Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! ω - Review of the charming characters and humorous story

"Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! ω" - A new development in the annoying yet cute youth romantic comedy

"Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! ω" is a TV anime series that aired from October 1 to December 24, 2022, and is based on the manga of the same name by Takeru. This work was loved by many fans as a sequel to the youthful slapstick love comedy of Uzaki Hana, a junior who is both annoying and cute, and Sakurai Shinichi, a senior who is at her mercy.

Broadcast information

"Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! ω" was broadcast on the following stations:

• AT-X: October 1, 2022 to December 24, 2022, every Saturday from 9:00 PM to 9:30 PM
• Asahi Broadcasting Television: October 2, 2022 to December 25, 2022, every Sunday from 2:30 to 3:00
• TOKYO MX: October 3, 2022 to December 26, 2022, every Monday from 0:00 to 0:30
• BS11: October 4, 2022 to December 27, 2022, every Tuesday from 0:00 to 0:30
• TV Aichi: October 4, 2022 to December 27, 2022, every Tuesday from 1:30 to 2:00

It was also streamed online and could be viewed on d Anime Store and ABEMA. Unlimited viewing sites include Nico Nico Douga, GYAO!, Hikari TV, FOD, Bandai Channel, Hulu, TELASA, J:COM On Demand, milplus, Animehodai, Anime Festa, Amazon, Tver, and U-NEXT. Pay-per-view sites include Rakuten TV, DMM.com, music.jp, Video Market, HAPPY! Video, and Crank-in! Video.

story

Sakurai Shinichi, a third-year university student, was spending his summer vacation without any boredom, despite being pushed around by his annoying junior, "Uzaki-chan," also known as Uzaki Hana. However, it seems that Uzaki-chan still hasn't had enough fun. There are plenty of events, including the school festival in the fall and Christmas in the winter! And now, the fun Uzaki-chan family has joined in, making it even more lively...!? Watched over, toyed with, and pushed from behind. Signs of change are slowly beginning to appear in the daily lives of the two "just a senior and a junior"!?

Commentary

The youthful, slapstick romantic comedy with the annoying and cute junior is starting again! "Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! ω" maximizes the charm of the original work while developing a deeper story through the appearance of new characters and events. In particular, the appearance of the Uzaki family breathed new life into the story and entertained the viewers.

cast

The voice actors for the main characters are as follows:

• Hana Uzaki: Naomi Ozora
• Shinichi Sakurai: Kenji Akabane
• Asia: Ayana Taketatsu
• Itsuhito Sakaki: Tomoya Takagi
• Akihiko Asia: Yosuke Akimoto
• Uzaki Moon: Saori Hayami
• Uzaki Yanagi: Seina Kato
• Fujio Uzaki: Hideo Ishikawa
• Kiri Uzaki: Yuuko Sanpei
• Haruko Sakurai: Miki Ito
• Shiro Sakurai: Tomokazu Sugita
• Nodoka Sakurai: Rena Nagao
• Ito-chan: Saori Onishi
• Sasamoto: Junji Mashima
• Kawakami: Daisuke Kishio
• Hamada: Wataru Hatano
• Imura: Masafumi Kobatake
• Kuroki: Katsunori Okai
• Narration: Shinichi Yamada
• Shitty Cat: Take

Main Staff

The following staff members are involved in the production of this work:

• Original author: Takeru (Dragon Comics Age "Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!" / Published by KADOKAWA)
• Director: Kazuya Miura
• Assistant Director: Shinichi Fukumoto
• Series Composition: Takashi Aoshima
• Character design, chief animation director: Manabu Kurihara
• Chief animation director: Masahiko Suzuki, Shinpei Koikawa
• Art director, art setting: Satoshi Okubo
• Color design: Haruko Nobori
• Director of photography: Yusuke Yamamoto
• Edited by: Rina Oguchi (Imagica EMS)
• Sound Director: Yasunori Ebina
• Sound effects: Kiyotaka Kawada
• Sound production: Inkstuenter/zuvo.
• Music: Satoshi Igarashi (TOKYO LOGIC), Tatsuya Yano, Yuri Morita, Naoki Tani (HANO)
• Music Production: Inkstuenter
• Animation Production: ENGI
• Production: Uzaki-chan 2 Production Committee

Main Characters

The details of the main characters are as follows:

• Uzaki Hana: Born August 7th, 20-year-old second-year university student. A junior from Sakurai's high school club. Feeling sorry for Sakurai, who is always alone at university, she picks on him in various ways. She's a carefree type who acts on impulse and excitement. She's not good at studying or sports, but she's good at games...!?
• Sakurai Shinichi: Born November 29th, 20-year-old third-year university student. He doesn't like noisy spaces and prefers spending quiet time alone. Uzaki treats him like a loner and keeps bothering him every day. He has a mean look in his eyes, but he is a polite and sensible person and often points out Uzaki's eccentric behavior.
• Asia Mi: Born January 16th, 21-year-old fourth-year university student. Daughter of the owner of Cafe Asia where Sakurai works part-time. Attends the same university as Uzaki and Sakurai. Her hobby is people-watching. She is very interested in the relationship between Sakurai and Uzaki, but generally keeps a watchful eye. She warmly watches over their relationship together with her father.
• Sakaki Itsuji: Birthday June 3rd, 21-year-old third-year university student. He attends the same university as Uzaki and Sakurai, and is one of Sakurai's few friends. He calls Sakurai "Saku." He is handsome, rich, and good at sports, but has personality problems. When he finds out about Uzaki, he becomes interested in her relationship with Sakurai.
• Akihiko Ajia: The owner of Cafe Asia where Sakurai works part-time. Ami's father. He is a calm and collected man, but like his daughter, he is very interested in Sakurai and Uzaki's relationship. He watches over them from behind the scenes.
• Tsuki Uzaki: Birthday: November 2nd. Mother of Hana Uzaki. 43 years old. She has a youthful appearance that is hard to imagine for her age. Her personality is the complete opposite of her daughter, with a refined and gentle demeanor.
• Uzaki Ryu: Uzaki Hana's younger sister, a second-year junior high school student. 14 years old. Her eyes are hidden by her bangs, but she is very expressive. She is very curious about her older sister's senior, and shows such initiative that her older sister is taken aback.
• Fujio Uzaki: Uzaki Hana's father. 46 years old and from Kansai. A passionate trainer at a sports gym, he is nicknamed "Fuji-san." He dotes on his children, but feels lonely due to the distance that is typical of adolescence.
• Kiri Uzaki: Hana Uzaki's younger brother, a high school sophomore. 17 years old. He loves sports and is a member of the swimming club at high school, but he is self-conscious about his small height of 162cm. He is in the midst of adolescence, teasing his older sister and rebelling against his father.
• Haruko Sakurai: Shinichi Sakurai's mother. 49 years old. A judo black belt, she is the strongest in the Sakurai family. She feels lonely that her son, who is now a university student, never comes home.
• Shiro Sakurai: Shinichi Sakurai's father. 46 years old. He took over the judo hall run by Haruko's father, but he is not an adopted son-in-law. He has an easy-going personality and likes to tease his son.
• Shitty Cat: A mysterious cat that appears out of nowhere.

subtitle

The subtitles for each episode are as follows:

• Episode 1: Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! (2022/10/01)
• Episode 2: After playing, I want to make udon! (2022/10/08)
• Episode 3: Does Uzaki-chan want to go to the school festival? (2022/10/15)
• Episode 4: Uzaki-chan Wants to Mount! (2022/10/22)
• Episode 5: The Uzaki family wants to get together! (2022/10/29)
• Episode 6: Uzaki-chan Wants to Celebrate! (2022/11/05)
• Episode 7: Uzaki-chan Wants to Confess! (2022/11/12)
• Episode 8: Yanagi and Kiri want to have fun too! (2022/11/19)
• Episode 9: Fujio Uzaki wants to serve his family! (2022/11/26)
• Episode 10: I want to make you excited before Christmas! (2022/12/03)
• Episode 11: I feel like I want to do it right now! (2022/12/10)
• Episode 12: I want to play on Christmas Eve too! (2022/12/17)
• Episode 13: I want to play with you again next year! (2022/12/24)

Related Titles

This work is the second season of "Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!" The first season was equally popular and loved by many fans.

Theme songs and music

The opening and ending themes are as follows:

• OP1: Ichigoichie Celebration
  • Lyricist: Tomokazu Tashiro
  • Composer: Hidekazu Tanaka
  • Arrangement: Hidekazu Tanaka
  • Sung by: Kano and Uzaki-chan (Ozora Naomi)
• ED1: Happy Life
  • Lyricist: chinozo
  • Composer: chinozo
  • Arrangement: chinozo
  • Sung by: MKLNtic

Evaluation and Impressions

"Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! ω" continues the charm of the original work, while developing a deeper story through the introduction of new characters and events. In particular, the appearance of the Uzaki family breathed new life into the story and entertained viewers. Uzaki Hana's character, an exquisite blend of annoying and cute, gives viewers laughter and empathy, and her relationship with Sakurai Shinichi is gradually developed.

ENGI, the animation studio, faithfully recreated the atmosphere of the original work by meticulously depicting the characters' movements and expressions. In addition, Igarashi Satoshi and other staff members provided music that matched the story's development and played a role in evoking the emotions of the viewers.

The charm of this work is, above all, the relationship between Uzaki Hana and Sakurai Shinichi. The annoying Uzaki Hana and the growth of Sakurai Shinichi, who is constantly being pushed around by her but gradually opens up, move viewers. In addition, the appearance of the Uzaki family portrayed the warmth of family ties and human relationships, eliciting sympathy from viewers.

Recommended points

The reasons we recommend "Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! ω" are as follows:

• The appeal of the annoying yet cute characters: Uzaki Hana's characters are a perfect blend of annoying and cute, making viewers laugh and sympathize with her.
• Deep story: While retaining the charm of the original, the story unfolds in greater depth through the introduction of new characters and events.
• Meticulous Animation: ENGI's meticulous animation faithfully reproduces the character movements and expressions, enhancing the atmosphere of the original.
• Touching human relationships: The relationship between Uzaki Hana and Sakurai Shinichi, as well as the bond within the Uzaki family, are depicted in a way that will move viewers.
• Enjoyable Music: The music, written by Igarashi Satoshi and other staff members, enhances the viewer's emotions as the story unfolds.

"Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! ω" is highly recommended for those who want to enjoy a new development in the annoying and cute youth romantic comedy. It is a work that is loved not only by fans of the original work but also by anime fans in general, so please give it a watch.