Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku

Delicate friendships grow gradually over time when you first meet people with who you may or may not get along. That is the case for the characters that inhabit Oregairu, or SNAFU. Dysfunctional and down-to-earth in their inner characterization, it’s an anime about as slice of life as one can get. With its stunning debut exceeding expectations for many people, me included, it was evident that we needed to see what was next in our journey through complicated, awkward friendships. I don’t think anyone was expecting something this compelling for a sequel. I never expected much from Oregairu when I first came across it last year. My thoughts of it have been on the spectrum of the positive side on the critic scale. It was a nice refreshing take on the slice of life genre that explores many themes based on social interaction and alienation. They involved quasi-philosophical narrations by our unlikeable hero, named Hachiman, or his numerous other nicknames. They brought us deeper into the psyche of the loner that we might have become at some point in our young lives. With its sequel under the belt, it still has those same qualities we liked before but adds unprecedented development to our main characters that will make them unforgettable from here on out. The plot is driven based on character development since this is a “character story,” meaning a story that focuses on how the characters grow in the story. So it would be logical to go through each character one by one and show how the writing improves from the previous season to this one. And by each character, I mean our three main protagonists, since they are the most important of the rest, which will get their critique. In recent memory, Hachiman, it would be wise to start with the new cultural phenomenon in the anime world. It perplexed me how this character started to strike a chord for many people during the first season. Now that the 2nd season has happened, I can figure out why. Hachiman has become the new Shinji to this current generation of anime fans. However, Hachiman has more in common with another infamous outcast character before Shinji, Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. Both are despicable in how they interact with people and interpret life in their selfish line of thinking. This comparison is by no means a negative. It's as positive as I can push myself to. It’s great to see characters that fit into the description of being “selfish” or “egocentric” when they are written well. By writing well, I mean that they have some characteristics to their selfishness that you find sympathetic to him. It makes the character strong and likable in this regard. Hachiman is no different from this description of a character driven by their ego. This season is where we finally get to see his gradual growth come full circle and is handled with delicate care and emotional resonance. I won’t give away the specifics of what happens because it is one of those moments to be experienced to grasp what words can’t describe fully. Our two heroines, named Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama, have similar attributes to our main hero, although Yui is less so than Yukino. Yukino has a more distinguished personality than Hachiman when dealing with other characters and situations in her life and school. Yui is the most cheerful out of the bunch and cares deeply for people close to her. All three of these characters share a lovely bond that continues to fuel up the charming chemistry they possess. Like Hachiman’s development, Yui and Yukino have the same amount of growth that continues to season 2, which helps make them more three-dimensional than when you were first introduced to them. That ensures you’re doing a great job making these characters memorable after you’re done watching it. There is a new addition to the cast named Iroha Isshiki. I did enjoy her introduction to the series. However, I wasn’t as engaged in her development as with our other main characters. Not deficient in any way, she just wasn’t as up to snuff as the other characters. The supporting cast has the distinction of being just there to help develop our main characters with nothing special to add to their roles. Many complain about all of the characters being blander than your typical slice of life anime. My response to this argument is by simply defending the “dullness” of the cast based on the context of the show’s atmosphere. It isn’t your typical high-energy slice-of-life anime that we are predisposed to get used to over the years. Their aspects all amount to them just being dull human beings because the direction gives a realistic view of social life between young adults maturing through the tough times of being a high school student in Japan. Not that this approach can’t always be good, but with Oregairu, it adds depth to the story by creating a naturalistic tone to the show. One noticeable change right off the bat is the art design of the characters. I’m really on the fence about whether I like this or not. While I think the art itself is good, I still think the 1st season’s artwork was better in how colorful the characters were and were not saturated with a bright white tone to their designs. It was almost similar to To Love Ru Darkness’s new art style change, except that it was an actual improvement. Not a wrong art style, just not the most fantastic decision to put into fruition for the studio’s part. I’ll leave off this by saying, Hachiman is not the only thing that makes this series great. Many will remember the series for his presence, which is not just what makes this series enticing. This sequel is just the icing on the cake that puts the series at one of the greats in the hierarchy of slice of life anime. Though it may be borderline melodrama, it isn’t always forceful to the point where it seems fake. It’s not the perfect portrait of high school life, but nothing else will be. Grade: A-

The first season was good, but I never imagined the second season would be so perfect. Welcome to Oregairu, an anime featuring some of the most well done character relationships I have ever seen. Story: 9/10 One thing I really enjoyed about this season was its lack of clear-cut arcs which so many anime seem to have. There's nothing innately wrong with having arcs; the issue is that it often prevents genuine character development. The completion of an arc usually means the main character of that section is now irrelevant, and the nature of having arcs means that character, or characters, will only have just that one arc to develop. By avoiding this convention, Oregairu allows our characters to develop over all 13 episodes, not just 3 or 4. Plot wise, the story picks off immediately after the first season. Hachiman and the girls go back to doing their Service Club duties, except this time Hachiman's methods will not go unpunished. His tendency for self-sacrifice may sit well with him, but he'll soon learn that self-sacrifice doesn't only hurt him, but others around him as well. This may give the impression that the second season is depressing. It's not, but it is definitely more serious because we'll see the bonds of our three beloved characters really put to the test. Think of it as a more mature version of season one. Art: 10/10 The art is actually really good. You'll see a major difference between the two seasons. Sound: 10/10 Solid opening and ending themes. No complaints. Characters: 10/10 Honestly, this category deserves an 11/10. You'll witness a great amount of growth in Hachiman, something that I actually saw some people disliked. Many people have claimed he's lost his sarcastic and pessimistic attitude, something that attracted all of us to the show in the first place. To be honest, this is sort of true. He's less sarcastic, but only because of how much he's matured. He's come to realize that "youth is a waste" isn't really accurate, and that trying to maintain this apathetic attitude doesn't bring happiness to himself nor the people he cares about. Watching him grow from his trials was extraordinarily satisfactory. His journey means he has drastic effects on the people around him, however, and you'll see how Yukino, Yui, and the others are affected by it, for better or for worse. Can't really say much more without spoiling it, as the show is heavily character-focused. Enjoyment: 9/10 Just really perfect development of characters. Sometimes I wish the show was more light-hearted like the first season, but it's by no means a serious drama or anything. It's still the characters we know and love, but now they've grown up a bit, and it's been fantastic to watch. Overall: 10/10 If you're a big fan of season one, which I know a lot of people are, you will fall in love with season two. Definitely a must watch from Spring 2015. If this review was helpful, please say so! If not, I'd be glad to know how I can improve.

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku (snafu).. well, that's a long title, just like the character conversations from this anime. Yeah, a lot of blah blah blah.. scenes where the characters are just sitting, doin nothing and just another high school rom-com / cliche'.. that's why they say this is one boring show. For me, i described it as "ONE OF A KIND" I just happened to appreciate the unique approach on this anime. If Baby steps attacked the sports genre with a realistic approach, no supernatural powers, just tennis and a bit of romance, SNAFU gave me some human-ecosystem on social aspect and philosophical theme. really?? like some highly acclaimed anime like evangelion, monster, psycho pass, death note, etc.. that we dig in because of their depth. What's impressive here is they applied it on such a fragile genre which is High School rom-com. Its a Hit or a Miss move for the producer of this show. They perfectly used the main characters, Hikigaya hachiman a proud loner, he never cares if he's not cool in the eyes of others. He's very introspective which is very critical for this show, its a character who is loaded of counter thoughts before he even get the outcome from his actions. Some of his arguments and opinions or thoughts were not delivered in a flashy way (he narrated only) . Yukino on the other hand is like Hiki she's a loner because she's too smart and pretty, basically misunderstood for having an intimidating personality. While Yui is the cheerful girl, she's not as articulate like the other 2 mc's, but a person who's not afraid to express her care. We got characters here facing issues with their personalities which slowly changes or not? as the story progresses. Misunderstandings are common for rom-coms, so this anime dissected the thoughts of every characters, it allowed me as a viewer to see it and interpret the situations, then Hiki will surprise you with his practical, unusual and loner-way of problem solving. Its not a perfect rom-com you may criticize the hiki-yukino-yui predictable love triangle outcome, the kind of service club they formed doesn't exist in real life, and its slow pacing. Its a type of anime that i can't give a perfect score but something special.

This anime is almost perfect. The characters were portrayed excellently. It is very realistic that I felt like I am not watching an anime. The art was excellent compared on the previous season. I love how the "harem" thing were overshadowed the main plot... As a viewer, I see first that the character is good before I continue the series. But in this anime, I like every single character from minor to major roles. The anime is very refreshing and entertaining. This is the first time that I enjoyed watching anime that most of the episode the character always talk, though it made sense what they were talking about... Overall, I give it a 9. Why not 10? because I feel like that this anime can do more. I'm barely satisfied in the story, because I am expecting something that didn't appear in the anime. Overall, a great anime and highly recommended not only for anime lovers, but for everyone.

After the first season, I thought that this would just be another series designed to lure in people with a simple, lighthearted romance, with the no actual substance.... But boy was I wrong, and I am glad I was. The first season had some drama in it and gave the characters some development, but in this season shit really hit the fan, allowing the anime to develop the characters a lot more and showing the depth of the characters. This series follows Hikki's path to establish something genuine with Yukino and Yui. It is quite the treat to see how Hikki develops from an cynical introvert into a lovable person capable of compassion and love. Hikki puts on a facade and tries to act as if he doesn't care. But we know that is not true due to the thoughts he has. He clearly wants to have real friendship but his awkwardness and pride leaves him unable to convey his desires. He claims his indifference of other people's thoughts, yet it clearly has an impact on him. He yearns for a change in his life, yet he perpetuates the same old same old, afraid of what could happen. He acts like he doesn't care for other people, yet he goes out of his way and damages his own reputation for the sake of helping others. To put it simply, Hikki is not honest with himself. From years of being alone, he has set up walls to his true personality, which is capable of loving others, helping others, and making others laugh. In this series, his hard shell will begin to crack when he realizes what he truly wants.

I feel like the best way to think about this show, at least for me, is in terms of Nic Pizzolatto's responses to critics regarding True Detective. (For those of you who don't know, Nic Pizzolatto is essentially the sole writer for the HBO show True Detective which has received mostly acclaim, but some very harsh criticism as well) Essentially Mr. Pizzolattto has responded to criticism by say something along the lines of "I didn't write this to please anyone." This isn't about fan service, so to speak. Objectively speaking I don't think I can say whether My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Too! is comparable with the top 50 ranked anime series; that being said this was a 10, subjectively speaking. The ability to appreciate this animation hinges on a couple of things, you need to have watched and, to some degree or another, enjoyed the first season. Appreciating the humor in Hachiman, but also the very real nature of his self-defenses is paramount if you are going to develop empathy for him. Is empathy necessary to get the most out of this show, probably not, but it sure helps. This is not a simple show. In the sense of the first season being much more intelligent than average comedy, but still mostly a comedy, perhaps there was some sense of simplicity. By the second second season, the bar had been raised in terms of the degrees of complexity of the social dynamics and the number of different ways to understand any given situation. I'm Not Actually Going To Spoil Anything, but some people may consider some of what comes next to be a spoiler despite my not actually spoiling anything. SPOILER The way the creators chose to end the series, was probably one of the least popular ways they could've decided upon. A person who wants more given to them and doesn't want to work for anything, in terms of understanding media, will likely be disappointed at the end. That being said given the nature of the show I would expected no more than I received in terms of closure, and I could easily have seen there being even less closure. Generally speaking we can count our blessings as it pertains to having some sense of closure at all. People like easy. My Teenage Romantic Comedy SNAFU Too! was everything but easy. Sure it's still ranked in the top 150, but it could drop. This is a masterpiece, more complex than many classical pieces of literature. The understanding of human interpersonal behavioral dynamics required to write this is profound; the writer/s could have a career of significant achievement in the field of social psychology, I'm sure. While this show was very meaningful to me, it wasn't fan service and it wasn't easy. I wouldn't change that. This being said many will watch and miss things or simply be unable to understand; when that happens poor reviews will be given and ratings will drop. The show will sink into the abyss and no one will watch it anymore, except for those of us that appreciated it the first time.

Oregairu is anime full of melanchony and bittersweetnes. Even if might not be meant to, it brought me a lot of feels and mostly because i could relate. This show might seems mediocre to regular people, but for us, loners it's something we can find ourselves in. Not another show where two girls fight about one random guy, but story about lost fish that found soulmate in the eternal ocean of plain people. Apart from the first season, this seems much more serious, but it didn't really reveal much, thus i rate with 8 points for story. Art was very good indeed, but this is one of the elements that first season was better at. 8 points Sound was great, brought nice or sad atmosphere just where it was required. Also the opening was one of the few i could not skip. 9 points. Characters were what made this anime so good. God i would have rated them at least with 12 points, but i sadly i cannot. Hachiman is loner and one young philosopher. Others are long dead to him. Raised in the world where fakes are not accepted he adapted, hardened and build walls where only his little sister was allowed enter. He is genius in his own way, he knows how people behave, what do they think because everybody is so simple, yet even there are exeptions and he finds himself lost when trying to read certain girl. Yukinoshita is very beatiful girl, everyone admires her, yet she finds herself hated, bullied in the past just because of jealousy and her unability to fit between the fakes. There is it, the beauty and the beast, both excluded from society for many different reasons, but the one main reason remains the same - they weren't able to fit in to the society 10 points for totally outstanding characters (Still at least 12 in my head tho ^^) Enjoyment - well not much to say about this what already haven't been said. I enjoyed this show very much, every episode kept me entertained. 10 points. Overall - Characters are keeping this anime high above most of the shows i've watched, this anime deserves spot in my top anime list with it's 10 points. Now there's nothing left but to wait for another season (well maybe if i get impatient i could read the VN, but i think that i'll wait for anime).

I don't want to ruin your experience when you watch this anime, so i will reduce the spoiler as much as possible. By today (26-06-2015) Oregairu already at top 100 in myanimelist #87. Despite the last episode cliffhanger, this series indeed gave us an amazing ride since the first season. Story 10/10 The story is, yeah, outstanding (my opinion), Hikigaya Hachiman A.K.A Batman, come back in the season 2 and he still sacrifice himself to help other people. If you already watch the season 1, you will know what i mean. Each episode show us their interaction with each other in their club. A lot of people come to their club to ask for help, ranging from simple to complicated things, and in the end, most of the problems is solved by the trio (Yui, Yukinon, and Hachiman). But after Hikigaya sacrificing himself so many times, the club faces a lot of conflict. Yui and Yukinon's heart, including Hikigaya's breaking a bit by bit. Yui and Yukinon didn't like the way Hikigaya solves problems, and their ideology is different. The climax is at episode _SPOILER_SPOILER_ 8, where Hikigaya crying in front of Yui and Yukinon, and in the end he ask them to help with the problems he face. Even though they come across a lot of problems, they always learn, sometimes, you cannot solves something by yourselves. Art 9.8/10 Despite the Studio change from season 1's brains base to feel animation studio, the animation quality is improving a lot, (for me) , but i gave the art 9.8 because at some episode, the running scene feel a bit weird lol. Everything else is good though. Sound 10/10 I totally love the OP > Harumodoki sung by Yanagi Nagi , and the Ending > Everyday world which is sung by the 2 main character (Yuigahama Yui = Nao Touyama) and (Yukinoshita Yukino = Hayami Saori). all of the voice actress also did a great job voicing each of them, when they are happy, when they are sad, or when they are angry, all of the expression seem to fit with the voice they make. And for the BGM, it is good, but nothing else i can say. Character 10/10 All of them have unique characteristic. Even though oregairu's cast a lot of people, they do get a nice character development. Enjoyment 10/10 If i can gave the enjoyment's score more than 10, i will definitely do it ahaha. I did enjoy this anime a lot, and by the end of this season, i'm hoping for more Oregairu, an OVA, a Movie, or maybe a Season 3. Overall, if i sum up all the score up until enjoyment part, i gave this anime 9.8/10 and i round it up to the 10. I really enjoy this anime, and if you who read this review like an anime with School, Comedy, and a bit romance, this anime is for you.

This anime, on the surface, seemingly gets right everything that its predecessor got wrong. The animation, once somewhat crude and simple, is now beautiful and seamless. The backgrounds, once uninspired, are now works of art themselves. Yet, within this transformation, the creators/directors lost what made this series (the light novel and the first adaptation) originally so riveting and masterful. The centerpiece of the franchise, unquestionably, is its main character Hikigaya Hachiman. His indomitable introversion, his fierce pessimism, his wry humor, his witty sarcasm, and, perhaps most importantly, his awkward attempt at reconciling his wishes/desires with the world around him, make him the incredible character that he is. Yet, these are the qualities that he seemed to have lost in this second series. Hachiman’s pessimistic monologues and somewhat vengeful critiques were replaced by quiet reticence. His once astute and cynical invectives were replaced by insipid observations. The moments where he would once be awkwardly flustered, he would now be expertly calm and cool. This second season seems like a fatal misinterpretation of Hachiman’s character and what made him so likable in the first place. It is true that he tries to embody the very definition of lazy. Nonetheless, he never really lacked in energy or spirit. Somewhat paradoxically, you could say he was in fact invigorated with the “spirit of laziness.” However, in this second season, he just acts and talks as if he is actually listless, tired, and uninterested. In short, the directors transformed Hachiman from a once thoughtful, pessimistic, and awkward character into someone who seems like he is “too cool for school.” Oregairu is one of my favorite series. The light novel is riveting, as is the first season of the anime. But in an attempt to beautify the art and the main character himself, this second season perhaps robbed him of what made him so wonderful in the first place: his personality.

I loved the anime! But i need a closure between the characters, is there a s3 confimred or??? I hate endings like these (if this are a ending). Like phantom requim, that ending bugged me to no end! I do understand how they want people to make up the ending by themself. but i hate that. I really hope a s3 comes and that will bring closure to the relationships between those 3

An anime going in my favorites. A really great anime to say the least. The story follows closely to the light novels, which is a great thing. The anime did leave out some/rushed through parts of the light novel, so if you enjoy this anime a lot go check out the light novel! Now into the review. Story(10/10) The anime picks right off from the first season. It shows the last few seconds of the last episode of the first season giving your a slight refresher to what had happened. Hachiman, a high school boy who is antisocial and seems to despise just about everyone. Even so he will sacrifice himself to help others. This creates conflict throughout this show. Characters(10/10) This is where the second season takes the cake. The three main characters develop much more in this season than the first season, especially Yukinon. In terms of likable characters, this season we got a few new faces to add to the mix to make this season entertaining. Along with better development for the main characters people who previously disliked them now begin to like them. Art(10/10) The characters look different! You will notice right away that the characters look different than previously. I like the new characters designs more than the previous season. When I watch a high school anime I do not have very high standards for the art compared to a Action anime such as Fate/Stay Night, therefore I find the art in this anime to be up to standards. Enjoyment(10/10) I have enjoyed this anime a lot. I had watched the first Season earlier this year and was ecstatic to find out another season was already on it's way! For those of you who felt the first seasons romance was lacking should have no fear, because it is VERY apparent in this season. Our lovable characters will change and become what we always wanted them to be.

Wow. This will be my first review, so bear with me as I gather my thoughts. This anime is wonderful, and might be one of my favorite ones to date. Season 2 of OreGairu explores what I have been thinking about a lot lately, which are the coping mechanisms we put in place to deal with the reality of life, and coming to more self awareness about those mechanisms, and the struggle that it is to experience and reconcile with that, and begin to overcome them. Hikigaya is a 3rd year in high school, who, as a result of a childhood spent feeling rejected, isolated, and awkward has become one who pushes people away, and hurts them before they can get close enough to hurt him. He puts up a front of being uncaring and cynical, and doesn't acknowledge that what he really wants is to be accepted. Throughout this season, he is challenged by the 2 people who can get through to him, his sister Komachi, and his teacher Hiratsuka Sensei. One thing that this anime does well is show Hikigaya's internal world (as well as the other cast member's internal worlds) as he navigates being around and with people, the reality that his coping mechanism was created to avoid. This is done beautifully through the use of visual storytelling, using devices such as framing and symbolism. The creators also spend time every episode showing the characters body language, displaying their emotions. Many of the dialogue between our main cast members are dripping with dramatic irony: everything that is said means one thing to the characters, but a whole different and reflecting reality to us as the audience. All these things work together to create a subtext that immerses you into the minds and hearts of the characters. There were points where I could feel the tension between characters, and I knew how each of them were feeling during said conflict, without having to be told, or outright shown. One theme that this anime explores that really impacted me is how when one is faced with a dawning self awareness of their own flaws, they don't always know what to do to move forward, or really what they want. They don't know what an alternative is to the system that they're lived their whole life in. And Oregairu seems to say that that is ok. The uncertainty, while extremely uncomfortable is worth pushing through and taking one step at a time to get out of the fronts and coping mechanisms that distract us from who we really are. Everyone is dealing with realizing who that have been and are faced with a choice to remain that way, or to grope in the dark to find a new way. While that task is extremely daunting, OreGairu tells us that it is worth it. It is worth it to try to change, and take our time with it. It is worth it to mess up, get back up, apologize to those we hurt, and move forward. It is worth it, because the end is what the anime calls the "real thing". It is worth agonizing over, thinking about, and struggling to get to something real, get to a place that is truly where personal identity is found. This anime touched me and inspired me to continue on the struggle to find and create stability and health on the inside of me. I hope that in watching it you are inspired as well.

I am gonna say this straight up - I was not a fan of the whole art style chance since I loved the art style in s1 and I didn't like the addition to the drama. But later as the story progressed I understood and really liked it. This is probably one of the most enjoyable anime I've watched and the enjoyment increased with the addition of the drama which I didn't expect to happen. Overall, the story is alright, it progresses and transitions well and is very engaging. The art style is beautiful, especially in the OP which I thought feel. did perfectly. I liked the s1 music more than this season's but how they played the OP and ED of s1 in some parts of this season was nice. The characters are perfect and they still play their role perfectly even after introduction of 4-5 new characters. Enjoyment is out of this world because this is just sooooo engaging and fun to watch, I generally think high school and drama animes get a bit boring but despite the little reduction of comedy in this season, I LOVED IT! Story - 8 Art - 9 Sound - 9 Character - 10 Enjoyment - 10 Overall - 9.2 - 9/10

Sometimes in life (when you are pissed off) you feel that, do I need to be kind with my friend/classmate? Do I need to put up this act that nothing ever happened? How to behave in that particular situation? Why am I living this hypocritical life, I dont really need friends or do I? The same above situations are clearly depicted in this anime. Our MC is sluggard but intelligent but takes the above questions into consideration and quits making friends...This anime tells perfectly whether you need a friend or not. Now setting aside the gist and praises of the anime... Soundtracks are good, Character development maybe little less but you can understand whats the mindset of each character, and even Art is good. Only thing that's problematic is that there is way too much conversation and too much dialogues which are spoken indirectly, but thats what makes this anime "awesome". ( You will understand them if you understand the situation, you dont need to read whole conversation) And only drawback is there isn't much story, and mostly some event is going and our Club members are helping them out. Overall: This is an awesome anime with topics of life, It is really educational about friends and life. There might be long pointless dialouges but that whats makes this anime pretty different and needs to be watched at least once....:)

Yahari Ore no Sishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku really is an enjoyable watch. To me, the dialogue/thoughts of the characters contributed a lot to the story. This is especially true for the main character, Hachiman. His quirky, dark, and dry humor as well as philosophy is quite relatable, and his thought process is fun to follow. In fact, all the characters, themselves, are also very unique and interesting to understand. The character development is integrated well in this anime. This is especially true in the second season, when events and relationships start to deepen, but change (for the better or worse?). If you enjoy a nice romcom, light, yet slightly dramatic, then this anime is for you. If you enjoy growing with the characters in an anime, then this anime is definitely for you. (Less importantly, if you have a somewhat satirical, pessimistic view on life, this anime is also for you.) Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

The one flaws i see in many people who doesn't understand the situation, the trouble, the repetitive, the logic, the subtle meaning in people's action, the misinterpretation about the reasons in the characters (they even uses their past to justify the character's behavior and reasoning to their contemporary life as well), the hidden form of human nature in people who're clouded within their own zone of popularity and selfish needs, and predictable thinking about the young within this generation is just a holistic thinking. Which was display quite well within this anime. It shows us different form of subtle messages when a person, or probably a character with personality that can fit itself well. There's... I guess alot of sophistry within it too. It's a great show if you're bad at catching a person who's going into sophistry just to deceived you within his or her argument or just simply dodge the main topic of discussion. (like how they would use sophistry to make themselves looks smart but ended up failing to come into the conclusion when their initial reasons were to do just that. Just like how it was presented in this anime's character discussion and interactions.) Story: 7 As far as we all know, all slice of life anime tend to have a pretty crude, mundane, and plain story line or progression that it can literally be seen as a cliche ones. Nevertheless, most of the story that we would ever get from this are usually the ones that are... I guess, a story or a challenge that can be pretty life changing to one's relationship, future, and human's life. I feel like, the story itself aren't really a story. But more like a series that talks about human's or high school's problems that tend to go unnotice to our generation of learners and wanting the viewers (especially teenagers) to notice these things at school, so that they wouldn't commit or be deceive by other's actions, or being misunderstood by others simply because girl did this to you or a guy did this to you. Unless you have a much more clearcut, or on point information that the person who's acting like this to you are actually interests in you. P.S this is all Hikigaya thought process, which is a pretty reasonable with his background story too. It's just the author's way or subtle messages to the audience that, you and others should think about other people's feeling when you behave in a certain way towards them. Why? Every behavior in our daily lives's interaction are subjective to interpretation. So you may ended up forcing them to think about the positive things (and ignores the negatives) about them, others, or you. Which may ended up horribly if it were to be use for some development of that person's love interest or a mean of changing things. Art: 10 As far as it goes, the art itself are as fitted and well drawn, specifically for an anime of this genre. The art itself aren't that extremely glorious or glamorous and amazingly drawn with an articulate details on the character's design, feature and shapes. But it fits this anime. The character's body language are well translated too. Which is rare for an anime to go to this details on it. In addition, Not every good story has to have the best art, with the best or welly drawn character and background pics. As long as you find it to be fit to the story itself. Then it's not troublesome for your taste of art. Unless you're one of those perfectionist that only like anime with a high quality art ones. And if you planned to use art as a way to evaluate the anime's quality than you're just committing a fallacy of appealing to beauty. Because these matter are subjective to the person's wants on how the art should be in a slice of life or within any other anime out there. But i would recommend you, sakurako san no ashimoto, fate zero, fate stay night unlimited, attack on titan, or some of the other old ones and possibly some of the upcoming anime in 2016 as well. If you want to see a high budget anime with an extreme investment on art, and animation (the number of the same images but not entirely, being display with the remnant of its high quality art per frame to make the movement looks smooth and with quality of the same level of the primitive art design of the initial scene. When it's being loop or being aired live) Sound: 10 Every music pieces or OST that you will hear are pretty well fitted for the mood of a specific scene. Like the ominous/sad/emotional sounding OST when you hear one of the character shutting other's opinion down, despite it being decided and ended up trying to sacrifice themselves into solving other people's own problems. While not being acknowledge for helping them in any way. And the voice acting are pretty perfect for each of the character's personality, and the attempt of the character of trying to condescendingly talks or mocks the other within this show. It sounded so real (due to the swaying of tone or its sound) to make you either get sick or piss off by them. Character: 9 While some of the character may seem pretty normal to us, and stereotypical for this generation as well. They do possess... something that this generation of children or teenager never has. And that's, critical judgement on relations, popular kids having a supreme jealously over how knowledge-able Hikigaya (the introverted but extremely willing to help others as long as he's being the one who's being hurt as a result of solving their problems) and he would always has a conversation or beg him for somethings in order to.... I guess, becoming closer to how he thinks. Or an extremely deep thinker, mature, adult like characteristic female teenager who's extremely rude, while considerate at times when she's within the situation where they can be considerate or in debt of a favor to them to make them to be considerate. They aren't innocent and human like basically for that age. They thought about things that no teenager would ever thought about. Especially Hikigaya and Yukino. But that's what makes their character interesting and fun to see. Them with a polar opposite opinion but mutually a loner before they apply into this volunteer club. For hikigaya case it's understandable, but not to this level of self awareness and observant type. Overall: 10 I thoroughly enjoy this anime simply because it has a much different and a more deeper approach to human's behavior, body language, subtle ways of saying things while trying to make it positive just for the person's appearance, sophistry that we use, and methodology to solve a human's problem that may affect both parties or just the individuals. Simply put, the anime itself help us to understands human better. Relationship specifically and the way human behave or talks in a certain way. And i can solidify and make a confirmation about it base from my past experience to these high school life's dilemmas and other teenager's actions when they could be seen acting into this stereotype that portrays in this anime.

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. But honestly, it had me in tears. There is so much truth to his speech it's almost scary. I have alot of similar viewpoints as our main character. In my opinion, what he means is friendships, relationships, and interactions simply out kindness, guilt, or mutual understanding is fake. It has to be something that is real, something we always wanted not by maintaining an image of any sort. 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 is 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. 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 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 my review. 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! Final Score: 10/10 extremely well done masterpiece.

I was not able to write a review directly after finishing this show. It took a good couple of weeks for everything to settle in, and even then I had trouble. Last week, I was reading through some reviews on this season, and was GENUINELY (get it?) disappointed. So here I am, a few months later, writing a review. (warning, very indepth and long - do not read if you have word-o-phobia) Story: For some, the story progresses a bit too slow for their liking. For me, the pacing was also a bit slow. But I still enjoyed the ride. Others complain about the slow development between main characters. I felt that the slow development is intentional for such a realistic work. In many other romance animes, characters fall in love after such a short period of time. This anime uses the first season's development SO EFFECTIVELY, which gives it a backstory for any interactions between characters. Many people don't understand that the first season was a buildup of emotion and drama into the second season. They don't understand that INTENTIONALLY, there is less comedy in the second season. BECAUSE SHIT HITS THE FUCKING FAN. Comedy was NOT THE SELLING POINT OF THE FIRST SEASON (although a main part of it)! People are forgetting the deep monologues, the building tension, Episode 12's conclusion monologue which fucking killed me. The memories and feelings build on top of one another. It's a slow ride. But a damn good one. But not many understand that. Art: It took a while to get used to the art in the second season. I enjoyed the new looks (it was more accurate with the Light Novel), but I just couldn't help but notice that the exaggeration of Hachiman's and other characters' looks in the first season highlighted their own roles extremely well. But Studio Feel did adapt them very well. Backgrounds were amazing as well. Kyoto, the school, StuCo room, the Service Club room itself, etc. All very well done. Lighting, too. As for animation, there were some sequences I felt a bit iffy about, (first 30 seconds of the first episode: I'm talking about you), and an extremely emotional scene where... Feel probably should have made Hachiman look a bit more anime-like instead of going for a more realistic style. (Not only for aesthetic purposes, the contradiction between his design and Yui and Yukino's designs really don't match up in that one scene, making it hard for viewers to concentrate on the emotional sentiment). Other than this, I loved the new art. I really did. It brought new light to the characters. Also the subtle changes in the OP's art really had me thinking. Sound: I wish I could give sound an 11/10, but sadly, I cannot. You need an explanation? Here: Go to YouTube and search up Oregairu OST. There's your explanation. Oh, look up Yukinoshita's theme, Yukitoki (piano vers.), and Hello Alone (Ballad vers.) I'm 100% sure you'll like them. The OST's are SUPERB. OP and ED were good, but I liked the first season's better. Character: Ahh... If you thought ART and STORY were long reads, it is time for an actual essay. Of all the animes I have watched, this has got to be one of the most emotionally sophisticated and realistic ones I've seen. Hachiman, the main character, is the most likable MC I have EVER seen. He is neither whiny or wishy-washy. He is blunt and unforgiving. He is also compassionate at times. Yet he has flaws, and he KNOWS he has flaws. 8man is batman. 8man knows he's a loser and accepts it. I could go on and on about 8man but I doubt anyone would want to read a review like that. Yukinoshita Yukino is a character that everyone has seen before. The supposed "Ice Queen" who reigns supreme, doesn't have many friends, and has a cold attitude. Yet, underneath the surface, she has complex feelings and quirky and cute hobbies (Pan-san). Her banter with 8man is witty, funny, complex, and shows she enjoys their exchanges. Her backstory provides her with an excuse of how she acts sometimes. I will leave you with a quote from one of my posts: "Yukinoshita hates his methods. She does not hate him. Her whole philosophy of life is to help people solve their problems, and I quote the first few episodes of the first season, "and help them stand on their own feet." She hates Hachiman's methods because 1. It is self degrading, 2. It is a temporary fix, although it is effective, and 3. It does not take into account others' feelings. She does things her own way, by being "cold," she is trying to help Hikki. So no, she does not hate him. Otherwise she would not give him the time of day. That is the kind of girl she is." Yui-mom is hot, wait what. Yui as a character, is one of my favorite. Her development from season 1 is astonishing. She went from cute but insecure and always matching the mood with others, to cute, still insecure but more aware of her own flaws and her strong points, having genuine friendships, and cute. Did I mention cute. The writer definitely placed her as the link between 8man and Yukino. Without her, their relationship between each other would have been strained. She's the lighthearted, slow-witted, but still intelligent girl. She's the foil to the ever-serious Yukino. I'm going to touch base on three important side characters: Iroha, Hayama, and Hiratsuka-sensei Iroha, introduced extremely late into the whole overall story, is still an important side character because she paved the path between Hayama and 8man. Not only that, she made him realize something - that he was doing what he was doing for himself, because 8man WANTED something. I won't go any further, but she is an important and cute(?) character. Hayama, is the most interesting side character. I disliked him, but as time goes on, I'm starting to understand his perspective more and more. He knows what 8man is doing to himself, and he KNOWS that 8man knows about everything (referring to the drama, sorry, no spoilers), but is feigning ignorance. He is an excellent foil to 8man, yet at the same time, viewers can't help but imagine what he's thinking. Hiratsuka Shizuka. R.I.P. season 1 sensei (imo she was much prettier 1st season). Although not much is said about her backstory, we can infer that she has had a rough childhood as well. Much like Hachiman, she was a reject, but she forged through it all. In one of the most important scenes of the anime, she is truly a "sensei" to Hachiman, on life itself, and influences his next decisions. Overall: Sorry for the length of this review. There's still so many things to touch base with, the subtle ironies of the show, or the deep connotations of Hachiman's monologues, each and every one. I wish I could analyze each of them for viewers, a piece at a time, but my fingers already ache from typing this. This review was a more practical one than an emotional one, explaining everything to the best of my ability. read MisterImouto's review for the emotional standpoint, and to understand why this anime would resonate so well with some viewers. I agree with every word they said, and did not feel that I needed to repeat their words, and thus made this review.

[Adapted From Original Blog Post] This is somewhat awkward. I rarely stand here before you and review that I actually consider one of the best anime I have ever seen, because hell, how am I going to justify such a massive claim? Yes, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU. Zoku is not, in my opinion, only one of the best sequels of all time, but is probably up there in my Top Ten list of my favorite anime ever, and to explain something like that is somewhat like explaining why I chose Tsubomi Kido to be my waifu(trust me, I'm going somewhere with this). I know what I feel is strong enough to be justified, but the second I attempt to put it into words I can't quite seem to grasp the heart of the argument, or I feel I failed to explain it well enough to make the point I wanted to make. And that's frustrating. It's the reason why I sometimes shy away from reviewing the better spectrum of Eastern animation. It's easy to say why things that suck suck(because they suck), but explaining why something is truly great takes another whole level of mental organization and articulation to bring to fruition, levels likely more complex than my feeble mind can handle. But I've always wanted to give a shot to explain my adoration for one of my favorite anime. So today, I'm going to try my best. Hello people of "The Wired", my name is Quan, I hope you've had a wonderful today thus far, and welcome to a new anime review, and my, is it a big one. Today, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU. Zoku, the sequel to 2013's My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU. Alright. Let me take a breath. And here... we... go. Let's take technical first. Zoku was animated by Studio Feel, who aren't exactly in a positive light when it comes to their reputation. They've made some alright stuff like Outbreak Company and Mayo Chiki, but mostly their résumé consists of things like the softcore-porn OVA series KissXSis, the wincest epitome Yosuga no Sora, and the infamous ecchi So I Can't Play H! Needless to say, seeing such an entry like Zoku into the medium from this studio is more than unexpected. Hopefully this means Feel is turning a new leaf in their time as a studio, but then I remember that Bikini Warriors aired in summer. So... this is probably just a one-time thing. Kei Oikawa steps into the role of director for this season, doing a surprisingly good job too despite only having major directorial work in Outbreak Company and Minami-ke Okaeri. The writing was handled by Shoutarou Suga, who has done scripts for anime such as One Week Friends, and Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Solid State Society, but also has done random episode scripts for many different titles, like Eden of The East, Nanatsu no Taizai, Eureka Seven and Blood+. Finally, the anime ran its 13 episodes from April 2nd to June 2th of 2015. Onto the plot, then. Story Life appears to continue as normal for Hachiman Hikigaya and the Service Club. They still receive requests from various members of the student body who need help with their problems. The relationships of all the students, including the Service Club appear to have gone unchanged, and the monotonous trudge of everyday life continues forward without change. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Despite his sincerest efforts to avoid growing close to others, Hachiman finds himself stuck in between his own stubborn ideology and the threat of the unspoken words of the people closest to him pushing away the closest thing to true friends he has ever had. Standing at the crossroads of the purpose of youth and relationships, Hachimana, Yukino and Yui will all need to confront what is actually important to them, whether the things they feel are real, or just another byproduct of the superficiality that constantly surrounds their lives. The answer won't be easy to obtain, but as the Service Club watch the elements that make up the high-school experience in the students who walk in and out for their club-room, it might just be a lot closer and obvious than any of them think. I realize fully that that description doesn't exactly tell you what happens in the show, but that's because nothing truly different than anything else you'd see in any other rom-com transpires, at least as far as the basic set-up goes. But to get this out of the way now, it doesn't really matter. SNAFU has always been a character-driven show, and it's thanks to that aspect that the show is able to transform what would usually be cliches into little pockets of development between the relationships of the characters. Even something as basic as Hachiman randomly running into someone in a cafe serves some sort of purpose in the forwardness of the characters, and it's able to do this thanks to the great writing. While the interactions between characters in the first season were mostly just great because they were witty exchanges of dialouge, Zoku takes it to a whole other level. I don't simply mean that by the dialouge is extremely clever and intelligent(because it still is), but now there's always another layer of conflict running underneath the dialouge. There's always something being left unsaid in the conversation, or something that is implied to be really said when the characters interact, and this adds a fantastic window for the viewer for the what the characters actually think about one another and the situations they get themselves into.... and what it simply being said on-screen. Zoku doesn't just do this through cheap inner monologues, you can see what is really being stated from subtle glances, to the range of expressions on the character's faces, to certain silent actions that for one reason or another have some sort of meaning within the unspoken narrative. Hell, even the cinematography occasionally chips in to show either division between characters or something similiar. Trust me, I would love to show you some examples of this, but the examples I feel best encapsulate what exactly I'm talking about would spoil huge chunks of development later on. It's exceedingly rare to see something as tightly written as some of the best interactions in Zoku, and it's actually quite amazing just how much is packed into these 13 episodes, and simply put, that's because no time is wasted. Okay, so the pacing is admittedly slow, especially in the first few episodes, but just because the episodes are slowly paced doesn't mean they aren't important. While there is a very good arc running in the background of the first few episodes, I think they were also meant to establish the overall tone of this season and how it differs much from the first, which I'll go into later when I talk about characters. The point is, this seemingly slow start is meant to establish the stakes for this season, and I think you'll find, as the episodes progress and so too does the remarkably complex themes, this little period of stupor is quickly forgotten when compared to how much else Zoku has to give. The show's resolution is the only part of this entire equation that feels a bit incomplete. I don't mean the thematic resolution, but rather the one for the characters that Zoku had been building up to until that point. I don't know if 13 episodes simply wasn't enough for that, or the LN's haven't quite reached their conclusion yet, but as it stands, with 2 seasons and a grand total of 26 episodes, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU hasn't been concluded, and that's a shame, because that would be the final piece to assure Zoku's dominance in the slice-of-life genre. All I can do now is sit back and pray that a season 3 will happen and conclude this story. If that season 3 doesn't happen, well... that... is a huge problem. Characters I'm actually going to take about the supporting cast first, mostly because I feel I should save the best for last, but also because I want to preface with some things first that will hopefully lead in later. Now, SNAFU as a franchise has easily one of the best supporting casts out there in anime, and I real…

This anime is great because the majority of the viewers who like this anime can relate to Hachiman or Yukino. Basically being a loner or being depressed and being excluded from friends or whatever. That's what makes this anime amazing for those people. But people who are optimistic, happy and social, that watched this brought them down and most likely they never wanted to finish it. Some of the great things was the beautiful soundtrack and fluid animation. But mostly the character development. It was truly a beautiful anime. So for all the loners out there, this anime is for you, so you can finally be understood.