Senpai Is An Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage”: Cannot Stop The Cute [Review]

You can tell just from the title of Senpai is an Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage” just what the episode is all about. It’s about Makoto’s quest with their friends to be true to themself. But most of all, the entire adorable cast taking delight in all that is cute. With just a brief little dramatic stinger at the end to set the tone for the next episode.

Senpai is an Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage”: Details

Senpai is an Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage” is the second episode (you can read my review of Ep. 1 here) of this LGBTQ+ romantic comedy anime series. Said anime is the anime adaptation of the manga of the same name by Pom. Project No.9 (Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!, Love After World Domination) is the animation studio behind this anime. Crunchyroll is the company licensing this anime in NA region.

Production Cast

Lin Yingchen is the director behind Senpai is an Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage”, with Yoriko Tomita as the writer, Keiichi Ishikura doing the storyboard, and the team of Shōto Shinkai, Eri Ogawa, Yuta Masaki, and Tae Inotsume all acting in the role of chief animation director. As for Senpai is an Otokonoko as a whole, Shinsuke Yanagi is the director behind the anime. Yoriko Tomita is the writer behind the same, with Yukari Hashimoto as the composer for the music you hear in that anime.

Speaking of music: the opening theme song is “Wagamama” (我がまま, “Selfishness”) by Kujira. Meanwhile, “Are ga Koi Datta no kana” (あれが恋だったのかな, “I Wonder If That Was Love”) by Nishina is the ending theme song.

Voice Cast

Senpai is an Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage” features the voices of Shūichirō Umeda as Makoto Hanaoka, Akira Sekine as Saki Aoi, and Yuma Uchida as Ryuji Taiga. The other notable voice roles in this episode include Mai Nakahara as Mika Hanaoka and Kaori Maeda as Konatsu Taiga.

When and Where to Watch

Senpai is an Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage” made its airing and streaming debut (read: simulcast) on July 11, 2024. You can watch this episode only on Crunchyroll. In fact, you can watch the anime as a whole only on Crunchyroll due to it being an exclusive there.

Senpai is an Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage”: Synopsis

Alas, Senpai is an Otokonoko is an ongoing anime series. In fact, Senpai is an Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage” only just made its debut today as of this writing. Thus, I will present to you Crunchyroll’s official synopsis for this episode instead of a spoiler-filled plot summary. You can read that synopsis below:

Now that it’s summer break, Saki is saddened by the long separation, so Ryuji gives her a notebook he borrowed from Makoto. In high spirits, Saki goes to the Hanaoka residence with the notebook, but then…

Senpai is an Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage”: The Good

Yeah, there’s no question about it. It’s the story of Senpai is an Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage” that left me wanting more and more of this episode. All because of Makoto’s story in this episode. This whole episode shows that their story about their gender identity and desires are at the front and center of this story as much as the romantic comedy is. Really, Makoto’s gender identity is so intertwined with the story period that you cannot remove it without destroying the story. It’s seeing Makoto finally start to accept that identity with their friends/love interests that’s what makes this episode adorably heartwarming. It just makes the stinger at the end of the episode all the more tense, really. You’ll see what I mean if you watch the episode for yourself.

Perfectly complementing that story is the animation. Project No.9 are doing an incredibly good job with the animation in this episode. It’s all due to that mix of HD animation interspersed with an adorably simplified chibi animation for the comedic scenes. The high quality animation works well for the serious and dramatic scenes, while the chibi animation enhances the comedy. When taken together, you have a very aesthetically pleasing anime. Of particular note in this episode is the food. Note: this is not a food-centric anime. And yet, there’s a surprising amount of detail to the food that makes it look deliciously adorable.

Senpai is an Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage”: The Bad

Honestly, the only people who would have at least some legitimate issues with Senpai is an Otokonoko Ep. 2 “Cute Things Pilgrimage” are the action junkies out there. Let me make it clear: this anime in general is not an action-heavy story in the slightest. In fact, there’s no action in it at all. If you want that, then you might want to check out Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Solo Leveling, and/or Kaiju No. 8.

I do wish to note though that the review bombing of Senpai is an Otokonoko that began with Ep. 1 is still ongoing. It’s an issue I wish to bring up because of how detestable it is that those who are review bombing this anime are doing it purely because this anime features LGBTQ+ themes. Alas, Crunchyroll have hidden all user comments since then, so you can only fight this in the ratings option the anime’s main page.

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