Otaku Central

At first, I will admit, I was hesitant. I didn’t know whether or not I wanted to watch Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san 2nd Attack. But I have this long running policy of refusing to drop an anime. So with that in mind, I decided to binge the second season and to my surprise, Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san 2nd Attack was better than I expected.

Hayase Nagatoro and Naoto Hachiouji have grown closer: the girl spends more time than ever in the art club room with her senpai. Although he is always on edge, Naoto no longer seems to mind Nagatoro’s presence. Time and again, Naoto demonstrates his hidden, cool demeanor, and Nagatoro displays her possessive tendencies. However, they still can not seem to completely close the distance between them. It is clear to everyone else that the pair have feelings for each other.

For Nagatoro, there is nothing more entertaining than toying with Naoto. But as the girl shows no plans to stop teasing her senpai, it is only a matter of time before they realize how they truly feel.

Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san 2nd Attack, MyAnimeList

I also think that this has to do with the fact that I didn’t go watching Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san 2nd Attack my usual way. Instead of watching two or so episodes then writing my periodic review. Instead I decided to watch it all in one sitting, which I thought accomplished a lot of things for me.

One, it made for one continuous watch, instead of having to break every other episode or two to write about something. I think this worked wonders because I was able to enjoy the characters and the story to the fullest without any interruptions.

Two, I actually think that the second season is an overall better product when compared to the first season. When I first watched Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san, I thought the characters were excessive and over the top. Nagatoro did all the carrying and Hachiouji was just there, accepting Nagatoro and her antics as everyday life as they got more and more involved in each other’s lives.

However something changed during the second season. Nagatoro and friends felt a lot more manageable. Yes, they are still a little over the top, but it’s massively toned down. As a complaint I had previously was addressed and that was nice to see. I think this has to do with the Nagatoro and Hachiouji starting to develop feelings for one another.

In a weird way, they’re doing their best to understand each other better but in their own way. Nagatoro goes about it in a more crude way, she’s a lot more straightforward and offers more hints, while Hachiouji being the complete chad that he is. Fails to pick up on those hints, he also is a lot more meticulous in his approach. Despite being your typical introvert and everything that goes along with that, Hachiouji is making a conscious effort to be more outspoken around Nagatoro.

Part of the journey is watching Hachiouji break out of his shell and gain that confidence around Nagatoro is what was very entertaining to watch. Nagatoro there as well, helping him being more expressive with her was also nice. It honestly felt like a collective effort, by all those involved, to see a ship sale.

Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san 2nd Attack was a great sequel. Unless you’re a standout rom-com more often than not the second season will majority of the time be the weaker of the two. Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san 2nd Attack was the exception to that. It’s definitely worth a watch.