Changes since original
... Mondays. ⏎ How was the first episode? ⏎Kevin Cormack ⏎ Rating: 4 ⏎ Who expected this understated hidden gem of a romantic comedy from 2022 to receive a second season? Certainly not me, and given that I hugely enjoyed its first season of gentle, socially awkward humor, I couldn't be happier to see the return of the stoic Raido with his irrepressibly overactive imagination and his diminutive girlfriend, the indecipherable Reina Aharen of the title. ⏎ As with many high school-set anime comedies, Aharen-san sticks to a handful of core jokes, but continues to iterate on them in the most delightfully adorable fashion. This episode alone may have caused me at least a dozen new dental cavities from pure sweetness overload. Central to the show is Raido and Reina's cute, mutually ive relationship. They're an odd couple who fully get one another. Mostly. Raido is prone to impressively catastrophic flights of fantasy when it comes to Reina's wellbeing, and Reina's not terribly adept at making her needs/worries/intentions understood, but somehow they muddle through happily together. ⏎ The whole cast of side characters are present and correct, with each of their quirks on show, such as bizarrely intense teacher Ms. Tobaru, who spews blood at the slightest hint of “esteem.” It's a shame she's our apparently highly-esteemed (at least in her eyes) central couple's homeroom teacher now. The poor woman will likely need a few transfusions by the end of the academic year. ⏎ The new character, Riku Tamanaha, fits right in with the other eccentric students; a blonde gyaru who is as effusively enthusiastic as Reina is reserved and quiet. Their budding friendship is both powerfully wholesome and precariously fragile, with both girls hiding unresolved emotional trauma from elementary school. Despite the mostly light-hearted tone, Aharen-san still finds time to explore the complexities of adolescent friendships, including the crippling self doubt, second-guessing, self-sabotage, and need for connection common to so many people. I cheered as Reina and Riku came to a proper understanding of what they meant to one another. ⏎ While Aharen-san barely features much of a plot to speak of, and each episode tends to mostly comprise a collection of loosely-associated skits, it still manages to sneak in some profound emotional truths in between the gently offbeat humor and cutesy hijinks. As pure saccharine comfort food, I adore its light frothiness and am very glad that these adorable dorks are back to brighten up my TV screen. ⏎ Kennedy ⏎ Rating: 3.5 ⏎ What a...