…I actually thought Kuro’s line was smooth too until Iwanaga pointed out he just called her ugly. He saved it in the end though! What a smooth talker. And he always looks so serious. That smoldering look is the key.
This was basically an episode of dedication to their relationship and I’m actually here for it. That was a really pleasant finale, even if it did leave the overhanging threats of Rikka in the air. They are just really cute together. I will admit, it took me a bit to come around to their relationship. I only saw her as annoying and overly-jealous and he seemed like he was basically trying to escape every minute they were together. She is still annoying, and he I don’t think has smiled more than twice maybe, but I thought the show did a good job of developing the relationship over time. He seems to rarely show emotion unless it’s on her behalf, like when he got visibly angry and said she was someone who deserved to be happy. Awwww, it’s just so nice.
I like the closure that Saki got, from hearing Kuro talk about Iwanaga. They definitely ended their relationship on a bad note, but with the recent teamwork it seemed like there were still feelings of tension in the air. It’s just nice, I think, to have that feeling of satisfaction where you know you’re on good terms, but you’ll probably never talk or see each other again. For Saki, she talked about at the end, on the bike, that she wasn’t sure if she was happy that she won’t see monsters anymore. I think she definitely meant, I know they exist so not seeing them might only make it scarier, but I also wanted to interpret that as maybe she’s a little sad about leaving that fantastical life behind. I may also be projecting though, because of course I like to think I’d love to be a part of something like that. She seemed pretty easily ready to leave it behind it though. Maybe that giant skeleton looking monster was not a great reminder of what she was missing…
I honestly wasn’t expecting Rikka to be the one trying to get rid of the curse. It’s odd that Kuro would be the one to just leave it up to chance that he’ll die of old age. I assume that comes from a place of wanting to stay around to protect Iwanaga, now that he thinks that Rikka be target her to remove her interference. I don’t know what the source material is like, but to think that her goal is to create someone with enough power to revert the curse is kind of crazy to think about. This show delves a lot into the unlimited nature of the imagination, both in people like Iwanaga who had to sleep 28 hours straight after using her try-hard brain, but also through mystical powers like Kuro and Rikka. Creating someone that strong would also probably put Kuro in danger, since he could lose his powers as well. The show also, maybe purposefully maybe not, really spoke to the trend of how easily persuaded people can be, especially with false information. Everyone was lying, but no one cared. Haha, of course you can kind of point that to the whole future manipulation, but I still think it is relevant to what we see today. Just something I thought about while watching.
It’s hard to judge exactly how hostile Rikka is towards them. On some level they got along, Kuro admits he still cares for her, she sent an email conceding her loss afterwards, I don’t know. Would she actually kill either or both of them? It’s hard to say from the anime. But that does make it hard to paint Rikka as a villain. Just because Kuro is able to accept something ridiculous like that, I still can’t really put her at fault for something so out of her control. Then again, while they provided no evidence for it, Kuro did seem to think that she was a ‘monster’ even before she actually became one. Maybe there’s just more there that the anime didn’t have time to illuminate.
Anyway, as always, this show was as ominous as it was funny. That fucking banana line and Kuro’s just dying inside with his response had my laughing hard. And Saki’s reactions are just always on point. I got such a Spirited Away vibe when they finally beat Nanase and all of the hidden spirits came out and the park lit up.
Overall, I definitely wavered a bit with this show but I feel like that was mostly a pacing issue. In terms of characters, story, and animation I really enjoyed it. Like I mentioned last week, definitely a Monogatari or Bunny Girl Senpai vibe. Mysteries being solved, apparitions as a theme, dialogue heavy for the most part. I guess you can add in an immortal main character and incredibly wise companion as well for similarities. I don’t know when or if this is getting another season, but I would 100% be down to continue the show.