Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! Season 2

Episode 12

Oh my God, something finally happened in this show after weeks of what feels like nothing. Not only do we finally get the payoff that has been built up since the minute we got introduced to Uzaki's dad, but we also finally have some forward momentum and inescapable realizations in Sakurai and Uzaki's relationship. Better yet, the episode was able to balance those with a good amount of humor.

The classic trope of two characters talking about somebody only for them to eventually realize that they're talking about the same person came ahead in full force when Sakurai realized that the person he's been training with this whole time was Uzaki's dad. If you remember, in previous episodes Uzaki's dad needed advice on dealing with Uzaki's love life and the unnamed Senpai that she clearly has feelings for. Now, with the knowledge that he is that senpai, Sakurai is forced to realize that Uzaki has some degree of feelings towards him. He obviously reacts the way that any socially awkward protagonist in a romantic comedy would and tries to drink himself into a stupor. However, my favorite part of this episode was right at the very end where we actually get some character introspection from Sakurai as he mumbles drunk. He explains that the reason why he's had a problem with approaching women is because he overcorrected in trying not to be like his dad, who seemed to be a bit too open about how he felt towards his wife. He knows he's not the type of person to initiate so he's actually really thankful that Uzaki, in her twisted prideful way, keeps approaching him and looking out for him. He brings up how he needs to do right by her and appreciate her more. By the end of the episode, I was right there with Uzaki's dad who was basically screaming that he clearly loves and appreciates her.

So the question is where do we go from here? The season is almost over and we're at a point where Sakurai cannot walk back this knowledge. He'll need to address this soon—unless he pulls the “I forgot everything because I was drunk card”, to which I will probably flip the nearest table.

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Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.