A few shows came to an end this week, so let’s take a look at how they wrapped up.

Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou Ep. 12 (Finale)

Yeah, this is pretty much how these crappy romances end. Not with a bang, but with a pathetic whimper. Uguu, will you exchange contact infos with me, senpai? Honto ni, honto?! What would actually happen if two people of the opposite sex actually hooked up? Would the audience undergo spontaneously combustion or something? I don’t get it either, because characters are constantly making out like mad in yuri and yaoi romances. Obviously, those genres are being used to pushed the envelope, but why can’t we do the same in straight romances? It doesn’t even have to be sex. Just go on a date, talk about stuff, give her a kiss at the end of the night, then afterwards, text her asking if she had a good time. Does any of that really sound all that bizarre or alien?

In any case, Kazunari gets exactly what he wanted. After all, he whined last week that Maemura managed to exchange phone numbers with Ritsu after spending only a day with her. Meanwhile, he’s been living in the same dormitory as her for how long now? Well, whose fault is that? But meh, it doesn’t really matter. What does matter, however, is that Ritsu finally stands up for herself, and as a result, she loses Maemura as a friend. Ritsu is naturally sad about this, so good ol’ Kazunari is there to pick up the pieces! Ah, that good ol’ nice guy tactic never fails. You just have to hope her friendship falls apart so she will have more time for you! The best part is at the start of the episode. Our hero actually feared that Ritsu would be a helpless maiden at the mixer, overpowered by some pushy jerk who isn’t a sensitive guy like him!

P.S. The part where Ritsu gets drunk and rants that Kazunari is just too nice? This is basically the anime fellating the main character while at the same time pretending to be critical. My biggest weakness? Oh, I’m just too nice. I care too much. I really don’t know when to give up. I work so hard, I work myself to exhaustion! Haha, man, I should really work on myself, huh, senpai?

Nobunaga the Fool Ep. 24 (Finale)

Are you kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me? The only person who gets to survive (well, Monkey is alive too but fuck him) is Mitsuhide? I don’t even mind Nobunaga’s death. I actually think there’s something poetic about it. He’s a warlord, right? As a result, he has no place in a peaceful world. Yadda, yadda, yadda, Nobunaga is the Destroyer-King, but what he destroys is our ability to start wars. Sure. He just has to die for it. Y’know, like Jesus. That’s why we have that crappy rendition of “The Last Supper” in the screencap above. But fucking Mitsuhide, man. Don’t give me that “You know boundless pain, so you are the only one who can create a world without pain” bullshit. It’s one of those sayings that sounds really profound at first, but when you really sit down to think about it, you can’t help but think, “Wait a minute… Did I really just hand over the keys to the entire world on a pithy remark? Holy shit, what is wrong with me?” Way to let the lamest character live on. Ugh, fuck this show. Good riddance, Nobunaga the Fool.

P.S. If you’re curious, this is what Arthur really looks like. I find it funny that King Arthur is being used as an example of people seeing what they want to see, and yet Nobunaga’s numerous incarnations in the medium of anime…

Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin Ep. 10 & 11 (Finale)

I know I dropped the show a few weeks back, but I was just curious what an ending for Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin would even look like. After all, when I did follow the anime, the plot felt aimless and inconsequential. Stuff happened, but none of it felt important. The world seemed interesting on the surface, but Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin failed to follow up on anything at an emotional level. It never gave me any real reason to care about Nanana’s dinky treasures or the characters’ mad rush for them. In any case, I’m thus not surprised that, well, there isn’t much of an ending. A bad guy finally did show up in the story, but you don’t even get a satisfying final boss fight. Instead, the bout comes to a draw, and everyone goes their separate ways.

But nevermind all of that. Nevermind the bad guy too. I mean, let’s get to the real heart of the issue: what about Nanana? More specifically, do we ever solve the identity of Nanana’s killer? No. Of course not. The last episode ends with Juugo re-iterating to the ghost that he’ll find her killer one day, aaaaaaaand… that’s it. It’s the open-ended kind of ending that totally screams sequel, which the after credits scene seems to hint at, but hah, good luck getting anyone to watch it. I can’t remember a more inconsequential anime to air in such a long time. Hell, I’m having a hard time understanding why anyone would adapt a show that seemingly has no story. There are plot events, but they don’t add up to anything. What a waste of time.

Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii Ep. 11

In Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou, the couple couldn’t even start dating. Here, the couple is actually going to get married, and yet, Livius can’t even put a hand on top of one of her hands without Nike yelping as though he had just molested her.  C’mon, guys, relationships are deeper than this. You can’t keep skirting around the issue forever. People hold hands. People kiss. People even (gasp!) have sex! The longer you keep trying to ignore reality, the more painful it’ll be when it finally hits you head on. Honestly, I just don’t think it’s healthy to reduce our romances down to the point where they’re practically plastic-wrapped and sterilized. This is just plain unhealthy, man.

Case in point, when Livius finally does kiss his bride, he has to force it upon her in front of a crowded room. Hah, do you think two people in a relationship could mutually kiss each other just because they enjoy the act? Nope, he’s gotta surprise her! All kisses have to be a complete surprise. Otherwise, they’re not romantic at all, mm-hmm. She then stands there, blushes profusely, then stammers, “H-H-Hey! You little brat!” Seriously, though, what is wrong with you people? It’s just a kiss. Grow up already. I’m not saying I want to see these two have sex. After all, just look at Livius, or rather, look at how small he is. But y’know what you could do to solve that problem? Not make Livius illegal to bang. Problem solved!

Anyway, the plot this week is just pure fluff. Nike’s mother shows up to try one last time to convince Livius to give Nike up, but her heart isn’t really in it. After all, as soon as he turns her request down, she immediately plays dress-up with her future son-in-law. There is almost no conflict in this week’s episode. It’s like an extended denouement because Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii has paced itself poorly. We have Livius antagonizing Kitora for no good reason, but honestly, no one really cares what happens to that character anyway, since he was practically introduced at the eleventh hour. As far as our main couple is concerned, it sure does feel like their story is over already, which is odd because there’s still another episode of this series left to go. So see you guys next week… I guess.