Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken 2 Sure-me

Firstly, let me start of by saying that this is my first review, so it might not be as good as other reviews.
Also, I'll try my best not to include any spoilers at all.


Ok apart from that. I would love to say that the second season of Danna (because title is too long) is honestly unexpectedly even more enjoyable than the previous season, which was why I felt compelled to write this review in the first place. I mean I do have better things to do with my time.

Moving on, so why do I like this show? To sum it up rather quickly, because this ... is one of the only shorts that actually is entertaining to watch and explores the region of what happens if one is an Otaku and somehow manages to get in a romantic relationship.

Having watched many other titles in the same genre as this, I can honestly say that this show given the 3+ minutes that it runs, really did a great job as compared to many other titles that wast 20+ minutes to achieve almost nothing cept slapstick humor and many other pointless scenes.

Why does this title stand out?
Let's start with some strong points.

Character: 10/10
For a 3 minute short it definitely did it's job by portraying the protagonist, Hajime in the "correct" light. At least how most Otaku males are (me included). Many jokes used in the show also shapes what kind of person Hajime is and really brings light to this series. On the other hand, we have Kaoru, a working-class office woman that (for some reason) is always seen at home with Hajime. She somehow decides to marry Hajime and BAM, the start of this show.

The daily interactions in this show are truthful and not overly exaggerated like how other Animu and Mango would show, the classic "fat otaku" desperately yearning for a young girl. However Hajime is just seen to be a normal male trying to make the best out of his relationship and to make Kaoru happy, sometimes with his otaku antics that serves also as great humor points.

Art: 7/10
The art is pretty average here, nothing special. Some flashback episodes of when Kaoru was still younger had really "ping pong the animation" type of animation which is kinda...bad. Other than that it's pretty decent and absolutely watchable.

Sound: 8/10
The ED of the first season was good. The ED of the second season was great. This is really personal preference so nothing much to say here. Soundtracks used in the actual series are minimal, which I really liked, as it does not interfere with the conversations between Kaoru and Hajime or other characters. When Hajime or Kaoru is deep in thought, there is a cue for some good soundtrack, as seen in Episode 12, which does compliment the series, making it great to watch.

Story: 8/10
Well....I'm saying this again but for a 3 minute short it really did quite good a job by shaping almost every character. The light-hearted humor in this show is really stress-relieving and just makes you feel...good. There's really not much of a "serious" plot for people expecting something like Steins;Gate, but still it really is enjoyable.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Definitely. This is one of the only shows of this season that caught my eye, other than my other favorite, Oregairu. It really kept me wanting for more every week after I watch the latest episode, simply because it really IS enjoyable.


TL;DR Lighthearted humor of life between Otaku and Office wife, season 2.
11/10 would watch again. :P

This heart-warming series about an otaku's amazing marriage to a mostly-ordinary girl continues into season 2. Like the first season, the majority of the show is composed of 4-koma like short events, which are often humorous. The show doesn't exploit the discovery in the last episode of season 1 as much as I thought it would. Regardless, it does a great job of continuing the feel-good relationship-based atmosphere of the first season. As usual, the first season is mandatory as there isn't any character exposition.

Animation:
Expect the same as the first season, not really the prettiest thing out there but it does the job. Like the ... first season, expect the subject matter to be a bit on the mature side- including quite a few dirty jokes.

Sound:
Also very similar to the first season, the show has a nice ED and average BGM. The voice talent is very good for something this short.

Story:
What really matters in marriage? Is it okay that other people say that it won't work? How do you get through a bad argument? The show gives some playful insight into life after marriage, as well as some of the characters' pasts previous to their vows. The overall message is very positive, and it feels like an attempt to get more Japanese folks to marry and also the next step.

As with the previous season, expect episodic episodes each with its own theme. There isn't much in terms of episode dependency so don't worry too much about spreading it across multiple viewings. There isn't as cute of an ending surprise as the first season, unfortunately.

Character:
There's some nice episodes that focus on character flashbacks, expanding on how they met and other meaningful events in their past. Their relationship is already very well established compared to, well, every other show out there, so don't expect too much dynamic progression. Still, there definitely is great chemistry here.

Value:
The entertainment to viewing-time ratio is very good, if you liked the first season there's no reason not to pick this up.

Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken 2 Sure-me ( I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying 2) is an anime short that really doesn't need any extensive examination to really comprehend. Adapted from the manga of the same name and garnering enough buzz to receive a 2nd season, those that are fans of the 1st installment would be treated to the same kind of charm in this follow-up. It's an anime short that tells a very simple, yet sweet tale, documenting the everyday lives of a married couple learning to cope with each other, despite their obvious differences. The biggest highlight of ... this show comes from seeing their daily interaction play out to comedic effect and also the small snippets of heartwarming content interspersed throughout its short run-time.

Hajime Tsunashi, husband to Kaoru Tsunashi, is a self-proclaimed otaku, and as one can imagine, he's the source of all the comedic mishaps and shenanigans that the couple find themselves dealing with on a day to day basis. Because of his status as an otaku, the writers often use him as a conduit to channel meta-humor and direct references to other licensed anime series. This brand of humor, while not uncommon, adds a spice to these shorts, as viewers who spot the references are treated to in-jokes.
Kaoru Tsunashi can be best described as the voice of reason and an outsider to her husband's mentality. Like the title implies, most of the anime/manga references and terms her husband speak off flies over her head. The biggest draw to her as a character is seeing her learn to appreciate her husband for his hobby, despite being oblivious to it all. While the setup and relationship may seem slightly too optimistic at times, the show still manages to include moments of doubt in their compatibility and portray the ups and downs of being in a relationship. While all of it is glossed over with lighthearted sentimentality, that's not inherently an issue to penalize since the show as always made it clear that it was purposely aiming for that kind of tone.
With returning characters from season 1, such as Youta Tsunashi, the husband's cross-dressing brother and Miki, employer and friend, the show carries over the same humor that it was known for with much ease. It's a continuation that flows into the other without any noticeable changes to throw viewers off.

The art-style is also the same, with a breezy children's coloring book kind of aesthetic and passable animation to wrap it all up. It helps to add to the show's overall carefree tone and makes the content more palatable. As far as the soundtrack is concerned, it's virtually nonexistent. It's mostly just light background noise than anything substantial and only serves to help sell the imagery but nothing beyond that. The ending, however, is a nice feel-good piece that really help to tie every episode together.

With a 3-minute run-time, pleasant art-style and a nice touch of humor, this title is a quick detour that would be enjoyed my most looking for harmless distraction.

Enjoyment: 7/10

With such a short run-time per episode, I never felt like the show overstayed its welcome. It was heartwarming when the time called for it and always left me with a smile. While not very memorable, it was still able to capture the right tempo at any given time.

Overall: 5/10

I Can't Understand What My Husband Is Saying 2 is a nice continuation of the 1st season and easily recommendable to those that enjoyed what that first installment had to offer. With a short run-time, it never feels like it's impeding on your viewing schedule and can serve as a nice change of pace for those searching for something to unwind to. Unfortunately, it's not something that really sticks with you as the short run-time also keeps it from being nothing more than an uplifting time-passer. But it never needed to be anything beyond that, so at the end of the day, this title served its purpose.