Yui Horie -- Niji ga Kakaru made no Hanashi（虹が架かるまでの話）

I've been catching up on some of the anime from Fall 2021, one being "Senpai ga Uzai Kohai no Hanashi"（先輩がうざい後輩の話...My Senpai is Annoying）, the rom-com set in a corporation. Almost reaching the halfway point, it's been a calm and enjoyable watch as I witness the two main couples: Harumi and Futaba along with Touko and Souta; the latter couple having the more normal evolution into a relationship.

Just around the time that the anime was getting started, I'd already put up the article for the opening theme, the rambunctious "Annoying! San San Week!"（アノーイング！さんさんウィーク！）as sung by four of the cast members. I also noticed that veteran seiyuu Yui Horie（堀江由衣）was in the cast although she isn't involved in the opener but I didn't initially figure out who she was playing. I still remember her as the relative straight-person in the gag-filled "Danberu Nan-Kiro Moteru?"（ダンベル何キロ持てる?...How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?）and going way back, she was the innocent and stoic title character in "Miss Monochrome"（ミス・モノクローム）. Eventually, I realized that she had the role of Touko's little brother, Yuuto.

Horie also has the role of singer for the ending theme of "Senpai ga Uzai Kohai no Hanashi" which fits the usual mold of the relatively more introspective and mellow song at the end of an episode compared to the uptempo opener in an anime. "Niji ga Kakaru made no Hanashi" (The Story Until the Rainbow is Built) sounds like it's reflecting more of the hopeful romance among the characters as much as "Annoying! San San Week!" is about the crazy antics at the office. Yoshifumi Kanamaru（金丸佳史）was behind the lyrics while Ryota Nakano（中野領太）took care of composition and arrangement.

I don't know whether "Senpai ga Uzai" will get a second season or if it will be just a one-and-done show, but I'm hoping that the ending will have something hopeful between Harumi and Futaba, even if it seems like the latter always wants to conk the former on the head in frustration.