Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai / Final Impressions / First Impressions

「僕は友達は少ない」 (Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai)
“We Have Few Friends”

I’m speechless. For the final episode to one of my favorite shows this season, I’m left with mixed feelings. There was a lot of good things, there were a few bad things, and a disappointing ending. But at least the ending left ample room for a second season, right?

For starters, I thought it was really interesting how we got to watch the main parts of episode one from Yozora’s perspective. Unlike my initial impressions, when you give all of her actions some meaning, it displays a completely different side that I never knew existed — a sweet and kind Yozora. For example, I thought that the idea for the Neighbors Club was pretty dumb at first; a club only redeemed by its members and their unique personalities. But after Yozora revealed it was supposed to be a place for Kodaka and her to rekindle their lost friendship, it gives The Neighbors Club an almost romantic appeal, doesn’t it? Throw in a great flashback with Inoue Marina singing in the background, and the first half of the episode really managed to conjure a lot of emotion from within me. However, the second half was completely the opposite of what I was thinking.

While I couldn’t get enough of Yozora having such a cute expression as she was talking with Kodaka, I was terribly, terribly disappointed that Sora and Taka didn’t rekindle their lost friendship. With the cat finally out of the bag, I was waiting for Kodaka to do something to respond to Yozora’s advances — which sadly didn’t happen. Plus, it didn’t help that Rika went into complete fangirl and lost it. Sure, it was really entertaining to watch her grow extremely horny, but it was at that point where I gave up all hope that something really sweet and endearing might happen between Yozora and kodaka.

In the end, it felt like just another episode for Haganai — Rika with her crazy antics, Sena and Yozora fighting, and Kodaka sitting on the side watching from afar.

INS2: 「二人の季節」 (Futari no Kisetsu) by 三日月夜空 (CV. 井上麻里奈) (Mikazuki Yozara (CV. Inoue Marina))
Watch the 2nd INS: Streaming ▼

 

Final Impressions:

Once again, I get to cover one of my favorite shows of the season! It’s been a long ride full of laughs and a few awkward moments but I think Haganai has been extremely successful in succeeding at everything it’s good at — bringing the laughs with some fanservice while balancing things out with some well-timed emotional moments.

In Haganai, it’s definitely the characters that make the show as entertaining as it was. There’s such a wide mix of personalities to pick from that when they bounce off one another, something good always resonates. You have Sena who’s outlandishly bratty exterior is actually a façade for the girl who’s actually an Otaku, Yozora who’s the leader with a soft spot for anything related to Taka, Kodaka who’s the misunderstood nice guy, Rika who’s the maniac otaku/BL/yuri/sex-crazed scientist, and Maria and Kobato who fulfill the roles of the cute loli girls (except in my opinion, Kobato is a lot cuter and funnier to watch). Throw any of the two together, and there’s a perfect combination of funny that comes from their interactions. Be it Sena and Yozora’s constant bickering, Kobato and Maria trying to best one another, or Rika’s constant attempts at trying to seduce Kodaka — Haganai’s formula for making laughs only works because of its characters!

In the storyline department, I was hoping for the members of the Neighbors Club to regard each other as friends sometime before the season ended. While everyone is still going out of their way to avoid the “f” word, I think it’s clear how much everyone cares for one another. I just wish that they could have all verbally stated it!

But what made Haganai shine in my eyes had to be the humor that spawned from each episode. Be it hilariously funny or hilariously awkward scenes — there was something that I could always laugh at. I’m sure that the moments of Yozora literally dominating Sena or Sena trying to eat Kobato are all clear in our minds. But even when things weren’t spiraling out of control, there was Rika there to take things like a mecha manga or a moving train and turn it into a porno. And if dirty jokes weren’t your thing, there were some genuinely funny awkward moments like figuring out that cell phones could call places other than your house.

As a whole or broken up into parts, I think Haganai is one of the better shows I’ve watched in a long time. What more can you ask for than a great cast of characters that tackle the idea of friendship by throwing laughs, boobs, and meat at it?

60 Comments

  1. Thanks for the post Takaii. I liked this adaptation of the LN, though a good bit of material has been changed around, but overall still works from the story-telling stand point. I’ve always been biased towards Sena, but having seen a great portion of their adventures animated, I’m willing to admit, I’ve grown fond of Yozora too, even though she could be pretty sadistic. Guess that’s her charm. I do differ in one thing, I prefer Maria over Kobato (Resisted the KanaHana effect!) Ah. They did this end to either accommodate a future 2nd Season or… for wrap-up OVAs, just like Oreimo. Anywho… I loved Rika more than I should (EXCALIBUUUR/Universeee etc.) 🙂 Twas a good read and a sultry run Lol.

    Kyzel
    Reply

    1. Its my understanding there is still quite a bit of material left. Certainly enough for a 2nd season. The way the series ended I’m sure they planned all along for a 2nd season as long as it did well and now we will have to see if the DVDs sell to warrant another season.

      Karmafan
      Reply

  3. Latest news: Occupy Akibahara movement demands second season of Haganai!
    I was amazed it was Sena of all people that recognized Yozora… I guess they are closer than either one would like to admit 🙂

    ewok40k
    Reply

  4. I shall be missing this fun show. AIC has left just enough room for a 2nd season.

    Now if only Yozora showed more of this cute side of her, her popularity would’ve rivalled that of Sena.

    PS Now we finally know why Yozora’s always bullying Maria: Maria pretty much brought it upon herself. lol

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

  7. I absolutely enjoyed Haganai this season but I’ll be sad if there isn’t a 2nd season and even that is probably unlikely.

    Thanks for covering this Takaii, Boy I’m going to miss this ;_;

    IronicTales
    Reply

  11. https://randomc.net/image/Boku%20wa%20Tomodachi%20ga%20Sukunai/Boku%20wa%20Tomodachi%20ga%20Sukunai%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2012.jpg
    i want to be kodaka sigh

    i have to admit the first half was alittle boring with the whole flashback of episode 1, but nontheless a good finale. i like yozora much much better now, and tbh i think short hair suits her better.

    i hope they’ll make a second season because Show Spoiler ▼

    Medoi
    Reply

  12. I cant resist rika going to rabid perverted fan girl mode. Found it hilarious. It could be my pref for such jokes and moments. And yea it was cute to see otaku sena. Think sena and rika can join forces to trump konata from lucky star.

    Though i pref long hair girls, short hair yozora is fine for me as well. And yukimura…. I can make do w another hideyoshi type boy. Gah i sound like im broken!

    c2710
    Reply

  14. I would prefer a little more development w/ Taka and Sora, but all in all, this anime did it’s job well. Which is, imo, to entertain us throughout and to tempt us to check out the manga to continue the story.

    TSouL
    Reply

  16. Thanks for the post Takai. I just wanted to say that I completely agree with your thoughts on the first half of the episode as it did a great job showing off Yozora’s true intentions for making the neighbors club ( though I don’t remember getting to see things from Yozora’s point of view like we did in this episode in the light novel?). In regards to the second half of the episode I personally did not like how it played out…. yes it followed the source material pretty decently but it felt rush and almost like it was tacked on just to lengthen the episode but these are just my opinions. Anyway thanks again for the post
    PS ( this is my first post on this blog 😛 )

    Naske
    Reply

  17. Yukimura needs her episode, maybe an arc…Kodaka should just tell her to give it up and be a girl, even if she’s not equipped(i don’t know) doctors can fix that. She’s just too damn good at being moe. She’s definitely not going down the manly path…good job Yozora! lol I don’t really consider Sena an otaku as much as sheltered/isolated so that’s what she had was her games and whatnot. She seems far more interested in having friends and doing social activities than actually loving gaming. To me that’s more to a fill a void than being obsessed with the hobby.

    Breedo
    Reply

      1. I think that’s what they’ve been building the entire season: everyone in the neighbors club are already “friends” but no one acknowledges (or in unable to acknowledge) this fact. Probably one of the reasons Kodaka and Yozora end up keeping their “friendship” vague. I haven’t read the light novels, but given the great anime run, those are certainly under my observation.

        Anyway, here’s to hoping for a second season!

        Aoihoshikage
        Reply

  21. Even though im not really a fan of short hair it seems like the Sora cut makes Yozora look more cute normal girl compared to her typical cruel sadistic behavior. I think the flashbacks were interesting but it didn’t leave enough room to answer the question of how their relationship will change now that the cat is out of the box. Like you said its kind of disappointing that it seems to be staying at status quo.

    Shin
    Reply

  25. Biggest suprise for me this episode was finding out Yozora likes kids(by her own admission) to herself. Proven in that she held up so long against Maria’s bratty attitude. Also her own younger self is Uber cute. Special mention should go to Rika’s VA for a stellar performance this episode highlighted when she first saw Yozora with the shorter hair.

    I’m torn between choosing this or IDOLM@ster as my anime of the season and/or year. I love em both.

    Roguespirit
    Reply

  26. Takaii, thanks for blogging this show. Great job with the summaries as well as your opinions. I did not always agree with your personal views but it gave depth and dimension to my appreciation of the show. I do hope there will be a second season in the future. From some illustrations that I saw, there are many more events to cover: hot springs, amusement park and birthday party, to mention a few. Thanks again!

    bertman4
    Reply

  29. I never expected Yozora actually asked Maria politely for permission to use place and be their advisor, though the way Maria responded THAT wasn’t so surprising. So now I really can’t hate Yozora for the way she “persuaded” Maria to hand over the room. The recap from Yozora’s point of view is a nice touch.

    Zhinvu
    Reply

  30. This just leaves a good impression for a second season, so that’s not too worrying. This ending was solid, making you want more or think next week there’ll be another episode. Pretty much the “JK WE’RE DOING 24 EPISODES!” kind of fashion and I like it. Can’t wait until next time!

    Jason Isenberg
    Reply

    3. Sora no Otoshimono actually had an opening song that did the same exact thing, even on the DVD releases. The opening song was still the same but all of the various actions in the opening had some extra sound effects added in.

      koga88
      Reply

  33. Same, this show unexpectedly turned out to be one of the top shows this season 😮
    But the last ep was slightly disappointing<- but again, all for the sake of a second season :/
    Throughly enjoyed all the comedy and characters throughout so it's all good. And hell yeah Rika being a rika till the end

    Whee
    Reply

  37. Takaii, thanks for covering this show!

    After the first excellent episodes the show seemed to have lost its drive and some eps were outright boring to me. Furthermore, I found Rika quite annoying and Yukimura pretty much pointless.

    However, I still consider this a decent show for its attractive character designs. Sora with her blue butterfly hairpin, Kobato with her loli figure and different eye colours and finally Yozora who looks so cute with short hair – they really made the day for me!

    jreding
    Reply

  39. The ending may have disappointed you a bit, but what were they supposed to do? This is far better than inventing new stuff with no relation to the original novel just to get a dramatic conclusion for the season. Like this they can continue in spring or summer without having to do any retcons.

    bearzerger
    Reply

  41. After watching this episode, I’m not sure who to support now, Yozora or Sena. At first Yozora’s sadistic personality towards Sena really didn’t help her image. But now that we see things from her perspective, Its hard to decide. Maybe if they make a second season.

    Sora_sasuke
    Reply

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