Sakura Trick - Episode 2

After the adventures of the opening episode, all is well in Haruka and Yuu's world.  Well, aside from a decidedly unfortunately mistake involving Yuu accidentally writing her answers to a homework assignment in not only a book for the wrong subject, but also belonging to the wrong person!

However, it seems that things are a little more fraught amongst some of the duo's circle of friends - not that you'd believe it to look at Shizuku and her radiant smile and cheerful greeting.  The trouble is, this really isn't normal for Shizuku, suggesting that something is amiss, and lo and behold friend Kotone soon appears to explain the problem - after spending a lot of time living at Shizuku's house, it seems that a kiss on the cheek while Shizuku was sleeping wasn't entirely appreciated.  But is that really the issue here?  No, as it happens, and all is revealed and reconciled in the fullness of time.

For the second half of the episode, our thoughts return to studying, or rather Yuu's inability to do any of it - a problem which initially thrills Haruka as she imagines Yuu as her clingy junior, before she's reminded that the school will be closing after their graduation and that Yuu is more likely to be expelled rather than made to retake a year.  Therefore, it's time for a group study session centred around helping Yuu out for an upcoming test - the trouble is, all Yuu wants to do is sleep, and Haruka's attempts to think of ways to make studying more interesting for her friend soon turn into fantasies that would only make things more exciting for her.

Although I'm not sure how much longer Sakura Trick's obsession with bringing girls kissing into everything can last without getting tiresome, this second episode of the series continues to be an enjoyable slice of light-hearted fun - there are a decent number of funny gags and amusing moments scattered throughout, the presentation remains eye-catching (I promise I'm not going to harp on about Hidamari Sketch again) and the cast are likeable enough to carry it along as it goes.  This kind of comedy is always hit and miss at the best of times, but Sakura Trick is at least hitting the mark consistently enough to suggest it'll last the course.