The series returns and starts to advance the relationships, bit by bit.
What They Say:
Onodera has been made program director of a magazine. While begging for manuscripts, he has to deal with the constant teasing from Takano and the bad vibes from Yokozawa
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
After a successful first season, even if some of the characters it focused on for arcs annoyed me to know end, the return of Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi is definitely one of the series I was excited to see listed. The show is one that deals with the relationships themselves in different degrees, even if we do get a will they or won’t they aspect at times as well. It’s less about the usual harem-ish rompiness and about the emotions and interconnections that they all share. And yes, it’s about handsome young men, some pretty boys and a few darker types as well that are a bit more forceful. It has the right kind of range I like. And the main storyline I like takes place in a shojo manga editing room.
The focus on the manga side isn’t exactly heavy, but it had some good moments in the first series because Onodera gets into all of it with a passion because of how he researches things. With his background as a mainstream editor, he’s managed pretty well here but as we see, he’s still being messed with by others such as the printers and the way the mangaka he has to deal with are trying to weasel out of deadlines. And the real problem he has to deal with is Takano, the guy he want to school with years ago that has a significant interest in him. So much so that the two got very, very close in the last season but didn’t go all the way. It’s cute that it still gets to him and conflicts him, especially as he stalks the manga shops watching to see who buys the works that he’s been involved with.
While other characters do appear in this episode, it’s not a full on cast episode. It starts with several of them and then pares things down to focus on Onodera and Takano after his first book gets published and there’s some mild celebratory time spent, though it’s just between the two of them. But like past episodes, it’s in that place where Onodera feels there’s nothing to talk about and it’s just an awkward scenario. And made worse by the fact that Onodera is a whiny, obnoxious drunk. And when he’s like that, he’s certainly more blunt about things, calling Takano out on the supposed loves that he has, which of course isn’t true. The first season had several misunderstandings on Onodera’s part, so it’s welcome to see that to some degree that it’s cleared up, even if drunken Onodera may not remember it come morning.
In Summary:
While this series isn’t a huge one by any stretch, it’s the kind of fun show that I like in that it tackles things most other shows don’t and it generally plays it straight. There are exaggerated moments, but it deals with the traditional boys-love material in a longer form than we usually get, since most are one-off OVAs at best. Having the time to work through the characters, both in their romantic and work lives, is definitely appealing. Especially with several of them being in the manga editing business. Though the series is easily a guilty pleasure for me, it’s one that makes me smile, laugh and just enjoy the situational events that happen. It plays to a number of standard ideas from the boys-love world that annoy me, but overall it’s a solidly fun show that I’m glad to see back on the calendar.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
