One Room 2nd Season Special

Special Overview

The One Room 2nd Season Special (One Room セカンドシーズン -extra-) is almost exactly what it sounds like. I say almost because I’m not sure if this special episode really counts as “anime.” There’s no animation at all in the episode, which isn’t something I expected when I began watching it.

It’s been a while (almost 2 years, apparently) since I watched the full 2nd season, but I’m pretty sure that, and the 1st season, was fully animated. So with that in mind, I’m not sure why the special wasn’t animated. Instead, there are a handful of still images that get panned over and zoomed into and out of while the girls talk. And every once in a while their expressions change.

The other main difference between this special episode and the full 2nd season is that rather than the episode being 4 minutes, it’s 11 minutes. This is just because it has a section dedicated to each of the three girls, so it’s roughly three times the length. I think this was a good length — not too short and not too long.

Yui Hanasaka

Each girl receives two mini-scenarios in this episode. And if I average my enjoyment of both for each girl, Yui Hanasaka had the best average score, which is pretty unexpected. I have nothing against Yui, but I generally like the other two girls more.

Yui’s first scenario features her getting flustered when you come home to find her trying on some lingerie. Or, maybe it’s supposed to be a bikini with a cover over it. I don’t know, but the effect is the same. My only complaint about this scenario is that, because there’s no animation, Yui is stuck in a painful-looking position the entire time she’s talking to you.

The second scenario featuring Yui is the one pictured above in which Yui is delivered to your apartment in a box. This scenario is pretty cute because she’s acting as if she’s some sort of toy with different settings (like combat mode), some of which need to be unlocked.

Minori Nanahashi

Although I like Minori Nanahashi more than Yui, I have to say that both of her scenarios were the worst ones of the entire episode. But I guess the reason she didn’t get an ecchi scenario as Yui did is that she already had bathhouse scenarios in the full season.

The first scenario with Minori takes place within one of the tatami mat rooms at the bathhouse that her family owns. Or, maybe we own it now? I forget how that arc ended in the full season. Anyway, it’s just her in a kimono trying to come up with an ad slogan to attract more customers.

Minori’s second scenario was like a female domination scenario. The Nanahashi bathhouse has gone global and Minori is the successful CEO of the company who looks down on you (and probably steps on you in her high heels). Unfortunately for anyone who’s into that, it turns out to be a dream, not reality.

Mashiro Amatsuki

“Best girl” Mashiro Amatsuki is still the best girl in this special episode, even if Yui had the overall highest rating for her scenarios. I think Mashiro is just cuter in general, and her scenarios come in a close second this time around. Her first scenario is probably better than Yui’s, but her second scenario is slightly worse.

Starting off strong, Mashiro greets us while cosplaying as a cat in a black dress. If that’s not enough to automatically solidify her place as best girl, she also adds “nyaa.” And, of course, my eyes were immediately drawn to the fact that her tail goes beneath her dress. Nice.

Also at the end of the scenario, her dad shows up at the apartment because he found out his daughter is dating a pervert. That was pretty funny.

Mashiro’s second scenario was still probably better than either of Minori’s despite being worse than Yui’s. In it, Mashiro is a doctor who claims to have a very risky and likely to fail treatment for “our” perversion. She doesn’t say what this treatment is, but she’s adamant that it needs to be performed.

Conclusion

This might seem like a high score considering there’s literally no animation in this “anime” episode, but I think the One Room 2nd Season Special is a 5/10. That’s a lower score than I gave either of the full seasons, but not by much. And I do have a reason for this: It’s still very enjoyable to watch despite there being no animation.

I think if the special was animated, it could probably be a 7/10, which is a better score than what I gave either season. The content was good. The visuals were great — as in the girls are all just as cute as they ever have been. And the best part of the series is still there: cute girl ASMR.

Normally I watch anime using the standard speakers for whatever I’m watching on, such as the speakers on my laptop. But for One Room, I broke out my headphones so I could listen to Yui, Minori, and Mashiro speak directly into my ears. If that’s not how you consume One Room content, then you’re doing it wrong.

And as a final word, I’m really looking forward to the 3rd season. I don’t know when it’s set to air, but I do know it’s been announced. And while Mashiro, unfortunately, won’t be in it, Yui, Minori, and Natsuki (from the 1st season) will, as will two brand new girls.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button ❤ down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank HeavyROMAN for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.