What They Say:
I, Ex-Middle Two Syndrome sufferer (“Chuunibyou”) AKA Yota Togashi and current MTS sufferer Rikka Takanashi, have happily exchanged the vows of truth (we’re going out), and I am enjoying life IRL to the fullest… Or at least, I should be. Yes, I really should be. If it wasn’t for the game-changing appearance of my best friend from my previous middle school, super powerful MTS sufferer Sophia Ring SP Saturn VII AKA Satone Shichimiya! What in the world should I do now?! And thus, the battle of The Devil VS The Evil Eye begins!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
If you’ve been paying attention to the copy that’s been used for the English-language promotion of this franchise since the very beginning, you may have noticed that it was always about a character that hadn’t been mentioned at all. This is because KyoAni, TBS, Sentai, etc. – whoever was responsible – mistakenly used the translation of the Japanese copy for the second installment of the original light novel series, the newest that had been released at the time of the initial adaptation process of the series. After nearly a year and a half containing a full series, a movie, more supplemental material than any other recent KyoAni properties, and a few episodes of this sequel, it’s finally time for that prophecy to be fulfilled.
Our new girl is named Satone, and she’s been hinted at to varying degrees in the first two episodes of this season. The second episode in particular ended with what might be considered her first full appearance, bringing her into the series in a way that mirrors how Rikka was introduced, albeit with the comedic touch of Rikka not having the physical strength to complete the allusion. But with the third episode, it’s clearly Satone time, and that throws some welcome extra insanity into the already never stable dynamic of characters we’ve been following all this time. As it turns out, Satone isn’t just some new girl, but Yuta’s childhood friend (ready the romantic conflict) and the origin of his chunibyo tendencies (ready the internal conflict). As one might guess, she hasn’t returned to her former accomplice with the mature and sophisticated disposition that Yuta and Shinka wished they had fully obtained, but just as she left him three years ago when that was accepted, drawing more parallels to the girl he currently shares a “pact” with. And so, needless to say, our leads are in for a rockier ride than they had anticipated.
Because of all the accidental early reveals and ongoing promotion for this season, Satone’s arrival was something I had been anticipating for a long time. Honestly, I didn’t think the group needed another chunibyo girl who seemed so similar to Rikka when Yuta had already spent a season working things out with her. But this works as a good time to introduce her into the story, as Yuta and Rikka’s relationship has just started to develop, but with a bit of shyness and reluctance. Rikka’s jealousy is obvious from Satone’s first interactions with Yuta and that only becomes more extreme as the episode progresses, and while that’s a typical enough plot point for a romantic comedy, introducing it after the relationship has already been established is a good way to push Rikka out of her shell and bring her and Yuta closer together. But is this really the best way of going about that? Yuta also has his own feelings which will surely be explored.
In Summary:
Along with the usual helping of rich, vibrant colors filling the luscious animation and complementing the impeccable comedic timing, the series is turning to some staples of romantic comedy to move things along. It seems less compelling than the first season, but it’s still early.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Toshiba Satellite L655-S5191 PSK2CU-1C301U Notebook PC.
