This review on Gotoubun no Hanayome ∬ contains spoilers. If you have not seen the chapters, we recommend you do it and then go back to read the review.
Gotoubun no Hanayome ∬ - Chapter 1: Tangles and Misadventures in Kyoto
Futarou was admitted to the hospital because his cold during the camp got worse. Receiving an unexpected visit from Nino, who was only looking for a place to hide from Ichika, Miku and Yotsuba because they were essentially there to get vaccinated and take the opportunity to visit him and deliver the work seen in class during his absence.
Once Nino was found and taken away, the next to arrive in the room is Itsuki, who wants to know the reason why Futarou studies so much. Futarou tells Itsuki about the time he went to Kyoto and how that trip and meeting a girl changed him.
The next day, Futarou was released from the hospital. Going to the quintuplets' apartment, only to find one of them just out of the bathroom, who throws a bag full of tests with the worst possible grades, but without the names. So Futarou asks all of them to use the same hairstyle, trying to differentiate them, but fails. Try some other things, but the result is still null. So he gives them a little written test, discovering by their handwriting that they were all guilty.
84 years have passed ...
I know that it has only been 2 years since the premiere of the first season of Gotoubun no Hanayome , however, since its sequel was announced and taking into account the delays it suffered due to different situations, those 2 years seemed quite long for me. to see my favorite quintuplets. I even think I remember that this second season should have been released before the end of the manga, which did so at the beginning of 2020.
In any case, I have knowledge of the manga. From the entire manga. I know how it ends and I have my own opinion on it. However, in these reviews of Gotoubun no Hanayome ∬ I will try to compare it as little as possible. For two reasons: to see how faithful it is to the original work, and because it is almost a year since the manga ended and you should read it again to remember those little details that could make a difference in the plot and / or adaptation .
Talking about more “general” details of Gotoubun no Hanayome ∬ obviously couldn't put aside the change in the animation studio. While the first season was animated by Tezuka Productions , this sequel is being animated by Bibury Animation Studios . Personally, I don't see the change in studies as bad. Although the styles of the characters and 'setting' is different, it is not a bad change. For me it is something similar to what happened with High School DxD , although I liked the animation of its first seasons, the most recent ones do not have a bad style.
The biggest problem that I see in the study change is the already known and "controversial" detail about the quintuplets' legs. I am one of those who sees those legs as if they were sticks, however, I am not so extreme as to complain about it. If Bibury Animation Studios did not "correct" them from the first moment they appeared and this whole issue was generated , I don't see why they would do it later. It is a change to which there is no other but to adapt. And it is not so bad.
If you want to make a little comparison on that, you only need a scene from Gotoubun no Hanayome ∬ - Chapter 1 in which only the legs of the quintuplets are seen. And rewatch the first season or the promotional video for it. In second 44 you can see a little bit the legs of the Nakano sisters and the difference is obvious to me.
But like I said, that detail is not something terrible to be the end of the world or for the characters to lose their charm.
A new look
Leaving aside that "problem", which I will not touch on again in the future unless it is completely necessary (something that I only see possible due to a low animation quality). The other animation was quite good. I'm not going to say it was perfect, as there were times when I found perspective to be poorly implemented in some things.
For example, at the end of the first season of Gotoubun no Hanayome I remember that the director of that season accepted that there were errors in the animation and even gave an example of the last episode in which Raiha's height did not match the size of the furniture. your surroundings. Making it appear as if the little younger sister had her 'feet buried'. Put it in some way.
However, in Gotoubun no Hanayome ∬ - Chapter 1 those moments were almost nil. The only moment I felt that way was how Futarou bends his arm to touch his head quite a bit at the beginning of the episode, when Futarou is talking to Nino before she hides. It's not a big deal, but I felt like the protagonist's arm looked smaller. I imagine they wanted to give it some perspective to give "distance / background" to the scene and the stage.
Also, I confess that I loved the large number of facial expressions that the characters showed. From the pouting of the Nakano sisters, to the reflection in Itsuki's eyes almost at the end of the episode. This last feature I liked a lot since I did not expect it at all. Whereas the brightness in the eyes of the characters would be the same all the time. So now I am not going to deny having the expectation of seeing a reflection in the gaze again in future scenes. That there is more than one that could take advantage of it perfectly.
The art used in the settings of the scenes I liked a lot too. With brighter and lighter shades. Not just the setting, the overall animation quality complies with that, making it look more “youthful” and not as “realistic” as the first season. Although I would have been fascinated to see a neutral state between both animations.
Sound section in Gotoubun no Hanayome ∬ - Chapter 1
Although the animation studio changed, the musicalization, sound effects, etc. I felt practically the same as the first season. In addition to of course keeping the same seiyuu to give life to the quintuplets. Personally, if they had changed the voices of the Nakano sisters (for 'x' or 'y' reason) I think that would be the biggest problem and mistake of this second season.
That is why I do not have a single complaint about this section. The background music went perfectly with the scenes. The voices were perfectly in sync with the characters and their facial movements. With excellent quality sound effects, which greatly cut the soundtrack for a few moments to give a change of focus to the scenes.
Without forgetting the opening and ending. The opening is " Gotoubun no Katachi (五 等分 の カ タ チ) " performed by the seiyuus of the quintuplets. While the ending is " Hatsukoi (は つ こ い) " also performed by the seiyuus of the Nakano sisters. Although I liked both, I particularly liked the opening a lot more, since it reminded me of the opening of the first season. With a pretty lively song.
The ending is not bad at all, but, due to the tone of the song, I feel it too "locked in" as an ending. I mean, even if they put the song as the opening theme and using the animation from the opening itself, I couldn't see it as such.
By the way, I like the opnening both in the song and in the animation. Although at that point the ending also has its point in favor. Despite not being an animated sequence as such, the illustrations shown feel nostalgic for some reason.
Miku's dose that she missed
As I have said since the first season, I am and always will be Team Miku . In fact, Miku is the closest female character to turning me into a multi-waifus . Although it has not yet achieved it, it is quite close to doing so. And if scenes like these keep popping up in the future it's very possible that I'll be able to pair up alongside my only waifu so far in anime in general, Momioka Risa ( To Love Ru ).
There were two scenes with Miku that made me feel like my heart was racing and my face showed an expression of shame, blushing a little. And, of course, envying not being me Futarou. These scenes were when Miku tried to feed Futarou and when she mentioned she was willing to show him all her moles.
Although both scenes touched me, they were for different things. One being more "cute", while the other being more "daring". In the end, my favorite of the two is the first. I could eat a hundred omelettes prepared by Miku without fear or regret if she is the one who feeds me.
I hope there are many interesting scenes in Gotoubun no Hanayome ∬ and not only from Miku, but also from the other heroines. Since, being listed with 12 episodes this season, I do not expect everything that was lacking in the manga from where the adaptation of the first season left off. I'm already thinking of seeing a continuation, either as a third season, a movie or a few OVAs .
