I'm really glad that I decided to stick with this show.
While it's certainly not the best anime out there or even the best example of its genre, Kimi to Boku has its own brand of charm that came out a lot more easily once Chizuru was added to the mix. That's not to say that it didn't have a really slow start, because it did, but as the season went on, it feels like the show learned from its mistakes on focused on what it does right, which is feel-good entertainment. And this last episode (until April!) is a great example of that. I mentioned in my earlier posts on this series that I really didn't enjoy the preschool flashbacks, since I didn't feel like the characters were acting like kids in them, but rather just shorter versions of their high-school selves. Eventually the flashbacks disappeared in favor of self-contained episodes, and in this last episode the show achieves the "flashback" effect in a much better way by showing the contrast between the past and the present when the gang volunteers at their old kindergarten. The portrayal of the kids was a lot better here than in the earlier episodes, although I've yet to meet a five-year-old who had a crush on a girl rather than thinking that all girls are covered in cooties. That aside, the similarities between the kid and Kaname back in episode 4 was a nice way to bring that particular subplot to a full circle.
The humor was also great in this episode, which was probably the main thing that kept me coming back to this show in the slow early episodes. While the "playing house" segment unfortunately isn't as great as the one in Ika Musume this season, it was still hilarious to see Chizuru get fake-punched for being an "ungrateful son." There were the usual jokes about Shun getting mistaken for a girl, but my favorite involving him has to be that his "special attack" is a dessert. The characters have really grown on me throughout the season, and I can't wait to see if they resolve the love triangle in the next half (I'm not holding my breath, but I can hope, right?). It's definitely a far cry from when I started blogging this series and struggled to find anything to say about it. I know that my posts then had a negative tone then, since I was finding a lot to criticize about the show, mostly due to the pacing. But there were little things that made me think that with just a little bit more effort, this show could be something good, and it turned into just that. I would put this show close to the idea of "healing" anime, since once you get used to its quirks it's a nice show to just sit back and enjoy. However, the enjoyment (or at least for me) is mainly derived from how much you like the characters as well as the show's sense of humor. If you don't like either, then this is not the show for you. As for myself, I can't wait to see the continuation in April, and I'll most likely be blogging it too.
Additional Screenshots
Images from Crunchyroll.com.
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