So "Mood Indigo" I watched directly after I rewatched "The Pornographer/The Novelist", because I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything and I'm glad I did. Though technically you could watch this series without seeing the first season, you'll be confused by the very first scene at the bar and the final scenes with Kuzumi. I will say off the bat, though I enjoyed this series as well, its not as solid as the first and though its enjoyable I don't think its necessarily necessary if that makes sense? We didn't need this much information about Kijima's and Kido's former relationship, I would've liked to see instead more on Kijima's life even before that since he's such a gripping character and then added in Kido halfway through the series.

So this show is shot just as well as the first one, even better at points sometimes. Like that shot of the rose with the droplets on it was freaking beautiful, euphemism and all. As well as the shot of the first kiss in the taxi with the light perfectly placed between their lips. So well done and I loved it. We get the same musical score as well for the most part, which was great. Though the ending song (for credits) was replaced and it makes more sense this time around, its more melancholic where season 1's was too romantic and lighthearted. This season has the same director and writers, which I could tell immediately. I think that helped out with some scenes overlapping from the first season, like Kido pouring coffee behind the blinds in the office area with Kuzumi. That's done again here but with different context and it's such smart storytelling. Watching this felt like putting together a puzzle with pieces that fit into the first season.

So right off the bat, we get confirmation at the beginning that Kijima and Kuzumi are together at the end of the first season and its official. He states it to Kido at the bar and it was a nice way to introduce the continuation aspect of this without doing too much. It's also a great reassurance for the audience that it did get better for Kijima so even though we're about to see a lot of awful things happen to him it gets better. So there were some questions from the first season surrounding Kijima and Kido's past relationship (again I don't think we needed all the details, but we got them) and they are definitely answered. Immediately I thought that their tension could've stemmed from Kido convincing Kijima to write porn novels and I was kinda right! "I would rather quit writing than write trash" this is how Kijima felt about it at the beginning. So it's obvious it was a poor decision coming from a sort of peer pressure from Kido, especially during the forced apprenticeship. Which was so gross by the way, eww old man eww. But Kido clearly had so much jealousy that he didn't care how it hurt Kijima throughout. Though he did him a favor with the drinking problem telling him to stop.

Kijima is such a fascinating character to watch. In this he's ironically so much more broken, where in the first he learned how to mask that with false confidence, humor and sex until we see him really break. In this he's cracking throughout until he eventually kind of embodies Sensai a little bit aka. replacement father. That was such a great addition by the way, I remember him saying his father died in the first season and the fact that his drinking stems from not going to the funeral and feeling guilt. So good. You can also see how he became this kind of sexual being after everything that happened with this replacement father-like relationship, as well as how Kido basically used him for sex in a lot of their "relationship" though of course Kuzumi changes that for him eventually after he proved he wasn't just in it for sex. This entire season made the scene of Kido handing over the key to Kuzumi in the first season that much more powerful, and it was powerful enough before! It's like finally moving on from their past together.

Kido really did mess Kijima up though, so I hope this really is the end for them. He really used him for a new job and to get married, like my god it was difficult to watch. "You're despicable" yeahhhh Kido I would say that about. Also spineless and selfish, such a complicated character who left by the end. There's so much of this where if these 2 hadn't crossed paths in the way that they had it would've been so much better off. Kijima meeting Kuzumi right off the bat would've saved a lot of heartache, though we wouldn't of gotten the porn novels though lol. By the end though, it's clear Kijima wants to actually support Kuzumi with that last great scene. Kijima has moved on for the better and Kido will be left watching and have to accept that. The line "there will always be a flickering flame in my heart" was a great way of showing where Kido's character stands after everything. Both relationships (Kido vs. Kuzumi) are so different in how they function/functioned and its fantastic.

Though I had some issues with the story-telling, how graphic some of the scenes were and validity of this season, it was still a good addition and I cannot wait for the film sequel to come out! More Kijima X Kuzumi continuation please! I would say watch this season if you really want to know all the hidden truths from the first season, but if you're like me and were fine with open endings and guesses than its not necessary.

"You are someone special to me. You always have been and you always will be."-Kuzumi

"Words are amazing aren't they? I didn't really know that even though I'm a writer."-Kijima