When it comes to me and final episodes, you know all the rules by now and the fire from the ice. If there’s no sequel announcement it’s “End” and not “Season Finale”. There have been rare exceptions when a sequel is an absolute lock, as with HeroAca (though Haikyuu!!! has kept us waiting for an oddly long time). But that said, a second season would seem to be pretty close to inevitable with Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru. There’s zero question it was the breakout hit of Winter 2022, with an explosion in manga sales and a merchandising franchise emerging from nothing. The anime used a little over half the available chapters, so I’d guess late 2023 if you pressed me. But barring some inexplicable Nozaki-kun scenario, that it will happen seems a certainty.
The production committee won’t have known that when the series planning was going on of course (though they probably suspected), and in those cases it’s always interesting to see what an ongoing series chooses to do for an ending. The elephant in the room was pretty much acknowledged last week with Wakana and Marin coming dangerously close to climbing the stairs to adulthood, so there was really no way the finale couldn’t focus on them as a couple. And that’s pretty much what it did, though in considerably more laid-back terms than one might have expected.
If there was any residual awkwardness between Marin and Wakana over that incident, it’s not overtly acknowledged here. Rather, they pretty much play the role of adolescent couple in the early stages. They wile away the summer, she complains about her dad forcing her to do her summer homework (of note: she confirms that her job is modeling). They watch a horror movie, which horrifies her while he’s too focused on the wardrobe and makeup to be scared. And they go to the empty school (where she forgot her math homework) and fall into the pool. It’s all very idyllic and pleasant.
Of course, it can’t be an anime summer – much less a relationship – without fireworks and a matsuri. Gojou-kun hasn’t paid much attention to fireworks despite living around the corner from a major festival, but Marin is clearly into them. This is another step for Wakana in venturing out of his bisque bubble and into the real world. And he’s halfway there already, as he pretty much dresses the part even if he’s just planning to stay home. As for Marin, as a cosplayer throwing on a yukata is nothing for her (though indeed, those sandals can be murder).
As with Karakai Jouzu Takagi-san yesterday we don’t get the literal confession, but it doesn’t really seem to matter. Or rather Marin does confess, but only after she knows Wakana has fallen asleep. One gets the vibe (as with the younger NishiKagi pairing) watching these two together that the formalities are largely irrelevant. At the festival they act even more the couple than they already were (which was a lot). We see no evidence either way on the question of whether Marin has any experience in romance or sex, but despite her social dexterity the sense is that she’s never been in a relationship before this. At least, not with anyone she seriously cared about.
It seems likely that as the story progresses, the romance element is invariably going to play a bigger role (presumably at the expense of the cosplay, at least to an extent). I don’t see how you could have all this build-up and basically ignore it – they’re a couple now, for better or worse. I don’t know how Bisque Doll will fare as that sort of series as opposed to the one it was for much of this season – I suspect it would suit my tastes even better, and that a lot of people would disagree. As a romance it will have to deal with the same issues the first season did – Wakana needing to emerge as a distinct individual on-par with Marin, and the nagging element of wish fulfilment that underlies much of the story.
All in all this was a strong ending for a series that was something of a mixed bag for me. Viewers can decide for themselves whether the manic pixie dream girl label applies – I think is kind of does, but that doesn’t totally undercut the series’ charms by any means. And those charms are very real, starting with the chemistry between Wakana and Marin. Bisque Doll was also a really lovely show visually from start to finish, a striking directorial debut for anime rising star Shinohara Keisuke. I’m anxious to see what he does next, and Sono Bisque Doll too – if the series grows up a little along with its protagonists, it could become a romantic comedy of real stature.
Polly
March 27, 2022 at 5:07 pmI certainly wasn’t expecting something this ecchi to leave me with a big dumb grin on my face every week, lol.
Suguta Hina and Ishige Shouya were both very good here. I’ve seen people comment on how casting two not-very-established seiyuu (Marin is Suguta’s first leading role, Wakana is Ishige’s third) added to the charm of the lead duo, and I have to agree.
I think a second season is likely, but I’d hedge my bets on early 2024.
(Question: On the topic of second seasons, what do you think are the odds of Tower of God getting one?)
Guardian Enzo
March 27, 2022 at 5:43 pmSomewhere between slim and none…
Agreed about the seiyuu. They’re both perfectly fine, and there is added charm in having someone from outside the usual suspects. Anime’s pool of voice talent is much too shallow at the moment – there are plenty of good seiyuu out there but it doesn’t matter if the same half-dozen women and men keep getting all the lead roles.
Nellie
March 27, 2022 at 5:25 pmHopefully Shinohara returns as director if we do get a second season. The last episode really pulled out all the stops to make sure Bisque Doll ended on a positive note.
As someone who adores the manga to bits- I’ve enjoyed reading your reviews, Enzo (even when you clearly indicated that you weren’t a fan of a given episode’s content). Thanks.
Guardian Enzo
March 27, 2022 at 5:45 pmYou’re welcome. I genuinely like this show, even if there are elements of it that don’t click with me. As to Shinohara’s direction that’s a straight-up positive for me – he was already a name to watch but this establishes him.
As I said, unless it’s a Nozaki-kun scenario that’s totally illogical and inexplicable, a second season is a mortal cinch. Just a question of when.
ruicarlov
March 28, 2022 at 7:57 amYou’re right. Whatever could have happened with Nozaki-kun? It was such a fantastic comedy and very well regarded. I really didn’t think much about it during these years, but it is really odd no follow-ups ever happened.
Guardian Enzo
March 28, 2022 at 8:29 am\_(ツ)_/
Rasu
March 27, 2022 at 6:17 pmI must say I didn’t particularly fell for Marin during the most part of the show, but after this episode I kind of found her lovely and cute for the first Time, so I’ll be awaiting the series return. Also I loved how Wakana’s world expands that’s awesome.
sonicsenryaku
March 27, 2022 at 8:58 pm“I don’t know how Bisque Doll will fare as that sort of series as opposed to the one it was for much of this season – I suspect it would suit my tastes even better, and that a lot of people would disagree”
I think very little people would disagree. The reasons you had for liking the show despite the aspects that turned you off about it are exactly the very reasons the general public enjoyed the show (this can easily be proven with the general conversation surrounding it). Yea of course, people were also attracted to this series for various reasons whether it was Marin’s stellar character design (her design is the perfect embodiment of character design theory), the passionately and lavishly produced animation, or seeing Marin in a bunch of cute/beautiful/sexy cosplay, but the main draw for many was simply watching two characters who unbashedly enjoyed spending time together doing things with one another; ask most people who watched this show and that’s the answer they’ll give you. It ranked as the top show multiple times because people just felt good watching the two lead characters being endearing and having relatable chemistry in their interactions
Guardian Enzo
March 27, 2022 at 9:06 pmI’m unconvinced. I don’t think it would have as much cachet as a conventional romcom as it does as whatever this season was.
sonicsenryaku
March 28, 2022 at 1:18 amFigured you wouldn’t be convinced but the facts (and the people consensus) speak for itself; hell, some of the best selling volumes of this series are the ones that focused more on developing the romance between Marin and Wakana as opposed to anything else so that pretty much nips that conversation in the bud. You’re right that this show wouldn’t have had as much of a grab on the community if it was a conventional romcom, but “conventional” is the operative word here; nothing about the aesthetics of Sono Bisque is conventional (even though the story beats themselves are). It is insanely well-produced with really attractive characters designs and boasts skillful visual direction. If EVERY conventional romcom had at least that to put on the table on the level that Sono Bisque achieves, people would flock to it whether or not there was copious fanservice or “pandering.” But as we know, most anime romcom don’t even possess the level of visual style Sono Bisque has. It goes without saying that people tend to be intrigued by anything that’s visually pleasing and as such, it’s a no-brainer that Sono Bisque would catch people’s eyes. But at the end of the day, people stayed and appreciate the show for its leads romantic chemistry. If more romcoms were this visually exquisite in their production and wholesome as hell on the spectrum, more people will flock to the product: that’s the secret with getting people in the anime community to check something out. Sono Bisque has an alluring sales pitch, but when people actually watch the show and discuss it amongst other people, they’re selling it to others on the merits of the wholesomeness AND production values
On another note; I thought this finale was a pretty adorable way to end season 1. As I’ve said before, the author of this series understands how to write charming banter between two affection-driven individuals, correctly capturing the rhythm and feeling of two teens growing closer to one another, speaking to each other casually and illustrating their romantic energy through simple, everyday activities without glorifying said activities as some romantic breakthrough. While Marin and Wakana’s relationship or character don’t progress to a level of deepness this season that I think would elevate the storytelling to something great, the show still works without that. I can confidently say the show achieves the horny wholesomeness it aims for and that is a “W” in my books. After this finale, I’m fine with scoring this overall first season a 7/10 and would love to see more from it in the future.
Bob
March 28, 2022 at 12:04 amI’m glad you enjoyed this.
Marty
March 28, 2022 at 3:42 pmI think the best way I could sum up my feelings for S1 is “comfortably stale.” It’s a fine show, but it doesn’t narratively do anything spectacular. I still feel like Marin and Gojo are fairly one-note characters, but they’re not egregious nor are they insufferable, they’re just not all that interesting to me.
I’m still a little hung up on the whole “unofficial couple” thing only because making them an official and open couple can open the series up to much more interesting possibilities. For the moment, it seems like the series has found its rhythm, its status quo, and it is unlikely to move things too far off said standard. Which, to be fair, is par the course for many long-running manga series.