Interesting. Very interesting.

The title kinda sounds like they'll be going back to the Kissuiso, but from the pic it looks like it simply takes place prior to the anime's end.

Yeah, I have to agree with Goggen that it does sound like this is set before the anime's ending (making a movie or an OVA more likely at this point), Though of course we can't figure much from just a single image, but it does look like Yuina is borrowing Ohana's idea about the uniform for Kissuisō?

They are pictures. I'm going with the cast being older and those pictures are them "looking back" at the times from the first series.

"Home Sweet Home" suggests they are indeed returning to the inn but the question is how much time will have passed? It can't be too long otherwise we lose our coming of age element so it should be interesting to see how they do this.

I hope it is a sequel. Just because they look the same doesn't mean it can't be a sequel. They might have been able to restore Kissuiso quicker than expected.

Didn't it close because of money and lack of someone to take over?

Yea, the damned thing closed, but I suppose they could be revisiting it and reminiscing, and then go off to do unrelated things. It could be starting immediately after where it last ended.

Unless they want to hit the reset button and reopen the inn like nothing happened; that would just be silly though.

Hrm ... I guess if it were closed that implies that the Inn was still technically owned by Sui but just unoccupied (and maybe eventually the property would "pass on" to her relatives if she herself passed on? Unless for some reason Sui sold the property....

But I don't remember any of the details (if any at all were mentioned) around the "closing" of the Inn from S1. :\

Enishi winning the lottery and growing a pair somehow sounded more plausible in my mind...

Well, from what I remember, it went more or less like this: Sui, knowing the series was nearing its end and they needed an emotional climax, decided to close down the inn even though she had no intention of retiring or anything. And so they did. Enishi, knowing that the audience wouldn't want a sad ending, suggested he get himself educated about the business and re-open the Kissuiso in a few years time, and Ohana and her friends vowed to return some day. So, we got to have our cake and eat it too, with an ending what was both happy and sad, or neither, depending on how you want to look at it.


Uh, sorry for the sudden rant. On topic; I'd love for the new anime to be set after the end of the original with the gang getting back together to re-open the inn. I have a feeling that's not gonna happen, but the title could be read as hinting at that. So, maybe...

Would have to win the lotto to keep the property. Unless there are no taxes in Japan? lol.

And the fact that it ended neither too overly or sad was exactly the reason why I thought that Iroha's ending was excellent. Too many times do entertainment in all medium forms try to go for overly happy endings (the most common type for the anime medium) or overly sad ones. As a subclass, deus ex type endings piss me off the most - sup "Key".

The best types of endings for me are the ones that are either bittersweet or the "life goes on type". Iroha was the latter. They don't feel cheap to me and are also the typically the most "down to earth"/realistic and don't try to enforce cheesy melodrama on top of it. Bittersweet and "life goes on" endings shouldn't be confused with the term "inconclusive" either. Those imo are ones that just end abruptly and are most likely due to poor planning and rushing towards the end.

You misunderstand. My problem with it was that I felt it tried to do both those things at once, and accomplished neither.

Right ... the taxes ... even if, say, Sui reposed unexpectedly and had willed the Inn property to Ohana taxes would still have to be paid.

Hmm ... I wonder if that might necessitate the Inn re-opening?

I bet you someone was like "What about the taxes?" and the producers were like "It's anime." :heh:

Oh yeah ... forgot about that for a sec. :D

Hmm ... well to be honest I can't think of any other reason off the top of my head to re-open the Inn other than using the place as a "Summer Dacha" and/or periodically "upkeeping" the place so it doesn't go to ruin. :\

Our views differ then since I thought Iroha's ending did accomplish a healthy medium to the two extremes of happy and sad.

So you're predicting Okada won't be involved?

Title makes me think it's a sequel, picture makes me think otherwise.

Damn psychological war-fare.

yurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

The ballers are back.

Included on the ninth BD was the promotional video shown at Comiket 81 last December to highlight the new work. While they did not show any new footage (it was a digest of clips from the series, mostly focusing on the end), it did highlight Yuina as one of the four main heroines and mentions that everyone will return. I have not found an uploaded version as of now.