White Album Season 2

Previous Season: 9 Out of 10 "You live and die by being an adaption of a Harem PC Game" So no need to tell you any of the story as it continues from Season 1, All i will try to explain is how this season, Missed the mark in my mind. I got a sense of "Filler" for parts of some episodes, like they had to show even MORE of the work part, which seems to dominate this season, Plus being a Harem, they tried to even out the time you see all the characters and to be honest gave enough time to love the whole cast ofthe show. Funny over the 2 seasons, my view on our main character Touya got worse, But this game me a BETTER opinion or view of all the other girls in his "Harem" love circle. This season did at times felt a little prolonged, I like series that go to a 26 Ep season, It gives you enough time to get across what YOU want, but this might of been better being trimmed and more to the point. Then the Ending, Wasn't how i wanted it to go and felt a little rushed in the last episode or 2. But does that make this season bad, No far from it, the whole unique feel from S1 Continues, its wonderfully put together but in a few points i think it could of been even better than it is. The Ending hurt it for me, I know WHY it happened, I will not spoil it in ANY way, But i wanted more or it rounded off better than it was. But don't let this stop you watching this season, Overall White Album is ONE of the best series i've seen in many years, Suits watching around Winter as it is now :) Reasons For Changes From S1 Scores: Character - I set this higher as you FULLY knew every character by now. every little detail. Story - I set lower because at points it dragged and them someone it was even more frantic and packed with even more drama than the season 1, Main reason for lowering it was the ending. Enjoyment - Same as S1, I love both and this series as a whole, but a few points as i've highlighted let it down.

This is one of the most overrated anime I've ever seen. I picked it up because I'd heard good things about it. Like most anime, I tried to go in completely blind, so as to avoid any spoilers and get the full "First Timer" experience. I had no idea that this was a show based off of a dating sim, or I probably would have picked up on that it was going to be utterly horrible from the beginning. But I didn't, and by the time I realized what kind of story this was going to be, I was a good seven episodesin. So I figured, may as well finish the story, right? That was such a torturous idea. Twenty-six episodes of horrible characters with no redeemable qualities, all constantly falling over one another to get banged by Sir-Cheats-a-Lot. By the end of the show I was genuinely impressed that he hadn't laid moves on every character in the entire show, with the exception of the completely untouchable incel friend. None of the plot made any real sense and the entire thing just seemed to be "How can a bunch of people be as pretentious as possible, while still allowing MC to bang everything that moves?" This was an entire waste of time, and every human being is better off skipping it. The fact that people took so much time and effort to beautifully animate such a completely trash plotline and character base is beyond me.

Sometimes, men are at the mercy of goddesses. Just as the lost are at the mercy of their memories. The harem genre is a tricky topic to discuss. The concept of numerous women flocking over a single man labels it as men’s wish fulfillment. And when you get down to it, it’s true. Harem animes are fun to watch because of the selection of girls tailor-fit for every man and the possibilities with each one (if the show’s plot direction and runtime allows it). But with all the testosterone-induced enjoyment, most harem shows lack substance, use too many cliches that sell, and allow little room fordeveloped relationships with other characters. As fidelity and modern cultural practices dictate, the guy can only choose one. But what if the guy already made a choice, yet felt a need to continue his search... White Album is a cold and somber take on the reality of romance and career as well as how the past can delude the present. It’s definitely one of the harder shows to watch because of the sheer amount of infidelity, indecisiveness, and emotional restraint among the characters. It hit me on multiple occasions, but I bit the bullet and kept going. In the end, I was far from disappointed. It manages not only to resolve the plot and characters but also to justify actions and intents given the show’s genre and framework. This review covers the entirety of White Album. And other than its name, this show draws no references from The Beatles’ White Album. It’s a cool shout-out nonetheless. STORY - 10 Touya Fujii, a humble man of unrefined tastes, has been dating rising star, Yuki Morikawa since high school ended. From then on, everything stands in the way between the two. No shipping. No wish fulfillment. No mercy. The main character unknowingly starts a harem, but this time the plot turns it on its head and he ends up going for all the prospects while still maintaining attachment to the first girl. With this in mind, there are three key things which the story has going for it. Setting, natural uncertainty, and an ending that makes sense. The setting says a lot in White Album. For one thing, the show takes place AFTER high school for a change. With the way Touya and Yuki finally got together after their high school years, White Album shows what happens after that. ‘I have the girl, now what?’ It’s a scenario often overlooked by most romance animes out there. What makes matters more difficult is the nature of Yuki’s profession as an idol singer. Idols have fans, connections, managers, and a production studio with a tight schedule to boot. The balance between career and relationship plays out. Knowing that we always want the best for our significant other, giving each other space and time to follow their passions is easier said than done. The distance may be a common problem relationships today face but White Album takes it up a notch with its time frame. Welcome back to 1986: a time when the Internet was unnecessary, radios were the only gateway to music, cellphones were rare, phone booths were abundant, and letters and answering machines were the closest thing to text messages. Not only is White Album’s time frame detailed, it also complements the show’s storyline to a tee. The resulting social dynamic is amazing; giving communication and face-to-face contact more value and meaning. Every successful phone call and meeting becomes a blessing, while every answering machine message is tinged with undertones of doubt, worry, and paranoia. Anyone can do anything behind people’s backs without letting them know; in the same way an unanswered phone call or letter can give anyone a reason to be more suspicious. Factor in everyone’s independent activities and schedules, and we have a setting that reinforces the unfaithful tendencies of the characters. In terms of plot progression, the show is really streamlined. Though the main focus is Touya, White Album’s narrative goes through the motions of everyone’s usual business. Some people are in the idol industry, some attend university, some go through various odd jobs, some are still in high school, and some have their own hobbies to pass the time. Character actions are as natural as wanting to go out with anyone during your own free time and convenience. Anything can happen and everyone is a catalyst. That’s what kept me glued to the show besides how the relationships work. The amount of uncertainty with the characters’ freedom and independence from the plot made White Album more refreshing and spontaneous. The pacing is relaxed to the point of slice-of-life’s standards, albeit more drab and lonely as life past 20 can get, with childhood recollections and the ending credits after every episode being the show’s brighter and more ephemeral moments. I don’t have to explain how a good ending affects a show. But in White Album’s case, it ties everything in a neat, little bow. By the end, I just had to applaud the story for resolving everything and everybody in the best and most coherent way possible while making sense of all the controversial acts done in the course of the show. I had no qualms. I had no questions. And I felt great after. ART - 8 White Album’s animation is of above average quality with seldom fluid motion since stage performances and action sequences are few and far between. Characters stand out with clear outlines, splotches of light and shadow adding depth. Other than that, colors of the characters are generally flat to supplement the simple palette of the background. One glaring factor with the art for White Album is its creative use of varying degrees of watercolor in its background design to depict suburban melancholia fitting the adolescent look of the cast, giving a more mature tone to the series. Add in the noticeable shifts in animation style during the more powerful scenes and flashbacks and the show really looks like an album or gallery. During these transitions, the watercolor treatment is intensified; modifying character designs and at most, reducing the entire scene to a flurry of brush strokes with choppy animation. On one hand, it could be a cop-out for the animators, but on the other, it adds artistic flair to contrast the dreariness of the show's reality with the influx of the characters’ emotions. SOUND - 8 The OP and ED for both seasons fit the show lyrically and thematically, but just don’t leave a lasting impression for me. And then I heard this show had idols which slightly raised my doubts about how I’ll perceive the sound for this show. I ended up downloading “White Album” and “Sound of Destiny” which are the signature songs of the main idol heroines, Yuki and Rina, respectively. It’s the seiyuus, BGM composers and the idols who are the stars of the sound department. Aya Hirano (Yuki) and Nana Mizuki (Rina) along with the other seiyuus did an astounding job in illustrating a disillusioned cast of individuals trying to get by during the late 80’s. The BGM composers took hint of character themes in White Album and made a solid effort in translating these to music. We have some double-bass driven slow jazz representing Frank Nagase and his swanky equipment, electric guitar wails coming from Eiji’s misunderstood rock background, classical piano and string pieces for Misaki and Akira’s classical literature and theater prowess, and dissonant piano editing for the mysterious Yayoi, to name some. As for the idol’s songs, I’m glad the composers and producers made it suitable for the given time frame. They still have the usual J-pop approach but with a more funky and R&B-ish inflection with 80’s style synths and guitar-work as well as the trademark saxophone of the show’s self-titled song. Live renditions of the songs during performances with added instrumentation and acoustics are also thrown in to further enhance the sonic experience of the show. The tracklist overall (besides the OP and ED) is a catchy and passionate nod to the previous generation of pop music. CHARACTER - 10 Let’s get archetypes out of the way first. We have the dense five-timer Touya, the all-too-sweet shrinking violet Yuki, Ms. Independent Rina, weird and sporty Haruka, tsundere loli Mana, motherly and capable Misaki, best bud Akira, cold and empty Yayoi, control freak big bro Eiji, uptight tiger mother Kanzaki, carefree bad girl Menou, and quiet shopkeeper Frank. With that said, plot happens and all these random individuals gain a new side to them, supported by later developments and intertwining backstories that logically influence who they are now. Nobody’s good. Nobody’s bad. Nobody’s perfect. And everyone’s misguided in one way or another. It’s these kinds of developments which flesh out the cast as people co-existing in an interesting web of relationships, instead of categorizing them to play a fixed role. Sometimes the best bud gets jealous, other times he’s cool. Sometimes Ms. Independent could be more dependent than you realize. Sometimes the shrinking violet can’t hold in her anxiety. And sometimes you can't help pity the cold and empty. As with the natural uncertainty of the plot, there’s a lot of gray area with the characters. You feel like rooting for everyone to cope with what the plot throws at them. And when they finally get through, you can confidently say they changed for the better. There are no open ends and everybody exits the stage in an orderly fashion. White Album has an abundance of relatable and well-rounded characters that change, develop, and find resolve when the curtains close. It doesn't feel like they’re in a story. It feels like we’re in their story. ENJOYMENT - 9 Initially the star couple, Touya and Yuki, caught my attention and I thought it was going to be their love story. And in the course of White Album until it ended, I was reminded that it was never about their love story. It was about their relationship. It was about everybody’s relationships. Never have I seen the social aspect portrayed so well in an anime before. I enjoyed how everything played out and how personal it felt to watch them deal with it. Infidelity can be seen as a show of weakness; filling the void left by someone who means more to you than everyone you try to replace her with. You give in to anyone who shows compassion when all you wish for is the best for others and yourself. You keep yourself sane while she’s busy with her priorities, better off not knowing. Lying and hiding suddenly seem like the right thing to do. And then she starts to wonder why you don’t miss her as much as she does. What do you feel? Alienated by the very person you felt the most comfortable with. You forgot why you loved each other in the first place; to be reminded time and time again by your memories together. Before I get any more sentimental... OVERALL - 9 Painful but rewarding, White Album is a harem gone wrong in the best way possible that describes the struggles any relationship goes through and the different ways we cope with those struggles, no matter how counter-intuitive they seem. It offers an unpredictable cast of characters, shaky relationships, an authentic blast from the past, a darker side of the idol industry, slightly unconventional animation techniques, an anthem of a heartfelt pop song, and a story that ends right.

STORY While the first season was a failure in my opinion, this season was a huge improvement. With the change of directors, White Album took a different direction with were it went. First of all, they resolved all of the unimportant subplots from the first season quickly (as quick as the show can be..). Then, they replaced it with a few more subplots, which was tied more to the main conflict. Even then, they didn't side track as much as the first season. This was a great choice on part of the production team. The story for this season, was more spread out.It wasn't just about Touya, it gave some other characters screen time as well. As a result, I actually felt invested in the drama involving the other characters. Though, all of this is pulled down by really slow pacing. I seriously thought this season was a tad bit more slower than the first season. I was still asking myself "when is this episode going to be over?", and I wished they could have improved the pacing. Also, the ending also lowered my opinion for the show. While it was satisfying on a certain level, I felt like the twist at the end was out of left field. Maybe it was foreshadowed, and I just couldn't see it. Even then, I think the twist was ridiculous. Plus, it felt anti climatic, it made all of the build up, wasted. So, with all of the let downs, the story of the second season of White Album was mediocre. CHARACTERS This is where things are a big "meh". Well, Touya is still an idiot, but I have to admit. He changes, and sees his flaws as a person, and for that I have to give credit for. Now, why do I still hate him as a character. It's because while he did go through some kind of development in the first season, that was all thrown away. What he "learned" at the end of the first season was lost, and he ends up stumbling and making the same mistakes as before. Which is also why this season got weighted down. Now, as for the rest of the characters. Since they got some decent screen time, I actually cared about few of them. Yuki and Rina both were interesting, at many points. I liked Yuki in the second season, because they showcased her conflict (Somewhat). I felt like her conflict about what was more important in her life something that could be relatable. Though, she has a fair share of times I felt that she needed a slap. Rina, was an already interesting character from the first season, and she keeps on being an interesting character. Though, she also has a few "I want to slap you" moments. Plus, Rina and Yuki had a believable friendship. I really felt for the drama and tension between the two. As for the rest of Touya's whores, they weren't in the show as a romantic interests, but I still found a couple of them as "throw away characters". Though, Mana's little subplot was interesting, and I was surprised to how she was connected to everything else. Overall, a huge improvement, but still lacking in many ways. ANIMATION Also an improvement, was the animation. While it's only average, there were a few scenes that were animated well enough. The lighting also improved. While in the first season, things were always dark and grey. Seven Arcs actually drew the lights shining on the characters. Well, it's still nothing special. The lip sync during the small music segments, was better than I thought they would be. (Still crappy anime lip sync.) As, I said a few times in this section, it's an improvement, but it's average. SOUND I don't think anything here was changed, I still felt like the ost was forgettable. The pop songs, while good, aren't seen much. Also, I have to complain about this. I don't think they ever played the song White Album in this season at all. If you aren't going to play the song at all, then why is your show named White Album. As a result the song comes off as an afterthought. I like the use of the song Powder Snow, because it was meaningful to the story, and I like the song. (Though I like the version sung by WA 2's Setsuna more.) Overall, not much change here. OVERALL Overall, I feel like this season was pretty decent. It improved in most areas, but it's still brought down some of the same problems from the first season. I don't regret watching this season, but I'm hard press to say you NEED to see this. You would have to sit through the first season to get to this, and I don't think that's worth the time. Though, I would recommend you watch the indirect sequel, White Album 2 over the original. (Not White Album second season. That's the show I've been reviewing.). If you're up for something like this then go ahead.