Common Name: Hataraku Onii-san! No 2!
Alternatives: Hataraku Onii-san! 2, Hataraku Onii-san! Season 2, Working Buddies! No 2!, Working Buddies! 2, Working Buddies! Season 2
Score: 7/10, 5/5
Length: 11 Episodes
Genre: Short-form, Comedy, Slice of Life, Job Shadow
Summary: Following their previous misadventures in Japan's working culture, Chatarozawa Tapio and Roshihara Kuehiko are back once again with even more part-time jobs to show off. Rather than just being temporary comrades, though, they have finally started to become the best friends Tapio thought they were from the very beginning. So, rather than just showcasing various jobs, we'll get to experience a day in the lives of these buddies as well as a few other aspects of this world you wouldn't necessarily expect.
Review: Very much in line with the same concepts as the first season, Hataraku Onii-san! 2 manages to capture that magic once more, but with a little extra weirdness thrown in for good measure. Like the first season, it stands as the quintessential "job shadow" anime targeted primarily at Japan's working-age youth. Through each brief and chuckle-worthy episode we are given a fairly decent understanding of the ups and downs of the part-time jobs high schoolers and college students are expected to take up to make ends meet. In the first season, we saw this format flesh out occupations such as restaurant waiter, window washer, anime store clerk, and even car rental attendants. In the second, that list expands out to the realms of subtitle creation, locksmithing, construction work, and even children's stage play acting.
So, the second verse remains nearly identical to the first.
With this second season, though, there are two significant changes worthy of note. The first, as odd as it might sound, is that this season actually functions as a sequel to the first. There's none of that slice of life nonsense where each episode might as well exist in its own separate realities considering how little they connect to one another. Rather, Hataraku Onii-san! 2 keeps the story of the two main characters, Tapio and Kuehiko, rolling ever forward. By now, it's made generally clear that the two have grown to become legitimately good friends who enjoy one another's company. Though that obviously doesn't affect much on Tapio's end, given that he's the kind of character that is instantly friends with anyone who'll give him the time of day, we see this fact manifest more and more as Kuehiko gradually opens himself up to his obnoxious coworker. Since their friendship is mainly a subplot, though, this aspect doesn't get much attention in the show outside of the episodes that are solely dedicated to express how far these two have come. In this case, we get two of these more personal episodes as we are given the opportunity to meet Tapio's well-off but strict family--further cementing the fact that these two are polar opposites--and a moment in which Kuehiko pays back the kindness and consideration he received in the first season. While these little interactions mean very little in regards to the show's general purpose, they do a fairly decent job at endearing us to the cast to the point that even the show's lower points are no less fun since we get to spend more time with our "working buddies."
These boys are honestly too pure for their own good, and I kinda love it.
The second significant change to the show, put simply, is that it has gotten progressively weirder to keep things fresh. Where the various appearances and wisdoms of "That Animal That Shall Not Be Named" were just weird enough for the first season to keep things funny and interesting, the second season amps that level of weird up a couple degrees. Tough "that animal" is still a regular occurrence, the show adds a few extra gags to his repertoire such as having him actually interact with some of the show's side characters as if he knows them and even cuts him off during is wisdoms to rattle people's expectations. More often than not, though, his jokes and general purpose in the show remains mostly the same.
I suppose it's also worth mentioning that the show has stopped trying
to hide the fact that he's basically just a Woozer clone.
Were that minor change the only source of weirdness this new season had to offer, though, I wouldn't have even bothered to mention it. No, the weirdness of the second season mainly comes from just how much more self-aware the show has gotten over time. For example, during the very first episode, we're given a rehash of the previous season with narration that obviously wasn't there before. As the idea that this might just be a recap episode starts to sink in, though, the shot pulls out to show Kuehiko working to subtitle the narrator's summary, thus showcasing their new job while also catching anyone new to the series up to speed. Though this kind of genius metanarration is mainly seen in only this one episode, the entire season is littered with little nods and winks that add yet one more layer of enjoyment to the show for older viewers. The most blatant of these, however, is the show's delve into the 3D world for a lesson the 2D could never hope to express. Using the actual voice actors as stand-ins for their 2D counterparts, Tapio and Kuehiko learn the basics of department store standard, manners, and etiquette. Through a quick and quirky crash course, they learn the basics of bowing, the various greetings expected of them, and the ability to gauge the needs of others with just a glance. Again, while the 2D setting's animal characters could have addressed this topic in its own way, the lesson wouldn't have been expressed nearly as well as it is with real, physical people showing the audience how it's done. Weird and jarring as the momentary change was in the long term, it generally succeeded at expressing just how aware the show's creators are of their medium's needs and limitations. By changing "that animal's" interactions with the show itself, the comedy of the show was spiced up enough to keep things fun and engaging. By adapting and even mocking the medium, bringing it to the real world, it showed just how important expressing these human-specific interactions are out in the working world this show is bent on showcasing in its own way.
Of course, now we're faced with the question of whether or not this show is still an anime.
On the whole, I have to say I really enjoyed this show's second season. In comparison to the first, it does a great job keeping things fresh and interesting without losing the informative aspect that got it off the ground in the first place. It kept the character stories going in such a way that there was no loss of interest in their presence and purpose in the show. More than that, the way in which Tapio and Kuehiko express themselves and grow speak to the weird heart present in this show. All too easily, Tapio and Kuehiko could have just been audience stand-ins or easily exchangeable cardboard cutouts created by a soulless committee. Yet there's just enough character to their back and forth comedy and just enough thought given to the various situations that make them far more than the simple marketing tool they might have been in anyone else's hands. So, rather than feeling like a corporate cash grab, all these little changes and glimpses into just how much the creators of this show love their work affirm that I like this show for good reason. On top of being weird, funny, and informative, this show has a heart that has made it into one of my favorite short-forms yet.