Saiki Kusuo no Psi Nan (Saiki K) 2 - Episode 1 (Review)
By: v.o.lynnIt’s been over a year since we saw Saiki’s dour face, but wait no more, the fan-favorite schadenfreude-laden show is back! Funimation released the first season, and despite the partnership between Crunchyroll and Funimation, it looks like series 2 has been picked up by Netflix Japan. With the first episode premiering right around Christmas, the first episode helps get folks up to speed (while plugging the brief crossover with Gintama).[Mild spoilers going forward]
Part 1) "Restarting Everyday Life 'As usual'"
One by one, characters are introduced – Saiki Kusuo, his mom, his dad (thank GOD they’re not sparring at the moment), his classmates, his non-love-interest, and pretty much everything is just how we left it at the end of season 1. It’s basically a trailer for last season, and an intro to the “status quo” that the premise of the show hangs onto by the skin of its teeth.
Part 2) “Another Christmas Challenge”
Continuing the tradition of a Christmas episode every winter season, Saiki’s only goal this year is to avoid the insidious plot train, which, of course, has other plans. Also, Takahashi, now free to have a part-time job, is selling Christmas cakes – and Nindou, of course, just wants to spend Christmas with his friends. As an aside, let me just say that I really love that Mom and Pop Saiki are legitimately thrilled to see that their antisocial (out of personal feelings of necessity towards ease) son has a group of high school friends. It’s a carryover from the previous season, but while his “friends” seem annoying to him, it’s good for him to have social interaction to build empathy, even as a godlike being.
Part 3) “First Experiences of the Year are Important”
Similar to part 1, this is a catch-up episode for everyone we didn’t get a glimpse of in the first part, Saiki’s mom and dad being goofballs, Nindou being Nindou on live TV, and so on. If you watch this segment, watch ‘till the end.
Part 4) “Courtside Love Game”
Some of Saiki’s friends are unaware of his powers, others just annoy him to death. And then there’s Toritsuka. Toritsuka has a special place in the pantheon of Saiki characters as being attuned to spirits, able to see ghosts and channel them so that he can use their natural strengths or abilities. He’s also pretty much the in-house perv for the series and an occasional foil.When Toritsuka asks Saiki to get him a little closer to the girl-of-the-episode, Saiki basically throws the ball right in Toriksuka’s court. It’s been a while since we saw the athletic club in action, and Hairo is pretty much exactly how we left him.Although it felt like Toritsuka’s love interest was a one-episode character, I would kind of like to see a little more of her, it takes a special sort of character to fall in love with a doofus “just the way he is”.
Part 5) “Dessert Buffet Disaster”
It’s the return of female Saiki! When a local dessert shop offers a cake buffet for ladies only, Saiki is left with no choice but to so interested in cake that he genderswaps his identity and joins the que of waiting women. When Teruhashi, Yumehara, and Chistatocchi show up at the same shop, he picks a new alias for his female form – now Kuriko instead of Kusuko. Hilarity ensues.