The first season of I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying ended on a major cliffhanger for the couple — one that is, unfortunately, ignored for the vast majority of the second season.
Like with the first season, I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying is a short form anime about Kaoru — a mid-twenties office worker — and her otaku husband, Hajime. While being very much in love, they come from two very different worlds culturally speaking.
[This review contains major spoilers for both seasons of I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying. For a non-spoiler look at the series, check out our review of the first season.]
[Image: Dream Creation | AT-X]
In some ways, Season 2 seems like a large step back. The first season does much to establish its main leads through the (often hilarious) troubles experienced in their everyday lives. However, under all the “hows” and “whys” of their marriage, there is the running theme of the future of their relationship. This all comes to a head at the climax of the final episode when Kaoru discovers that she is pregnant.
However, of the second season’s 13 episodes, only the final three are spent exploring how the young couple deals with their impending parenthood. As the concept is so strong and rife with storytelling possibilities, it’s no surprise that these three episodes are the best part of the season.
[Image: Dream Creation | AT-X]
Kaoru and Hajime, like most parents-to-be, worry if they are ready for the responsibility of a child — with Hajime promising to find her a better husband before the baby is born. Of course, that isn’t really an option; so Hajime is left with trying to figure out how he needs to change to be a better husband and father — or if he even should.
Kaoru is also torn about this. She has an ideal image of what she wants Hajime to be like but, as we saw in the first season, she finds herself worried to the point of tears when he doesn’t act like his usual self.
[Image: Dream Creation | AT-X]
But it’s not just the new responsibility that the couple struggles with. Up until this point in their relationship, Kaoru has been the breadwinner of the family. She has a solid job — and it’s one that, for the most part, she enjoys. At work, everyone tries to be considerate of her pregnancy and offers to help her with seemingly easy tasks or flat out sends her home early (even though she’s still in her first trimester). However, seeing everyone take over most of her workload — and knowing that Hajime now has a good job — she can’t help but wonder if she’s really needed at all. Of course, as Hajime is quick to point out, they do need her — and more than that, he needs her for what is to come.
[Image: Dream Creation | AT-X]
Outside of the final three episodes, I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying Season 2 spends much of its time expanding the supporting cast. While no completely new characters appear — outside of Hajime’s father — we get some full-episode flashbacks centering around Hajime and Kaoru’s family and friends.
[Image: Dream Creation | AT-X]
By far the most developed character outside of the main pair is Hajime’s cross-dressing brother, Mayotama. One of the full flashback episodes shows the start of his close relationship with his brother — in addition to the bullying he went through as an androgynous-looking child. The anime also shows both his success as an amateur manga artist and his desire to become a professional.
We also get to see several instances of how Hajime and Kaoru interact with their friends in a larger group. They go bowling and later hit up a hot springs together — a place that affords Hajime and Kaoru time for some guy-talk and girl-talk, respectively.
Establishing these strong connections between the main couple and their various friends and family members is important as they lead fittingly into the end note of the series.
[Image: Dream Creation | AT-X]
In the final episode, Kaoru and Hajime have their first major fight that we’ve seen — a fight over the name of their daughter. However, the two are able to resolve the conflict by calling in all their friends and family for advice. In this way, the two major aspects of the anime — the pregnancy and the development of the supporting cast — are tied together by showing the great support network their daughter will have.
When it comes down to it, I think the biggest problem with I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying is the order in which the episodes were aired. Going into the second season, it is perfectly logical to expect the show to continue from where the first season left off.
[Image: Dream Creation | AT-X]
So, at first, it seems like perhaps the pregnancy was a gag and is being ignored. However, a few episodes in, it becomes apparent that, rather than ignoring the pregnancy angle, most of the episodes in this season take place before the season one cliffhanger. In fact, there is a small number in parenthesis underneath the episode number on each episode’s title card that marks when each episode takes place in relation to the episodes in the first season.
When both seasons are watched together in chronological order (instead of air date), the series becomes much more solid and flowing. Now that it has finished its run, this is most certainly the way to watch it.
[Image: Dream Creation | AT-X]
I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying Season 2 is a great romantic comedy centered around not falling in love but rather on what comes after. While the life-changing event of throwing a baby into the mix is left woefully underutilized, that doesn’t mean the second season is bad — quite the opposite, in fact. This show remains a smart, fun comedy enjoyable by both those of the otaku persuasion and those who are in love with one.
I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying Season 2 aired on AT-X in Japan. It can be watched for free and with English subtitles in the US on Crunchyroll.
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