Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai! is a standard episodic romantic comedy anime that follows the often raunchy shenanigans of Shinichi Sakurai, a college student, and his high school friend, the lively and energetic Uzaki Hana. Uzaki is a girl who infamously looks like a 12-year-old boy with honking back-breaking baby-busting tata bongos. She would classify as a manic-pixie-dream-girl if that term weren’t overused and grossly misogynistic. Uzaki and Sakari attend college together and spend their days hanging out together, to the latter’s dismay. They get into mischievous (sexual) hijinks and slowly develop romantic feelings for one another.
In season two, Shinichi and Uzaki are still in college, and their relationship is blossoming. They continue annoying/entertaining one another and learning more about each other while balancing their studies and social lives. Their romantic chemistry is there; Uzaki likes making fun of him while also being attracted to him. Given that he’s ripped, has a job, and is educated, I understand. Shinichi gives her sass right back too. He’s not a cuckold, unlike those other infamous teasing-centric anime.
The raunchy humor is caused by Shinichi and Uzaki’s follies more often than stupid contrivances, except the spa episode, and I appreciate that because it’s much more cringe-worthy and less head-shaking. Conjuring cringe-humor from the characters’ personalities develops them while remaining tonally consistent. That way, the gags don’t appear unfunny or lazily written. The jokes are as prevalent as ever in this season, though there are sincere attempts at romantic progression. Seeing the two flustered over one another is funny (sometimes unintentionally), while every side character roots for them to get together in the background.
The show introduces a few new characters, including Uzaki’s father and her little sister, who looks even more gremlin-like than her. Their introductions are so out of the blue it could be called a retcon. Shinichi’s coworker and friend, Ami and Sakaki, are also back to provide comedic relief and support, but they take a backseat to the new side characters. Uzaki’s mom plays a more prominent role this season as she trains Shinichi to cook and continues to assume he’s attracted to her—the joke is pretty stale by now. Your mileage may vary on how much you enjoy the innuendo-riddled dialogue, and it’s varied enough that I appreciated it in small doses.
Some people find Uzaki-chan’s over-the-top fanservice and cliche slice-of-life plot entertaining and relaxing. It’d be hypocritical of me to shit on all the fanservice since I appreciate the male fanservice. At the same time, others (me specifically) are tired of the predictable plotlines, repetitive humor, and lack of originality. Uzaki-chan is like the lesser-known anime cousin of Family Guy—you’ll see a few funny clips on social media or in compilations, but the actual show itself is primarily predictable, unoriginal, and boring. It’s possibly due to the massive hate the first season earned that Uzaki-chan has gained a niche following and continues to achieve success. When the first season aired in 2020, I vehemently despised it. I wrote a rant so unhinged that it (rightfully) got deleted. After rewatching the first season and watching the second, I’d say it’s actually quite decent.
The main draw of the animation is plenty of absurd facial expressions, jiggly jugs, and visual gags. Character designs are standard here, other than Uzaki, as previously addressed. Ami looks a little strange, which may be a problem with the animation. Her face is often off-model, and she looks like she has a unibrow. There’s no need for exciting animation cuts here, though it would’ve elevated the script. One aspect of the production that stood out was the Ex-Arm quality CGI cars. The soundtrack is also upbeat and cheerful. The OP and ED are boisterous and catchy and fit the annoying tone of the show perfectly.
Overall, Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai’s second season is a wholesome and harmless sequel that will make you occasionally grin and maybe even chuckle. Although unoriginal, the characters are endearing, and their relationship is pretty cute. If you are looking for lighthearted and easily consumable romantic anime fluff, this should serve its purpose.
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