Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko 2nd Stage has started, everyone! The first episode's been released yesterday night! Read on for my impressions on the Episode and some comments on the preview for EP2.
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We start off right from the beginning of a new misunderstanding (it is one of the main ingredients of the series, since season 1 after all), with Hiroko waking up naked next to Ayaka, and Ayaka saying things that could very easily allude to something sexual having happened between them.
She wishes! Ayaka wishes! She reeeeeally wishes, the poor woman! But no, as a result of her plans to try and get Hiroko relaxed and maybe lead to that, she ended up getting her drunk...and drunk Hiroko enters festive mode, strips and falls asleep like a little kid. Oh, Ayaka!
Risa bragging about her metabolism-boosting passionate nights with Kyouko (by the way, I'm OFFENDED Lady Kyouko she didn't appear in EP1) only made Ayaka wish even more that her nights with Hiroko could be something other than merely sweet and cute (though the sweet and cute part is lovely, let's be honest!!!). That said, Risa really exudes happiness and looks amazing this season!
Some viewers might not be too happy about those words along the lines of finally having sex with Kyouko making Risa feel like they were really a couple, but I do think it's an understandable statement. Yes, that's not the case for some people, but sex is definitely a component in most romantic relationships, so going from not having done it with the person you're with, to having done it, would obviously add to the feeling of completeness, as a couple. Those are my 2.5 cents.
It makes even more sense with Ayaka, who has been waiting for like...a year! If you remember, she was more than ready to cross that line with Hiroko at the end of Season 1. She's always perceived that as a normal/obvious part of the relationship. Former-womanizer Hiroko knows very well the role sex plays, but her background gives her sort of a skewed perception, I think because she has unavoidably linked sex with women with something "unserious", detached from real, deep feelings. For who knows how many years, she acted without a care in the world and without consideration for the feelings of the women she got involved with. She was completely devoted to her lust, like an animal, as she says. Now that she's in love, she finds herself unable to give a new color to sex in the context of these newly found beautiful feelings, directed at someone she really, really treasures. I appreciate how she's also conscious and worried about how her position (both age-wise and work-wise) might play into the dynamic, but she really should let loose at this point. They've been living together for half a year already!
Oh, in regards to Risa's comment about Hiroko's treatment of Ayaka, I cannot be the only one who, upon hearing cat (neko, 猫), also thought of the other "neko" (ネコ), the term that refers to the more sexually passive partner in a lesbian couple (what you might be familiar with as "bottom"), which is what Ayaka seems likely to turn out to be, with Hiroko (production has been very attentive to and outspoken about details ever since season 1, and...Ayaka has quite long nails; unlike Risa by the way, WINK WINK). So, well, Ayaka will hopefully go from being disappointed about Hiroko treating her like a "neko", to being very happy about Hiroko treating her like a "neko". 🤭
Still about Risa's words on the way Hiroko treats Ayaka, while in S1 Hiroko only said Ayaka reminded her of her niece to cover for the truth of her finding Ayaka adorable, this time she's genuinely doting on Ayaka almost like one would on a niece...which makes the "mini rivalry" that's going to come up between Ayaka and Tsumugi even funnier!
While I'm not surprised that Hiroko hasn't come out to her family, I didn't think she would've told her she's living with someone. Though well, we're informed she kind of just couldn't avoid mention it at one point. As not exactly nice as it is, it's only normal for Keiko to assume it's a man, but my heart hurt every time she'd say it would definitely be someone cool and high level (with the underlying male assumption). We know that Keiko has grown up looking up to Hiroko, so this would only make it harder for Hiroko to tell her the truth. It's sad, but I'm sure there's also an element of fear of letting down. When she finds out it's her female junior, who is super cute and also a tad weird and crazy... lol
Still, Keiko seems to be a nice character and I look forward to seeing more of her!!
The other new character, Jun, didn't make a particularly strong impression on me, possibly because she doesn't seem to be the sort of character that appeals to me (both in terms of behavior and looks), but I'm sure she'll have plenty of viewers screaming! Are you part of the screaming crowd?
Funniest points for me in EP1 were Hiroko shouting "AH! IT'S BURNING" as she entered the apartment after Ayaka's preparations (turns out it was Kanna herself, who decided to add it in!!!), and Ayaka shouting "Everyone, ALOHA (AROHA!)" with that strong confident voice at the Hawaiians Resort. That had me on the floor!
Right! I love the new opening, with cute domestic AyaHiro and those adorable scenes with them not allowing us to cross important boundaries, keeping their precious moments to themselves! And the ending, the ending...I might like it even more! We know it's going to change every episode (they also confirmed it during the fan meeting) like it happened with season 1, and I have already expressed my hopes for it to end up with them in a similar pose to that wonderful, masterful and legendary CallMeNo scene...
Also, the song for the Ending is beautiful! I love it!! It contributed to my getting emotional when I watched the fan meeting!!
What else, what else? Ah, right! I have to say I already liked the directing for S1. I thought it was quite good, so I can't say I perceived a big level up coming into S2. Nevertheless, you can still feel Eda's touch and her vision in more than a few of the takes, with some cinematic vibes here and there. I'm also very curious to see how much and in what way the directing will change in the second half of the season.
Now, as for what's coming up...
[Eng Subs] AyaHiro 2 Episode 2 Preview
— SapphicLoner (アリ) (@thesapphicloner) June 27, 2025
Ayaka is as unstoppable as ever! 🤭
Can’t wait to see her interactions with Tsumugi!
And Hiroko most likely introduced Ayaka as a colleague, didn't she? 🥲 pic.twitter.com/XJ5ht7F2Jx
Now, who are the two people in front of Keiko and Hiroko? I thought the woman next to Keiko in the second trailer was her and Hiroko's mother, so maybe they're the husband's parents? No idea. We also see Ayaka talk with someone, whom I think is the junior who accompanied her at the Hawaiians (Misato)!
And then, well...Ayaka seems to ultimately be now even more determined to bring the relationship to the next step. But remember that Hiroko still things they have had sex, so I wonder when the truth in that regard is going to come out! In any case, it's definitely going to be another wild episode! Can't wait!!!
Oh, let me know if you enjoy short thoughts sharing posts like this one!
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