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-