Oh, how this series causes such a rift within my mind. I don’t really know how to describe it, but I can’t properly judge this series. It happened with the first series, and it happened with this addition. There’s something about this series that’s hard to judge critically for me. Perhaps it’s because I don’t really know what this series is trying to accomplish? Really, what is this series doing?
Here’s what I get from this series; there’s a guy. He used to really like being an “odd”. He no longer wants to be an “odd.” He meets a girl, who is still in the phase of being a “odd.” They go through a lot of shit and now they’re together, and that’s where season two kicks in. Now they’re living together (because lawl) and their normal lives change forever… except they don’t. Nothing really changes. Some new characters are introduced, but that’s pretty much it. I mean… ugh. Chuunibyou, really, what are you trying to provide me? It brings in a rival to Rikka, then doesn’t make her a rival, then it does, then it doesn’t, then it does one, final time, and then nothing. Okay. Shichimiya is a plot progresser. Nibutani and Dekomori have a couple episodes to get closer… okay. Kumin becomes more of a relatable character… cool. That one dude who can’t seem to stay Asian is almost completely disregarded. And the main character? He’s the main character. Kind, caring, oblivious, and what-not. Whatever. I guess you could count this paragraph as both the plot and the character section. Essentially, the plot is never set in stone and the characters are the same as they were in the first season… except Rikka and main character fuck. Just kidding, after twenty-four episodes, do you expect anything more than a kiss on the cheek from a show like this?
The art is the same. It’s literally the same. Except the secondary male character, who may have a desire to become African American . Other than him, everyone basically stays the same, design-wise. In terms of the new characters, Shichimiya having dull, pink hair automatically makes her an archetype and original all at once. Shichimiya is just an interesting character overall, she just isn’t focused on from a personal standpoint, save for when she’s swooning over the main character. Main character’s sister shows up out of nowhere (like in this rundown of the show) and contributes nothing to the show. She looks like a combination of Rikka and Kumin, which makes me think of her as a second Rikka, being there just in case main character’s relationship with the first Rikka doesn’t work out (lawl, incest in anime joke). Am I forgetting anyone? Oh, there was that one girl who claimed to be in love with Rikka… I think. It may have been Nibutani, but either or, she was designed nicely. I think she actually had the most appealing design overall. She was just never shown. I don’t even feel like I’m talking about art anymore.
Sound.
I just gave this series a five, because, overall, I thought it was worse than the first… but I can’t really say with confidence why. The episodes about Nibutani and Dekomori’s relationships were stupid, and the napping tournament was beyond stupid. I think these things especially were the driving force behind my low(er) rating, but in terms of quality, I think this is a decent show. It just… I don’t know. It’s boring(?). I can’t really describe how I feel about it, because there’s nothing there.
The Visualist's Veranda 