Aharen-san wa Hakarenai Season 2

Episodes 1-2

The attentive reader already knows that I didn't do the weekly reviews of the first season of Aharen-san. Rather, that was the late Nicholas Dupree. My feelings are no less complicated about doing this. I wish he was still here to review Aharen-san, and I'm going to do the best I can.

So with that being said, let's talk about these first two episodes of the new season of Aharen-san.

I've never seen one, but I can easily imagine an Animal Crossing episode of an anime being a thing that exists. I could similarly rationalize how a Like a Dragon-themed episode of an anime could theoretically exist—if not already, then at some point in the next few years. But it's visionary to look at Animal Crossing, and to look at Like a Dragon, and say, “What if. Both of them. But it's the same episode.” It's bold, it's inspired, it's nonsensical in the best possible way—it's something I can't fathom making sense in any other anime but this one. And I absolutely love that.

If you had told me when I started up the second episode that it was going to be a legally-distinct-Animal Crossing episode and that we're going to meet I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Tom-Nook, I never would've guessed that by the halfway point in the episode he'd be shot in front of our eyes. And yet, against all odds, that's exactly what we got. It's the kind of crossover I never could've expected to be on the table. But I'm here for it all the same.

And that's one of the things I like most about Aharen-san: Raido's fantasies are prone to taking us to truly unexpected places. Like a world where he and Aharen seriously pursue becoming YouTubers. Or one where Aharen is holding a bouquet of fidget spinners at her wedding. Or, of course, where Nom Took draws his last breath in your arms. And then the show is so casual about it, too—asserting that this is normal behavior for Raido, and never letting one bit overstay its welcome to the point where it becomes tired.

And all that was all just in the first half of the second episode. And while it was definitely my favorite segment of the two episodes we've got so far, that doesn't mean everything else is boring or unfunny. It's just that this part in particular had me so buckled in and ready for the ride, how can I not talk about it first? That said, I also really enjoyed the segment where Raido thought he was drunk, and acted “wild” (in quotes because this amounted mostly to his just emitting a different type of vibe and with a new facial expression to match, and everyone around him reacted to that) all day, only to realize that he wasn't. It's a bit more subtle compared to the Animal Crossing/Like a Dragon crossover, but it's no less silly for it. Suffice to say, I'm very happy to see that this anime's sense of humor doesn't seem to have changed.

Speaking of things that I'm glad to see back in this second season, I'm glad to see that dating hasn't done much—if anything—to change the dynamic between Aharen and Raido. They still act like each other's best friend—because they are. And it's really nice to see that. Not that I would've abandoned the series if they'd gotten more lovey-dovey with each other, but I always thought that the nonchalant way this series treats their couple-hood was always one of its biggest strengths. The series doesn't feel the need to flaunt the fact that they're a couple now—after all, it's always been more concerned with the -com than the -rom of it all. And I just think that's really refreshing. Not to mention, it actually makes Aharen and Raido feel like a better, stronger couple.

This is all a long-winded way of saying that I think so far, Aharen-san season 2 is off to a strong start. The off-beat, sometimes downright absurd, comedy in this show is wholly unique to itself, and always leaves me excited to see what manner of nonsense is going to get imagined up next. It's the kind of thing that, as I watch it, I can tell that not everyone's going to resonate with this type of comedy, but for those who do, it's excellent. Between this and new episodes of Game Changer, the Mondays of Spring 2025 certainly seem like they're going to be comedy powerhouses.

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Aharen-san wa Hakarenai is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Mondays.