Scarier Faces Than Any Horror Anime – ‘Asobi Asobase’ Episode 2 Review

What’s the show? Asobi Asobase, Episode 2.

With the first episode you called this show the funniest of the season, does the second episode continue with this high praise? No.

Oh… okay… that was unexpectedly succinct. Has the allure of the show worn off already? Also, no. I’d never expect this show to be able to keep up to the same lofty levels of laugh-out-loud hilarity every week—what it does supply however is a never ending parade of over-the-top borderline horrifying reaction faces—I don’t think I’ve even seen a ‘horror’ anime that has this level of disturbing and stylised close-up reaction faces.

Forewarning, the faces only get scarier from here…

Well that doesn’t sound particularly funny. You’d be surprised, the contrast between these “cute” high school girls basically just talking shit interspersed with such confronting reaction faces is an unexpected recipe for hilarity—though as I said earlier in this review—the comedy is more infrequent in this episode.

So what’s in place of all the comedy that was present last week? Consequences from last week, basically Olivia is ousted as not being the master of English that she claimed to be. Also the gang tries to get the Pastime Club recognised as an official school club by the new socially awkward school president—which expectedly fails. Also there’s trying on of make-up and a soft tennis match with hagoita rackets.

I mean, no wonder the girl won with a threat like that.

So quite a lot? Well~ quite a lot and not much—like last week the episode is divided into four separate ~vaguely~ connected stories. And while in the last episode three out of the four parts were wildly funny, here only one (the make-up story) was laugh-out loud funny with the other three parts being more smile worthy with the occasional chuckle.

That’s quite a step down. But I’m honestly okay with it, not only are the characters “charismatic” (and I use that in the most unconventional sense of the word) enough to command my attention throughout but this show’s length actually works in its favour.

How so? Well, if this had been a 5 of even 10 minute per episode anime it would mean potentially weeks between laugh-out-loud moment which for a seasonal watcher is not a desirable prospect but by having four, 5-minute segments per episode it allows there to be lulls in the laughter without it negatively effecting the experience too much—obviously there’d be so such issues if this was binge-watched after the fact but we don’t get that luxury here.

So all in all you’re still enjoying it? Absolutely, the off hand remarks and occasional biting insults interspersed with social ineptitude and monstrously frightening reaction faces set against a veneer of high-school slice of life sweetness is kind of inspiring and I continue to dig this show!