Pikari and Teko are back, come on in the water’s fine!
What They Say:
Episode #1: “The Story of One Summer Night and a Confession”
The Review
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Amanchu! is back for its second season, two years later, this time with Advance in the title. For background on this series, you can see my first episode review from the first season, the director and studio remain the same. Same great look, sound, and spirit. Spring has given way to summer and the diving season is in session. Pikari (Hikari) and Teko (Futaba) are still diving as a team and Teko is still not so subtly crushing on her best friend. (At least going by the rather long internal monolog introduction by Futaba.)
The monolog doesn’t do much to reintroduce the characters, but I’m happy they didn’t waste the time. We are reacquainted with the cast by their actions over the course of the episode. Futaba turns down an invitation for a dive because she wants to try to help out Hikari’s grandmother at the surf shack after a busy day. However, Teko doesn’t realize that one busy day was an anomaly, and suddenly realizes she has to awkwardly make her own fun in boredom. Hikari spends the day diving with the upperclassmen and some paying customers. It’s upon her return to shore that poor Pikari gets herself in a pickle.
In a world with so much negative connotations surrounding young women in precarious situations in regards to a lack of clothing, Amanchu proves you can have nudity humor without crossing the line. Pikari demonstrates this when she absent-mindedly takes her top off at a public outdoor hot spring and then has to send an SOS to the other girls to come rescue her. I don’t know how out-of-it you have to be to randomly strip down that much but it brings to mind the sillier moment of season 1 where it was bottoms instead of tops that were misplaced.
Hilariously, this nudity is entirely divorced from all of the love confessions. Yes, love confessions, even though that’s not exactly the meaning of the confession in the episode title. Teko randomly makes a love confession at the end which after a moment of awkward blushing is taken at face value and life moves on? I’m not certain if this is yuri-baiting or what, Teko and Pikari appear to be in a very close relationship that has nothing to do with sex.
The confession relates to Teko admitting to Pikari that she’s trying to find her own fun and get by on her own without relying too heavily on Pikari to drag her out of her shell. Pikari thinks this is all very noble and stuff because Pikari is the best ditzy friend you could have. She ain’t afraid of nothing! (Except public nudity, her only shame.)
In Summary:
Amanchu! is back and it’s back to slice of life with friendships, scenery, and diving. The music, animation, and muppet faces are still on point and it doesn’t feel as if it’s been two years since the last season. Yup, get out the fluoride because this show is still so sweet it’s going to give you cavities. Teko is more independent and outgoing after the first season, and less homesick after the visit from her friends at the beginning of summer. So, where can the story go from here if the girls are in a good spot? Why, I guess it’s time to add more friends to the mix. It looks like someone new is joining the group in the next episode.
Episode Grade: B
Streamed by: Crunchyroll
