This is where I'd go into a little detail about the plot, but as you may have guessed, there isn't really much to be found in Yuru Yuri. The girls interact at school, on trips or at each others houses, and that's pretty much the general gist of it. That's not to say that there's a shortage of gag opportunities, as the show constantly finds more and more ways to use yuri undertones and make a joke of it. That's something that should really be cleared up for those that didn't watch the original series: this show isn't really yuri. There are many gags on the subject, and some of the girls definitely hint on having interest in the same sex, but this is all in the name of humour as the show is far from a romance. 

This is a comedy through and through, and similarly to many other anime, it uses its school setting to create more joke opportunities. There are lots of characters in this show, each with their own quirks and personalities, and they become the foundation for which Yuru Yuri builds upon. You can argue that many shows to do this too, but this is one of a few that has an incredibly likeable cast. It really is like K-On! meets Nichijou, just with all of the 'lets act cute for the sake of merchandise' rubbish filtered out. 

The opening scenes didn't leave me with a great first impression. Akarin? Who is that, and why is she taking up precious Yuru Yuri screen time? For the first five or so minutes we are forced to watch her interacting with the usual cast, while they act like they've known her forever, with some even showing romantic feelings towards her. What is this? Why is this happening? Why ruin a brand new season? Oh, it was a dream! Now the real show can begin!

The rest of the episode sees the lead female trio heading to a hot springs resort for some good old relaxation, possibly to recover from the aforementioned nightmare. In no other show can you observe a young lady with hair that can devour ping-pong balls, conduct the age-old experiment of hitting two buttons at the same time on a vending machine, and even experience some anime-ception with a sneak preview of the latest Mirakurun animated movie. Saying that the first episode of this new series in jam-packed is a severe understatement. 

Those of you that watched the original season will know that the opening and ending music set a high bar for the second season to try and surpass. Did it manage it? No, not quite. The opening has some great accompanying animation, but I feel that, while the music isn't bad, it isn't great either. It certainly does its job, but I find it a little disappointing. The ending, however, is pretty darn good. It's not winning me over last seasons ED, but it's pretty enjoyable nonetheless. A small shame, but it's not going to put you off the show.

All in all, the first episode of Yuru Yuri made a fantastic start. The humour is as good as it was, the re-introduction of characters was handled in an incredibly sensible manner and it is showing no signs of letting up. Time will tell if this is actually the case, but things are certainly looking good!

[These schoolgirl shenanigans can be observed for educational purposes on Crunchyroll!]