Haganai NEXT

Haganai NEXT, the second season of the anime adaptation of Yomi Hirasaka’s light novel series, was produced by the animation studio AIC Build and released in Japan in 2013, with Funimation later acquiring the rights for its North American distribution. The series continues the story of the Neighbors Club, a group of social outcasts formed within their school, and builds upon the first season's focus on the awkward interpersonal dynamics of high school life. The production maintained the aesthetic established in the previous series, emphasizing a bright, character-driven visual style that reflects the lighthearted yet sometimes cynical tone of the source material.

The character designs were handled by Yoshihiro Watanabe, who aimed to capture the distinct archetypes portrayed in Hirasaka’s writing. While the series garnered attention for its comedic approach to social isolation, it also drew critical discussion regarding its heavy reliance on established anime tropes and its balancing of dramatic beats with slapstick humor. Over time, the show has remained a notable example of the early 2010s 'harem' subgenre, valued by collectors primarily as a representation of a specific era of light novel-to-anime transitions.