Kimagure Orange Road OVA 2

I have to say that it has been tough for me to watch these OAV episodes because it takes the characters back to a time when the love-triangle is in full force, and that is frustrating. BUT, if you follow Devil Doll's advice and try to watch the episodes at their relative position within the TV series, things will go better.

I still don't like Hikaru-chan. She is officially the most annoying anime character of any of the near 300 titles I have seen to date. And with episode 1, I officially despise the mind-swap plot device. Its just been overused. I just wasn't interested in the male idol singer Hayakawa, but Episode 2 being a sequel to episode 1 works pretty nicely for me though. Episode 3 sees another Akane story, whom I also don't like. However, this story ended well with Madoka showing why she's so great which redeemed everything...until Hikaru-chan in the final scene. The 4th episode I enjoyed for it having another Madoka/Kasuga-kun moment.

Otherwise, I just can't say much about the series, which is sad. It really is difficult going back when all I want to see is Madoka and Kyosuke together and advancing their relation ship. I will say that I was disappointed with AnimEigo's subtitles, which had become more domesticated than they were in the TV series.

Bottom line: if you watch this as DD suggest, I think you'll enjoy things better. Hardcore fans of KOR who don't mind going back in time will also enjoy this. But for me, I can only give this a watch.

• Drama: Med (episodic but reasonable, "Message in Rouge" being more intense)
• Comedy: Med (from hilarious to lame)
• Action: None (a rather normal teenager story)
• SciFi: Med (supernatural abilities being crucial for certain events)
• Ecchi: Low (teasing but nothing explicit)

1. Stage of Love = Heart on Fire I: Spring is for Idols (after episode 22 where Madoka became a guest keyboarder in a band): Due to a "head crash" accident, Kyosuke's and the pop star idol Hayakawa Mitsuru's minds swap their bodies, and they go on a date with each other's secret love. Focused more on the Hayakawa guest character than on the series' leads, but still a surprisingly good, emotional episode. [episode story: 7/10]
2. Stage of Love = Heart on Fire II: Birth of a Star (episodes 23-30, direct continuation of "Spring is for Idols"): Hayakawa will be the star of the music concert where Madoka's band is about to get their first nation-wide appearance. But when her band's lead vocalist has a collapse on the day of the event, Maduka is suddenly being asked to sing for the band; and Hayakawa denies Kyosuke the favor of keeping the previous events a secret - he'll be talking about it on stage... Serious and adequate continuation of its prequel, and even better in respect of the drama, but again focused more on Hayakawa and the possible exposure of the "power" than on the lead characters' relation. [episode story: 8/10]
3. Unexpected Situation (after the "Akane" story from Kimagure Orange Road OVA 1): Kyosuke's cousin Akane is taunted by her classmates for still not having a boyfriend and fawning over girls - so would Kyosuke please help her out for today, as to 'prove' them wrong? Of course they run into any number of people knowing Kyosuke and Hikaru being a couple. While you'd expect embarrassing scenes and irreparable damage being done, actually the story works exceptionally well and provides a reasonable solution for all issues. And Madoka shines! [episode story: 9/10]
4. Message in Rouge (several months after episode 48): While Madoka's mother is in Paris, her father performs in a concert in Japan, bringing his daughters along. But when Madoka observes him kissing an unknown woman, she runs away from home in shock. Now she has nowhere to stay - but Kyosuke happens to spend his holidays alone at home... I dislike the beginning - this isn't like sober-minded Madoka to lose her head so completely, and more so at this late stage in the series. But other than that, an interesting episode featuring a considerate Kyosuke. [episode story: 8/10]