Quote:
Originally Posted by Mich666
So... the end... finally... after amazing 20 and 21... Really, KyoAni? WTF was this sh*t?!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by relentlessflame
I think the general consensus is that it was a beautiful, poignant, and touchingly symbolic ending that subtly embodies all the character development we've seen over the course of this show.
I almost don't want to ask: and what did you see...?  |
Not to speak for this person, but I think that people who are having this kind of reaction are basing it upon what they
DIDN'T see, rather than on what they did see.
And what they didn't see was the Super Lovey-Dovey Happy Romantic ending that so many shows seem to offer up to viewers, almost as some kind of sacrificial lamb. It's been pretty clear throughout this show's run that it wasn't really that kind of story. After all, Takemoto, the director, said since the beginning that this was a bittersweet tale.
Still, even with that knowledge, this episode felt a bit like a punch to the gut. Fortunately though, it was the kind of punch that makes you feel alive. It's the kind of impact that knocks you out of your daze and allows you to truly
feel.
Interestingly enough, it is precisely that kind of impact that Houtaro undergoes during the procession. He felt out of place. He felt nervous. Hell, he sounded like he was going to pass out. He regretted even going. His whole way of life was crumbling around him. Yet despite all this, he was, for lack of a better word, curious! He began to notice things he normally wouldn't. He was curious about things he had previously never given a second thought to. For the first time in his life, Houtaro was living the rose colored existence that he so desired yet continually shied away from.
And it was beautiful.
But in the end, he couldn't commit. Not yet, at least. "It's getting cold," as he puts it. But Chitanda isn't going to let Houtaro off the hook that easy. "It's spring," she says. In fact, spring is just starting. And there's still more than enough time for Houtaro to bloom.