Adachi & Shimamura Begin Year Two - and Big Changes Are in Store

At its core, Adachi & Shimamura is a story about the lessons of friendship. Teenagers are awkwardly navigating their romantic feelings too, but the series' primary focus is two girls getting to know each other and learning more about themselves in the process. Shimamura begins her second year of high school by spending time with a trio of new classmates and a more intimate get-together with Tarumi.

Meanwhile, Adachi is a roller coaster of emotions. She's thrilled that she and Shimamura are in the same class once again but then grows dismayed as Shimamura starts spending time with other people. Adachi knows she leans more on Shimamura than vice versa and fears that if they spend too much time apart, their friendship will fade away. However, there's plenty of evidence here to suggest Adachi's fears are misplaced.

Shimamura, back to her natural dark brown hair color, is a popular figure inside and outside her second-year classroom. Three new classmates go up to her and make small talk, then ask if she wants to go have lunch in the cafeteria. After looking at Adachi, alone near the front of the classroom, Shimamura decides to go with the trio. It's not that she doesn't want to spend time with Adachi, but her typical go-with-the-flow style takes her with the girls who invited her first.

In multiple group chat scenes, only Shimamura's face is clear while the others are blank. They're nice girls, but only have a surface-level relationship with Shimamura. She feels no connection to them and therefore struggles to stay interested in what they're saying. The natural camaraderie she feels with Adachi is special.

Hino and Nagafuji get placed in a separate class from Adachi and Shimamura this term, but their own relationship continues to evolve. Nagafuji invites herself over to Hino's house -- really a mansion, as the Hino family is quite wealthy -- to spend the night. Hino's dressed in a kimono for a family affair and Nagafuji is so entranced that she kisses Hino on the forehead. She grows even bolder when they take a bath together, guiding Hino's hand directly onto her body and asking if she likes that feeling. A shocked Hino struggles to respond before Nagafuji goes even further, pulling Hino into a hug. If Hino wasn't aware that Nagafuji's feelings have grown beyond friendship, she surely understands now.

While Adachi is mostly left on her own this episode -- skipping school one day -- Shimamura gets another invite to go out with Tarumi. As childhood friends who hadn't seen each other in years, their first reunion was naturally awkward. The two girls learned they had changed a lot over the years and have to get to know each other all over again. This time, Tarumi is much more excited and outgoing, and Shimamura likewise feels more comfortable. It feels more like a date than a hangout at times, with the two holding hands (which makes Shimamura think of Adachi) and Tarumi noting how beautiful Shimamura is.

By her own admission, Tarumi's behavior is somewhat over the top but she's like Adachi in that she's very transparent with her emotions. The two go out to lunch and buy specially designed matching backpack straps. It's clear that Tarumi wants more than a basic friendship and will be around for a while, but even with her old best friend, Shimamura still zones out at times by thinking of Adachi.

Adachi is visibly bummed each time Shimamura hangs out with new people, even running out of the classroom more than once. While Adachi herself needs to learn that it's okay to have other friends, she knows exactly how much she values their friendship. Shimamura hasn't yet shown that level of attachment and has been actively hesitant to do so. But by spending time with others, she comes to realize how much she enjoys Adachi's company and how unique their chemistry is.

As Shimamura is chatting with the three girls in class once again, Adachi finally returns and goes over to talk to her. Unlike her reaction to all the others who want her time, including Tarumi, Shimamura's thrilled that it's Adachi -- the one she wants to spend time with the most. It's a callback to the seemingly silly boomerang that Shimamura gave Adachi for Christmas. No matter how far apart they may drift, they will always come back in the end.