First Impressions / Non Non Biyori / Series Introduction

OP Sequence

OP: 「こだまことだま」 (Kodama Kotodama) by nano.RIPE

「一年生になった」 (Ichinensei ni Natta)
“I Became A First Grader”

Starting the second season off right, there was more Ren-chon than we could shake a stick at.

A Sequel, Prequel?

I hope I wasn’t the only one who was a little confused as the episode started playing out. With Hotaru noticeably absent, Hikage noticeably present, and Renge just entering school, I remember thinking to myself, “No way, we’re not going back in time are we!?” But after putting a little more thought into it, things quickly started to make more sense if you thought of this episode as one to get you up to speed. By giving us quick glimpses at the characters and some of their defining characteristics, this episode served as the perfect way to give old and new viewers a quick refresher before the story really started to get going.

Stone Cold Renge

While the episode itself was rather slow, the one thing that the show definitely did was show off some of its trademark humor. Using Renge as the catalyst for most of the jokes, there were some prime examples of what’s to come. From her stone cold face to that adorable blank look of hers, you could say that this was an especially Ren-chon focused episode. Also, wasn’t it super cute seeing her go to school all by herself? I was wondering why she was go gung-ho about going a day early, but when we saw her in that outfit following the line she made the day before, it was almost too cute to watch.

Looking Ahead & General Impressions

Even though this first episode could be considered a bit slow, I think it was a really good way to slowly ease us back into the show. While it remains to be seen just how different things will be when Hotaru rejoins the gang, it looks like we’ll be getting a lot more of what made the first season so fun.

One thing that really caught me by surprise was just how well-done everything looked. With a ton of slow pans over beautifully drawn backgrounds, it felt like the show was just trying to tell us “look at how much more money we invested this time around!” Seriously though, everything from the character’s faces to the lines on the buildings all looked super sharp. Something which I appreciate especially when a lot of slice-of-lifes end up with a smaller budget. Besides that though, there really isn’t all that much to talk about for this first episode. It was basically a refresher for both new and old viewers and because it happened in the past, it really doesn’t hold any bearing over the future episodes. I suppose we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see if this sequel will live up to the expectations the first season left us with!

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「おかえり」 (Okaeri) by 宮内れんげ（小岩井ことり）、一条蛍（村川梨衣）、越谷夏海（佐倉綾音）、越谷小鞠（阿澄佳奈）(Miyauchi Renge (CV: Koiwai Kotori), Ichijou Hotaru (CV: Murakawa Rie), Koshigaya Natsumi (CV: Sakura Ayane), Koshigaya Komari (CV: Asumi Kana))

Preview

37 Comments

      1. The moment Renge started shouting for her Onee-chan I already guessed it was the phone. I guess it slipped Hikage’s mind when Kazuho started talking to her. Ironically, Kazuho was checking if she forgot anything. Renge was so cute in that scene too. Then again in any scene she’s in Renge is adorable. I was cheering for her when she managed to commute to school by herself. Speaking of school, it’s been something on my mind since season 1 but never got to ask about it but I wonder if a school system like the one in Non Non Biyori actually exist in Japan. Where everything is self-study and there’s light adult supervision. And if you advance in school years it’s actually accredited.

        Zhinvu
        Reply

      2. It’s all right to be curious. But fear not! You’ll simply be hypnotized by Renge-dono’s magic chant.

        @Wanderer I believe they are used to share the link to Twitter and Facebook.

        losing steak
        Reply

  7. Funnily enough NNB:R won’t technically be a sequel, from what I can tell perusing other sites this season is a fleshing out of the first where Hotaru moves in and joins the school.

    An interesting choice all things considered, but at least this time around this little masterpiece of a SoL is being given the coverage it deserves 😛

    Pancakes
    Reply

    2. I found the first ep of the previous season much funnier though. The part where Renge whistled and a junkie-tanuki appeared out of the bushes. Nothing in this ep could beat that.

      Litho
      Reply

    1. These kind of “background Pictures” are universal. these images bring back memories for me that i nearly forgotten when i was a kid, and not touched Anime

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

      1. because, behind my House there was great Wood, small Hills, little water streams to watering the fields, birds that flow free around, and the best of all. it was a huge fantasy Playground, that you do not have in City’s today

        WorldwideDepp
        Reply

  13. NYANPASU!

    I cannot believe the first season slipped out of my radar. No amount of shooting myself can compensate for such an atrocious oversight. After watching the whole first season, I am sold: Best SoL Ever. And it’s no wonder, with Yoshida Reiko of K-ON in charge of the script and scenario directing.

    And if you can’t get enough of Ren-chon cuteness, you can hire her (as well as her friends) as your smart phone stand.
    http://www.mechanicaljapan.com/2015/06/non-non-biyori-renge-miyauchi-hotaru.html

    echykr
    Reply

  14. I bet you can smell poo when you go near these girls,
    not because the girls smell like poo,
    but because the entire village smells like cow poo.

    nyanpasu~ *sniff sniff* ewwwww

    SuperSaiyanZero
    Reply

  15. Maybe I’m odd, but I get a real bittersweet, melancholy vibe from this show.

    The village is basically dying. There are lots of places like it in Japan; almost no kids, and those that are there will soon move away. Those left behind get older and pass, one by one, until that’s left is empty houses and memories..

    momerathe
    Reply

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