Back to Symphopathy's Profile Symphopathy's Profile

Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?? can be described as an anime that builds upon the foundation which has brought it success in its prior season. It gives the fans more of what they desire without making substantial changes to most if not all elements.

As in the previous season, the story of GochiUsa is simplistic in featuring cute, barista girls do cute things. The episodes for the most part are standalone, meaning they are not directly tied to the events of those before them. Still, there is a finale, and a satisfying one which is handled well at that. The story is not all that unique, ... even with the cafe motif and the Mediterranean town-like setting, but I definitely do not have a problem with this.

I think the pacing is fine for an anime of this genre, as well. It gives the characters time to interact with others one-on-one, in small groups, and all together. I believe these dynamics make the story more engrossing, especially when there are duos or trios between characters I would not expect.

Additionally, the comedy is done well. It’s not ill-fittingly over-the-top. There’s just the right amount to where it adds to the moe.

Next is the art. Just like the story, the art is quite moe.

White Fox, the studio behind such series as Steins;Gate, Hataraku Maou-sama, and SoniAni: Super Sonico the Animation, has experience producing in cuter designs and more serious designs. This time, it is joined by another capable, versatile studio in Kinema Citrus. You may have heard of its works, the likes of Black Bullet, Barakamon, and Yuyushiki.

Even with a second studio helping, I have not been able to notice with casual eyes any differences in the art style between both seasons. This certainly is not to the detriment of GochiUsa because the art is as wonderful here and remains consistent throughout.

The female characters’ designs are not all that realistic with their large, colorful eyes and colorful hair, and that is the point. These designs make them all the more cute. For the occasional, (older) male character, these and other physical features are portrayed more realistically. Still, I believe this dichotomic style conveys the characters’ personalities well enough.

The backgrounds, on the other hand, are beautifully photorealistic, as well as unique. Roads, buildings, sceneries, and landscapes remind me of those I’ve seen in photographs of Mediterranean cities, like Venice, Italy. Overall, the backgrounds definitely are breathtaking and memorable.

Let’s move on to the sound.

The seiyuus know what they are doing and are as fitting as ever. Between this and the first season, their voice acting skills don’t improve here. But they don’t need to at all. In fact, I am not sure how they can do any better.

GochiUsa’s orchestral, classical-style music is fantastic. Just one statement before I begin: I want to buy this soundtrack.

The background music is fitting for the story and the Romantic atmosphere. Perhaps it is because many soundtracks sound similar that the background music does not stand out to me always. If this is the case, then the OST receives my attention because of how original and consistent it is. There are no pop or EDM arrangements here. I respect both of these genres within anime soundtracks, but I just believe adding them would have interrupted the excellent flow here.

And it gets even more phenomenal with the OP, the ED, and the insert song. These have the same orchestral, classical styles going for them and add vocals and buildup to the mix. This second season of GochiUsa may have the best combination of an OP and ED I have ever heard. It certainly is for the anime I’ve seen this year. When I first heard the OP, I did not think the ED could be even cuter. ...I was wrong. Although, I admit I could be biased because I love moe. This is moe overload.

Now, we move on to characters.

The characters as a whole are well-rounded enough. With a relatively large cast such as this, it can prove to be difficult to give characters meaningful personalities and development, and I think GochiUsa accomplished this. The characters may rely on the deredere archetype for the most part, although the their personalities branch out from this archetype in order to create different perspectives of it.

In addition, they react and interact with each other and the situations around them in plausible ways.

I personally do not relate to the characters’ personalities all that much. However, I do empathize with their reactions, interactions, and developments. These characters are enjoyable to watch, either way.

There also is character growth throughout the series for them. This growth occurs most often in intimate, one-on-one situations or in small groups. As I stated before, this also happens for character pairings and groupings I do not expect.

All of the characters, with just one or two exceptions in the supporting cast, are portrayed and developed nicely. Speaking of the supporting cast, it is very good, considering how many characters there are.

If you enjoy a simple yet effective story of cute girls doing cute stuff, you probably will like Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?? Although, I highly recommend watching the first season beforehand if you have not done so yet. Relax, and enjoy 24 episodes of moe in that case. For those of you who have seen the first season and are curious to know if this is worth watching, I can say this definitely is. The story, art, sound, and characters are as wonderful as ever. Indeed, it’s as satisfying if not a little more so than its predecessor since there is continued development of the characters and their relationships. I’m definitely content with it ending here if it must, and yet, I admit I would be overjoyed to have a third season of Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?

Shomin Sample is of the harem archetype, meaning there is one male character who is desired by two or more female characters. This certainly is not unique to anime or any other media, so in a saturated genre such as this, the creators have to introduce something to separate themselves from their contemporaries.

For this anime, it is its story--to an extent.

Placing a man into a situation surrounded by many women is not new. However, there is an inherent difference between this man and these women in this case: the former is a commoner (“shomin” in Japanese) and the latter are affluent. I can accept ... why there is a need for a commoner at Sekain High School. These young ladies are sheltered, and there are examples of alumni not being able to adapt properly to the modern world upon graduation. Therefore, having a competent commoner as a transfer student (or transfer teacher) who, in theory, can introduce this different culture better than the faculty, staff, and administration is plausible.

And yet, the administration created a logical issue in choosing Kimito. There is nothing wrong with Kimito from the perspective that he really is a likeable, kindhearted character. I just believe the school should have chosen a woman, based on what head maid Miyuki and the principal stated right from the first episode. Indeed, having a woman defeats the purpose of at least a quintessential harem in this case, although this would have made the administration of this serious, prestigious high school appear more competent.

Still, even with its simple story, Shomin Sample is funny because of the often awkward situations Kimito is put in. The comedy has to be one of its best elements. It really does make me laugh.

Unfortunately, the ending was a bit lackluster, personally. It contains deus ex machina and plot-affecting contradictions made by one character in a matter of minutes. The rising action leading up to this climax is too sudden and convenient, and it is to the clear detriment of this last act. I just wonder why this has to be the finale.

The anime has a moderate fan service, most of which is not ludicrous. The audience’s viewpoint will focus on the ecchi elements at times, although without using extreme close-ups, I will add. The fan service is not done often for me to be rendered silly by it.

Shomin Sample’s art style is well-done, as expected from Silver Link. Silver Link has created such anime as Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu, Non Non Biyori, and Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya. In Shomin Sample, Silver Link focuses less on showing its scenery and backgrounds and more so on the characters. The art style stays consistent throughout the series and serves to emphasize the aura of prestige of Sekain High School and its inhabitants. Speaking of inhabitants, the women from the main to the supporting cast are quite pretty.

The seiyuus are quite convincing, as well, in their archetypal roles. I would say the quality of all of their performances are equal to each other, and they also are consistent through the series. They do a great job.

The background music is also nice with appropriate orchestral arrangements during calmer segments and more pop-related themes during humorous segments. Neither of these seem overused to me, and they definitely do not detract from the mood. However, I believe it is relatively easy to not notice the music at times. It fits in with the mood, nevertheless.

As for the OP and ED, I like them mainly for the vocalists’ good performances. The OP has an upbeat, whimsical nature with its mix of pop, EDM, and orchestral elements. The ED, my favorite of the two, is alternative metal with satisfying build-up throughout in the vocals and the instrumentals.

Next are the characters.

As part of a common trope in the harem genre, the characters are personality archetypes to an extent. Within Shomin Sample, I believe these are a deredere, a kuudere, and two tsundere for the female protagonists. Kimito is typical for your male lead in that, as a reflection of the mostly male audience, he is more well-rounded than the female characters who desire him. He is kind, as I said before, and he also knows what to do or to say in essentially any circumstance. Still, there is some dynamicism to be had by two of the female protagonists because they have vices their personas would not give away upon first glance.

I think the manner in which characters react to situations and events is plausible, but their reactions are exaggerated for the sake of comedic effect. I do not find this to be bad at all. In fact, it is quite humorous to see the ladies act in situations expected for a commoner but foreign to them.

I have been able to relate to Kimito, although, it’s not because he simply is a harem lead. Rather, I identify with him most when he is introducing commoner culture to those around him. I don’t relate to his situation but I do relate to his culture because I am a part of it, as well. Nevertheless, I enjoyed watching them interact with each other.

Now, for my conclusion. Shomin Sample is for those who like harem and ecchi anime and who do not mind an overall decent story. Anyone who can’t tolerate either of those genres probably will not like this. This story just is not going to change people’s minds about them. It’s made worse by the fact that the explanation for Sekain High School’s choice of Kimito as the shomin sample, the reason this is a harem, is a forced one. Again, I know it would no longer be at least a typical harem with a female lead, but this would have been more logical, given said explanation, and more unique, perhaps. I’m essentially saying this could have very well worked without the harem and, possibly, the romance elements. By no means am I saying the comedy and ecchi shouldn’t be there. The comedy and art are great, actually, while the sound is very good, and the characters’ situation is unique enough for this series. It’s just this uniqueness is compromised for the sake of the harem genre.

Yuru Yuri is back for its third season, and with it has come a change in studio. As we know, it is not common for a series to receive more than one to two seasons unless it is highly successful in Japan. There is a clear understanding that studios behind multi-season anime have lofty standards to fulfill. This expectation now falls on TYO Animations as it produces one of the most beloved shoujo ai. So far, the studio understands what it has to accomplish as OVAs Yuru Yuri Nachuyachumi! and Yuru Yuri Nachuyachumi!+ have been received well.

The story of Yuru Yuri San Hai is ... expected for its shoujo ai and slice-of-life genres. There is not anything particularly revolutionary, however, there is nothing wrong with this whatsoever. It follows a formula which continues to work and does not need to be fixed.

More specifically, Yuru Yuri San Hai is a continuation of the first two seasons and, like these seasons before it, follows its source material, the manga of Yuru Yuri. I do not know how closely it follows the manga because I have not read any of it just yet. This definitely will change. The story does well in showing development of characters and progression of the many (subtly romantic) relationships between them. I have to add, while essentially every character undergoes them, these developments are not equal. Meanwhile, some characters experience only personal growth or only a change in their relationship with one or more others.

The pacing is just right. No episode seems to be a filler in the sense that personal development or development of at least one relationship is not occurring for a substantial part of it.

The comedy also is good, although in comparison to seasons one and two, it is more calm. I am not sure if this is because of the source material or a decision on TYO Animations’ part, but much of the exaggerated humor is no longer here. I am somewhat fine with this because it allows the aforementioned developments to be more of the focus. Still, this becomes a detriment to some of the characters as humor is a major component of their roles in prior seasons.

In addition, the story’s conclusion is endearing and leaves me wanting more. I believe it’s the type of ending one expects of comedic slice-of-life, and it fortunately is neither abrupt nor leaves major plotlines unexplained. As Yuru Yuri is not a complex drama by any means, I would be surprised if creators somehow do not resolve major plotlines in a cute, relaxed slice-of-life such as this.

Since a new studio directs the Yuru Yuri franchise, the change in art style perhaps is the most important part of the series. TYO Animations still is a relatively new studio, with its first animation created in early 2010. According to MyAnimeList’s database, currently, its three most popular series are B Gata H Kei, Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji, and Shinryaku! Ika Musume in this order. I have not seen these or other works created by TYO Animations. Therefore, Yuru Yuri San Hai is my first exposure to its art style and its production as a whole.

As for its art style, personally, I enjoy it. There are subtle differences between TYO Animations’ and Doga Kobo’s art styles, such as, most notably to me, the color palette. The current studio uses a slightly muted one for the characters. A good way to check this is to compare the current hair colors of the characters to their Doga Kobo counterparts. For example, you will notice that Yui’s hair is a dark purple in the first two seasons and black in Yuru Yuri San Hai. This is also true for her and the other characters’ eyes, which typically are not as bright in their current designs. I had not noticed either of these until closer inspection. Even now that I know, I do not mind this change in the color palette. I also find the background art to be rather impressive with its photorealistic style. Lastly, this style as a whole and its quality remain constant throughout the season.

Now, we come to the sound.

The seiyuus all have returned to comprise their roles, and they are as appropriate as ever. Their consistency reflects unwavering dedication to their roles.

The background music is appropriate, as well, but it does not stand out much. Certainly, this is not bad per se. After all, ill-fitting music too can stand out. The opening theme is cute and catchy with its quite up-tempo, orchestral production. I will admit I do prefer first season’s and second season’s themes in that order, but this can be attributed to my love of alternative rock and alternative metal. You may prefer this opening’s production because it does not contain an electric guitar. It does make a return in the ending’s theme mix of pop and metal, which I believe also is cute and catchy. Although between it and the opening, I ironically favor the opening due to its higher tempo.

The characters personalities, with one notable exception, remain unchanged. They react to situations and events in ways I would expect for the slice-of-life genre. I essentially have been able to relate to them, particularly in moments where one or more characters misinterpret something another states or does. As I explained earlier, characters experience personal growth or growth in their relationship with at least one other character, although to varying degrees. None of them retrogress in either regard, but some are almost completely static in not just one aspect but both. I expected this for some characters due to Yuru Yuri’s large cast. Still, I am a little surprised at a few who seem to have been left behind. Perhaps, there is more development in the currently ongoing manga and to come in a later season for the TV adaptation.

To conclude, Yuru Yuri San Hai is an example of a successful formula which does not need to be overhauled. Growth and/or other changes relating to character development and relationships are fine and even expected, of course. I only state Yuru Yuri does not need suddenly to become avant-garde or some other genre for the sake of innovation. Instead, I believe a person like myself prefers to see creators build on the successful foundation which has been laid. This series continues to do that now with the great job TYO Animations has done. I wish them the best of luck with any future installments if there are any, and I certainly am looking forward to catching up on the Nachuyachumi! OVAs. Yuru Yuri San Hai receives a 9 because, while I enjoy the developments of individual characters and their relationships, I believe some of these characters do not receive all of the attention they deserve and the humor is a little too compromised. The humor may signal the series is going into a more mature direction, which I accept if that is the case. Nevertheless, I understand it must come to an end after a while, as well. However, judging just by the response on MyAnimeList, (mostly Western) fans of Yuru Yuri haven’t had enough of this just yet. I know I have not. I will rewatch this at some arbitrary time from now, and I definitely want to own all of it as a part of my personal collection one day.