Last week’s Sakugan gave Memempu and us the news that Gagumber is not her real father, and this naturally became the theme of the finale. Oh, and she’s a rainbow child too, but that hardly seems important at this time. It’s all predictable. That kid with the mask (who takes it off) is about to kill Memempu until the head Shibito orders her away and gives Memempu the real story. This puts Memempu in shock. What put ME in shock, or at least mild surprise, is that the Shibito is supposed to be killing all the rainbow children because they represent an order of things counter to their own and spread chaos, etc, though throughout the episode it’s the Shibito doing the chaos thing. Anyway, Memempu decides that dreams are dreams because they don’t come true, a bit of sophistry that won’t be refuted until you-know-who shows up.
And of course he does, though not without the usual wild mecha chasing around, and Zackletu and Yuri running interference. Soon it’s both Shibito and city forces chasing them. But naturally Gagumber shows up and has a big fight with the Shibito leader, who smashes up Big Tony … and leaves. Again, he’s supposed to be killing those kids. Anyway, Gagumber almost dying forces Memempu out of her state, and soon there’s a tearful reunion. Whatever Memempu’s origins are, she was raised as Gagumber’s daughter and treats him as a father, a rather lazy, sloppy, unambitious, stinky father, but a father nonetheless. There’s a bit more violence to save the city from the Shibito, and it’s over, apart from the property damage claims and attempts at arrests, which fail, and the four of them are off and rolling again, on to the next season.
Yes, the ending went as I expected it. More crazy action (how much punishment can Big Tony take? Or Gagumber for that matter …) followed by a father-daughter scene. We don’t get many answers, just hints at things. We don’t even learn why the Shibito leader spared Memempu and Gagumber, but just went off. I suppose it all can wait while we sum up season one. While I liked the father/daughter relation they gave us, the questions of childish dreams and reality, young ambition vs. mature conformity, the show seemed to be either those things or crazy action. I didn’t expect everything to be solved, but a little more emphasis on the story would have helped make the series more compelling. Again, a second season will have a chance to balance these things better. I suppose I’ll watch it. The show, flawed as it was, did too many things well and deserves attention.
No one expected the relationships in the Senpai ga Uzai Kouhai no Hanashi finale to develop any further. However, I was a little disappointed that there were hardly any Kazama/Sakurai bits at all. As for the episode itself, Takeda lands a big contract and is a hero to the office, and doesn’t offer to share the work with Futaba, leaving her to wonder just how useful she actually is, a doubt that is dispelled when Takeda gets double-booked and Futaba volunteers to do a sales presentation by herself. I’m grateful that the scene had her more determined than panicked, and that we are not shown the presentation. Basically it went well. After that, when Takeda reluctantly joins some office ladies for a celebratory drink, Futaba mulls some more and we get some flashbacks to her first day, “Aren’t you in middle school?” sort of things. And then Takeda shows up at the izakaya she’s drinking at and there’s a typical final scene. Oh, there’s a nice bit with Natsumi and Yuta, but that’s not a romance, and we see Tsukishiro, a character I would have liked to see more of.
Again, you didn’t expect it to. On the other hand, I think the show would have been far more dull if it weren’t for the possibility. I never really expected Futaba and Takeda to hook up, but I would have liked more progression with the other couple. If we get another season will everyone be in the same holding pattern? I suppose I’ll watch and see, unless it’s more blushing and brash laughter and office crises. Well, a harmless show.
The last finale, Shin no Nakama, starts with Ruti in killer mode for reasons not explained except it’s that hero-sword she’s now using. The battle with Red lasts maybe three minutes–all he has to do is get that sword away from her, and she’s back to normal, and shocked that she was killing people. Then there’s the reviving of Tisse, thanks to Theodora, who then asks someone to kill her to make up for her attacking Red earlier, which of course does not happen. After that it’s tidying up. Various people say goodbye, the shop is restored, they attend Ares’ funeral, and along the way we get more tidbits of the blessings and free will and whatnot, all boiling down to “A hero chooses to be and cannot be forced. And their heroism will inspire others.” Which is more or less what the show’s been saying since episode one. Oh, Red and Rit finally have sex, Ruti, with Tisse, decides to be a herb farmer, but will still stand and fight ogres if the need arises, her choice, and they introduce a new character at the end in case there’s a season two.
I don’t know why there would be. The show said what it wanted to, and a new story would just repeat the same old things. Some of the isekai shows that deal with “slow life” are just that–slow, and I can’t wait for action. This show gives us some action, but the backstory and the worldbuilding is so convoluted, and the characters so unremarkable, that I wound up wishing for peace and quiet again. So while I like the idea of the retired heroes having to take up their swords again out of necessity, it never became compelling enough for me. This is the weakest of the shows I watched this season, but be fair, I watched it to the end.
Komi-san, lagging behind the others, doesn’t have a finale yet. Half of episode 10 is the sports festival, a great sequence where every event leads to an effective gag or two. My favorite was probably Musical Chairs; when the music stops, everyone, instead of sitting down, offers Komi their seat, but there were lots of other good moments and just about every side character gets some time in the limelight. Also, we meet a new character, Netsuno, aptly named because she radiates fire and measures everyone’s intensity in temperatures. I sort of wished they had stretched the festival to the full episode, but I guess it would mess with the quick timing of the gags. So after that another new character, Onemine, offers to help Tadano with the class rep paperwork, and is nice to him, so Komi feels left out and a little jealous. Onemine looks like she’s up to something sneaky, but she fairly quickly reads the room and leaves Tadano and Komi alone. After that a pic-stickers scene in an arcade which doesn’t lead to much, but is cute. And Komi and Tadano exchange crane-game prizes. Aww! Another solid episode.
Too Old for Anime 