51. Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Renhttps://myanimelist.net/anime/18671/Chuunibyou_demo_Koi_ga_Shitai_RenThe cast returns in Ren and they really step things up for the most part. Dekmoari and Nibutani continue their lovers quarrel which leads Nibutani to walk down a path she wants to forget abouut. Kumin does something incredible by being comic relief in a comedy show and making it work. Yuuta and Rikka largely stay the same characters in the end. This does say they are not very enjoyable to watch, they are, there is just some disappointment.
Ren also adds a new character, Shichimiya. She's Yuuta's childhood friend which obviously leads to Rikka having doubts about the state of their relationship. This is what you could call the "story" of Ren.
In my opinion the inspanidual parts of Ren are even better than the first season. I've already gave praises to the returning cast. The romance is cute (although not very fulfilling), the battle sequences are significantly better than the first season, the jokes are better, and the moe meter is just off the charts. However, there are some sacrifices it makes and they are big ones.
I have two main issues with Ren. The first is with Shichimiya, she's touted as a main character but ultimately gets less screen time than the rest of the characters by simply not going to the same school. However, she arguably gets the most significant story arc and character development. This is find and good but the progression is obvious and jumpy because of her lack of screen time. She still only serves one purpose in the anime and that is to put doubt into Rikka's head about Yuuta.
The next is that at the end of the anime everything is still back to the status-quo. I know a lot of anime do this, but it's not as forgivable here since it actually touts that there is going to be a change at the end and then they just pull it away from you. One of the reasons why I didn't mind the drama in the first season was because Rikka actually had a major character revelation and something became of it. Here she might have somewhat of the revelation but the ultimate payoff is very weak.
Now for the animation. It's top notch, Kyoani's budget and know how is really obvious especially during the chuuni sequences which are an absolute joy to watch. It doesn't matter if they don't really make sense they are some of the best "fight" sequences I've seen. The sound and music in the show are noticeably good and detailed. Again, where they really shine is during the chuuni fights where everything is just amplified.
In the end I would say Ren has better peaks versus the first season but as a complete package it's very shallow. The anime teeters in the last quarter without the payoff required to make the whole thing work. That said, 95% of the anime is a joy to watch.
Yes, this does mean I believe the first season to be good enough where it can be placed separately from this one.
That leaves the first 50 down. A lot of huge titles are still left.
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Kokoro's Anime Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaIA0gY11FQ_Zh6kLSam5OA
Updated: July 27th, 2016.