WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It Season 2, Episode 1, now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It is a charming edutainment anime series starring the lovestruck grad students Himuro Ayame and Yukimura Shinya, who are determined to use the power of science to ascertain whether their mutual affection is genuine. Only hard data can prove their love, or so they believed in Season 1.
Season 2 has now begun, and the premiere episode calls into question everything Shinya and Ayame hold dear about their relationship and their scientific methods. The new power couple, Fujiwara Suyiu and Chris Florette, recently challenged them to a battle of what true love really is, transforming the series into a true battle shonen title in the process.
How Science Fell In Love Became A Battle Shonen
During the events of Season 1, Science Fell in Love was best compared to other "battle of wits" romantic series such as Kaguya-sama: Love is War -- which, incidentally, is also returning in the Spring 2022 anime season. Kaguya-Sama and Science Fell in Love both feature intelligent but romantically clueless main lovers who would rather use tricks, traps and exhaustive analysis than tried-and-true romantic gestures, since these characters are too smart (and too proud) for their own good.
However, unlike Shinomiya Kaguya and Shirogane Miyuki, Shinya and Ayame aren't trying to force a confession out of the other, although they are willing to question and disprove each other's methods during these experiments. And while the cool-headed kuudere Yukimura Shinya often tries to keep the lovey-dovey Ayame at bay, he certainly loves her back, and she is more her teammate than her rival. So, they need an external foe to face, and Season 2 gives them one -- the Chris-Suiu pair.
Shinya and Ayame are no longer merely testing each other's theories or questioning their worthiness in this relationship. They now have a shonen-style rivalry on their hands, complete with Dragon Ball Z-inspired visuals and even a combat system to match. Chris and his playful sadodere girlfriend Suiu are a real power couple who don't feel like they need to prove anything at all, and they have superior oxytocin levels as well.
In Season 2's first episode, for example, Shinya and Ayame took on the Chris-Suiu pair in a series of experiments, only to get trounced by the lab results. Their oxytocin levels can't compare to Chris and Suiu's, and Chris even questions the validity of Ayame and Shinya's entire relationship. Now Ayame and Shinya have a rival party to prove themselves to, and as shonen underdogs, they'll have to get resourceful and fight hard against a foe that has all the advantages. This man-vs-man conflict changes the tone of Science Fell in Love, although it's not clear how long that might last.
The Future Of Science Fell In Love
So far, it's hard to say whether this new two-vs-two rivalry will define most of Science Fell in Love's second season or if this shonen-style rivalry will only last for one or two episodes before the story moves on to something entirely different. Chris and Suiu might become major players in Season 2 as a well-established couple to challenge the Shinya-Ayame pair, but they might just as easily fade into the background to make room for other new characters to be introduced and interact with the protagonists. Either way, Science Fell in Love has the potential to continue its shonen battle theme, and it's possible that Chris and Suiu are merely the first couple of several to challenge Shinya and Ayame.
Season 1 kept itself confined to the main characters, but it's time to expand the scope of the story, and Ayame and Shinya already got a taste of what it's like to compare their budding romance with that of other couples. They were humiliated in the season's first battle, but given how curious and persistent these lab lovebirds are, this challenge will likely motivate them to keep it up and fight more romantic battles in the future until they can score a decisive victory. Science is more than lab coats and beakers -- it's about testing and challenging data, exploring new ideas, comparing things and more.
Combined with concrete battle systems such as comparing oxytocin levels, this may allow Science Fell in Love to permanently alter its narrative in Season 2 and leave behind the Kaguya-style antics of Season 1. Now is the time to challenge Ayame and Shinya in new ways, and they appear eager for that challenge. They'll take on all comers to calculate which couple is truly the best.
