Winter 2018 – Week 12, the week of endings and farewells

Farewells are never easy, are they?  And this week we say a fond goodbye to some shows, while to others we sigh with relief and go man, I’m glad that’s done with!
The shows that I am watching are in bold, shows my wife and I are watching together are in bold italics.  Question marks denote shows not watched yet (during the premiere weeks), and strikethrough marks dropped shows.

A place further than the Universe / Uchuu yorimo Toui Basho Ep – 13 Finale

I didn’t know what exactly to expect this week, but what we got wasn’t too far off my general thoughts…  Not so much a victory lap as a quiet epilogue wrapping up the girl’s time in Antarctica.  I dunno why the baseball game though, none of the girls have shown any evidence of an interest…  Though it gave them a chance to show us (again) that Shirase is Takako’s daughter.  I think that’s really the only discordant note in the episode.

I loved that Shirase left her million Yen in Antarctica.  And if you caught it, she didn’t leave it at Showa Station.  She left it at Kobuchizawa Observatory.  She left it on the bunk adjacent to where her mother’s laptop was found.  Perfect.

Speaking of her mother’s laptop, of course Gin knew the password.  They’ve spent a lot of time establishing how close they were as friends and partners.  (And no. I’m not going to speculate on whether they were a couple.)  And the unsent email leads to an interesting and slightly unsettling question…  Who were Takako’s final words directed to?  Gin?  Or Shirase?

Or both…

Other random thoughts:  I love how Yuzuki has settled so comfortably into her role as the group’s straight man.  I love how her mother lost her hat (and by extension her composure) when she ran to hug her.  Maybe she appreciates her daughter a little more as a person now.  And Megumi’s final zinger was just spot on with her characterization.

I also feel a bit sorry for the winter crew.  They won’t be able to go home until next year’s summer crew takes their leave…  They’ll have been gone for over a year.  That takes some serious dedication.

Ancient Magus Bride Ep – 24 Finale

Through most of the episode I basically didn’t feel much.  There’s been one too many cliffhangers without consequences and this was yet another.  And we’ve seen Chise badly injured before, and be all better by the next scene.  Etc… etc…

But, I was sold on the “forest wedding” scene.  Chise’s growth and growing sense of individuality, self worth, and agency is one of the few things Magus has done so very well.

citrus Ep – 12 Finale

Well, they managed to neatly get themselves out of the love triangle…  By having Sara go the self sacrificing route of deciding her destiny wasn’t to fall in love with Mei – but to serve as the push to get Mei and Yuzu together.  The sequence of Yuzu (literally) chasing after Mei was pretty well done.  (Including the symbolism of them arguing from opposite ends of a bridge and Yuzu having to push through a crowd going the other way.)  Why does citrus do chase and running scenes so well?

Ah well, Yuzu and Mei are now (provisionally) openly together even if they aren’t technically a professed couple.  I guess an “our battle goes on” works since this is adapted from an ongoing manga.

How to Keep a Mummy / Miira no Kaikata Ep – 11

I’ll be honest here, this week’s ep was so forgettable I had to go to Crunchy and quick scan through the episode to remind myself what had happened.  Basically, they’re chasing after yet another chibi monster and end up trapped inside a summer festival held by supernatural creatures – to which humans are forbidden to attend without invitation.  (Of course by a miracle they have invitations, old ones, but invitations nonetheless.)   Along the way, they solve some monster problems.  These problems, in an anime trope I loathe, just happen to reflect a conflict between the main characters.

March comes in like a Lion Ep – 20

Oh, my.  When March decides to do comfy, they do it with their usual panache.  Once again, I enjoyed Grandpa Kawamoto’s down to earth and straightforward attitude towards life.  And seeing Akari in doting-big-sis mode was a simple delight.  And am I the only one who’d love a big steaming bowl of Pampered Udon?  I’d hesitate to call that a snack myself – that looks to be a full meal and a nap afterwards.  And I know that feeling, after working on this for a couple of hours I had a big corned beef and swiss on rye for lunch just now and I’d love a nap.  Instead, coffee and keep plugging away.

The big takeaway is just how comfortable Rei and Hinata have gotten with each other…  and how (for the moment) stable things are.  Stable enough to take a six month time skip.  But this is March and that won’t last.  The big question is how they’re going to close out the season.  The first season we got an odd flashback ep to round out the series count rather than diving into a new arc, and I’m kinda hoping for the same again.

Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles / Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san Ep -12 Finale

Ok, I expected nothing and I received nothing – in abundance!

(I wonder if anyone will get that reference?  I’ll post the answer in a comment in a few days.  Watch my twitter for the announcement.)

Yeah, that’s a bit harsh.  Ms. Koizumi has never exactly been strong on plot, and the final episode pretty much stayed true to the rest of the series.  The only real advance was Koizumi-san giving Yuu her contact info – so she could send Yuu a sharp denial.  Yuu of course was ecstatic that Koizumi had texted her at all.

Slow Start Ep – 12 Finale

Not so much going out with a whimper instead of a bang as just kind of… ending.  The episode was pretty much standard CGDCT fare revolving around Hana’s anxieties.  In this case, over choosing her own clothes rather than having her mother chose for her….  But that got the whole gang together for one last outing the help Hana shop for a new outfit and gave everyone a final chance to show off their signature schticks.  Really it just confirmed what I felt last week – Ep 11 should have been the finale.

Yuru Camp / Laid-Back Camp Ep – 12 Finale

Did they troll us or what with that opening scene?  Though I doubt petite Rin would grow to be so tall and willowy, I could totally buy Chiaki as a happy noisy drunk.  I dang near fell for it completely.   But once we popped back into the real world, the episode played out much like I expected/hoped.  Just the girls being themselves and their usual routine.  I love it when SOL shows take that route.  No big drama, no big life changes or farewells…  The show just runs out of time and ends.

The ending scene was just about the most charming thing ever.  I caught on pretty quickly that Nadeshiko was headed for the campground from the first ep.  Though I hadn’t really expected her to solo camp, it didn’t really surprise me either.  (If that makes sense.)  But the exchange between Nadeshiko and Rin was pitch perfect.  The episode and the series ended in exactly the right place at exactly the right moment.

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I’m hoping to have my season review post up sometime next week.  March looks to have a double length finale on Saturday, so I’ll put the final episode review(s) in with the season review.  Ditto Mummy which should also have it’s finale on Saturday.

As per my usual practice, the First Impression posts for Spring will come out in batches as I accumulate enough shows.  Once I have an idea what my viewing schedule will be, I’ll set my posting schedule.

So, that’s that.  How did your week go?  What did you think of the finales?