Series Synopsis
A year has passed since Cocoa Hoto (voiced by Ayane Sakura) began living and working at the small family owned coffee shop, Rabbit House. Time, however, is insignificant when you’re enjoying yourself. Cocoa has loved every moment spent at the tiny café. This is thanks in large part due to the owner’s granddaughter, Chino Kafu (voiced by Inori Minase), who Cocoa has always gleefully adored like a little sister.
While their relationship is significantly more frustrating from Chino’s point of view, the two girls are incredibly close and their bond grows deeper with every passing day. Yet it’s not always clear who the big sister is supposed to be.
With Cocoa, around boredom and melancholy are impossibilities, but that being said there’s always someone to radiate the welcoming charm of Rabbit House. The entire group of friends returns for the second season.
First is Rize Tedeza (voiced by Risa Taneda), Cocoa and Chino’s fellow waitress who maintains her militaristic discipline but has also opened up to her femininity. Second is Chiya Ujimatsu (voiced by Satomi Sato) who still runs her family’s own coffee shop alongside happily helping out her friends at Rabbit House, and vice a versa. Third is Sharo Kirima (voiced by Maaya Uchida) who remains highly money conscious but enjoys the time she spends with her friends greatly.
The Rabbit House group continues to go about their daily lives together, cementing the strong affection they have for one another.
With Cocoa, around boredom and melancholy are impossibilities, but that being said there’s always someone to radiate the welcoming charm of Rabbit House. The entire group of friends returns for the second season.
First is Rize Tedeza (voiced by Risa Taneda), Cocoa and Chino’s fellow waitress who maintains her militaristic discipline but has also opened up to her femininity. Second is Chiya Ujimatsu (voiced by Satomi Sato) who still runs her family’s own coffee shop alongside happily helping out her friends at Rabbit House, and vice a versa. Third is Sharo Kirima (voiced by Maaya Uchida) who remains highly money conscious but enjoys the time she spends with her friends greatly.
The Rabbit House group continues to go about their daily lives together, cementing the strong affection they have for one another.Series Positives
It’s more of the same. Season one was a moe slice of life, so is season two. In fact, I would go so far as to say that season two brings this aspect of the series to a whole other level. If you like this kind of show, if you liked the first season, you’ll like Gochiusa season two.
Still, the first installment is better overall. I’ll get to that in a moment, but what I will say is that season two didn't instantly recapture the relaxed atmosphere of the original. It eventually did and it was actually during that transition when I noticed a few things; a few positive things.The Animation
I don’t know how the hell I didn’t mention this the first time around. Gochiusa seasons one and two are beautifully animated. This is an extremely pretty anime.
Everything about it is just pleasant to the eye. The character designs, the use colors, it’s all fantastic. I said in my first review that this was a series that’s a perfect way to relax. This is precisely what I was referring to and I haven’t got a clue why I didn’t talk about it. Sure the character interactions and situations played a role as well, and I suppose it is in their absence that the art style shines like a beacon.
This is no excuse as to why I didn’t highlight it before, especially once you take a look at the background art. I so desperately want the village where Gochiusa is set to exist. To me it comes off as a mix between small town Europe and the Japanese countryside. It’s breathtakingly peaceful. For example, the girls go on a camping trip and holy s@#$ is it stunning.
What really adds meaning to it all is how the show doesn’t call attention to it. Granted every now and again a shot hangs a little longer than necessary to showcase the work that went into it, but it’s not the focus. For better or for worse, it’s clearly not the focus.
There’s nothing wrong with showing off a show’s artistry, but it does take a great deal of confidence to have it simply exist.
The Characters
This I definitely talked about in my last review, but I have to bring it up again because season two did it even better. These girls, Cocoa, Chino, Rize, Chiya, and Sharo, and their friendship is that, a friendship.
There is no focal point. There is no one main member that connects everyone. No is a friend simply due to proxy. Gochiusa does different combinations, it has different interactions. Everyone is given screen time, no one is a throw away character.
In my last review I said that there was nothing in Gochiusa that separated it from other similar shows. I am completely rescinding that. This is what separates Gochiusa from other shows. The jokes may not always work, the writing isn’t always that great, and there are much better series.
Gochiusa does have its problems, it doesn’t get everything right, and it does have its mistakes. This is not one of them.
Series Negatives
You know how I said that Gochiusa season two was a much more moe anime than its predecessor. THAT’S BECAUSE THAT’S ALL IT F@#$ING IS FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THIS SERIES; especially the first two episodes, holy Christ especially those two. It’s so far from subtle. What makes it worse is that it’s not even that funny; nauseating for sure, yah definitely that.Season one certainly had its cutesy moments and season two does tone it back later on, however there was always something else to act as counter balance. There was always flow between events and that’s just nonexistent in the first few episodes of this instalment.
Let me ask you a question. How easy is it to get all of your characters into maid outfits; APPARENTLY REALLY F@#$ING EASY WHEN YOU DON’T GIVE A S@#$.
The start of this season is painful, but it's made up for and the show actually gets into a really good stride once Cocoa’s older sister, Mocha (voiced by Ai Kayano) is introduced.
Still a Slightly Above Average Comedy
This was the same problem with season one and it remains true here. Gochiusa isn’t always going to make you laugh. This is an issue with a series that is this light hearted. There are sweet moments, but there are no deep feels instances, thus it’s not ideal when the jokes don’t land.
Everything I said before can be repeated here. The dialogue isn’t that solid, the deliveries can be quite dry, and the coup de grace, the show keeps trying to force in a jokes. There is, however, a new issue to season two. It sometimes doesn’t let a joke die.
Our word of the day is “escalation” and holy crap does it happen in a lot in here. A joke will spiral on and on and on, losing any sense of where it started. There’s no rhyme or reason, it only goes in a direction; which isn’t always forward. Plus is doesn’t help when the joke that is escalated fizzled upon initial delivery.
However, as it was in season one, its true here as well. The hit or miss ration is solidly in the hit category and there are some really funny moments throughout.
Final Thoughts
There doesn’t need to be a season three. I pretty much got my fill after the first, but as continuations go, this one isn’t bad.
Gochumon wa Usagi Desu Ka season two picks up right where the first left off. All of the same elements that plagued the original make a return. On the flip side of that though, all the things that made the original fun also return; including amazing animation and a wonderful group of friends.
I recommended it before and I’m recommending it again. Gochiusa is defiantly worth your time if you’re a fan of the slice of life genre.
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Others in the Gochiusa Series
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