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This review may contain spoilers
Minato Akira doesn't need a boyfriend ...
... he needs therapy.
Because there is really no reason at all for Minato to refuse Shin -- both of the reasons from season 1 are obsolete, everybody who knows them supports their relationship, Minato is both sexually and romantically attracted to Shin ---
Minato Akira has intimacy issues and should seek help.
And where I was a bit uncomfortable with Shin pushing Minato's boundaries in season 1, here Shin is just suffering. They are nominally "dating" but Minato keeps him at arm's length, gives him only crumbs; all the while Shin is feeling guilty for even asking for more affection.
On a meta level, this story feels as if it might have been one of those fluffy manga which find some success in the beginning, get a continuation, and then author and editor are afraid to change the formula, so everything just goes around in circles forever, until they notice they've written themselves in a corner and resolve things with the easiest plot point they can think of.
The whole thing was painful to watch, and if I hadn't wanted to know how the writer intended to escape the dead end they had been writing themselves into, I'd have dropped it in episode 4 or 5.
(The "resolving" was well-intended, I think, with a switch of their usual dynamics, but the couldn't have been more clichéd.)
In comparison, the second couple had much the same dynamic, but at least here we get to see a) a reason for the standoffish behaviour and b) some steady development. Unfortunately, there isn't enough contrast to the main couple to offset the pain of watching Minato refusing every kind of affection, so the secondary couple didn't even give me a respite from that frustration.
What's more, the few things I liked about season 1 -- the summer vibes, the cozy laundromat, the seaside town -- they are almost non-existent in this season.
The only aspect that saved this whole mess was the actors, who gave depth to their characters where there was none.
Was it good? -- No. The story went around in circles, the characters' issues were solved by a cliché.
Did I like it? -- No.
Who would I recommend it to? -- Ony to those who watched season 1, and loved it to bits. Those who were already annoyed by the first season, should stay far away.
Because there is really no reason at all for Minato to refuse Shin -- both of the reasons from season 1 are obsolete, everybody who knows them supports their relationship, Minato is both sexually and romantically attracted to Shin ---
Minato Akira has intimacy issues and should seek help.
And where I was a bit uncomfortable with Shin pushing Minato's boundaries in season 1, here Shin is just suffering. They are nominally "dating" but Minato keeps him at arm's length, gives him only crumbs; all the while Shin is feeling guilty for even asking for more affection.
On a meta level, this story feels as if it might have been one of those fluffy manga which find some success in the beginning, get a continuation, and then author and editor are afraid to change the formula, so everything just goes around in circles forever, until they notice they've written themselves in a corner and resolve things with the easiest plot point they can think of.
The whole thing was painful to watch, and if I hadn't wanted to know how the writer intended to escape the dead end they had been writing themselves into, I'd have dropped it in episode 4 or 5.
(The "resolving" was well-intended, I think, with a switch of their usual dynamics, but the couldn't have been more clichéd.)
In comparison, the second couple had much the same dynamic, but at least here we get to see a) a reason for the standoffish behaviour and b) some steady development. Unfortunately, there isn't enough contrast to the main couple to offset the pain of watching Minato refusing every kind of affection, so the secondary couple didn't even give me a respite from that frustration.
What's more, the few things I liked about season 1 -- the summer vibes, the cozy laundromat, the seaside town -- they are almost non-existent in this season.
The only aspect that saved this whole mess was the actors, who gave depth to their characters where there was none.
Was it good? -- No. The story went around in circles, the characters' issues were solved by a cliché.
Did I like it? -- No.
Who would I recommend it to? -- Ony to those who watched season 1, and loved it to bits. Those who were already annoyed by the first season, should stay far away.
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