Darling dress-up saya / Kisekoi sentiasa menawan, tetapi ia telah mencapai tahap baru dengan sekuel yang lebih kreatif, lebih ketat, dan dalam proses itu, lebih pelbagai dalam subkultur yang diterokai. Mari kita menggali perubahan pengeluaran yang membuahkan hasil yang luar biasa!

Walau bagaimanapun, ia adalah sedikit enkapsulasi reduktif tentang apa yang kerja asalnya merangkumi. Fikiran anda, itu tidak selalu menjadi aspek negatif, apalagi pemutus perjanjian. Jika apa-apa, anda boleh berhujah bahawa ia adalah semulajadi untuk penyesuaian untuk menemui seperti itu; Lebih mudah untuk mereka bentuk pengalaman fokus yang ketat dengan pandangan jauh dari penerbitan yang berterusan atau bahkan selesai, sedangkan penulis asal yang baru saja memulakan kerja mereka dengan yang tidak diketahui. Siri-siri tertentu telah diperbaiki melalui penyesuaian mereka kerana itu, sama ada dengan menumpahkan unsur-unsur yang secara retrospeksi adalah canggung yang canggung, atau melalui pilihan penekanan semata-mata. Sekali lagi, jangan ambil ini sebagai kritikan yang keras terhadap rancangan TV pertamanya, yang secara keseluruhannya kukuh. Sesiapa yang melihatnya dapat membuktikan bahawa penghantarannya berkisar dari bunyi teknikal hingga kadang-kadang luar biasa, dengan piawaian animasi dengan selesa di atas norma anime TV semasa. Namun, ketibaan sekuelnya menunjukkan kewujudan potensi yang lebih luas sehingga mereka tidak dapat memanfaatkan pertama kali melalui. Bermula dengan aspek yang anda tidak boleh menyalahkan pasukan kreatif untuk: kiraan episod. Dengan satu kursus untuk pelupusan mereka, kakitangan membuat pilihan terbaik yang tersedia untuk mereka dan meneruskan langkah yang diukur, walaupun itu bermakna mereka tidak akan mencapai arka (yang paling baru pada masa itu) di mana manga benar-benar memukul langkahnya. Walaupun selalu menyeronokkan, Shinichi Fukuda bekerja mengambil sedikit masa untuk mengangkat dirinya dari komedi romantis yang comel yang menyatakan mesej yang bagus, ke mana kepercayaan itu merentasi setiap halaman dengan jenis keyakinan yang anda tidak dapat membantu. Hormatnya terhadap bekas itu tidak dapat dipersoalkan; Lebih daripada beberapa bab dalam siri ini, termasuk peringkat terdahulu, begitu teliti dalam penggambaran hobi mereka yang mereka dapat berfungsi sebagai tutorial. Ini diterjemahkan ke dalam musim pertama anime juga, menawarkan pandangan yang tidak disukai oleh subkultur… atau sebaliknya, ke dalam kepingan yang hadir dalam bahan yang mereka akan mempunyai masa untuk menyesuaikan diri. Itu sudah cukup untuk memberi isyarat kepada idea-idea seperti fandom proaktif dan penciptaan derivatif sebagai cara yang berharga untuk menyalurkan cinta anda, serta menolak terhadap tekanan masyarakat tentang apa yang patut kita suka. Walaupun mereka adalah tema yang secara semula jadi menemani Gojo dan Marin melintasi percintaan mereka, mereka masih belum terbentuk sepenuhnya pada peringkat ini. Konsep-konsep ini agak terlepas dari kemuncak dalam pengeluaran, dan semata-mata tidak semua yang berkaitan dengan realiti kebanyakan orang dalam budaya yang diterokai. Tema-tema itu, dalam singkat, berpakaian tingkap yang mencukupi untuk romcom yang comel.

Untuk beberapa darjah, yang sempit dalam rasa datang ke pelaksanaan. Sekiranya saya memberitahu anda untuk menutup mata anda dan bayangkan beberapa urutan yang tidak dapat dilupakan dari musim pertama, saya tahu untuk fakta bahawa beberapa gabungan gambaran, gambaran volumetrik badan Marin dalam pakaian yang memalukan muncul dalam fikiran anda. Ini bukan percubaan untuk memalukan di kalangan pembaca kami-dalam laman web yang bertujuan untuk menghargai seni, penyimpangan adalah jenis lencana kehormatan di tempat pertama. Apa yang saya maksudkan, bagaimanapun, adalah bahawa urutan-urutan itu menerima tahap yang tidak dapat dilupakan, penghantaran yang jelas yang jelas bahawa siri ini tidak mampu secara tetap. Ini adalah ketidakpastian dalam nilai impak (walaupun dengan lantai masih dihormati) yang memberikan kesan palsu bahawa momen-momen itu adalah semua siri ini. Pengarah Pengarah: (監督, Kantoku): Orang yang bertanggungjawab ke atas keseluruhan pengeluaran, baik sebagai pembuat keputusan kreatif dan penyelia akhir. Mereka mengalahkan seluruh kakitangan dan akhirnya mempunyai perkataan terakhir. Siri dengan tahap pengarah yang berlainan ada-Ketua Pengarah, Penolong Pengarah, Pengarah Episod Siri, segala macam peranan bukan standard. Hierarki dalam keadaan tersebut adalah kes oleh senario kes. Keisuke shinohara yang dimasukkan pada awalnya menganggap Kisekoi hanyalah gula-gula mata untuk lelaki. Ia hanya apabila dia membaca lebih lanjut bahawa dia mendapati dirinya sangat tertarik kepada perjuangan Gojo sebagai pencipta; Walaupun berada dalam bidang yang berbeza, dia mendapati arka beliau bergema dengan sesiapa yang melabur dalam membuat sesuatu. Ia juga dengan menyelidiki lebih banyak ke dalam siri ini bahawa dia datang untuk menghargai penggambaran perasaan Marin dengan cara yang pasti dan sama penting-kontras dengan trend Romcom Danseimuke membingkai wanita sebagai objek yang tidak dapat diketahui. Ini nampaknya sentimen yang dikongsi di seluruh pasukan, seperti Ketua Pengeluar Aniplex Nobuhiro Nakayama Erotisme tidak selalu menjadi sebahagian daripada Kisekoi. Kami mengikuti dua remaja, masing-masing dari sudut kekaguman mereka sendiri, cuba mencari seksualiti mereka. Salah seorang daripada mereka cukup yakin di dalam badannya untuk cuba mencubanya untuk watak-watak provokatif dari permainan dewasa; Menonjolkan hubungan antara siri dengan tema ini dan penggambaran badan, serta fakta bahawa dia suka permainan lucah. Dan, yang boleh dikatakan paling penting, Fukuda tidak menyembunyikan bahawa dia suka menggambarkan Marin dengan cara yang seksi. Memandangkan premis ini dan akses pasukan kepada beberapa artis watak yang luar biasa yang akan dengan senang hati pergi keluar pada urutan tersebut, itu bukan kejutan atau kelemahan yang banyak sorotan pada musim pertama sesuai dengan pemotongan Marin Racy. Sekiranya kita semata-mata menilai pelaksanaannya, isu ini lebih banyak lagi kerana persepsi atau kelemahan relatif-itu adalah sisi lain Kisekoi S1 yang tidak terkena kekuatan yang sama.

Untuk permulaan, penting untuk mengingati konteks pengeluaran musim pertama itu. Walaupun dibuat dengan baik untuk piawaian anime TV, kita tidak boleh lupa bahawa ia mengikuti letupan mutlak Wonder Egg Priority . Walaupun Shouta Umehara sebagai penghasil animasi bahan bakar apa yang sudah pasti pasukan Cloverworks yang paling berprestij, dia kadang-kadang melampaui titik ke titik juga menjadi menyusahkan. Dia bukan seorang pemimpin kejam yang mengeksploitasi orang lain, melainkan jenis ruam yang menerajui misi bunuh diri; Jangan lupa bahawa orang yang dihantar ke hospital itu sendiri. Sikapnya pada masa itu adalah sesuatu yang secara beransur-ansur berkembang-dengan cara yang kemudiannya akan menjejaskan musim kedua Kisekoi-tetapi lebih daripada apa-apa lagi, ia adalah keletihan mental dan fizikal pasca-WEP yang menyeret standard untuk projek seterusnya mereka kembali ke Bumi. Musim pertama Kisekoi menerima ambang konsistensi dan kualiti yang lebih rendah untuk seni watak, dan agak terkenal, menampilkan dua episod outsourcing sepenuhnya ( #03 ke Traumerei Animation Studio dan #07 ke Lapin Track). Ia adalah pengeluaran yang kukuh, namun juga definisi menahan diri. Memandangkan konteks ini, difahami demikian. Mereka mengalahkan seluruh kakitangan dan akhirnya mempunyai perkataan terakhir. Siri dengan tahap pengarah yang berlainan ada-Ketua Pengarah, Penolong Pengarah, Pengarah Episod Siri, segala macam peranan bukan standard. Hierarki dalam keadaan tersebut adalah kes oleh senario kes. Shinohara tidak mencolok secara semula jadi. Permulaan musim pertama sudah cukup untuk menggambarkan bahawa, walaupun dia menggunakan keterlaluan, Melalui teknik dan kecerdasan, dia menggunakan kedudukannya sebagai pengarah untuk melindungi rendaman penonton dari menghancurkan. Dia mungkin bukan realis yang ketat, tetapi dia mendapat jenis penglihatan yang memaksa dia untuk menggambarkan lampu sorot kiasan dalam cara anda akan menunjukkan lampu sebenar. Walaupun dia tidak pernah mengetepikan rasa humor kerja asal, ia adalah pengarah episod lain pada musim pertama yang bersandar lebih kononnya. Terutama pada masa itu, Shinohara gembira untuk bertujuan untuk merasakan ketelusan; Menjadi sahih dalam penggambaran orang dan perkara itu, meninggalkan artifak itu sehingga orang lain. Berikutan pendahuluan seorang pengarah tertentu yang kemudiannya diletakkan di barisan hadapan sekuel, ia menunjukkan kisekoi cheekier yang sanggup bermain dengan sifat-sifat yang luar biasa sebagai 2da aset yang anda dapat dengan . Tetapi, dari sudut yang sama sekali berbeza, kemuncak sebenar adalah episod kelapan yang diketuai oleh Yusuke Kawakami . Awalnya, kunci adegan yang panjang animasi oleh kerorira mempamerkan jenis gambaran karismatik dari lembaran yang kita lihat hanya dalam adegan pedas semasa Musim 1. Semasa anda meneroka lagi ke dalam episod, penggambaran siri gadis ajaib yang lebih tua membuat konsesi untuk keaslian memihak kepada peraturan yang sejuk. Atmosfera yang lebih terasa lebih terasa daripada apa yang anda hadapi di seluruh pertunjukan yang berayun antara ketakutan dan kelemahan apabila watak terbuka kepada Gojo, kemudian beralih dengan cepat ke

Melompat terus ke episod pertama Musim 2, yang bermaksud Kisekoi #13 berikutan penomboran rasmi, mempamerkan peningkatan yang besar di seluruh papan. Shinohara tidak pernah menumpahkan kecenderungannya, tetapi seperti yang dijelaskannya dalam wawancara Newtype yang disebutkan di atas, dia mahu meluaskan pelbagai ungkapan. Pada pandangannya, pengkhianatan sekali-sekala mengenai realiti objektif menjadikan perkara lebih menarik untuk penonton dan pencipta. Berbekalkan minda baru itu-dan kerjasama ahli utama tertentu dalam pasukan Musim 2-dia berangkat ke StoryboardStoryboard (絵コンテ, Ekonte): pelan animasi. Satu siri lukisan yang biasanya mudah berfungsi sebagai skrip visual anime, yang ditarik pada lembaran khas dengan bidang untuk nombor pemotongan animasi, nota untuk kakitangan dan garis dialog yang sepadan. Lebih banyak dan mengarahkan pengenalan semula ini kepada siri ini.

Jika anda berhasrat untuk mengukur Shinohara, adegan cemerlang pada akhir episod mungkin menjadi contoh terbaik dari apa yang dia mampu pada masa ini. Dikelilingi oleh ekstrovert dalam parti Halloween yang dia telah diseret, Gojo terpaksa menghadapi rasa tidak puas hati; Adakah dia benar-benar milik mereka, dan sebenarnya, adakah dia berada di mana-mana ketika kepentingannya tidak sesuai dengan norma jantina? Oleh itu, selepas beralih dari ketakutan Gojo kepada perasaan penerimaan yang menyenangkan, klimaks lagu itu membolehkannya segera berputar-putar kepada persoalan awam yang terselubung, sama ada kedua-dua petunjuk itu bertarikh. Berkatilah kamu sekarang, dan memberkati kamu Shinohara. Ini bukan kebetulan: dia memanggil dibs pada watak kegemarannya sebanyak mungkin, memperluaskan tugasnya walaupun di luar persembahan itu sendiri. Pasukan itu membenarkannya melukis href=”https://x.com/kisekoi_anime/status/19555562471995191704″sasaran=”_ blank”> extra Ilustrasi Untuk mengiringi lagu-lagu rock Nowa (kenapa dia mempunyai rasa yang hebat?) Sepanjang musim 2, sehingga penulis asalnya mengambil usaha yang sangat fokus. Dan sebagainya, ketika musim berakhir, Sama seperti akhir episod yang sangat baik, begitu juga permulaan. Struktur ini, pada mulanya, langkah besar dengan penyesuaian. Kebanyakan peringkat awal musim kedua dibina atas peralihan kecil aliran bahan sumber, dan saya percaya bahawa mereka berjaya dalam matlamat mereka; Dalam kes episod pertama, untuk mengalu-alukan kita kembali dengan sesuatu yang merangkumi keseluruhan daya tarikan Kisekoi, dan bukannya meneruskan seolah-olah tiada rehat telah berlaku. Oleh itu, sama seperti pendahulunya kadang-kadang, musim 2 bermula dengan

Sebagai skop siri ini diperluas, begitu juga dengan ini lucu pada kepingan fiksyen di alam semesta. Mereka merangkumi lebih banyak sudut peta otaku dan menjadi lebih fleshed, terutamanya dalam penyesuaian yang membayangkan mereka jauh lebih jauh daripada sekilas dalam manga. Berikutan pen Ikarashi, ini menjadi lebih… semuanya. Lebih. Itulah pada dasarnya bagaimana Shinohara bercakap tentang Ikarashi yang baik: seseorang yang anda boleh percayai bukan hanya untuk mendapatkan apa yang dikatakan oleh papan cerita anda, tetapi siapa yang akan mengalahkan anda dengan memperluaskannya dengan lebih jauh. Tsucom adalah siri yang hancur namun bodoh yang sepatutnya membuat anda pergi Adegan, ia adalah orang lain yang membersihkannya ke dalam StoryboardStoryboard yang betul (絵コンテ, Ekonte): pelan animasi. Satu siri lukisan yang biasanya mudah berfungsi sebagai skrip visual anime, yang ditarik pada lembaran khas dengan bidang untuk nombor pemotongan animasi, nota untuk kakitangan dan garis dialog yang sepadan. Lebih. Orang yang sama memberi idea-idea kepadanya sepanjang musim, boleh dikatakan sebagai penyebab utama untuk perubahan nada Kisekoi. Akhirnya masa untuk bercakap tentang Fan Favorite Yuusuke”Nara”Yamamoto , yang mengambil pendirian proaktif dalam peranannya yang baru diperolehi oleh pengarah pengarah siri siri: (監督, Kantoku): Orang yang bertanggungjawab ke seluruh pengeluaran, kedua-duanya sebagai penyelia keputusan dan akhir yang kreatif. Mereka mengalahkan seluruh kakitangan dan akhirnya mempunyai perkataan terakhir. Siri dengan tahap pengarah yang berlainan ada-Ketua Pengarah, Penolong Pengarah, Pengarah Episod Siri, segala macam peranan bukan standard. Hierarki dalam keadaan itu adalah kes oleh senario kes.. Seperti yang dia nota dalam wawancara Newtype bahawa dia berkongsi dengan kawan baiknya dan animator utama Naoya Takahashi , skop dan spesifik peranan yang berbeza-beza bergantung kepada alam sekitar dan projek yang diberikan. Dalam kes ini, jangkauan Nara adalah semua yang merangkumi cara yang biasanya hanya pemimpin projek; Pernah hadir seawal mesyuarat skrip, dan terlibat dalam pilihan untuk episod di mana dia tidak dikreditkan secara eksplisit juga. Memberi sesiapa yang banyak penglibatan harus memberi kesan, apalagi pencipta dengan keperibadian yang berani sebagai Nara. Saya sebahagian besarnya akan bersetuju dengan pandangannya bahawa, apabila animator watak yang luar biasa beralih ke peranan pengarah, mereka cenderung meletakkan banyak penekanan pada kecantikan dan ketenangan teknikal tembakan, keaslian bertindak, dan aliran mekanikal papan cerita. Ini, tentu saja, kualiti positif-dan juga satu pihak yang Nara tidak benar-benar hilang. Walau bagaimanapun, dalam proses peralihan peranan, dia telah menjadi seorang artis yang lebih banyak melabur dalam idea mudah untuk menghiburkan penonton dan mengejutkan mereka. Ini adalah sesuatu yang peminat Bocchi the Rock datang untuk sangat menghargai, kerana episodnya pada musim pertama adalah antara yang paling ortodoks untuk apa yang sudah menjadi komedi eksentrik. Walau bagaimanapun, perlu diperhatikan bahawa keinginan untuk menangkap penonton dengan kejutan dengan kepelbagaian bahan adalah sesuatu yang dipamerkan terlebih dahulu (

Untuk seberapa banyak artis seperti dia menonjol, penting untuk menegaskan bahawa peningkatan besar dalam nilai-nilai pengeluaran adalah semua-merangkumi, melangkaui mana-mana individu. Sekali lagi, ini adalah sesuatu yang rapat dengan konteks pengeluaran Musim 2 jika dibandingkan dengan pendahulunya. Walaupun kita tidak dapat memainkan fakta bahawa CloverWorks berada dalam keadaan overproduction, terutamanya apabila studio cuba membingkai bahawa sebagai positif memandangkan hasil yang mereka perolehi, ia juga tidak dapat dinafikan bahawa terdapat peningkatan ketara terhadap infrastruktur mereka. Latihan kakitangan mereka (dan kadang-kadang pemburuan haram) telah membantu membina pasukan yang lebih baik, lebih baik. Membina di atas tanah yang kukuh dan bukannya di dalam kawah yang ditinggalkan oleh WEP, sokongan itu hanya lebih kuat. Integrasi kredit pengeluarannya yang menawan menangkap mata, walaupun saya percaya hati urutan itu Tidak ada lullaby Saya percaya bahawa cara mereka diproses adalah transformatif dan datang sebagai keluhan yang menghormati, walaupun ia akan duduk lebih baik dengan orang jika mereka menjerit pasukan asal. Memandangkan peraturan yang tidak terucapkan mengenai menyebutkan karya-karya lain yang jelas, idea itu mungkin telah ditembak jatuh.

Jangan salahkan saya, walaupun: Kisekoi S2 adalah unik. Walaupun saya percaya bahawa kreativiti lucu Bocchi mendorongnya ke bahagian paling atas karya-karya Umehara, ada argumen yang akan dibuat tentang ketepatan yang teliti-tidak bertentangan dengan yang meriah pelaksanaan-sebahagian besar Kisekoi S2 menjadikannya pengeluaran terbesar pasukan ini. Shinohara sendiri menganggap piawaian untuk episod seperti perdana Musim 2 untuk menjadi berlebihan untuk televisyen. Dia tidak hanya bermaksud aspek yang paling ketara seperti perincian dan menggilap seni watak, atau bahkan tahap artikulasi animasi, tetapi juga kebencian dari dalam-betweening dan lukisan. Masa yang panjang yang dibelanjakan untuk episod terdahulu pasti membantu, walaupun pengarah juga menunjukkan bahawa asas kemahiran teknikal yang tinggi sangat mengurangkan keperluan untuk mendapatkan semula, sehingga menjadikan tahap cita-cita itu dapat dilaksanakan. Mungkin, cara terbaik untuk menggambarkan kejayaan mereka adalah bahawa ia merasakan seperti musim yang sangat halus; Sebahagian daripada rahsia itu, seperti dia mendedahkan, satu pasukan yang sangat baik sehingga mereka memaku banyak perkara pertama kali. Salah satu perkara utama yang anda perlukan untuk memahami perubahan yang ketara dalam rasa antara musim Kisekoi adalah bahawa Nara benar-benar di mana-mana, penandaan bersama dengan pengarah pengarah siri: (監督, Kantoku): Orang yang bertanggungjawab ke atas keseluruhan pengeluaran, kedua-duanya sebagai penyelia keputusan kreatif dan penyelia akhir. Mereka mengalahkan seluruh kakitangan dan akhirnya mempunyai perkataan terakhir. Siri dengan tahap pengarah yang berlainan ada-Ketua Pengarah, Penolong Pengarah, Pengarah Episod Siri, segala macam peranan bukan standard. Hierarki dalam keadaan tersebut adalah kes oleh senario kes. yang gembira menyerap ideanya. Namun, seperti kepekatan oksigen di atmosfera boleh berubah-ubah, begitu juga dengan ketumpatan zarah pengarah yang keterlaluan (konsep saintifik sebenar). Mereka cenderung berada pada tahap tertinggi, tentu saja, dalam episod-episod yang diarahkan oleh Nara secara peribadi dan storyboard-bermakna #14, #19, dan #23. Penyesuaian semula memerlukan rakaman bersama dua cerita yang berbeza, tetapi penghantaran Nara sangat yakin bahawa anda tidak berasa seperti tidak ada penglihatan yang jelas di belakangnya. Pasti, kita beralih dari kesinambungan romcom mengalahkan sama ada mereka berkencan dengan cosplay dan plotlines fokus jantina, tetapi kedua-duanya disampaikan melalui campuran gaya eklektik yang sama. href=”https://bsky.app/profile/yuyucow.bsky.social/post/3ltrykeriyk2t”>his reminders that animation is composed of assets he can play around with. There’s that familiar sense of comedy built upon quick stylistic shifts whenever he can find a way to sneak it in; changing levels of stylization, of fluidity in the animation, and then subverting your expectations from an entirely new vector when you think you’ve cracked the pattern. Just like the Bocchi anime that episodes like this are so reminiscent of, it’s the consistent sense of surprise that becomes the glue between heterogeneous parts.

Since we talked about the opening sequence, we ought to introduce the ending as well. The closing sequence by VIVINOS is very reminiscent of their Pink Bitch Club series, taking Marin’s crush and her interest in fashion as an excuse to turn her into a bit of a menhera menace.

If we stop and appreciate the once again excellent animation, we can find plenty of examples of seemingly uncanny combinations of ideas leading to a richer outcome. With a director as quick to embrace cartoony aesthetics, you could assume that’s the route it’ll head in whenever there are comedic needs, but Nara successfully guides the team to get mileage out of less common approaches. Like, for example, ever so slightly dialing up the realism to make a sequence more amusing. As an embarrassed Marin storms away from Gojo, the level of lifelike detail in which the folds of his disguise are depicted—a bit exaggerated but not so much that they become a caricature—makes him look much creepier and thus funnier in this context. Even when the application of a style is more orthodox, the ability to alternate between them will keep you constantly engaged. After all, the same visit to a sick Marin can have outstanding examples of precision in animation and inherently funny betrayals of space. In a season with many outrageous visual tricks, even the seemingly more standard sequences can be inherently fun to look at.

One detail we’ve neglected to mention is that all those scenes arrived by the hand of the aforementioned main animator, Naoya Takahashi. Speaking to Newtype, he simplified the evolution of his role as going from a tactically deployed weapon across important moments in the first season, to handling large chunks at a time for the sequel. This is not to say that he no longer handled climactic moments, since we’re talking about an animator with a hand in the very last scene of the season. However, it’s true that he halved his appearances so take he could take over many cuts whenever he showed up as either key animator or supervisor.

Applied to episode #14, that meant drawing key animationKey Animation (原画, genga): These artists draw the pivotal moments within the animation, basically defining the motion without actually completing the cut. The anime industry is known for allowing these individual artists lots of room to express their own style. for virtually every single shot in the first half; the only small exceptions being Odashi and the regular Yohei Yaegashi making cute guest appearances, in rather different ways. Nara is particularly effusive about Takahashi’s mindset, as an animator whose interests are tickled by seemingly troublesome cuts that he’ll complicate even further, but it’s worth noting that the entire second half received the same holistic treatment by Maring Song. Given that its animation demands are just as diverse, the challenge couldn’t have been any easier.

Even with those assistants and the help of a solid lineup of 2nd key animators, having the episode’s two animation directors penning every single cut in the first place is quite the ask. And keep it in mind: it was an ask, not a spur-of-the-moment happening but a foundational idea in planning Kisekoi S2. Those Newtype features confirm as much, saying it was an episode conceived to be animated by a small team. While this one is noteworthy in how far they went with it, the desire to keep animation teams small is a defining trait of Umehara’s production line in recent times. From a creative standpoint, there’s an obvious reason to chase that goal: the natural sense of cohesion and full realization of a better-defined vision that you can get out of small teams. And from a management level, the idea that you may be able to offload this large a workload to just a few people—at least for certain tasks—is a dream come true.

While it’s positive that viewers have started paying attention to the composition of teams (who is part of them, their size, roles, etc), many are a bit too quick to assume that seeing fewer animators credited is immediately a sign of a healthier, straight-up superior production. Instead, they should be asking themselves if such a team was a natural fit for the production circumstances, and whether the level of ambition and quality standards match their possibilities.

Circling back to Kisekoi S2, then, we can say that episodes like this manage to maintain—and occasionally even raise—the project’s already impressive technical floor despite the small team. And what about the larger picture? Did this approach eventually push the production off the rails? Although things got tighter by the end, we can now say that it weathered the storm without requiring the level of unthinkable individual feats that protected the likes of Bocchi. In that regard, it’s worth noting that Kisekoi S2 showed an interesting level of restraint. Small teams of animators, but never as far as this one episode. A mere two episodes with a singular animation director, instead opting for duos as its default. Part of this comes down to the improvement of CloverWorks’ infrastructure (not to be confused with their planning) that we talked about earlier, but it’s also about that evolution in Umehara’s mindset; away from his most aggressive tendencies, less allergic to the concept of compromising, and instead interested in finding ways to minimize the negative effects from that.

It’s another one of Umehara’s favorite weapons that takes over the show with the next episode: character animation ace Tomoki Yoshikawa, who makes his debut as storyboarder and episode director. If his peers viewed Nara as a very entertaining aberration, Yoshikawa embodies straightforward excellence in his breed. As an animator, Yoshikawa’s work feels performed in a way that few artists’ do; so specific in its posing and demeanor that you feel as if the characters were actors who’d just been briefed by the director. And now that he genuinely occupies that position, you get that philosophy applied to an entire episode—often through his own redraws. The way people interact with objects and people’s gestures constantly stand out as deliberate. The way he accomplishes it makes his ostentatious brand of realism not particularly naturalistic, but its technical greatness and sufficient characterfulness justify its braggadocio air. Perhaps this is the horseshoe he shares with Nara: one, a director so imaginative that he gets away with making the artifice painfully obvious, the other, an animator so good at articulating characters that he’s happy with showing you the strings with which he puppeteers them.

Despite yet another charismatic lead artist having a visible impact, Kisekoi S2’s overarching identity is too strong to ever disappear. Instead, what happens is that the two tendencies tend to mix with each other. Yoshikawa’s deliberate acting doesn’t risk coming across as too clinical and serious, as his precise posing occasionally becomes a source of humor as well; for an obvious example, a binoculars-like shot is followed up by the type of silly pose that Marin is likely to adopt when her nerdy side takes over. The switches to blatantly cartoony animation can occur without ditching the calculated staging, and for that matter, without ditching Yoshikawa’s pen either—he personally key animated some of them as well.

The real highlight of the episode, though, is in Amane’s backstory. At this point, it should be obvious that Yoshikawa is more than a cold, technically proficient animation machine. He once again shows that much with a stunning flashback focused on the main duo’s new friend and his encounter with crossplay, which helped him forge an identity he’s finally comfortable with. Through some of the most ethereal drawings in the entire show (many by Yoshikawa himself), we witness his first experiences with makeup, wigs, and dresses. We see neither his face nor reflection, but it quickly becomes obvious that it’s because his past, regular self was one that he’d never been comfortable with. It’s impossible not to feel the contrast with his current persona, highlighted by all the cuts to the present clearly showing a happy face after so much obscuration of his expressions. The Amane of right now, the person cosplaying a female character while hanging out with Marin and Gojo, is the self that he loves and proudly projects outward.

This type of conflict is by no means new to Kisekoi. After all, Gojo’s own insecurities are also rooted in traumatic rejection over his gendered interests; and of course, Marin being a widely beloved, popular girl with some very male-coded hobbies is the flipside to his situation. Up until now, though, none of those situations had been presented in such striking fashion. If we add to that the way that Kisekoi’s exploration of otaku spaces widens—and this is only the beginning—the message of acceptance that had always been attached to the series starts feeling more meaningful.

The following episode ventures further in that regard. Although it’s the first chance for the production to take a bit of a breather, one aspect took a lot of work and it very much shows: the depiction of PrezHost. As is the norm with this season, an in-universe work briefly depicted in the manga becomes a fully fledged production effort within its anime adaptation. The beautiful designs by WEP’s Saki Takahashi and the evocative compositions it dashes out when necessary sell the appeal of the series, though it’s the concept itself that feels most important.

Even though Kisekoi rejects conforming to the preconceptions about what individuals ought to enjoy according to their age or gender, constantly doing so while only ever portraying danseimuke fiction (or types of work otherwise largely tolerated by men) would make its plea for acceptance ring rather hollow. This makes their fancy depiction of a shoujo manga turned popular live-action drama such a great choice, because it feels like it understands what teenage girls and families alike—including some boys, awkward about it they are—would get really into. I have to admit that, given the extremely obvious Ouran vibes of this fake series, I’d have loved to see much more overt mimicry of Takuya Igarashi’s direction; at best, Mamoru Kurosawa’s storyboardStoryboard (絵コンテ, ekonte): The blueprints of animation. A series of usually simple drawings serving as anime’s visual script, drawn on special sheets with fields for the animation cut number, notes for the staff and the matching lines of dialogue. More and its SHAFT flavor merely evoke vibes that feel like a distant stylistic cousin. That said, beautiful animation dedicated to something that strengthens your whole series’ message is hardly a reason to complain.

Between WEP’s early moments of excellence and his work across the 22/7 short films, Wakabayashi earned himself a reputation as a breathtaking director, the type that invites you into ethereal spaces where mundanity feels divine. Mind you, there is still plenty of room for delicacy and elegance across his boards here. Within an arc that strongly emphasizes collective work and the reliance on everyone’s specific skills, episode #17 allows the fundamentally subdued animation to do the talking; Gojo’s expert movements contrast with Marin’s well-meaning flubs, yet she’s the one who irradiates confidence with her body motion when she’s in her field. The intricacies of seemingly mundane animation tell us a lot, just by swinging from one of Marin’s beastly lunches to Gojo’s delicate eating as drawn by Shinnosuke Ota. Even that otherworldly vibe of Wakabayashi’s direction is channeled through the depiction of light, dyeing the profiles of the lead characters when they’re at their coolest and most reflective.

However, those are merely the gifts that you’ll find hidden within the bushes—or rather, in a very exuberant, colorful jungle. Wakabayashi and episode director Yuichiro Komuro, an acquaintance from WEP who already did solid work in Kisekoi S1, meet this sequel on its own terms. Stronger comedic edge, but also the incorporation of different genres we hadn’t explored before? Playful emphasis on the farcicality of animation assets, as well as a much higher diversity of materials? If that is the game we’re playing now, Wakabayashi will happily join everyone else. And by join, I mean perhaps best them all, with a single scene where Marin squeals about her crush being more densely packed than entire episodes; horror buildup, an imaginative TV set, slick paneling that breaks dimensions and media altogether, and here’s a cute shift in drawing style as a final reward. Wakabayashi may be playing under someone else’s rules, but he’s far from meek in the process. Episode #17 is out and proud about being directed, with more proactive camerawork than some hectic action anime and noticeable transitions with a tangible link to the narrative.

For as much as episodes like this rely on the brilliance of a special director, though, this level of success is only possible in the right environment. This is made clear by one of the quirkiest sequences: the puppet show used for an educational corner about hina dolls. The genesis is within Wakabayashi’s storyboards, but the development into such a joyful, involved process relied on countless other people being just as proactive. For starters, the animation producer who asked about whether that sequence would be drawn or performed in real life, then immediately considered the possibility of the latter when Wakabayashi said it could be fun. There’s Umehara himself, who’d been watching a documentary about puppeteer Haruka Yamada and pitched her name. The process this escalated into involved all sorts of specialists from that field, plus some renowned anime figures; no one better than Bocchi’s director Keiichiro Saito to nail the designs, as dolls are an interest of his and he has lots of experience turning anime characters into amusing real props. Even if you secure a unique talent like Wakabayashi, you can’t take for granted the willingness to go this far, the knowledge about various fields, and of course the time and resources required for these side quests.

And yet, it’s that emphasis on clinical forms of animation that also makes it feel somewhat dispassionate—especially after the playfulness of Wakabayashi’s episode. The delivery is so fancy that it easily passes any coolness test, and it certainly has nuggets of characters as well; watching the shift in Marin’s demeanor when she’s performing makes for a very literal, great example of character acting in animation. But rather than leaning into the fun spirit of a school festival, the direction feels very quiet and subservient to an artist who can lean towards the mechanical. It’s worth noting that the most evocative shots in the entire episode, which break free from its cold restraint, come by the hand of Yusuke Kawakami. Those blues are a reminder of the way he already stole the show once, with that delightful eighth episode of the first season.

Kisekoi S2 is certainly not the type of show to dwell in impassionate technicality for too long, so it immediately takes a swing with another fun episode captained by Nara. A leadership that this time around doesn’t merely involve storyboarding and direction, but even writing the script as well. Given that the animation director is Keito Oda, it ends up becoming quite the preview for the second season of Bocchi that they’re meant to lead together. His touch can be felt through the spacious layoutsLayouts (レイアウト): The drawings where animation is actually born; they expand the usually simple visual ideas from the storyboard into the actual skeleton of animation, detailing both the work of the key animator and the background artists. and the character art itself, with scenes like the one at the karaoke feeling particularly familiar. A noticeably softer feel within a series where the designs normally lean in sharper directions.

Even though Nara mostly plays with regular tools for this episode, the same eclecticism we’ve been praising so far is all over the episode. At no point can you be sure about which technique, palette, and type of stylization he’s going to deploy when depicting Marin’s struggles. This helps spice up an episode that is otherwise a simple breather. Weight gain scenarios in anime rarely lead to a fun time; you don’t have to start considering whether they’re problematic or not to realize that they’re formulaic and repetitive. However, within a show where bodies are meaningfully explored and thanks to Nara’s amusing resourcefulness, it becomes yet another entertaining episode.

Additionally, there is a reason why we said that the director mostly uses regular tools in episode #19. The highlight is a sequence built upon a 3D scan of a real park, in a process that took 9 months to complete. Although there are technical points of friction like Marin’s lack of a projected shadow, this was a tremendous amount of effort applied to a fundamentally compelling idea. Within regular comics, a sudden switch to a series of identical panel shapes feels unnatural. In the context of a series about cosplay, that’s enough to tell that someone is taking photos. But what about anime (and more broadly, film) where the aspect ratio is consistent? A solution can be to reimagine the whole sequence as a combination of behind-the-camera POV and snapshots that don’t reject the continuity.

While on the surface it might seem like a more modest showing, episode #20 is—in conjunction with the next one—a defining moment of Kisekoi S2. Director and storyboarder Yuuki Gotou is still a bit of a rookie in this field, but may prove to be one of the best scouting moves for the team. Alongside the small changes in the script, the direction toys with the themes of the series in a way that casually solidifies the entire cast. Gojo and Marin attend a cosplay event and come across acquaintances, including multiple friend-of-a-friend scenarios. Those involve someone who, in the manga, is merely mentioned as having been too busy to attend. In the end, we don’t know much about her, and she doesn’t even register as a person. What does Gotou’s episode do, though? It transforms the manga’s plain infodumping about cosplay culture into a fake program that stars her as the host, which makes the eventual reveal that she couldn’t show up more amusing and meaningful; now she actually is a person, albeit a pitiful one. The delivery of the episode is enhanced by similar small choices, in a way that is best appreciated if you check it out alongside the source material.

The immediate continuity in the events links that episode to #21, which also underlines the essence of season 2’s success. I’m sure we’ve all witnessed discourse about anime’s self-indulgent focus on otaku culture at some point. The very idea of acknowledging its own quirks and customs is framed as an ontological evil, though really, those complaints amount to little more than cheap shots at easy targets that people can frame as progressive, refined stances. Were they truly that thoughtful about cartoons, people would realize that such anime’s common failing isn’t the awareness and interest in its surrounding culture—it’s the exact opposite. Anime isn’t obsessed with otaku, but rather with going through familiar motions and myopically misrepresenting a culture that is much broader than we often see. Every late-night show that winks at a male audience about tropes they’ll recognize is blissfully unaware of the history of entire genres and demographics; and for that matter, about the ones that it’s supposed to know as well, given how many gamified Narou fantasies fundamentally don’t understand videogames.

Due to Marin’s choices of cosplay and the unbalanced presentation of the first season, Kisekoi risked leaning a bit in that direction as well. But with a series that genuinely wants to engage with the culture it explores, and a team willing to push its ideas even further, that simply couldn’t come to pass. The most amusing example of this across two episodes is Marin’s cosplay friends, as women who feel representative of distinct attitudes seen in female otaku spaces. From the resonant ways in which proactive fandom is linked to creative acts to the jokes they make, there’s something palpably authentic about it. Nerdy women don’t morph into vague fujoshi jokes, but instead showcase highly specific behaviors like seeing eroticism in sports manga that read completely safe to people whose brains aren’t wired the same way. Kisekoi S2 gets a lot of humor out of their exaggerated antics—both #20 and #21 are a riot about this—but these are just one step removed from real nerds you wouldn’t find in many anime that claim to have otaku cred.

This exploration continues with the type of fictional works that motivate their next cosplay projects. Just like PrezHost felt like a spot-on choice for a group of regular teenagers, an indie horror game like Corpse is perfect for this nerdier demographic of young adults and students; if you wanted to maximize the authenticity, it should have been a clone of Identity V as that was a phenomenon among young women, but their slight departure still becomes a believable passion for this group. And most importantly, it looks stunning. Following the trend you’ve heard about over and over, a loosely depicted in-universe game becomes a fully-fledged production effort led by specialists—in this case, pixel artist narume. It’s quite a shame that, no matter how many times I try to access the website they made for the game, it doesn’t become something I can actually play.

The purposeful direction of Haruka Tsuzuki in episode #21 makes it a compelling experience, even beyond its thematic success. Though in a way, its most brilliant scene is still tied to that—Marin’s subjectivity being so clearly depicted is one of the ways in which Kisekoi pushes back against common failings of the genre, after all. When she misunderstands what Gojo is buying, diegetic green lights flash green, like a traffic light signaling his resolve to go ahead. Marin’s panic over the idea of getting physically intimate coincides not just with a camera switch to show an adults-only zone of the store nearby, but also with the lights turning red. She doesn’t exactly feel ready… but the more she thinks about it, the lights switch to pink. If I have to explain what this one means, please go ask your parents instead.

Season 2 thrives because of this broader, deeper depiction of cosplay as an extension of otaku culture. As we mentioned earlier, it makes the message of acceptance feel like it carries much more weight; with a palpable interest in more diverse groups of people, the words of encouragement about finding your passions regardless of what society expects you to do have a stronger impact. Since the preceding season faltered by focusing on arcs where these ideas were still raw, while also introducing biased framing of its own, there’s a temptation to claim that Kisekoi S2 is superior because it stuck to the source material even more. And let’s make it clear: no, it did not. At least, not in those absolute terms.

There is an argument to be made that it better captures the fully-developed philosophy of the source material; the argument is, in fact, this entire write-up. That said, much of our focus has also been on how Shinohara’s desire to increase the expressivity and the arrival of Nara have shifted the whole show toward comedy. Kisekoi has always had a sense of humor, but there’s no denying that this season dials up that aspect way beyond the source material. That has been, as a whole, part of the recipe behind such an excellent season.

And yet, we should also consider the (admittedly rare) occasions where it introduces some friction. If we look back at episode #20, one of the highlights in Gotou’s direction is the goofy first meeting between Akira and Marin. Since we’re taking a retrospective look after the end of the broadcast, there’s no need to hide the truth: Akira has a tremendous crush on her. However, their entire arc is built upon everyone’s assumption that she hates Marin, as she gets tense and quiet whenever they’re together. The manga achieves this through vaguely ominous depictions of Akira, which would normally be read as animosity but still leaves room for the final punchline. The adaptation mostly attempts to do the same… except their first meeting is so comedic, so obvious in the falling-in-love angle, that it’s impossible to buy into the misdirection. Every now and then, it’s in fact possible to be too funny for your own good.

If we’re talking about the relative weaknesses of the season, episode #22 is a good reminder that outrunning the scheduling demons—especially if you enjoy taking up creative strolls to the side—is hard even for blessed projects. Conceptually, it’s as solid as ever. Marin’s sense of personhood remains central to everything, with her own struggles with love and sexuality being as carefully developed (if not more) than anything pertaining to Gojo. Being treated to another showcase of Corpse’s beautiful style is worth the price of admission, and you can once again tell that Fukuda understands nerds as she writes them salivating over newcomers’ opinions on their faves. It is, though, a somewhat rougher animation effort despite all the superstars in various positions of support. While the decline in quality is only relative to the high standards of Kisekoi S2, seeing what caliber of artist it took to accomplish an acceptable result speaks volumes about how tight things got.

Thanks to the small structural changes to the adaptation, this episode is able to reinforce the parallels between Akira’s situation and the world’s most beloved cosplayer Juju-sama (sentence collectively written by Marin and her sister). Sure, Juju’s got a supportive family and has been able to chase her dreams since an earlier age, but there have always been hints that she holds back somewhat. As a cosplayer with utmost respect for the characters, she never dared to attempt outfits where her body type didn’t directly match that of the original. This is why we see similar framing as that of a student Akira, feeling cornered before she stumbled upon a space to be herself. Nara may be an outrageous director, as proven by how quickly he unleashes paper cutout puppets again, but you can see his a subtler type of cheekiness in his storyboards as well; cutting to Juju’s shoes with massive platforms during a conversation about overcoming body types is the type of choice that will make you smile if you notice it.

On top of that thematic tightness and meaningful direction, episode #23 is also an amazing showcase of animation prowess. Separating these aspects doesn’t feel right in the first place; the compelling ideas rely on the author’s knowledge about the specifics of cosplay, which are then delivered through extremely thorough and careful animation. The likes of Odashi and Yuka Yoshikawa shine the best in that regard, though it’s worth noting that the entire episode is brimming with high-quality animation—and most importantly, with respect for the process of creating things as an expression of identity. Be it the Kobayashi-like acting as Juju storms out during a pivotal conversation about that, or a familiar representation of cosplay as a means to reach seemingly impossible goals by Hirotaka Kato, you can never dissociate the episode’s beautiful art from its belief that making things can allow us to be our real selves.

Again, it’s no secret that an episode like #23 was produced under strict time constraints; perhaps not in absolute terms, but very much so when you consider its level of ambition. In the context of not just this series but the production line we’ve been talking about all along, what’s interesting isn’t the achievement itself, but how it relates to an evolution we’ve observed before. Umehara’s more considered stance and CloverWorks’ improving infrastructure have been recurring themes, but there’s been one key piece of information relating to both that we’ve been keeping a secret. For as much as we’ve referred to this team as Umehara’s gang, which it very much is, you may have noticed that earlier we talked about a separate animation producer—the position that Umehara held in previous projects. So, what happened here?

As he has alluded to on Twitter but more extensively talked about in his Newtype interview, Umehara is not just aware of CloverWorks’ changes, but also quite hopeful about its up-and-coming management personnel. In his view, most of them are just one piece of advice away from figuring out the tricks to create excellent work. And yet, being the animation producer, he tends to be too far from the trenches for those less experienced members to come to him for advice… unless things have gotten really dire. That is, to some degree, simply not true; Umehara is too emotionally invested in the creative process to separate himself from it, no matter what his position at the company is. However, it’s correct that production assistants are more likely to go to their immediate superior rather than someone two steps above when they’ve simply got some doubts. And thus, Umehara has been the production desk for Kisekoi S2, whereas Shou Someno has replaced him in the producer chair.

The first-hand advice Umehara has been able to give will surely be meaningful for the careers of multiple production assistants. And just as importantly, Kisekoi S2 has been an excellent lesson for him. Right after the broadcast of episode #23, and even acknowledging the lack of time, Umehara expressed his delight about what the team had accomplished for the one episode where he was not at all involved in the management process. That future he dreamed of, where the quality of his production line’s output could be maintained without his constant presence, has finally come. Chances are that it could have come faster and less painfully if he hadn’t been so afraid of delegation before, if this team’s well-meaning passion had been channeled in more reasonable ways. Whatever the case, this feels like a positive change if we intend to balance excellent quality with healthier environments… as much as you can within the regime of a studio like this, anyway.

Our final stop is an all-hands-on-deck finale, with Shinohara being assisted by multiple regulars on the team. Though they all made it to the goal with no energy to spare, the sheer concentration of exceptional artists elevates the finale to a level where most people would never notice the exhaustion. The character art retains the polish that the first season could only sniff at its best, and the animation is thoroughly entertaining once again; a special shout-out must go to Yusei Koumoto, who made the scene that precedes the reveal about Akira’s real feelings for Marin even funnier than the punchline itself.

More than anything else, though, the finale shines by reaping the rewards of all the great creative choices that the season has made beforehand. In contrast to the manga, where Corpse was drawn normally, having developed a distinct pixel art style for it opens up new doors for the adaptation. The classic practice of recreating iconic visuals and scenes during cosplay photoshoots is much more interesting when we’re directly contrasting two styles, each with its own quirks. The interest in the subject matter feels fully represented in an anime that has gone this far in depicting it, and in the process, likely gotten more viewers interested in cosplay and photographyPhotography (撮影, Satsuei): The marriage of elements produced by different departments into a finished picture, involving filtering to make it more harmonious. A name inherited from the past, when cameras were actually used during this process.. Perhaps, as Kisekoi believes, that might help them establish an identity they’re more comfortable with as well.

Even as someone who enjoyed the series, especially in manga form, the excellence of Kisekoi S2 has been truly shocking. I wouldn’t hesitate to call it the best, most compelling embodiment of the series’ ideas, as the lengths they went to expand on the in-universe works have fueled everything that was already excellent about Kisekoi. It helps, of course, that its series directorSeries Director: (監督, kantoku): The person in charge of the entire production, both as a creative decision-maker and final supervisor. They outrank the rest of the staff and ultimately have the last word. Series with different levels of directors do exist however – Chief Director, Assistant Director, Series Episode Director, all sorts of non-standard roles. The hierarchy in those instances is a case by case scenario. has grown alongside the production line, especially with the help of amusing Bocchi refugees. Despite a fair amount of change behind the scenes and the exploration of more complex topics, the team hasn’t forgotten they’re making a romcom—and so, that stronger animation muscle and more refined direction also focus on making the characters cuter than ever. Given that we’re sure to get a sequel that wraps up the series altogether, I can only hope we’re blessed with an adaptation this inspired again. It might not dethrone Kisekoi S2, but if it’s half as good, it’ll already be a remarkable anime.

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