Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season - Episode 0

So it's new anime season time again!  That said, this is looking like a pretty quiet one for me at first glance, so judging by what tickled my fancy writing the new season preview I'll probably only pick up half a dozen shows this series at best.  That said, first out of the bag is probably also the one I'm looking forward to the most, that being a second season of Kimi ni Todoke.

Of course, as you might have gathered from the title this isn't the start of the new series in the strictest sense, instead we're re-introduced to the show via some wistful monologue and flashbacks from Kurumi (or Ume, if you prefer).  In other words yes, this is pretty much a recap episode.

That said, if you're hoping that you can simply skip watching the first season (if you haven't already seen it, you philistines!) via this recap then prepare to be disappointed - this episode is far more a vehicle to ease existing fans back into the swing of things rather than an introduction to anyone new to the franchise.  Thus, Sawako's character and its development is barely touched, it's tough to get any real feel on why Kazehaya and Sawako are so close, and most of the other supporting characters are ignored entirely in favour of focusing on the rivalry between Kurumi and Sawako as it grows, peaks and boils over, suggesting that we'll be seeing more of this as the second season gets underway properly no doubt.

For those of us who are already fans of Kimi ni Todoke, this interesting angle of attack as recap episodes go worked well enough - it certainly refreshed some of the show's great moments in my head which is always welcome, while also acting as something of a taster for what's to come.  That said, a recap is still a recap, so with that out of the way let's get straight back to where we left things back in March of last year!