This episode is all about the final goodbyes and then playing the waiting game. First, each of the guys makes sure they have a few moments in private with you before they leave. Takumi works up the courage to tell you that he’ll return one day, and that he wants you to stay by his side forever.
Aoi, on the other hand, tells you straight out that he loves you, and he wants to be able to say those words to you again when he returns. He looks very happy and confident, a nice change from his usual shyer self.
Last is Shinya and he is usually rude, slightly sadistic self. He restrains himself from trying anything sexual with you because it “wouldn’t be fair” to his 
friends, then calls you his dog. But Shinya gets a tender look in his eyes as he tussles your hair and reminds you to lock the doors, showing you he does care about you in his own way.
Almost a year passes and it’s now spring – the guys have returned to the apartment! You catch Takumi trying to scale the wall to get in, while Aoi’s already inside looking very happy to see you. Shinya emerges from his room topless and acts all cheeky.
In the final moments, the guys meet together in the middle of the front room and say they’re home.
My thoughts: Not a lot to say, other than I was hoping one of the guys would be picked as a definitive love interest, and I was a little disappointed that that didn’t happen. But it was a good final episode.
Do I have a favourite guy? I go between Takumi and Shinya, although in the end I’d probably go with Takumi because Shinya’s sadistic/rude personality can sometimes be a turn off. Do you have a favourite bishounen between the three?
Final Impression
Story: Room Mate can be broken up into four arcs: character introductions, character-specific episodes, the introduction of the ban on romantic relationships & the guys’ reactions to it, and the guys chasing after you. It’s hard to have the relationships feel real when this is a short and each episode is so short, so if you’re willing to suspend realism for awhile then I think this series had decent pacing.
Characters: Each guys definitely falls into a “type”. Takumi is the average guys-next-door, Aoi is the cute romantic, and Shinya is the arrogant jerk with a soft side hidden away. I assume it’s so the viewer will find one “type” they identify with more than the others, as I have. I feel like while it was hard to get a lot of character depth or development in the span of a single season, but Room Mate made a good effort.
Music and Animation: This was a short so there was no opening theme, only an ending track. It was alright; I found it catchy after a few episodes. The animation was nothing to sneeze at and I have no complaints there.
I did definitely appreciate all of the fanservice, and I loved the sequences that played during the ending credits because I liked seeing all the different poses and numerous ways the guys would lose their clothes. After all of the endless ecchi and harem shows that cater to a male viewing audience, it’s really nice having something geared towards women. I also appreciate that the guys in Room Mate were a little older compared to the female characters in One Room because, as an “older” anime viewer, that made it a little less awkward for me (I gravitated towards Shinya for this reason).
Room Mate was also the first show (that I can think of) that had a first-person POV, and while it took an episode or two to adjust, I ended up not minding it.
Overall: It’s a little tough establishing well-rounded characters and character development in the equivalent of a little more than a half hour of anime, but Room Mate makes a solid attempt. If there were to be a second season, I would definitely sign on for that because I want to know who the romantic pick is!
Final Score: 8.5/10