It’s the start of a new school year and a new romance for Reina and Raido. Having finally confessed their feelings to each other, the deadpan, hyper-imaginative Raido and his clingy, quiet, diminutive girlfriend Reina Aharen enjoy their school days under the watchful gaze of their friends and teachers. Heck, even the adorable ninja Oshiro joins the class. However, a new hyperenergetic transfer student, who seems very much taken with our porcelain doll dork, seems to have some history with Reina and whisks her away for fun and frivolity! Who is this new Yankee girl Riku Tamanaha, and why is she so taken with Reina? Most importantly…will homeroom teacher Tobaru-sensei survive her massive nosebleeds upon witnessing the prodigious purity and extravagant esteem of Raido and Reina? Cue the shenanigans!
You know, a lot of anime that features a couple that gets together at the end of its first season doesn’t often get a follow-up season where we get to see how our couple gets on post-confession, especially for a show that’s three years old. Typically, we get our confession, we see our couple kiss, and the credits roll. Heck, I’m still waiting on my second season of Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches and Sweat and Soap, but I digress… Thankfully, Aharen-San Wa Hakarenai gets its second season, where we see our adorable pair in their second year of high school and the first year of their romance. The show picks up right where it left off in 2022, as though its three-year time gap did not happen. Even with the introduction of a new character, this still feels like a very gentle reintroduction to these precious buns, and our blonde Yankee girl fits in with the others like a glove. This makes the show work so well for me: Everyone comes together naturally, and the friend group grows and adapts to the newcomer effortlessly. No drama, no dwelling on things for scenes on end—just some good, old-fashioned communication, and then you move on from there. If only real-world relationships worked as well as they do in anime.
This show keeps the same animation quality and style as the first season, not changing a single thing, which is perfectly fine! Thankfully, this show does not use its second season to try and redraw the wheel like other shows I’ve seen…looking at you, Dagashi Kashi Season 2. The opening title sequence, set to “Binetsuma” by Zutomayo, is a slow burn. I found it to be a little too slow initially, but when the beat drops and the chorus kicks in, the song and the animation take off—quite literally. It’s very well done. The ending theme, “Twilight” by Shallm, is nice, and the visuals work well too. There’s no word on whether this will get an English dub, but I’m hoping that one comes down the pike. Last season’s dub was just SO GOOD, with all the actors embodying the characters flawlessly and adding a level of comedy that matches and, in many cases, surpasses the Japanese.
So where does that leave us with Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2? Oh, it goes without saying that this is a must-follow for me! Watching these two deadpan dorks carry on with their sweet little romance warms my heart. Add a cast of secondary characters with their quirky personalities and stories, and you get a show you can’t miss, especially if you’re a fan of the first season. Sometimes, you don’t need a lot in your romcoms—just a lot of laughs, heart, and a couple you can’t help but love. Guys, we rarely get a post-confession season for romcoms, so you owe it to yourself to enjoy this one!
Aharen-san wa Hakarenai is available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
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