-very important moments, the lengthened the most important ones. Great job, it is really the best adaptation I've ever seen. Art - 9 Here it's simple. Art is great. Especially flush moments. This series deserved a great art style, it got it. Sound - 9 As in the first season, the second one has really in-place and good-hearing music. The musicians are the same, and the openings and endings are all great too. Not speaking about Voice Actors, they're great too. Way to go, usually music in second seasons really worse. Not this time. Character - 10 Thanks to the LN and Feel adaptation skills, they are really realistic and sympathetic. Especially the Lead ones, Hachiman and Yukinoshita. Enjoyment - 10 That's a very personal moment, depends on a looooot of stuff. I totally liked it veeery much, the end is fascinating, in gives us a glimpse on the newest volume, the 11th one, and I just can't wait to read it. The whole season went smoothly, a lot of great, funny, thinkfull and blush moments. Overall - 10 So, summarizing all the above, the score is 10. I wasn't so sure, was minding give it a 9, after all, 10 is really a hard-to-get score, but the last, 13th, episode made it to the top. The end in any thing is very important, and here it is great. I had a lot of feelings, few times I just stopped the episode to calm. Sympathy is great, that's true. Well, "Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku" is one the best adaptation works out there, if you ask me. Way to go, Feel! P.S. Sorry for a wall of text, hope you enjoyed it =)

This season was a total let down! At the end I just wanted to pull my hair out. What the heck was with that ending? Why were they even fighting to begin with? Where’s the ROMANCE?! Half the season was just air time wasted on the Student Council meeting that should have only taken two episodes to resolve. The other half was wasted on pointless fighting between characters that was never explained. While there were some thought provoking ideas nothing was actually accomplished in this season. It was just a mass of confused depression! The difference between seasons is like night and day, while season one was light and cheerful with lots of comedy and romantic suggestions season two was depressing and lacked humor and romance alike. There was such a major lack of information during this series that I have to question whether the creators were even paying attention to what they were doing. The OP and ED didn’t match the mood of the series at all, nothing about this season was cheerful and lively. The season wasn’t all bad, it had a few redeeming factors, but only a few. The animation and artwork in this season was much more appealing and I much preferred the design of the characters, Hiki didn’t seem like a “rotten fish eyed freak”. I feel like they really tried to utilize the more profound serious nature of the series and I give them points for that but this is a RomCom and they utterly failed. The level of enjoyment for this season was roughly 1/5 of the first season. Honestly I felt more depressed and annoyed than happy, which is the whole point of RomComs. If you’re thinking about watching this season after finishing the first, I would suggest you don’t especially if you feel happy and excited about a continuation of the story. You won’t miss anything I promise, no romance and really no comedy in this season, it’s basically a different series.

The first season of Yahari SNAFU was a very solid character driven show that did a fantastic job in humanizing its characters and some really fun character interactions, not to mention a fantastic character dynamic between the main leads and some of the side characters. Yahari's first season did a fantastic job building up the characters. Hachiman in particular stands out because of this, even ending the first season solemnly vowing to not change his ways of working alone and solving things. This is finally truly brought to the test, and everything the characters stood for in the first season is questioned or changed in the second. This season resolved to an extent the inner conflicts of the characters, helping us understand them better and introducing conflicts to all the various characters of the show, including the first season. There is a sense of balance now, since while Hachiman is undeniably the main lead and the show mainly focuses on him, it became more about the side characters as well, all of whom develop in some shape or form in the second season. This works. It works brilliantly. The drama the conflicts cause feel extremely realistically developed and very tightly written, and not once did I end up feel that the show was being melodramatic for the sake of being melodramatic. The show feels more...meaningful, and almost every character's actions in this season carry a certain amount of weight, even their words which was something we took for granted in season 1. Artwork and animation quality is absolutely beautiful to look at, and while many were skeptical about the studio change, this is all but gone now. Studio Feels have done a perfect job in bringing the show to life, and it is consistent in its beauty throughout the show, not even once dropping in quality. The visual effects and background are every bit as smooth and beautiful to look at, so I really can't thing of a single complaint here. The soundtrack is incredibly better than the first season and has high hearing value outside of the show, never feeling like it wasn't fitting the scenes where those respective tracks were playing at. The ending song of this season is easily among my favorite songs to emerge out of anime in recenty memory, and is increibly nostalgic and sentimental, fitting the tone of the season extremely well. I honestly don't have more to say. Even if you disliked the first season, you're bound to find this enjoyable and engaging in some way or form. Those who did enjoy the first season will find one of the best character dramas to come out of anime in recent memory, a bold statement, but one I feel this show deserves. I can't think of anything this season did wrong and I simply cannot await another season. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

In the first season, the art was a lot different, and I kind of enjoyed it. But now, this season, it takes it into a whole new level. In the first season, it was comedy-filled and it did not really focus much on the story, until it ended in a cliffhanger. Season 2 takes off right after season 1 and shows what happened after. But when they showed it, it took me to a whole new level. The art, the style, the animation, the everything. They basically made the show a lot more gorgeous than what it was. And on top of that, the story managed to progress more deeply, into what was known as "Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku." Story: 10/10 The story goes to a whole new level as drama is added exponentially throughout the season. The story becomes serious as it tackles more on the feelings of each character such as Hachiman, Yukino, and Yui. Their lives become more serious as they have to face themselves every day without truly letting out their feelings. On a side note, side characters such as Hayato and Iroha somewhat make it more interesting. They add more in Hachiman's quest something genuine as they build up his emotions and realizations in life. Art: 9/10 As I've said, the art and animation greatly improved from season 1. Season 1 started with a good enough animation and acceptable art style. Season 2 started with a flare with all the shiny and crisp details put around it. It was as if it was a different show from the first. Sound: 9/10 Oregairu Season 2 (let's just call it Oregairu for short) had one of my favorite anime theme songs this season. So because of that, the sound really brings it up there. The ending theme was good too, and the soundtrack played along pretty well during most scenes in Oregairu. Characters: 10/10 Characters is really, and definitely where Oregairu Season 2 really excelled at. We have the antisocial Hikigaya Hachiman, the ever so cheerful Yuigahama Yui, and the shy but beautiful Yukino Yukinoshita. I'd only focus on Hachiman, as he's the main driving force of the show. His very clever and wise interpretations, ability to read BETWEEN the lines, and his wild declarations whenever he talks in his mind. Hachiman always ends up hurting himself for the greater good, which ends up hurting the characters around him that care. That being said, Hachiman still ends up hurting someone even if he tries his best not to. Hachiman is a character to be remorseful of, that one character that many can relate about, and that one character that anyone just wants to be friends with. The emotions shown for each characters is the main reason why this show is going to have a season 3. :p *Spoiler* Because the group wants to let out their emotions to each other, at the same time, if they do, then the whole group would feel awkward afterwards. That is why Hachiman and the rest are still in search for something "genuine." That genuine thing is about them truly letting out their emotions, which is yet to happen in the future. Enjoyment: I waited every week for the first episode until the last, just to see Hachiman's somewhat crazily-smart dictations and declarations, as it was somewhat satisfying just watching him read between the lines like an Albert Einstein. Overall, Oregairu Zoku boasts one of the best anime of the season and maybe of the year, as it trails the hardness of finding something genuine, and at the same time going through emotional scenes ever wondering if their emotions can finally reach each other. This is my first ever review, so I hope you all some Pax et Bonum!

Relationships are the thing that bonds people together. We familiarize ourselves with the people we know by knowing ourselves what kind of person they are and connect deeper after we understand the accomplishments and more importantly the problems and issues that they have experienced in their lives. But sadly, that is never always the case, as sometimes, we don't always know whether the person we think we know, is the person they actually are. And with Oregairu, that becomes something worth talking about. Story (8.66/10): Picking up right after the first season of Oregairu ends, this season continues the tales of the Volunteer Club, where its three members Hikigaya, Yukino, and Yui continue through their club activities of helping other people in their school with their problems. Like its first season, Oregairu Zoku bears the same style of story, a very simple story idea (that being club activities) put in very complex plot points that give a lot more meaning than meets the eye. However, this time, the show centrally focuses on the main three characters of the series rather than on the people that they actually help, giving us a lot of character development for the featured characters of the series. Most importantly, the show focuses more on Hikigaya and his view on his relationships and the way he tries to resolve the issues that come forward to the volunteer club. The show focuses heavily on character dynamics and are very masterfully done as exhibited by the change in character that Hikigaya gets within the series, and by how other characters are influenced and explored thanks to our protagonist's way of doing things. In addition, the story focuses on the other two main characters, Yukino and Yui for a good chunk of the time, though not as much as Hikigaya gets. Likewise, the heroines get character exploration and details that make them seem more lifelike, another plus to the storytelling and the structure that the show takes. Most importantly though, the anime never loses focus on what it wants to tell you. It strictly focuses on the characters and the relationships that they have with one another, with each of them seeing their own faults and flaws which doesn't waste any time and grips in the viewer with the story. That being said, however, the show has a couple flaws with itself as well. The number one issue that this show has is simply its way of storytelling. Because the show focuses so heavily on relationships and the way the characters talk and interact with one another, it inherently becomes very text heavy and for a complicated show that requires the attention of the viewer for its complete run in order for someone to fully understand it, it can be a bit overwhelming at times. In addition, several plot points within the show don't really seem to be completed. As I have said before, the actual events within the story are in overview, very simple, so when that simple plot points (such as organizing an event) sort of disappears next episode without actually seemingly being finished, that raises a couple flags. But really, I think the biggest flaw with this story is its ending because, CLIFFHANGER! Yes, Oregairu ends on a very big cliffhanger, so big in fact that I pounded my desk after finishing the series. It's not fun when a show has a cliffhanger ending, and because second much less third seasons of things don't always get made, it's a bit of a slap to the face when your fans finish one season and can't see what happens afterwards either because the show either doesn't have more time through another season to explain, or there's just no delivering because they aren't going to make anymore. Despite the few flaws within the series, there really isn't much to complain about the story. It's a wonderfully crafted show with complete focus towards what it wants to deliver and really puts into perspective the kinds of things we take for granted, asking questions like are our relationships actually genuine? Or do we really know the people that we assume to be our friends and family? Overview: + Simple story to contrast the complicated details + Complete focus on the plot + Great themes - Cliffhanger ending - Text heavy, so can be complicated when watching Characters (8.98/10): Similarly, the cast is a wonderfully created group that really makes the show a lot more lifelike and a very good show on account of how realistic the characters seem with the way they act, and how fresh they are on account of not a single one of them really being considered a cliche or troupe. First, we have our main protagonist, Hikigaya Hachiman. As our dead fish-eyed protagonist, Hikki returns back to the series as the forefront for the series. Unlike last time, Hikki not only just helps out with the requests that he and his club are given, but the show is mostly devoted to him and the ideals that he has for himself and for his life. What really makes his character a lot more interesting is that fact that the show challenges Hikki and the way he does things through conflicts and situations that he is not familiar with. In the end, we get this great character development that really makes him a shining example of character growth, earning the show a huge positive because of how consistent and well-paced his development is. Also, for the entire show, he monologues his internal thoughts, so you can also get to know him in this way. Then we have Yukinoshita Yukino, one of the two main heroines of the series. In terms of development and screentime, Yukino gets significantly less than she does than in the first season on account of the way the story in this season plays out with about the first 6-7 episodes focusing mainly on Hikigaya and the development that he has. But for the latter bit, the show takes a turn and focuses on her, tackling the issues that Yukino was somewhat shown back in the first season. In terms of development, the show does offer her some, however it's not entirely as prominent and upfront as what Hikigaya had with his story, and it required Hikki as a catalyst to even begin. And finally, Yuigahama Yui. Yui is more of the bum of the three, not really getting any extreme development and for the majority of the series, standing in the sidelines alongside Yukino. Similar to the other two, they all want to find something genuine in the relationships they have, something that has them all coming out in truth rather than hiding things from one another. Yui for the most part serves as the catalyst for this ideal, and for the series, wants to really do something for herself and not rely on other people in order to solve a task, trying to get people to share their burden with her, which is admirable, but the show doesn't really put enough screentime to blossom out that trait of hers. Side characters in Oregairu have historically also been very good characters, as many of the side cast are essential to the plot of the show and are the ones that create the issues for our main protagonists to solve and help with the development of themselves and our protagonists. In this season, there are several new people that take the reign like Isshiki, as well as many old faces like Hayato and his circle of friends, the trap Totsuka, Hikigaya's sister ,Komachi, and Yukino's sister, Haruno. In comparison to a general side cast, these characters feel a lot more lifelike, like real people just like our protagonists. They all have a hidden side to them that they don't like, and they all have flaws just like a normal person does. They're not just plot devices, but character that also have the burdens of life. In character-based shows, this is a very big positive for the series. The only issue is that not everyone really gets treated the same, so a lot of old faces might not show up as often as people may like. Overview: + Great main cast + Great side cast + Absurd amount of character development - Some members of the main cast aren't treated with major developm…

We live in a world where realistic relationship is a fantasy fairy tales and novels make up. Humans continue living by tricking one another, being a phony, lying even to themselves and hiding our own motives. Even if someone comes to you and say "You can be real to me, because I'll be so to you too", you won't open up to them, and in fact close your heart towards them, thinking they have some motives under their back. "But still, I want something genuine." -Hikigaya Hachiman Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru Zoku, commonly called in the west as My RomCom SNAFU Zoku (called in this review as romcom snafu zoku) is one of those harem anime that contains moe, cute girls being cute, unrealistic setting of girls getting attracted to main characters and main character having the solution to all problems. If anyone, however, calls this anime as "just one of those stupid moefag harem anime", they are sorely mistaken. The first season of RomCom SNAFU aired and was finished some time ago, interesting a number of anime fans for its unique style of problem-solving, an unorthodox main character who has lived a majority of his life as a loner, after his hurting memories in his middle-school. Along with the socially inept Yukinoshita and 'too' socially apt Yuigahama, the three members of service club solve the students' problem in a wrongly manner, unable to come up with a more 'correct' and 'proper' solution. This fresh pace of romantic comedy called attention of numerous viewers as the popularity of the first season left some in cliffhanger and others in relative nonchalance. The second season also follows our protagonist, Hikigaya Hachiman (henceforth called Hachiman) as he continues his work as a member of service club. The other two members of the service club, Yuigahama Yui and Yukinoshita Yukino (referred to by their last names in here) as they finally tackle the source of the problem of their falsified relationship. The story itself follows--or appears to follow--the conventional style of a harem love comedy anime. Hachiman saves a number of people from their problems and gains hearts of famous--some even idolized--girls and even boys, despite the fact that he is referred to as the 'outcast of society', especially the society that Hachiman's classmates populate. Yuigahama and Yukinoshita are both expressed, in all of SNAFU's media mix including the orignal work, as the beauties of the school that a number of male students take interest in. The new additions of the casts, Isshiki Iroha, Kawasaki Saki and Yukinoshita Haruno are all explained and shown as above-the-average girls, although they all seem to take interest in a dead-eyes protagonist such as Hachiman. However, this anime is not a love comedy. The anime centralized more in the difficulties Hachiman, Yuigahama and Yukinoshita face in their twisted relationship, as they all tackle the perhaps most difficult question in all human relationships--whether it is that of romantic nature, of friendship, of envy, of anything-- "What is genuine?" They know that the relationship they have led up to that time is nothing of genuine nature, and therefore can be broken upon a single trouble. They know that the partnership they have believed in season 1 is nothing of genuine nature, and therefore can be betrayed upon a single misunderstanding. They know that the friendship they have relied on until then is nothing of genuine nature, and therefore can be destructive upon a single word of that cold bastard called reality. The story of RomCom SNAFU is not something that cannot be thought of by an amateur writer. The scenario itself is not superficial, as it contains no unexpected plot twists or well-crafted surprises incorporating the beginning of the show. However, the settings and scenarios are not only described well, but also illustrated realistically. Although it is unlikely that people would live a love-comedy-like life, but if they did, this is how it would happen. The solutions Hachiman offers to the students' requests and the outcomes of his decisions are welly illustrated. If there is something all writers can be proud of, it is accurate depiction of reality. The greatest problems RomCom SNAFU Zoku faces as an adaptation are the favoritism the producers play towards certain characters and their failure in controlling the pace of the story. The first problem is evident upon the difference in Hachiman's reaction to Yuigahama and Yukinoshita's romantic approaches. While he evidently shows interest to Yukinoshita's approaches, he seems to show nonchalant to rejecting reactions towards Yuigahama's approaches, despite the fact that the original and season 1 shows Hachiman's equal reactions towards the two heroines. These kinds of favoritism is a double-edged sword as while it may bring up the specific heroine's support, it may also be shown as a political motive to sell more, which can and is viewed negatively. The second problem is evident in the end of the anime where it ends in a cliffhanger. Although the anime has controlled its pace magnificently for both original work followers and first-time watchers, the anime's extreme pace of squeezing an entire volume of the story into two episodes or less cannot be viewed as anything more than rash judgment. It has unfortunately even reached the end of all released volumes and showed the preview of the 11th, unreleased, volume. As these are not minor problems, the story segment which could almost be viewed as a masterpiece was pulled down severely, even threatening the overall enjoyment of the anime. In the case of art, the second season excelled in comparison to the first as all the characters were drawn beautifully and accurately to the original work, to my personal enjoyment. While there were some questionable emotional depiction of the characters, the overall quality was superb. The heroines' emotional distresses and Hachiman's struggle, especially at the climax scene, proved that Studio Feel is capable of delivering the internal conflicts RomCom SNAFU is famous for. Except for minor quality breaks here and there, and the undersized hands in comparison to the characters' heads, I have no complaints against the animation quality. As for the sound, the two voice actors, Hayami Saori and Touyama Nao, and Yanagi Nagi returns as the singers of the openings and endings. The new opening, sung by Yanagi Nagi, the singer of the first season's opening, excelled in all qualities of a good song. Its lyrics depicted the internal struggles discussed in the anime perfectly, its rhythm was catchy enough to stick in the mind in a short span of time, its quality was over-the-head with the use of Yanagi Nagi's soft yet pained tone, as if singing about a regrettably parted love. The endings' qualities were superb as well, as both voice actors performed magnificently in their duets, solo (in the ballad versions of the ending) and in their character songs. Touyama Nao asides, Hayami Saori is one of the few voice actors who are recognized widely for her performance in singing. Touyama Nao however performed over-the-top as well, in comparison to her usual songs, to my greatest pleasure. The OST's were the same as the ones used in the first season with some additions, one of them being the piano version of the opening, and it was a great choice for the producers to have used the same OSt's since it closed the gaps between the second season and the first season, which were widely opened by the art style. The OST's themselves were also a wonderful collection of music, my favorite being one played at bright times in the service club's everyday life. And, in the case of the anime's characters, there is nothing I can say other than how wonderfully they are portrayed. Their reactions and thought processes are very humanlike, which is the most any viewer can ask from a writer. The characters themselves were very lovely as well, perhaps because of their humanenes…

Well, before I jumped into the new season of Yahari Ore [...] I decided to re-fresh myself on the prior season and at the end of it all, I still found myself feeling an ability to relate to the feelings of the MC and to enjoy the small amounts of drama that occurred. It's a good watch, no doubt. This sequel, however, took characters I didn't even realize, myself, that I related to so deeply and really fleshed them out. Enough to the point where I really felt myself understanding the MC's motivations and feelings because I have also, to some extent, felt the same- especially in the brutal environment that can be high-school social life. I feel this really makes the series honest. The ending bit is especially great because it alters the way you feel towards one of the heroines (if that title suffices,) and opens up a new way of understanding the motivations of the characters and actually connects with the first season. I had tears at some points, not going to lie about that, but this presentation was great, and even though there may be some who want a more concrete ending with a finality I say this; instead of looking for closure, why not reflect on the emotions and motivations of the characters and enjoy the growth and admittance, the shame and denial, and the overall feeling that resounds too true with basic human wants and fears. An awesome, awesome, sequel. Not a masterpiece, but damn, I was gratefully surprised with how the show evolved. Probably one of the more, if not most, honest high-school setting series' I have ever enjoyed.

Given the overwhelming promise that season 1 of this show exhibited, I was looking forward to its continuation- but my expectations really fell flat. This is a prime example of a show that in my opinion went from hero to zero in the space of one season. This show echoes Hyouka in a lot of aspects- I mentioned these in my review of S1, but we have similarly cynical protagonists who are also tasked to fulfil requests of some sort, their faithful female counterpart/s and hints at romantic interest in each other, beautiful art, and a propensity for using classical music as BGM. In place of Oreki (of Hyouka)'s unconventional genius, in Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru we've Hikigaya's deadpan humour and extreme pessimism which he conveys in a manner that can only leave the watcher shaking in tears of laughter. For S1's excellent humour which was seamlessly woven in with the inevitable slice of life/growing up scenes, it really ranked higher in my book than Hyouka. This season has destroyed all that. (spoilers ahead) The comedic element, the major selling point, is zero. All gone. Burnt to a crisp like one of Yuigahama's cooking travesties. Hell, this whole season was a travesty in itself. I no longer understood the lesson he had supposedly learnt at the end of each episode or arc. The xmas festival arc dragged on for as long as Hikigaya dragged his feet. There was plenty of vaguely-worded self-angst that was probably intended to sound deep, but half the time I had no idea what he was going on about. I don't think he did either, which is probably why he devolved into tears around the time he made the request for 'something genuine'. I know I'm straying into petty sarcasm, but I wasted a good 3 days on this show and nearly quit watching it twice. Determined to stick it out to the end (and maybe hoping for some redemption at the end of it all), I was disappointed once again. I have no idea what Yuigahama's vaguely worded proposal was about at the end of their aquarium visit. Hikigaya gave another vaguely worded speech and devolved into tears again (I feel you, bro. They wrecked your character completely. Men do not cry.) Yukinoshita Yukino made a request we never got to hear, and then the writers probably thought that would be a suitably vague and faux-deep point to end the whole thing on. In the inevitable battle between exasperation at this bullshit and sheer relief that the whole thing was finally over, relief won out in the end. Even if there is a season 3 for this show, I don't think I'll be picking it up. If you watched the first season and were hoping for an encore- just rewatch the whole of S1 again. You'll still waste less time than you would if you watched S2.

YOU COULD COUNT THIS REVIEW FOR BOTH SEASONS Before watching this anime, My favorite anime was Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo. Oregairu season 1, and 2, blew SnPnK off my list. Oregairu is so great at being a Slice of Life and RomCom, everything feels perfect, and I am not even exaggerating. Instead of having general slice of life and RomCom cliches, it has a unique story (correct me on that if it was already done in old or anime that I have never seen), relatable characters and doesn't turn into harem like some of the romcom/SoL i've seen. Story : 9/10 The pacing is perfect. The story kinda divides into arcs which all connect into a final story. Each arc gives backstory to the characters, and reveals their hidden feelings or character. It all feels so well executed that you get really into the story. I won't summarize the story, so no spoilers here. Art : 9/10 Well, since the anime is new, it has some pretty good art. First season did have some flaws like Yukino sharing the same look as Shizuka, but it's fixed in the second season. All the characters look well and represent what they are well, for example Yukino being the silent Dandere has a character design that looks like a Dandere. Sound : 9/10 The opening is pretty good with good vocals, not the best opening out there though, that's why I am giving a 9/10. The voice acting is perfect, which is well, expected. Character : 10/10 This is where this anime shines. The characters are so damn well represented, even with the cliches, they represent a real life class, with the bullies, the bitch who acts like a V.I.P. (basically a tsundere), the rejected people.. e.t.c. The character development is also perfectly done. The deeper the story gets the more you feel attached to them (which is again, normal, in good anime). Yukino (my personal favorite) goes from being a bitchy rich girl with no feelings to a week and loving character. Nothing much to say, the characters are just downright perfectly executed. Enjoyment : 10/10 The moment I finished the anime, I was already on forums trying to find out if season 3 is coming. This, as I said in the beggining, knocked SnPnK out of first place on my favorite anime list, and SnPnK is nearly perfect. Although, If you are into shounens or Harem anime, this is not for you. Overall : 9/10 Oregairu is one of the best anime I have ever seen. With overall perfect characters, an amazing love triangle story, and good art. I would gladly recommend this to someone who likes SoL RomCom or to a SAO fanboy to show him what a real love story is.

After seeing so much hype and praise for this series as a classic of the romantic comedy genre I am still left flabbergasted as to how this consensus came about. Is it from the lens of nostalgia? Is the original light novel significantly better? I don't see that in any of the other reviews so I am genuinely confused. This anime certainly wants people to believe it is a deep and serious show... except once you look beyond the surface level you will find a crumbling foundation built upon boring, unrealistic story arcs, with emotionally crippled characters that would of been better off going to therapy to resolve their issues since they still cannot talk through them with each other after 2 seasons. The entire point of mixing romance and comedy together is to balance each other to improve the experience for the viewer. Comedy can serve as an emotional release valve to the drama of romance and the romantic situations can serve as comedic fodder given the situations the characters will be put in. This is the basic formula for every romcom. Even series that are purely dramatic romance, as opposed to romantic comedies, will add some humor to them for that very same reason. A show doesn't need to be called a comedy to have humor in it. Unfortunately for Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku (SNAFU), this show was both not funny in its humor, AND had zero romantic development for the entire season. Never mind having a balance, this show had neither element at all! So, what is left in a romantic comedy show that wasn't funny and had basically no romantic development for a SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON? Not much... Story/Plot - 1 There is no overarching plot beyond what the synopsis states. The 3 main characters are part of a volunteer service club, and the story follows them around as they help with the requests of other people in their school. It can be summarized as an episodic slice of school life. Since it calls itself a romantic comedy there is romantic tension in the show, and it makes it very obvious to the viewer, but this always gets ignored by the MC because if he actually paid as much attention to it as he "reads between the lines" with everything else the show would of ended after the 1st season and you gotta milk that cash cow for everything it's worth! This leaves the audience with little more than unresolved romantic tension and zero romantic development. My 3 biggest issues with this story are that it is a romcom that I found neither funny, nor romantically interesting, the main character is poorly written, and the requests the group gets are unrealistic in their premise and resolution. As I stated previously, there is no romantic development, just tension, so there is no character progression with romance. This might of been fine if there was something else going on in the story, but the boring and unrealistic arcs the club takes up just drag things along while we wait for some kind of romance to develop. Beyond the lack of romantic development, the author seems to have basically given up on doing anything more than a little sarcastic humor from the MC and a really dumb running gag with the new character, Iroha. This is actually an improvement from last season, which had such atrociously unfunny comedy that I would of normally dropped it after the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd episodes of the first season were it not for the hype of the series. The biggest offenders last season were Ebina and Yoshiteru. Fortunately, they have transformed into fairly normal characters this season and are no longer eyesores that I want to skip watching entirely. The author's decision to write a smart MC that is good at reading people continues to be an issue. Hikigaya being good at reading people continues to make no sense in the context of the story. How did the most antisocial character in the show become better at reading people and persuasion than the more socially experienced characters? Magic! You think I'm joking, but that's honestly my best guess. He was terrible at it in middle school, as the show repeatedly demonstrated through flashbacks in the first season, and he is also shown failing at it in high school now too, but through the power of deus ex machina, he is now magically amazing at it! Isn't that how it always works in great story telling? Snarky sarcasm aside, this ruins the story being told, as the basis for resolution for the requests the club gets are based on the MC successfully analyzing social situations and providing a solution for them. Additionally, the premises and resolutions to the issues presented to the volunteer group have continued to become more unrealistic, much like the last arc in the first season. We get a confession arc between 2 side characters nobody in their right mind cares about. Some more drama about the resolution of the arc between the club members that is apparently impossible for them to talk through because than the drama wouldn't be able to linger on for a major emotional moment later. An arc about the school presidential election in which we have to believe that the only candidate is an unknown underclassman that was put up as a prank (Seriously. Come on!). A short dating arc that I found unrealistic in its execution. The Christmas arc from hell. Lastly, an actually well executed Valentine's Day event. The recurring family issues in the Yukinoshita family that have been present since season 1 continue to exist, but are never explained. This would of actually been a very interesting story thread to explore throughout the season, but much like all of the other underlying drama, instead of the three main characters talking it out together, it has to be ignored to continue to create friction and drama within their club. C'est la vie. Art/Animation - 6 I found the art much prettier in this season compared to the first season. The overall production also seemed a step up compared to the first season too. Sound - 6 The VAs themselves did a decent job with their characters. There is only so much emotional range you can show in a character that is flat or 1 dimensional so the weakness of the characters weakens the VA performances too. This is mostly an issue with the side characters that didn't get any development. Characters - 5 I was pleasantly surprised to see the side characters level up a bit compared with the first season. Iroha was fairly interesting for a new character. The teacher, Shizuka, stopped hitting/threatening to hit students and served as a good mentor figure to the MC. Komachi remained loveable and Hayato got some screen time to develop a bit. Haruno continued to antagonize things whenever possible, but we still have no idea why. Beyond those side characters, none of the other ones matter. The 3 main characters experience a little more growth this season compared to the first season, but it is frustratingly slow and remains bogged down by the inability of any of them to speak honestly with each other about anything. I would understand if it was limited to their feelings for each other, as making yourself vulnerable to someone in that way is very scary and difficult to do, but it extends to much less heavier topics which makes most of the drama feel melodramatic to me. Enjoyment 4 I didn't hate this season as much as the last season. The side characters improved. The main characters were a little more interesting and actually grew some over the course of the season. While the situations that made up the slice of life were largely boring/unrealistic, there was enough there for me to make it through to the end without hate watching it. If the drama didn't feel so melodramatic most of the time the emotional moments would of landed better too. Going back to my original question of what is left in a romcom show that I found not funny and had no romantic development I am still left with this conclusion: Based on the title of the show, the creator purposefully created a romcom with…

(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!) A famous adage goes along the lines of, “It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.” Putting it differently, romance is something that everyone should go through no matter the outcome, because despite the difficulties it generates, the heart-skipping, cheek-blushing, and smile-bringing make it all worthwhile. But what if that was not the case? What if, against our better judgement, the “anti-romance” took center stage? That is whereYahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku comes in. As one of the premier anti-romance anime – focusing on the throes and pains of love, not the jubilation and elation it oft produces – OreGairu Zoku has one goal in mind: finding the “real thing.” STORY Many aspects of the world are formed as polar opposites, such as with romance and anti-romance. Usually called dichotomies, more concrete examples of this phenomenon are: black and white, up and down, and nice and rude. Their power comes from the distinct contrast they generate, because it is easier to see and understand an object when it is compared against everything that it is not. Another of these pairings is positive and negative, and in OreGairu Zoku’s case, it strives for maximum negativity, creating a dichotomy that leads to the “real thing.” OreGairu Zoku steeps its narrative in negativity, which can readily be seen when its conflicts are broken down. More specifically, who they involve, where they take place, and what they apply reveal its constant negative vibe. The “who” part of the conflicts is the easiest to surmise. The plot does not mainly focus on Yukino and Yui, but rather the rest of the cast. This seems obvious, given the purpose of their club. However, unlike the first season, it is not the two of them working together with Hachiman to solve the problems at hand but rather a disjointed effort. Indeed, much of this season shows the triangle separated until later episodes. Worse still is that even when they are around, either other characters such as Iroha and Hayato are looked at or their scenes are saturated with gloom, signifying how much emphasis is placed on everyone besides Yukino and Yui. “Besides” is appropriate given the context because “where” these conflicts take place is, too. Before, the majority of the issues centered around the school – the track field, the gym and rooftop, the student council room, and so on – but in OreGairu Zoku, the locations mostly shift away from “home turf.” The beginning of the drama happens on a school trip, the collaboration with another school is conducted in a neutral building, and Iroha’s confession takes place at an amusement park. Even the climactic conflict occurs at the local zoo and not the school. As a result, the conflicts come off as distant, uneasy, and therefore negative because they do not occur in a known, comfortable setting. The negativity is amplified further when the non-focus of the main trio is taken into account since not only are the locations unfamiliar but also the people nearby are as well. Amplification nears its peak when the “what” of the conflicts is investigated. While the people involved undergo these problems, the conflicts apply indirect pressure on Hachiman and the two girls. The cohesiveness of a group, the delicate handling of two sides butting heads, and the failed relaying of feelings are meant to mirror and highlight the most important conflict: the one brewing between the three main characters. Thus, negativity builds as Hachiman, Yukino, and Yui refuse to address their own issue despite the numerous signs being raised around them, pushing the main conflict to the breaking point. OreGairu Zoku’s conflicts also have a “why” – the resolutions are roundabout instead of upfront – and a “when” – as seniors, there is little time left – that induce the crestfallen mood further. Coupled with the dismantling and displacement of the “who” and “where” respectively, the negativity is almost undeniable. Negativity is what OreGairu Zoku breathes and lives. It is not more Yukino and Yui, but less of them. It is not direct conflict handling, but indirect. It is not honesty that is valued, but dishonesty. The writing of the anime itself is often misleading, with nobody ever outright saying what needs to be said or what exactly is going on, choosing convolution over clarity. Indeed, much of this essay uses negative language – “disjointed,” “unfamiliar,” “failed,” and so on – because the narrative has to inherently be described as such, demonstrating the pervasiveness and therefore the strength of its motif. The plot is constantly mired in this theme of negativity, and subsequently the drama that ensues gains more weight because everything is wrong at every turn. Nothing ever seems to work as intended, and even when it does, there is still the larger, looming conflict between the main cast that solidifies the negativity’s foothold throughout the season. It is this theme that leads to the show’s whole point of finding the “real thing”: long-lasting relationships. Discovering the “real thing” is not easy because negativity covers it, wraps it, and pushes it to an unreachable area. Fights ensue, feelings are hurt, and friendships are tested as the negativity is waded through. But it is this insane amount of negativity that accentuates those positive moments that much more. Picking out presents with others, having a close friend heal a wound, and making chocolate with a bunch of people are so much more rewarding for Hachiman and the others because the relationships they share, despite all of the negativity being thrown their way throughout the season, stand strong. The adversity does not ruin them. Rather, camaraderie and understanding are achieved, leading ultimately to the connections that they always wanted to have. So, while the negative connotations of who, what, where, when, and why threaten relationships, it is the second half of the dichotomy that makes them worth fighting for. ANIMATION OreGairu Zoku’s spree of negativity persists in its visual presentation. Low lighting is used to paint individual scenes in a somber tone. Coloring likewise is lowered, in the sense that dull hues – browns, blacks, and greys – make up most of the art, washing the audience in darker feelings. The backgrounds, while lacking gross variety (arguably another form of negativity), are often crisp, detailed, and simple. This is especially noticeable when compared to the first season; rather than a cartoony style, OreGairu Zoku adopts this more realistic one, foregoing fun in favor of finesse. Collectively, the visuals ooze negativity, following the anime’s overall theme. The character designs and actual animation also see an elevated amount of attention. First, Hachiman, Yukino, and Yui each have designs that reflect their personalities. Hachiman’s posture and fish-like eyes match his loner attitude. Yukino’s long, black hair and crystal-blue eyes make her as calm, cool, and collected as possible. As for Yui, her bun and large breasts coincide with her bubbliness. Second, actual animation is quite nuanced, showcasing deft hand, eye, and body movements that capture the characters reactions and improve the already realistic representation. CHARACTERS The series is called “My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU,” with the sequel adding on the word “too” at the end. Not “two” number-wise, but “too” meaning also. Because the anime is not about Hachiman’s snafu but rather the snafus of the other characters, and therefore the relationships involved. However, and weirdly, OreGairu Zoku has a peculiarity when it comes to its characters. In essence, each member of the cast is, with the exception of Hachiman, considerably weak but is used in unison to further expound on its theme of negativity and the “real thing.” Two elements of the anime cause said weakness of the characters: the direction of the…

Done watching the season 1 and 2 of Oregairu but still, I can't understand why a lot of anime fan love this series. I endured watching the whole series, patiently waiting for the 'best' part. But alas, there's none. For me, Oregairu is just a overrated anime. It's genre is 'Comedy, Romance, and School'. But where's the comedy? I can't remember which Oregairu scene is funny. Romance? After 2 season Yui and Yukinoshta, obviously inlove with Hachiman, still fail to confess their love. And does Hachiman doesn't even notice it? Hachiman words of wisdom are great, but that alone cannot make a anime great. Different people have different taste. To all oregairu fans, can you pm me and tell me why you enjoy the series? Thanks For now, 5.

Oh good, it's finally over. Those are the only thoughts I had at the end of any episode of this show. Never has a series been so anti-fun, anti-enjoyable for me. Are these characters supposed to be relatable? Am I supposed to identify with their struggles? I hate every single one of them and the best conclusion to this love triangle would be each of them dying alone because none of them deserve to be happy. Hiki is the most hateable white-knight type protagonist who has this complex where he thinks he's the most special and needs to constantly be falling on swords for other people. The show treats this as a personality flaw but sure as hell doesn't do anything to punish his behavior or correct it. The pink hair girl is one of the worst examples of "girl that won't admit she like protagonist-kun" I've ever seen. All the worst tropes of liking someone, not telling them, and then getting depressed when they start getting close to someone else. Am I supposed to f*cking feel sorry for her? She's brought it on herself and I feel nothing but anger. The black hair girl, who is apparently not the same as the tall black hair girl or the taller slightly longer black hair girl (this is why you give characters different hair colors in anime) is just a female version of Hiki with the added bonus of not being the protagonist and therefore never getting a voice-over monologue explaining her actions. We just have to guess using a superpower nobody has ever had called trying to understand how women think. Not even women can understand how they think. So she's a character that ends up just doing a bunch of stuff, giving no explanations for her actions, then also getting depressed at stuff for reasons I couldn't tell you and again I feel nothing for her but anger. This isn't anything close to a love comedy, it very much wants to be a drama. The problem is that in dramas you're typically supposed to create an emotional investment between the audience and the characters so that the situations they're in feel real and we actually care about them. None of that here, I hate all of these f*ckers and wish them the worst. Each episode that I know they are trying desperately to make seem like it's supposed to be an emotional roller coaster to me looks like it's just a serious of unrelated things happening and then it ends. That isn't a plot. There are characters I like, like the younger sister for bringing some much needed levity to an otherwise bleak and pointless series. For that and for the fact that my typical grade on middling to bad shows is a 6 or 7, I'm giving this a 4. Please for your own sanity never watch this, and if you're one of the ones that has that brain parasite that made you think this was somehow a good series the may God have mercy on your soul.

[The first time I watched Oregairu Zoku I made a mistake, and that was to take it as just another comedy, as I was expecting a sort of Kaguya-sama 2.0, but it was totally different, and I realized that the focus was not on comedy at all, or at least in the anime] ⪻- Review | Comment and Reflection -⪼ [REMAKE] It's no secret that Oregairu is called by many as the best romcom, and curiously enough, this one is the least like this genre. While Kaguya-sama is a romcom in all its purity and splendor, Oregairu goes further, and maintains to a certain extent the structure of romcoms, but without focusing on romance as Kaguya or Angel Beats does. In the second season is where everything changes and what was left of romcom in the series disappears to a greater extent. Oregairu deconstructs many of the romcom clichés, and above all takes the comedy factor out of the picture to focus on developing the characters and concepts. The atmosphere becomes more tense and serious, the dialogues are more confusing and difficult to understand, as the characters would use gestures to communicate disgust, anger, sadness, and many other types of reactions and emotions. The characters come to life... It is so much so, that it no longer seems like a romance or a comedy, but a slice of life, a slice of life that through genuineness seeks to address the types of relationships that exist in the world. Definitely the mistake I made was to expect the typical comedy of a series that does not offer that at all, and when on top of that from the beginning it already deconstructed this genre in a very subtle way. After stating the thesis, I think it's time to talk about the season in question. After the first season's accident of Hachiman mentally destroying the purple-haired girl, the atmosphere in the school service club is quite awkward and tense.... But then just then Tobe arrives along with Hayato, and would ask him to help him propose to Ebina, and Hachiman accepts the request and decides to solve the problem on his own as a gesture of selfishness, thus further forcing his invalid philosophy. What's interesting about this, is that Hayato asks Hachiman to do what he can to stop Tobe from confessing, since Ebina has no interest in him and no one, and even Ebina herself indirectly tells him to do something to stop it from happening. Many will ask, "why don't they just tell her the truth for fuck's sake and be done with it?" Hachiman himself answers it, "If all this comes to break their ties, then they were never deep." With this he makes it clear that their relationship is shitty, as they are fake people who are not able to tell each other the truth and what they think to each other. In order for Hachiman to solve the problem, he would propose to Ebina, in Tobe's place, so that Tobe would realize that she is not interested in love relationships. This Hachiman calls it self-sacrifice, the method he has started to use to help others, ruining his social status to solve one or the other problem, as Hachiman does not realize that he also has a value as a person, and for that very reason Yukino is against his methods, and Yui stresses this very thing to him, and how he does not understand feelings no matter how smart he is, as he is not able to notice the appreciation Yukino and Yui have for him. After Tobe and Ebina's problem, Hayato invites Hachiman on a group date of sorts. This is not done as a teasing gesture towards him, but as a help or a nudge. He knew through Haruno that Hachiman's environment was not the best, and even knowing that he had another chance to ruin the chemistry that arose between Yukino and Yui, he does this as a simple gesture with no ulterior motives, so that Hachiman understands that he has to value himself, and would also stress this to the girls and Hachiman's former platonic love. Hayato didn't do this to play the good guy, at first glance you might say so, but it's actually because he gave up on getting Yukino's love ...His help is a declaration of defeat against Hachiman.... The guy who supposedly has everything, actually has nothing (referring to Yukino) and the guy who supposedly has nothing, has everything. A few days later, another character is introduced, who, by chance, ends up being voted as president, without being mentally prepared, but even so, she is interested in the position of president. This is how Hachiman helps her and we see how she brings out her overprotective side without him noticing it, and helps her learn to assume the position well. Iroha is the representation of that naive character who believes in rose-colored relationships, and has a wrong image of school life and the world. For this very reason, Hachiman helps her, as he reminds her of her "past self", someone naive who had a wrong image of the world (the development of Hachiman would also be a key character). Then comes the most important point of the story, the organization of the party. A student from another school goes to the errand club to ask for help in organizing a celebration. Obviously Iroha as president has to be present, and she is not prepared enough to solve the problem on her own, so obviously someone had to keep helping her, that's why Hachiman would accompany her and for the thousandth time (like the moron he is) he would decide to solve the problem on his own... He attends many of the meetings and gradually realizes that there is a disorder in the environment, until he comes to a deduction. Everyone throws out many useless ideas to avoid the main issue, as no one has the courage to take the charge of being the public image. In this context, even Hachiman's "self-sacrifice" would not solve anything, and so Hachiman as the public image would also be of no use. The only way to solve the problem was for everyone to calm down and get their act together, get rid of useless ideas, and keep the positive ones, but time was running out and Hachiman was losing faith that he alone could accomplish all this in a short period of time. When he is depressed and does not know what to do, the heroine arrives, and what I think is the best female character of the series and one of my favorites of the anime, Shizuka Hiratsuka. She would take him for a ride in her car to relax, and on a bridge where silence is what abounds, with a beautiful and soothing environment (without so much noise and chaos, unlike the student association), the two would have one of the best conversations of the anime (and look that this series has many excellent dialogues and moments throughout its 3 seasons). The teacher tells him that he has so many problems that it would be hard for him to sum it all up, but the main one and the one he has always needed to know, was that he wasn't able to ask Yukino and Yui for help. It's true that Hachiman can read between the lines and deduce everything, but not the feelings. He talks about how in a relationship you have to be prepared to be invulnerable, as problems are part of relationships, and Hachiman understands that in a friends relationship it is impossible for there to be no problems. He talks about Yukino being trapped in a shell and needing someone to save her (a concept that would be worked into the third season), and the conversation has a lot more content, but I don't remember it well enough to summarize it all, but the amount of excellent dialogue he possesses is over the top. I can only say one word, and that is, SPECTACULAR. Hachiman reflects on what happened to the point of not being able to sleep, as he has all the key pieces to understand what he wants. Iroha shows him that it is not worth it to be someone naive again, and proof of this would be what would happen later with her being rejected by Hayato. Yukino and Yui would show him that loneliness is not something to be proud of either, and that it is only something that hinders him and keeps him in the wrong reality. And Shizuka gives him attention that he needs from the beginning of the s…

Favorite Quote: "It's not empty words I'm after. There was something else I desired all along. Not mutual understanding, friendship, companionship, or anything of the sort. I don't care about being understood. I simply wish to understand. Understand, know, and rest easy in that knowledge, gain some peace of mind. Because not understanding terrifies me. Saying I want to understand everything is extremely self righteous. It's a dictatorial and conceited wish. It's shameless and repulsive. And I'm absolutely disgusted at myself for wanting that. But if we feel the same way, if a relationship exists where we can force that ugly self consciousness upon each other and accept it, I know there's no way that can happen. I realize that's completely out of reach. But still I want something genuine." -Hachiman Hikigaya This is a long quote I'm sorry about that. As somebody who experienced some of Hachiman's troubles throughout school, this is by far my favorite quote from my all time favorite romcom character. But honestly, it had me in tears. There is so much truth to his speech it's almost scary. In my opinion, what he means is friendships, relationships, and interactions simply out kindness, guilt, or mutual understanding is fake, something that individuals wouldn't initially do if there wasn't some external factor involved. It has to be something that is real, something we always wanted not by maintaining an image, a status quo, or from guilt of any sort. Furthermore, this also gets me thinking about if these relationships between people can truly exist and if Hachiman's way of thinking is without a doubt negative, but scares and pisses everyone of because it's so true to many certain extents. Sorry that was just a few things I thought about after finishing this series. So now let's get into the review without any spoilers. Story: The story in the Yahari Ore no Seishun Zoku is almost identical with the first season. Not much has changed at all. The writing and the plot are relatively similar. The Service Club still regularly does it's duty by completing other people's requests. However, the only big difference in this is that the plot becomes alot more complex and thought provoking as the series progressed. The writing is done extremely well allowing audiences to be engaged. It never bored me throughout the series. Also, it contributed to the plot by making it very realistic. It also becomes clear that the romance becomes alot more evident as the series progresses. 10/10 Art: There were a few differences in the art. There were obvious minor changes to the character designs of Yukino and Hachiman. Nevertheless, this didn't distract me from enjoying the series. The colors were also still done fantastically. 10/10 Sound: The opening and ending themes were still top notch. Although the opening changed significantly, it still captured the overall mood of the new season. 10/10 Character: The characters in the second season of Yahari Ore no Seishun continued to intrigue me. I mentioned before in my first review that the main character was what set it apart from allot of romantic comedies, but the other characters contributed significantly. Our main character is still very much the same except he begins to open up more than usual. Towards the ending especially. The character development of numerous characters made it very appealing. This is especially true for Yukino whom we see begins to soften up significantly when she is around our main character. In fact, the contribution of new characters also made it feel like a harem, but a completely different kind in its regard. The biggest difference between the "harem" in this season is that the girls, our main character interacts with eventually develop a crush towards him, not immediately like other harem shows do. The second season also brought many other character's life perspectives and love interests to the plot and it was done in such a way that it wasn't overwhelming. It flowed nicely with the story. This second season we also get to see the teacher's point of view as well which is great. 10/10 My Opinion: The return of Batman, the silent protector. I was extremely excited to continue this series. The second season had a more serious sort of feel to it compared to the first season which was something I appreciated. We see a bit more romance in this season and more complex situations. Overall, it is still thought provoking like the first season. At the end of the series it had me wondering who the main character was going to fall for, what is a genuine friendship, bond, interaction, or relationship? The second season of Yahari Ore no Seishun definitely ranks in my top five best anime of all time. Thank you for reading. Sorry I felt I went too in depth with some of the philosophies that our main character spoke about or was curious about. I hope you guys find the second season as entertaining and thought provoking too! Also, if you guys ask me on my profile I could provide you guys with two reddit links that analyzes the romance throughout the series; I'm always open to discussion about this anime. Once again thank you for reading and hope to see you guys on my next review! Final Score: 10/10 extremely well done masterpiece