True Tears - Episode 13 [END] Discussion / Poll

[jzmagic]

Shin didn't deserve anyone, but I guess atleast Hiromi is happy.

[negativeone]

I would've liked the series more if Noe was the winner i like her character better(hiromi was just meh i couldn't really feel anything for her character) and also it would've been less predictable. since the beginning of the show it was pretty obvious that Hiromi was going to be the winner, but as the story progressed i started having doubts, but w/e i guess everyone is happy in the end (except for me, noe FTW)

BTW i liked how shin's story was similar to his dad's it was pretty neat parallel


*goes and hides in the corner crying NOEEEE*

edit: Actually now that i think about it i would have preferred if Shin didn't end up with any of the two, and the 3 of them would just go in their own path

[ZODDGUTS]

Gotta say that after watching True Tears I'm really looking forward to more of P.A. Works, this was their first series that they've made and wow it was great well told story and very well animated. Hope we get to see something from them again sometime this year.

[germanturkey]

seriously. fastest subbing job ever.. haha. thanks for putting it out that fast.

anyways, VICTORY!!! i thought it was very well done the ending, since it mirrored the shin's parents story.

Spoiler:

anyone catch that Hiromi basically let Shin choose? its a testament of her love for him that she let him go see Noe and told him, i'll be waiting. she was so excited when someone knocked on her door but you could clearly see the disappointment when she saw who it was. and then after Shin chases after her, you can tell she's still in a state of disbelief. he was gone so long that she came to her own conclusion (she ate dinner, which he promised to have with her.) so when he finally says i'll love you forever and be with you forever etc, she's like, you're kidding right? and when Shin embraces her, she knows its for real.

though i share the thoughts of many of you guys and would have liked to see a "couple" moment with the two of them at the end. instead of each doing their own thing. i thought when reflecta started playing, it would do a scene change, but it just showed her standing there. at the very least, at least she cried.

[Luapman]

bah.. nother "Mai-Hime" type series. An awesome series turned into absolute rubbish by the last one/two episodes. WTF do japanese romance plot/script writers have with childhood friends always being the ones to hook-up when their relationship is clearly sub-par of the other choices shown. I hate watching an artist smear a great product with their own feces at the last minute thinking it'll make it better... sigh

[SnEptUne]

Originally Posted by Rasuberi

That was sure a weird experience for me.

Spoiler:

I both love and hate the ending. I dislike Hiromi and her set-up with Shin, and love Noe to bits... However the ending was very fitting. Yet while I feel the whole series and ending was masterfully created... I still couldn't help but feel a bit pissed off at Noe not winning.

I got a little teary-eyed at the scene where Noe was looking at the unfolded pictures from the picture book, and thought that was all the emotional turmoil I'd go through. Till the end I was fine... then after the minute or so of watching Noe at the end, and a few more minutes staring at my computer... I broke down in tears. I just Noe to be happy.

That's nice. I didn't feel anything significant at all, probably because of how everyone said Hiromi will "win" at the end. I don't think this is a race, and it only makes sense of Shin to date with Hiromi if he have her in his heart. Frankly, even if she wasn't his number one, he should still date them both just for the experiences. Since he was done playing with Noe, he can now move on to Hiromi.

So ... Noe got a running nose at the end? Probably because of allergy.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by SnEptUne

So ... Noe got a running nose at the end? Probably because of allergy.

I'm not sure whether that's funnier if I assume you're being sarcastic, or if I assume you weren't.

[SnEptUne]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

I'm not sure whether that's funnier if I assume you're being sarcastic, or if I assume you weren't.

Well, if she must get tears back from an important person to her, I just can't see how Shin can be the important person. But I was really disappointed, I was hoping for a Jun+Shin ending. They were made for each other.

Originally Posted by cloudninja

Spoiler for above:

Same complaint from me. Even though they finally officially became a couple, they did'nt show anything afterwards of the two of them together as a couple. At least show them walking to school or having lunch together, Shin watching and cheering as she plays basketball, or a brief scene of a date. Something please. Even when he was in class drawing another picture, I expected them to show him looking at Hiromi and maybe have her look back, but it was just focused on the picture. It felt somewhat unsatisfying, it was too subdued an ending. I guess they just left it up to our imagination.

Well, of course. Hiromi is just a side character, she doesn't even have a personality! Beside, after Shin got bored, he would probably dump her.

[vio5555]

Originally Posted by Luapman

bah.. nother "Mai-Hime" type series. An awesome series turned into absolute rubbish by the last one/two episodes. WTF do japanese romance plot/script writers have with childhood friends always being the ones to hook-up when their relationship is clearly sub-par of the other choices shown. I hate watching an artist smear a great product with their own feces at the last minute thinking it'll make it better... sigh

Um; I don't know why I bother responding to these kinds of post but this take is completely nonsensical. If the last two episodes had gone "any other way" then there would have still been unresolved issues from the earlier episodes. Things like Shin's mom and her whole drama from 20-30 years ago all got tied into this ending by the implications of what Shin and his father said to each other as well as what Hiromi and Shin's mom said to each other because they played mirror parts in this "repeat of history". All of Shin's mom's actions can be explained after watching 13; that's a part of the point of all this.

Either way the last 2 episodes enable the previous 11 to be consistent; episodes 9-11 led to the resolution in 12-13 since Shin had chosen to love Hiromi "in the romantic sense" but he couldn't figure out how to break off his feelings for Noe, since he did have something tangible for Noe that he conveyed through the picturebook.

I can see why Noe fans are upset and all that, but still, the fact of the matter is that the writers chose the ending BEFORE the series (not at the last minute like you seem to claim). The only way to create the kind of drama they did end up creating, was to have the idea of mirroring Shin's dad's triangle in Shin's triangle, so everything early on is explained at the very end while seeming unclear as we watch them; i.e. Shin's mom's apparent dislike of Hiromi vs. her totally opposite feelings after episode 10. They did an absolutely superb job of keeping things unclear until episode 13 wrapped everything up nicely, that's the point of a strong ending...

Also, while some people wanted "more ShinxHiromi", it might have detracted from Noe's resolution. In some sense the scene of Noe walking away from Shin is supposed to be as powerful as the scene of Shin and Hiromi that follows; a kiss or more later might have tilted the resolution in Hiromi's favor in some sense. That's probably why they show Shin saying stuff as each of the girls is in their own element...

[Rhyel]

Very good final episode. True Tears finish equal it start, a great show.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by vio5555

Also, while some people wanted "more ShinxHiromi", it might have detracted from Noe's resolution. In some sense the scene of Noe walking away from Shin is supposed to be as powerful as the scene of Shin and Hiromi that follows; a kiss or more later might have tilted the resolution in Hiromi's favor in some sense. That's probably why they show Shin saying stuff as each of the girls is in their own element...

Yes, I totally agree. This name of the game is "bittersweet" in every sense of the word. This wasn't what some might call a "happy ending", because, well... it isn't really all that happy. That being said, I do think it was an incredibly satisfying ending to the story. The point of the episode was not "yay! Shinichirou and Hiromi finally became a couple!". After all, this is a show about tears. Rather, it was about how Shinichirou's and Noe's relationship had helped them grow up. Shinichirou was now able to understand himself, his dreams, and his feelings, and to chase after his goals without hesitation. Noe was finally able to better understand herself and others, and to grieve properly for all the sadness she's faced (the closing scene was so fitting in so many ways). It was an episode about breaking it off with someone you really care about a lot, so that you can be with the one you really love. "What makes you cry?" indeed. It's a pretty harsh life lesson -- no fairy tale. But that's what it means to grow up.

[Guardian Enzo]

Wow.

A truly beautiful end to a truly beautiful series. I need to collect myself a bit, sort out my reactions - maybe watch it again. But I had to chime in with that much. Bravo, bravo, bravo!

[germanturkey]

wasn't so much bittersweet from all angles. only from Noe's angle. she ended up crying again, which was her overall goal anyways. but from Hiromi and Shin's point of view, it was something that they'd long held off.

[Guardian Enzo]

Well, having read through the first few pages, I do feel a need to chime in in defense of our favorite good boy, among other things...

Spoiler:

First off, I think it's a shame people are turning on this series like a pack of rabid dogs because their girl didn't win (and yes, I know it's much easier to say that when mine did). While I loved Hiromi and wanted this ending pretty badly, I would have been OK with a Noe ending if it was as well executed as this was (mind you, I think that would have been thematically impossible). Fact is, this series is subtle - the characters are subtle, the emotions they feel are subtle. Life - and certainly not adolescent romance - are not neat and tidy things. Sometimes you really do love more than one person, no mater what the sonnets say - and Shin clearly did. Rather than savage him for wavering, credit him for at least not wanting to hurt either girl. That's what drove him to indecision - the desire not to cause either girl pain. That it did cause pain to both is unfortunate, but unavoidable given that the subject is a 16 year-old boy who doesn't know how to deal with his own feelings yet, never mind anyone else's.

Yes, Shinichiro did love Noe too - he came to love her and though, I think, it was more in a protective than romantic way there was a definite attraction. She was his muse - she allowed him to fly creatively (art and dance) and to accept that he could follow his heart and not his father's footsteps. He loves her and he's grateful to her, but in the end there's only room for one at the center of his heart - and that is Hiromi. It's been that way since they were small children and really, Noe never had a chance. Shin's whole life was a series of obstacles blocking his path to happiness with Hiromi, and though Noe helped clear some of the obstacles, when they were finally cleared there was no way he was turning away from her. It's a sad irony that Noe helped Shin to free himself of his bonds and fly, only to have him fly away from her. And that knowledge was what caused him to waver as long as he did.

As for Noe, well, there's no doubt she did get the short stick here to a large extent. She did get her tears back - in a way I thought was utterly beautiful and well-constructed, Shin's love note appearing from the snow like an archaeological discovery next to Raigomaru's grave. It was a rare moment when a prosaic art form (anime) achieved poetry. But it was a sad poem for Noe, and that's too bad. Still - I respect the writers for not trying to tie everything into a too-neat ending - given the emotions involved, someone was going to be hurt. Like the fall from the tree, though, perhaps it was a pain that she had to experience to grow up. Hiromi and Noe had acted selfishly in their own right, as much as Shin if not more so at times. Noe's self-constructed fantasy world was hurting those around her and more importantly, herself. It was in finally allowing herself to attach to someone real that she allowed herself to be hurt again, and in the process find her tears. It would have been nice if the poor little nutter had experienced it in a less painful way, but at least she did survive it and hopefully grow from it.

I found myself more nervous awaiting this ending that any anime since BGI, and I certainly was agitated and nervous through most of the episode. Not so much about who "won" - though I had a rooting interest, there was no clear cut Yano/Take-good/evil split here - but because I wanted this very special series to end on a proper note. I wanted to see an emotionally honest and fulfilling conclusion that did justice to how intelligent and moving the first 12 eps were, and I think True Tears delivered it brilliantly. I'm sorry if the Noe fans are feeling hurt and disappointed - I'm sad for her, too - but I hope a little time and distance will soften the natural angry response and allow the brilliance of the final ep to shine through. Fantastic, IMO.

[vio5555]

Originally Posted by germanturkey

wasn't so much bittersweet from all angles. only from Noe's angle. she ended up crying again, which was her overall goal anyways. but from Hiromi and Shin's point of view, it was something that they'd long held off.

Yeah, I think that's in some sense because Shin did it "more properly" than his father did in the past.

Where Hiromi doesn't seem to have any reason to bear any ill feelings towards Noe, Shin's mom hated Hiromi's mom and thought Hiromi was playing that role originally in some sense.

I do personally think that for Hiromi there's some sense of satisfaction but I think it's also that she's struggled with knowing that Noe is important to Shin. In some ways it's just as Shin's mom undoubtably had to deal with the fact that Hiromi's mom was probably important to Shin's dad (and could possibly be the reason why he welcomes Hiromi so openly and Shin's mom resents it).

I guess from Hiromi's point of view she finally gets to have Shin see "only" her in a sense in a way that he didn't earlier while there were all those false pretenses as in episode 4 with the "double scene".

For Noe the ending is definitely the heaviest in some sense because although she is finally complete by the end, she has to leave Shin walking away because she is "unable to fly" at that point.

[cloudninja]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Yes, I totally agree. This name of the game is "bittersweet" in every sense of the word. This wasn't what some might call a "happy ending", because, well... it isn't really all that happy. That being said, I do think it was an incredibly satisfying ending to the story. The point of the episode was not "yay! Shinichirou and Hiromi finally became a couple!". After all, this is a show about tears. Rather, it was about how Shinichirou's and Noe's relationship had helped them grow up. Shinichirou was now able to understand himself, his dreams, and his feelings, and to chase after his goals without hesitation. Noe was finally able to better understand herself and others, and to grieve properly for all the sadness she's faced (the closing scene was so fitting in so many ways). It was an episode about breaking it off with someone you really care about a lot, so that you can be with the one you really love. "What makes you cry?" indeed. It's a pretty harsh life lesson -- no fairy tale. But that's what it means to grow up.

You're right. After rewatching the episode, the writers set an appropriate tone considering all the things that were resolved. I think there were certain expectations from some viewers including myself given how long it took Shin and Hiromi to get together. It jumped from snowing in winter to sometime in the spring with the cherry blossoms late in the episode and of course they have gone on dates already but the writers chose not to show anything to maintain the tone they wanted for the episode.

All of the characters have grown to some extent. Shin, Noe, Hiromi, and Jun were all shown to be willing to accept blame for causing others to be hurt. Hiromi became strong enough to say that she could accept Shin's answer after he had talked to Noe. A lot happened in this episode and in the show in general. There were plenty of connections to be made and subtle details to look for which I enjoyed doing. The writers did a great job. This was the first show to make me want to really participate in a forum and even make an anime music video. After enjoying this for a while longer I'll probably just go back to only watching anime and not spend so much time in the forums.

[Oneon]

They can always make a manga and have it tell an alternate ending.

[thundrakkon]

OK, I have been kind of away from the True Tears thread for a while now, since the drama it was providing was so intense, that I could not handle further analysis in the forums.

I have not read the previous posts yet in the thread, so to have an unbiased opinion on this post.

That said, True Tears has been one heck of a fun ride. I made me go through roller coasters throughout, the last episode was no different. I was a nerve reck throughout, anticipating what will happen next.

Shin'ichiro's heart waving was a very realistic situation, and very understandable. That explains his actions the past few episodes. Noe finally finding her true tears when 1) her heart wavers, and 2) because she was thinking of someone truly dear to her.

It was a little sad for Noe, but the road to the end of the series for Hiromi was sad as well.

I really, really loved this series. The storyline was just so great. I want the US DVDs so bad now. All the characters were just so rich.

Thank you all for making the discussions on the True Tears thread so enjoyable and insightful. This has definitely been one of my best experiences for a show and the forum threads.

[AznSoulBoy]

Ahhh!! It feels great to be there. No flaming at all.

Well, I don't really know what to say. Bittersweet ending?
It was really nice though. They were a lot of things they say and I was like "wow" for each sentences.

I feel sad for Noe though. Seriously, I think I would have done the same thing as Shinichirou. Crying.

As for the couple, I was expecting at least something more after shin declared to go out with him. I was like "that's it for them"? Well, it didn't really matter.

Like recentlessflame said, It wasn't really a happy ending it but more a satisfying ending to the story. Which was very well done.

I will probably comment more, but that's it for now I'm so tired and sleepy. I might rewatch the episode again to understand more about the meaning of what they said.

[cebukitty]

Spoiler for 13th ep:

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Yes, I totally agree. This name of the game is "bittersweet" in every sense of the word. This wasn't what some might call a "happy ending", because, well... it isn't really all that happy. That being said, I do think it was an incredibly satisfying ending to the story. The point of the episode was not "yay! Shinichirou and Hiromi finally became a couple!". After all, this is a show about tears. Rather, it was about how Shinichirou's and Noe's relationship had helped them grow up. Shinichirou was now able to understand himself, his dreams, and his feelings, and to chase after his goals without hesitation. Noe was finally able to better understand herself and others, and to grieve properly for all the sadness she's faced (the closing scene was so fitting in so many ways). It was an episode about breaking it off with someone you really care about a lot, so that you can be with the one you really love. "What makes you cry?" indeed. It's a pretty harsh life lesson -- no fairy tale. But that's what it means to grow up.

When you state it like that, it makes me feel a whole lot better about Noe.

Shin and Noe were fated to meet. Remember the vision Shin had of Noe staring up a tree while he was working on that picture book? But not to become lovers but to make an impact in each other's life so that both of them could grow up and fly T_T

As a Noe fan, I'm content that at least Shin cried tears for Noe (his heart was truly breaking when they parted) and that Noe will always have a special place in his heart (notice that his final doodle was of a couple watching one of those ancient airplanes take flight)

We all wanted our happy endings but at least none of us left empty handed