You would expect them to already consider each other as friends by now.Haganai (Boku ha Tomodachi ga Sukunai) makes its return for the grand pleasure of those who have either enjoyed it for the considerable fanservice (which not only includes panty and boob shots, but also the seiyuus), or for its impressive artwork. I know I have been fascinated by it, since the artwork was the only element that I found actually remarkable and worthy of praise.

For those who are reading this and are not aware of the story, Haganai revolves around the concept of making friends, since…well, making friends isn’t an easy task for everyone and there are certain people in the world who are relatively disadvantaged when to comes to creating social bonds. This is the case of our main characters who do not have friends for intriguing reasons: Kodaka, the main character of the series who seems to be the only existing male in the anime, is unable to make friends simply because his classmates believe he’s a Yankee. With his blond hair and his “aggressive” attitude (or rather passive one), everyone is afraid of him, save for the beautiful Yozora, who herself is incapable of befriending others due to her superiority complex and loner attitude. And, as the proverb goes (at least in my native language) who resembles, assembles. Thus, the Neighbor’s Club is created by Yozora and Kodaka, with the purpose of making friends.

The first episode of NEXT follows pretty much where we left off, at the end of the first season, soon after -shock- Yozora admits that she is Kodaka’s long-lost childhood friend. If you were expecting any trace of a romance or a development in Kodaka and Yozora’s relationship after such an emotional and overdramatic confession, then there’s nothing to see for now, since it’s an episode made to re-familiarize with the characters in the anime, such as Yozora and her arch-nemesis, Sena.

In addition, all of the other female characters belonging to Kodaka’s harem make at least one appearance in the episode before we are able to focus entirely on the man himself and his upcoming challenge, being re-invited to Sena’s house. And we all know from here, chaos is sure to ensue.

I wasn’t particularly keen on Haganai’s first season, nor am I expecting to in this sequel, but I do admit that it felt good to see the Neighbor’s Club again, doing crazy stuff and teasing naïve Sena as usual. Also, judging by what Haganai’s opening hints at (a possible romance – for reals?), I’m looking forward to see how this season will turn out.