Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta... X

My daughter and I enjoyed Season 1 very much. It was cute, light and funny, and the characters were likeable and the progression of their relationships with the MC and why they all loved her were fairly believable within the suspension of disbelief that comes from knowing you're watching a harem anime. She actually did help them all grow and overcome some things, and they had an entire child- and teen-hood to become close to each other. However, in Season 2 her cluelessness about their feelings for her was no longer excusable, cute or silly; it was extremely frustrating, particularly since some of themstarted getting much more forthright in their wooing. The "who are they going to fall for?" plot device cannot be stretched this thin without breaking. By episode 10 we were ready to throw things at the screen every time she said, "Huuhh??" or did not understand what a character meant even by an outright declaration or clear demonstration of romantic love. This is a person who loved otome games and romance novels so there is NO WAY she could be this clueless. And even if she was, did either of her moms not teach her ANYTHING about sex or relationships? She's 17, for goodness' sake. The excuse the writers give her is that she thinks so little of herself that she can't imagine anyone would love her that way. Oh how noble, she's so humble. Nope, it makes her look like an absolute idiot the entire season. And her reactions when someone went 'further' than she was comfortable with was not cute or funny but just weird. I actually enjoyed the first arc because the new "love interest" she meets is the first one who is immediately up front with her about his attraction and she also expresses more open admiration for him as a person than I recall her doing with any of her other friends. And she doesn't recoil at his advances. So I actually kind of got my hopes up that maybe he was "the one" she would end up with. But nothing went anywhere with that the rest of the season and it focused on the other people, and he became just one more groupie. There is almost zero story progression. It takes the entirety of season 2 (instead of the first few episodes as we expected) to even progress to the point where two of her suitors have finally gotten Catarina to realize they are in love with her and it's only because one of them said it loudly in her face, understandably frustrated at her complete cluelessness, and the other kept 'wooing' her with gifts and clear advances. And even AFTER they did this, she went into one of their rooms to show him her new PJs and the guy did the best thing in the entire season: exhorted her to realize they're all now adults and that people are sexually attracted to her, and not to put herself in situations she's not ready for. (If you've seen Ouran HSHC, he used the same tactic as Kyoya did.) When he asked her how she could still not realize he was in love with her after he actually outright told her, she said, "I thought it was a dream." That is the laziest possible writing right there. And of course they ALL still love her and want her to 'choose' them, not just the two whom she finally knows do. So they're all still at square one in the relationship department. And now for Season 3 there are even MORE characters being introduced who, in her previous world, show up in the sequel game, so of course the same thing happens in the game world. And we're supposed to be excited for the harem to get new people in it? Definitely not at this point. The plot device is dead and needs to be buried and the characters need to move forward!

Hamefura X is basically everything from season 1, improved and turned up several notches. In short, if you liked season 1, you’ll love the second season as the stakes, plot and characterisation see dramatic improvements. Hamefura season 1 was one of the most talked about shows of 2020. It was really a breath of fresh air for the isekai genre. There hadn’t been many otome style isekai, focusing on female MC’s with harems. There was comedy, a ditzy MC and lots of fun slice of life moments. While the season was great, I feel it lacked depth at times. I struggled to really get an ideaof the direction of the story other than Bakarina having to eventually choose who she’d be with romantically. This season did a much better job of advancing the overall story, developing Bakarina and the side cast and creating drama. With the exception of a couple anime original episodes, I really enjoyed the more serious tone that we got this season. While that usual comedy is definitely still there, it does feel like there’s a lot more serious heartfelt moments with characters this time around. I think the pacing was awesome as well. The mini arcs that characters got in episodes were the perfect length and flowed seamlessly. The art is just as good as the first season, it feels like they picked up everything right where they left off. I hope that will be the case for a season 3 as well. Really, watching this is a no brainer if you enjoyed the first season you’ll find the improvements a welcome addition. I think Hamefura could be a turning point for the isekai genre and as a result we’ll see more Otome style isekai series adapted. While I love the usual OP male MC shows, it’s nice to get a change of pace, different scenery and a different type of story every now and again. Given the commercial success of the anime, BD and LN’s, I’m confident this is the start of something great. Hamefura X gets 9 out of 10.

It's more of the dense Black Hole Bakarina and her reverse-harem dousing comedy bits on your screen! And you'd think of this very question: "Catarina has already friendzoned everyone, and the supposedly doom flag is pretty much gone now, so where could Season 2 go at the very least?" My answer to you: More relationship shenanigans with Catarina being love-blocked at every corner, especially with her love interests solidified that is Geordo, the adopted brother Keith, and the rest of the character cast whom doesn't want to let Catarina go for their own embellishments. And embrace it with fun, laughter and happiness...down by a notch. To comparethe story elements between both seasons, Season 2 takes a noticeably deeper dive into the side quest that is the whole "dark magic" realm with the engagement with the Department of Magic in dealing with new issues with the head of the Deparment of Magic Larna Smith. Some new characters are weaved into this scenario, like Rufus Brode in the whole Stuart family debacle of becoming king, and Keith of his status as ths son of a mistress in the complicatedness of the Claes family name. In the midst of all of this, the dense Catarina will always be dense, but at least she is made aware of their advances which are more fervent and with motive than the last. Other than that, everything is pretty much the same as what you'd expect of Season 1 in the same tried-and-true forumla with a few improvements on Silver Link's part, and an OST which I felt that while it was good, it was a step downwards. So if you liked what the prequel showed, then the sequel here will not disappoint you, and vice versa if otherwise.

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