This episode is the final episode of this anime series. The ending is a happy ending nevetheless. Best of all, no one was left out. At first, I didn't mind how the story would end, but now, it seems that the story near the end happened to be... a little too simple. I was expecting more. Plus in the end, they never revealed Karada's real parents. =/No, she isn't short; she is normal. You are the one who is tall, Crispy-Amino. XDEveryone knows about it already, you old geezer. -_-"You better come back home with me, Iokawa!" So you finally recognize her, eh Crispy Amino? What took you so long?Reminds me of one of Fish Leong's song, "小手拉大手" (Small Hand Holds Big Hand).ZOMG Shouko x Tetsu OTP!!one11!11!!!1one!1Shouko x Kotomi OTP!!1one1!11!!!oneAnother Shouko x Kotomi OTP scene, lol. Look at how nice they look together! :DThe green little stone: the wishing stonePlotHiro and little Shouko are now in a train heading towards the beach they had been to fetch Karada back home to Kanouchou. Shouko was talking about Karada, and that she had fallen in love. Without a doubt, Hiro guessed it was Tetsu and Shouko nodded her head. The two chatted as they realise that they owe Karada an apology. Hiro told himself that he didn’t want to lose Karada anymore once he found her.Back at the Pension Isogai, Tetsu went off in a bicycle, ignoring Karada who was sweeping the floor, as if she were invisible. Tetsu rode his bicycle as fast as he could, only to see Hiro and little Shouko walking by the roadside. After being demanded to stop, Tetsu was shot questions by Hiro. Tetsu said, “If you’re looking for Karada, then I’m looking for her right now. If you’re looking for Satou-san, she’s in the pension right behind of me.” Saying that, he sped off. Hiro, noticing that that the Satou-san Tetsu was talking about might be his little sister, wanted to go to the pension, but he was stopped by Shouko. Hiro then went off looking for Tetsu. He then saw him beside a middle-aged man with a fishing rod. They went to the old fishing spot as Hiro tailed them. Reaching the spot, Isogai-sensei started to tell the story about ‘Shiranui’. Getting fed up with the story, Tetsu wanted to leave him but he was nevertheless stopped. He continued on his lecture and finally when he had finish, he stood up and started to leave Tetsu behind. To serve as an anticlimax, his final message was, “Please don’t tell them that I have bought the fish from the fish store.” Tetsu reflected on himself as Hiro approached him. Finally, Tetsu stood up and said, “Let’s go.”At the pension, Kotomi and little Shouko were surprised to see each other. As Shouko told her that she’s here to fetch her friend, Kotomi brought her to the viewing platform by the ocean. As they walk to the platform, Kotomi started to talk about what Karada told her, that she had grown up while someone else shrunk. With the ‘please believe me’ looks from her eyes, Shouko told Kotomi that it was the truth. Reaching the entrance to the viewing platform, Kotomi decided not to interfere and let Shouko approach Karada alone. Holding a wishing stone, she waved it high above her head. Karada was looking towards the ocean quietly when Shouko called out Karada’s name. She didn’t expect to see Shouko at all and was surprised. Shouko then said that Karada, she herself had told her where she was when she talked about playing volleyball and using the tube in the phone a day before. “You have been keeping this lovely sceney all to yourself.” Shouko then said that she saw Tetsu. “You love him, don’t you?” Karada’s emotion changed for the worse as she started to cry. “Falling in love with someone is a wonderful thing, but because of that you get hurt and feel the pain.” Shouko wanted to bring Karada to meet Tetsu, but Karada changed the topic, asking Shouko whether she had been Hiro’s lover, and that they split up because of her. However, Shouko said that because of her, they were able to meet again. Before Shouko could say anymore, Karada ran away from her in embarrassment. Shouko went on and looked for Hiro. She wanted to tell him about Karada. But before she could finish, Tetsu, who was next to Hiro, went off in his bicycle to look for her.As Karada was running way from them, she told herself that Shouko was lying, and that she was saying all that to be nice. Because she made that wish, Shouko became a child, Hiro-nii was troubled, and even Tetsu-kun became involved. She ran and ran, but stopped running when she saw Tetsu who was in front of her with his bicycle. “Are you planning to go somewhere again, Iokawa?! Fine, go! But I’ll continue to look for you again and again!” Karada then realised that Tetsu had finally believed that she is indeed Karada. Then right at her face, Tetsu confessed, “I LOVE YOU!” She slowly walked to him as tears started to roll in her eyes again. Tetsu only smiled, and so did Hiro and Shouko who are peeking at them from a corner. They walked back together, slowly, under the rays of the orange setting sun. This is when Shouko confessed that she had without knowingly, also wished that she was able to become a child and start life over. The very next morning, Tetsu and Karada bade farewell to Isogai-sensei and Kotomi before leaving the pension. Somewhat, they made up a story that Shouko was the classmate that Tetsu was looking for. Also, Isogai-sensei was surprised that Karada (Satou-san to isogai-sensei) decided to go back to Kanouchou with them as well. However, she was no where to be seen at that moment. She was at the viewing platform with Hiro. They had a short conversation. Hiro promised to let Karada be his little sister while Karada did the same. Meanwhile, Tetsu and Shouko were for them on a bench by the railway tracks. Back at Kanouchou, Hiro had a haircut which made him looked smarter than before. Tetsu had to work in the café for his sister to pay her back his debts. Karada was preparing lunch for her brother when he reached home. Shouko wasn’t around as she had gone to the train station to send Kotomi who was about to leave Kanouchou. Before boarding the train, Kotomi slipped something into Shouko’s pocket. It was a shiny green stone... it was a wishing stone! The end of the story goes like this: Shouko returned to her adult body and Karada regained her child body. The end. The wishing stone slowly turn into dust and flew with the wind... Stop reading here. Don’t blame me for any harm done to you for reading here forth.And when I say “The End”, it’s indeed The End. For once, a happy ending. Good for Karada and the others, unlike in the mangas where the story gets rather... complex. In the second volume of the mangas, it was revealed that Karada is Hiro’s daughter, and that Karada is a result of Hiro having sex with one of his aunt. Major spoiler. =X
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Rating: 9.4/10 Overall Series Rating: 9.7/10 Impressions: So the ending plays out like how I predicted, except for how Shouko doesn’t return home, and instead ends up with Hiro. I still think she should have returned home for that ‘perfect’ round about scenario, since this show is really about a ’summer story’ that is meant to go away [...]
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And so it has ended. Phew, it surely has been one great ride, from start to finish. Like I said, so far Asatte no Houkou is standing on the #1 spot for the shows released in the fall season. All that’s left is to see whether another show can take its place. Heh, it surely [...]
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