There are a couple possible explanations for Aharen-san taking a pretty big step down this season. It’s possible that the staff cherry-picked the best material for the first season, not knowing if there would ever be a second (I have no idea if that’s the case, mind you). Or maybe the pacing is a problem simply because the plan is to adapt everything S1 didn’t (about 100 chapters) in a single cour (this week contributes evidence to that effect). Or maybe the manga simply isn’t as good in its later stretches as it is in its earlier ones.

I don’t know which if any of those apply – as is so often the case in these situations, it’s likely some combination of all of them. What I do know is that for me at least, S2 has been a pretty major disappointment. The pattern has been roughly a snoozer every other week, and this may have been the low ebb of the series so far (though S1 did have a clunker or two, not coincidentally also involving Oshiro-san). When I actually go to the fast-forward button, as I did in the third act this week, you know things are pretty rough.

As we’re already in third-year, it seems very likely this season is all we’re going to get. Yet somewhat paradoxically, the overall impression is that there simply isn’t enough good material for a full second season. We get yet another new character, this time a rookie teacher named Henzan-sensei. The main gag with Henzan is that she’s a total noob, and as usual with new teachers she’s terrified. She’s totally misinterpreted Toubaru-sensei’s warnings about Raidou and Aharen, but it turns out Henzan-sensei is susceptible to ahare too.

This is all… fine? It’s basically universal that the stuff with the secondary cast isn’t as funny or good as that with Reina and Matsuboshi, which is why there being so much of it lately is a problem. Henzan has her funny moments but this whole bit is just kind of there. Then we settle into a focus on Mitsuki, though the teachers are still involved. She’s recovered from her truly awful introduction as a character, but Mitsuki still isn’t especially funny or entertaining. So another half-episode splashed on a mediocre supporting character is not what Aharen-san wa Hakarenai needed at all.

I can only speak for myself, but none of that stuff with Aragaki and karate interested me in the slightest. It’s not funny (it barely tries to be) and really adds nothing in the big picture. Henzan encouraging Oshiro-san to pursue her actual dream (beauty) over the pressure to accept an athletic scholarship was fine, a good message. But it’s not the basis for an entertaining episode of anime, really. It feels supplemental at best, irrelevant at worst. Unfortunately that applies to much of this season so far.  And with only three episodes left in the season – and probably the series – that’s something you just don’t want to see.