Anime Hajime Impressions: Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki 2

The Set-Up

I chose to watch Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki because it looked cute; there was no deeper meaning than that. Although I enjoyed the show well enough, I can’t say I was blown away by it. Even though I got a kick out of its premise – having once lived in Nagoya, it was nice to reminisce – I knew it wouldn’t have much meaning for most people.

It was strange that Yatogame-chan not only managed to secure a follow-up but did so twice (as of June 2021).

I went into Yatogame-chan 2 hoping it would branch out and not rely entirely on its setting. Even at three minutes an episode, you can only joke around with Nagoya’s blandness for so long. It would be nice to actually remember the other characters in this show.

With that said, remember, this is NOT a review post. The following are simply my impressions of Yatogame-chan season two.

Impressions

Problem number one:

This series was too fast. Like, it was bonkers how insanely quick everyone talked. The primary way to tell a joke in Yatogame-chan 2 was to say it at the freaking speed of sound.

If you thought this series was difficult to follow in season one because you’ve never been to Nagoya, you haven’t seen anything yet. This show is definitely meant for a domestic audience. Even still, I would be shocked if anyone could catch everything being said.

Not only should you be fluent in Japanese – to understand all the puns (my god, all the puns) – but you better be a master of geography as well. I can’t tell you how many times I had to watch a moment over again because I failed to retained a single ounce of information.

Fortunately, this style of comedy was only overwhelming when Yatogame-chan’s physical location was in play. If you have a rough idea of the prefectures between Tokyo and Osaka, you’ll most likely get through this show fine.

Then again, this is an anime, not a test, so I don’t think what I just wrote was a compliment.

Nevertheless, as I had hoped, Yatogame-chan went through most of its Nagoya-centered material in season one. There were still bits and pieces, which are most likely never going to go away, but this series did spend some time with the rest of its cast.

Speaking of the cast, I don’t believe I actually mentioned anyone by name in the last Yatogame-chan Impressions post.

To rectify that; the core group included:

• Monaka Yatogame – From Nagoya proper, she has a strong regional accent and is immensely proud of her city.
• Kaito Jin – He is a recent transfer student, and is often shocked by the vast differences between Nagoya and Tokyo.
• Mai Tadakusa – From Gifu, she is enraptured by Yatogame, thinking she is the cutest person in the world.
• Yanna Sasatsu – From Mie, she is the president of the group’s photography club. Though she is quick to get excited about something, she almost instantly loses interest in it.

Of the main cast, Mai was the one I found to be the most entertaining.

Although she had the face of an innocent goodie-two-shoes, Mai was anything but. When it came to her obsessions – mainly anime, idols, and Yatogame – she was fierce and uncompromising. She was also the most level-headed of the group. This often made her manipulative. Mai could offer a tiny little suggestion, and no one would realize she had effortlessly hooked someone onto one of her passions.

I can’t call Yatogame-chan a laugh-out-loud riot, but Mai definitely got a few good chuckles out of me.

Additionally, there was the brief introduction of Shiharu Itemae and Nanaho Koshiyasu, both from Osaka.

Much like I was with last season (having once lived in Nagoya), I call Osaka home as I am writing this post. Seeing these two Osakans act in a very typical Osakan fashion (basically saying whatever is on their mind) towards the main group was rather hilarious. Plus, their response to finding out Kaito was from Tokyo was also pretty good.

Having grown up in a city with a fierce rivalry of its own, I can understand Shiharu and Nanaho’s attitude. Because though I might have a lot of problems with my native Los Angeles, do you know what we, thankfully, are not? New York; come at me in the comments.

As it stands, Yatogame-chan 2 was everything I expected. Granted, I didn’t expect much, but at least this series didn’t go downhill.

If you found the first season to be fun, then there is no reason to think you’ll dislike season two.

This was a return I doubt many people asked for, but it wasn’t unwelcome. Here’s to season three continuing the trend.

Final Thoughts

This is not the type of series you make time for. If you happen to have a spare thirty minutes with nothing else to do, that is when this show should be watched.

Yatogame-chan 2 stays on course, which is commendable in its own way. However, it was never flying high to begin with; so, take things as you may.

If you’re looking for something to kill a few minutes, I know you can do much worse.

But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? What were your impressions of Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki 2? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.

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For Anime Hajime, I’m LofZOdyssey, and be sure to come back next week for Anime Hajime Impressions: Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki 3.