Nisekoi:

*This is a review of both seasons

Nisekoi is the most “harem anime” ever. Other than the really ecchi troupes, you can find 90% of all shounen romance troupes in this show. They have just about every stock romance you can have other than incest, and the characters develop in the most expected way possible. Despite that, this anime isn’t actually that bad. Despite being predictable and including all the cliche, they somehow do it in a way that is entertaining and enjoyable. Onodera and Chitoge are developed just enough for me to care about them, and Ichijou Raku is an actual decent protagonist that I ... liked for like the first time ever in any harem anime I have watched. It is really stupid at points with super unrealistic situations, but that helps some of the humor come through as it reminds you that this show isn’t meant to be serious. The biggest problem I had was how slowly the plot progressed, especially in the second season. Not only does the locket never do anything when it should, but they also spend too much time on filler-like things and not character development. The plot is also overblown with too many side characters that all need to have “their half an episode” that ensures nothing happens. Despite this, there are some pretty good parts, and even the less entertaining parts hit the entertainment minimum.

Score: 7.5

*Date Of Review: 7/5/2022

While I think the phrase "fell off" is somewhat overused, it unfortunately does perfectly describe Nisekoi.

Season 1 of Nisekoi, while not particularly original, did everything right: establish the premise, introduce all relevant characters, throw them into the typical rom-com situations, and explore the main plot mystery a bit while advancing the relationships, with a big shift in the grand finale. lots of well-timed humor, lots of doki-doki moments. and while nothing stood out as particularly interesting, the manga executed it all more than competently, and Shaft's anime adaption only futher elevates it into solid 8/10 territory.

Unfortunaley, the material for Season 1 was the best the ... manga had to offer, and that's where the "fell off" part comes into play. after the big Romeo and Juliet arc, everything comes to a grinding halt. the story drowns in endless filler, relationships dare not to progress under any circumstances, and new characters are being introduced to mask the fact that nothing actually happens from here on out.

thusly, Season 2 of Nisekoi simply feels like a collection of OVAs with no actual plot relevance. Shaft are still providing the same high quality producction as always, so at the very least it's nice to look at, and a lot of the gags still hit their mark. but while never truely boring, it ultimately does leave you with a sense of "why did I bother watching this?".

maybe in hopes of a Season 3?
in a weird way, we should be thankful that it never came to that, because after many years of non-progress and one-off Tsugumi-Filler chapters - admittedly the jokes were always still on point -, the Nisekoi manga ended in one of the most lackluster endings I have ever seen in a rom-com, only rivaled by the likes of To Love-Ru's "non-ending".

Admittedly, a lot of my negative thoughts stem from me knowing where it all ends: nowhere in particular if you don't read the manga, and with a meh ending if you do slog it through those 200+ chapters. so as harsh as my words may be, I cannot give Nisekoi: Season 2 lower than a light 7. because ultimately, I was entertained. it was a fun time, even if it lacked any substance. but I'd rather rewatch Season 1 multiple times over having to watch Season 2 ever again.

I can't believe a season was so bad it made me read the manga

Comparing this season to the first season, it just doesn't matchup at all
It feels like a 12 episode filler with barely any regards to continuity, and although some scenes were enjoyable, most of it felt off and it wasn't any better than the first season, which was ok I guess.
However one positive thing I can remember at least is that depending on which character you want to win, this season gave them all lots of screen time in random-ish plots but then again there wasn't that much development behind it.
Watch it if ... you want, but it was kinda mediocre to say the least.