So here it is. A show that got a sequel about half a decade later. A bit of an unexpected one at that.
A solid plot was built up only to be stepped on and then built up again.
Before I go any further here, I should mention that contrary to what seems the popular opinion, I quite enjoyed season one of this series. I enjoyed it because it had the main couple of characters as the focus while allowing the supporting characters some room to feel relevant. Plus the plot of chubby kid becoming fit as a teen in order to get back at the young girl who broke his heart during childhood after he gets her to fall in love with him seemed like a fun concept to me. But needless to say, that season wasn't conclusive so here we are. Some spoilers to follow.
Makabe Masamune, or Pig's Foot (the nickname given to him by the girl he loved when she rejected him and the reason for his revenge plan), is someone who frankly has a goal and he wants to see it through.
At this point (season two) it is well established that he has found the girl who broke his heart, Aki Adagaki, and has built a friendship of sorts with her as she unknowingly doesn't know it's him. Her servant on the other hand, Yoshino Koiwai, is well aware of who Makabe is. They have worked together to get Makabe and Aki closer together in hopes of making Aki see that the "rival" in the relationship (Gasou Kanetsugu) is not who he says he is since he is posing as Makabe and Aki believes him just due to looks and well, chubbiness. So in a way, the main characters are not just Makabe and Aki.
The first arc of the season is a class trip. Automatically, we are shown or directed at potential pairs because it's France and the city of love is reason enough. A new character is introduced, Muriel Besson, a French girl who loves Japanese culture because of manga culture she has taken interest in. I will tell you now her character ends up fairly pointless. She does help minimally by forcing Aki and Makabe to pretend date and spend time together while she gathers inspiration for her romance manga, but that's not to say that the main pair wouldn't have been together anyway as they tended to run into each other frequently.
Visually, we at least get a completely new setting here until they return to school which is at least a nice break from the norm. The animation itself is not too spectacular however and the music is more or less generic or more specifically, unmemorable. So the season has basically had a rough start at this point in all honesty and it carries over to the end for the most part.
Neko Fujinomiya, the other girl in this story. In season one she arrived as someone who loved Masamune as a kid and still does. Here, her love remains. So she tells Masamune that. Guess who gets rejected? So much for that right?
Now let's move to the other boy in this story, Gasou. Now he, he is dating Aki under the false pretense he is Masamune. So he's winning correct? Well.....Aki and Masamune (the real one) are getting close anyways. It all comes to a boiling point and after that gets concluded, guess who gets forgotten? So much for that right? Honestly I was happy about this one because Gasou was a terrible terrible character.
Well I suppose that makes 2 for 2 supporting characters becoming unimportant then. No wait 3 if we include French girl. 5 actually? We can't forget the classmates who were more important in season one and who I haven't even mentioned here yet. If you're noticing the pattern by now, it's that supporting characters get a role then get dropped. Which is a bit of poor writing in my opinion even if they are support characters.
We do have a survivor though! Yoshino! The maid :)
Throughout the series, I personally thought Yoshino lowkey stole the show. She is always around to help Aki and/or Masamune depending on the time and place and situation. At least surface level, she is a key player. There is a revelation here which I'll include in spoilers as it is a huge plot point, but it is the reason she is the one true support character who breaks the ceiling the other characters are under.
Spoiler, click to view
Spoiler: It was not Aki but Yoshino disguising herself as Aki when she broke Masamune's heart and called him Pig's Foot. In other words, Yoshino gave the nickname and is the whole reason for Masamune's intended revenge.From the very beginning, Yoshino is around. Whether personal or for the well being of others, she pushes the plot forward and at about 3 different times this season she makes the plot progress to where Masamune makes it further into his plan. Basically, without Yoshino, there is no Masamune's revenge.
But on the other hand, without Yoshino there would be far less twists.
One thing this season does is employ so many twists that the narrative gets thrown off until it comes back to the original basis again.
In a nonspoiler manner, without Yoshino we don't get this ending and zero progress towards anything. But with Yoshino we also get such chaos that I didn't even know how to react.
In a spoiler manner (and huge spoilers ahead)
Spoiler, click to view
Spoiler: Yoshino, after admitting Aki isn't at fault because it was Yoshino who hurt Masamune, encourages Masamune to admit his feelings to Aki. This gets the idea of dating between Aki and Masamune to greatly progress while it also leads to the end of the fake Masamune ploy by Gasou...where it's revealed he is actually a girl. Yoshino also ends up being secretly in love with Masamune which turns out to be a whole 'who will Masamune choose' fiasco as well. Some various other occasions have Yoshino at the front of them but the point is, Yoshino covertly made the season move forward but added such confusion to the mix.Either way, it can't be said Yoshino failed to steal the show.
Aki is someone who hates men. Stemming from her childhood where a certain chubby kid left her alone, she dislikes guys. Well actually, maybe she develops a type. Therefore, she dislikes Masamune now.
That's....pretty much it. She's a little naive and also brutally honest which doesn't change until the near end of the series. I didn't personally mind it but I see why there is disdain for that.
Masamune in the meantime begins to not feel so revenge focused and it leads into feelings of love. In both cases, the whole reason for revenge begins to become unimportant. And yet.
So if you've noticed, I didn't really have much to say about the season positively. But I also didn't completely dislike it.
To specify, there were moments that led to bliss. (Fake) dates, confessions, and some of the humor were all fun bits of the season.
But the grandest part of it all? Masamune had a plan to break the heart of the girl who broke his heart long ago. Did he succeed?
I will give credit that it all linked together by the end, even if there were some rough patches there. That's about as descriptive as I can be about it.
If you want spoilers
Spoiler, click to view
Spoilers: He did succeed. It just didn't turn out to be as direct as we were led to believe. (Not Aki but Yoshino)In any case, if you like the show and want to see it through to the end then go ahead and see this season. If you have no interest or disliked the previous season, there isn't enough here to change your mind.
So long pig's foot!
