First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

OP Sequence

OP: 「Rally Go Round」 by LiSA

“From Now On / Please Notice”


「コレカラ／キヅイテ」 (Korekara / Kidzuite)

The Plot, Or Lack Thereof:

The first season of Nisekoi was, for the most part, a weird combination that worked. I’m a long-time manga reader, so I was happy to see it getting adapted, but I’d never been too fond of SHAFT, so I didn’t know how it would shape up. Thankfully, the SHAFT aesthetic wasn’t too blinding, and I would say it gave the series an extra flavour that the manga didn’t have – whether that be a good or bad flavour, is up for you all to decide. I knew that Nisekoi: was going to look and act just the same, but I also knew that the time for plot-twist and the focus on the girl with the destined key was coming to a halt. The girls have their keys ready, and Ichijou has his locket, but there’s always going to be an excuse or something to preventing us from getting the answers – we saw that in this episode, and expect to see it in every other episode that brings up the underlying plot that made Nisekoi so enjoyable. From here on out, don’t anticipate answers to plot. For the most part, what you’re going to get is plotless episodes focusing on a different girl each time, with the chance of some character arcs and new introductions occurring along the way.

Funny Faces and Hints of Romance:

This first episode took that expected formula, and applied it to Chitoge (Touyama Nao). We saw two of her chapters adapted, despite them being a fair distance from one another in the original timeline – but as I expected, SHAFT is going to play around with the order of things so they can cherry-pick the chapters they feel like adapting. I’m sure if Chitoge is your favourite of the gang then this episode worked for you – as for me, and anyone else who doesn’t love this blonde haired tsundere, well, we’ll just have to wait until the focus shifts for the better next week. I will admit, despite Chitoge being my least favourite characters of the series, she is more likeable once she’s animated, and her faces are hilarious, I cannot deny that. Otherwise, I didn’t care much for the episode. It looked pretty good (despite me being iffy about SHAFT’s style) and it made me snicker a few times, but once the hints of romance kicked in between them I wanted to close my eyes and pretend it wasn’t happening. And thankfully, the show will do just the same next week… and the week after. You get the point?

Best Girl?:

While the first season was filled with turns and twists to keep us on our toes – not knowing who was going to be the promised girl – this second season is going to be more about the ‘Girl of the Week’. It was already happening, but now that there’s no overarching plot to keep us focused on, it’s just going to be a battle for fanservice when each girl gets their episode and their respective fans proclaim them as the best. I may have problems with Nisekoi’s story approach, but even I can’t escape this pitfall. Whenever the my favourite appears, I’m going to be very pleased to see her, and will enjoy that episode a lot more than the others. Onodera (Hanazawa Kana) has always been my favourite – I just find her crush on Ichijou very sweet, as I do with his, but even that can’t last forever, right? I also like Ruri and Marika a bunch, so I’ll be happy enough to watch their episodes. As for Chitoge? Not for me, I’m afraid. I’ve had enough with typical tsunderes for a lifetime, thanks. But who is your best girl, if you have one? Will you be only tuning in on their episodes, or will you be rooting for all of them equally?

Overview – What’s Next?:

Nisekoi: was pretty much what I expected in this first episode. From what I’ve heard, it seems like we may only have a 12 episode run this time around, so I don’t know if we will even see the more important character arcs get adapted. Wait and see, I suppose. What you can expect is the introduction of the new girls that were shown in the opening. Some of them are fun, others feels completely filler, but then again that is what Nisekoi has become. If you’re still watching at this point, you just have to accept what we’re going to be given here.

Full-length images: 11.

Note: There are currently no plans to cover Nisekoi: weekly.

ED Sequence

ED: 「Aimai Hertz」 (曖昧ヘルツ) by Kirisaki Chitoge (Touyama Nao), Onodera Kosaki (Hanazawa Kana), Tsugumi Seishirou (Komatsu Mikako), Tachibana Marika (Asumi Kana)

End Card

22 Comments

  6. So, as someone who has shook his head at many a hater of the way this manga turned SoL around this point, I’m just going to come right out and say that it isn’t as bad as they’ll make it out to be. Yes, it basically turns SoL and the locket loses most of its importance, but personally I only ever saw the locket as a mechanism for gathering the girls anyway. As a lot of the characters realize, when the locket opens it’s going to bring on a massive (and probably quite forced) change to the status quo. I’m happy they let the girls run wild before that, since they do a fine job of causing comedy/mayhem on their own.

    I mean, all that putting the locket story aside does is put more attention on the character’s backgrounds and daily lives to move events along. There’s plenty of crazy to go around there!

    Aex
    Reply

    1. I’m with you on this.

      The whole locket thing is a red herring, IMO, anyway. Who would ever marry a kid they don’t even remember anymore?

      What’s more important than some crap some kids crammed in a doorknob is the memories you make NOW, the things you do NOW, the things you feel NOW. What Ichijou et.al. felt as snot-nosed brats is in the realm of “Nice to know, but utterly irrelevant right now.”

      Stop focusing so much on the locket. The characters are changing, albeit slowly, but they are changing.

      Another really good SoL series where the characters changed very slowly, but change they did was Aria. The pace is almost glacial, but stuff happens there. SoL isn’t necessarily static.

      s_w
      Reply

  11. Chitoge is my favorite of the girls, with Marika a close second. (Come to think of it, I like Tsumugi more than Onodera, too.)

    Onodera is cute, but she doesn’t have much in the way of personality.

    Even Haru is more interesting than her older sister. She’s got spunk!

    I guess I prefer girls who like to play a little rough over the meek, submissive type.

    s_w
    Reply

  14. #TeamAnyoneButMarika

    But yeah I think my fav is Onodera! I like Chitoge, too though after the end of last season.

    I don’t really care that the plot won’t be resolved, I’m here for the cute moments, and the character interactions. 🙂

    CB
    Reply

  18. #TeamChitoge. You say you had enough of tsundere but I have had enough of sweet innocent girls who does nothing but blush half the episode. I also find her and Raku’s relationship more interesting since it is definitely more rocky 🙂

    Drift
    Reply

  19. I absolutely adore and love Onodera that I want her for myself! Ichijou can have Tsugumi. Well, she’s the odd one out at the moment, so yeah I prefer her to win.

    Tatlonghariken
    Reply

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