“Ossan’s Love Returns” continues the adventures of Japanese gay couple Maki and Haruta after the events of the first season and the follow-up movie. Ironically even after years of being together the two 30+ years old men have a thing or two to learn about everything. Luckily the entire cast of the original series is present to offer life lessons to the pair along the way. That being said most lessons are given to Haruta (the man needs all the help he can get) on maintaining a relationship and how to treat his husband.

The thing about sequels is how do you make the magic of the original again, but offer something new to keep the viewers interested. Something “Ossan’s Love Returns” accomplishes simply by letting the characters be who they were as in the original but with more of an anime flair. Japanese shows both anime and live action never have any problems with going over the top and making impromptu shifts in mood, whether in dream sequences or in fantasized worst case scenarios. Something “Ossan’s Love Returns” utilizes as Haruta is a very fanciful man. Many moments of his hyperactive shouting, different over expressive voices and inner thoughts are high lighted in the fantastic camera work on the close up’s; moving the focus directly onto the face of actor Kei Tanaka who plays Haruta ridiculously well.

Matching his energy is Kento Hayashi as his no nonsense husband Maki, who to his credit loves his silly husband but is equally annoyed with the man who even after five years doesn’t clean, still gets drunk and loses the gifts he gives him or recruits their old boss as the cleaning person to work for them. The reason for this being Musahi Kurosawa played by the fantastic Kotaro Yoshida was Maki’s love rival for Haruta’s affections. Something that hasn’t changed despite his overt intentions for the couple’s happiness. He bickers with Maki, shoots the man dirty looks, and hurts him in small ways that Haruta can’t see. They are adults, and they handle their silliness in a cleverly written script by Tokuo Koji. The series honestly feels like watching a Yaoi without sex as the characters act with the same kind of bombastic and chaotic energy you see in anime. Example- Kurosawa rolling a rolling pin over Maki’s fingers when Maki comments on his cooking.

The series has the same characters from the prequel and the movie, up to more antics: Rikudo Kikunosuke played by Mirura Shohei (Maki’s BDSM dominant ex-boyfriend) is still a supervisor at the real estate company they work for and is using online apps to find love. Arai Maika played by Ito Shuko is still the nosey secretary over hearing and gossiping about everything. Kuribayashi Utamaro played by Kaneko Daichi is still the young bilingual employee whose married to Kurosawa’s ex-wife Choko, played by Ohtsuka Nane who now has a love for pop idols and an over bearing mother-in-law. New to the cast with his own mysterious storyline is the soft-spoken Izumi Kou played by Iura Arata. The man seems to react too slowly while also saying the most random and meaningful statements, although he seldom reacts to anything Haruta says at face value, despite Haruta’s heartfelt advice. But when Haruta touches him by accident or in passing, Izumi has the spot on focus (which doesn’t explain why Haruta finds him on the ground multiple times outside his house as the two are neighbors coincidentally?) or why Izumi kisses him at the end of the second episode.

Overall, the series feels fresh and very fun as Haruta still manages to be the same callous idiot he has been for years; whether it is while training Isumi who awkwardly and blankly stares at him; or Maki and Kurosawa fighting over him because he is clueless about the problem with Kurosawa being their “Unicorn Cleaning Service”, even though Kurosawa disrespects Maki infront of him. As far as continuations go, the series is a definite win. But be sure to watch the first season because besides a montage of few moments in episode one, there is no given backstory for new viewers.

Rating- 5 out 5 stars (for being hilariously well done)

Streaming on- Gagaoolala