Sonico’s grandmother was quite the looker!

And we finally reach the end of this surprisingly fun series. New Years brings a concert by daiichi uchuu sokudo, but Suzu got a little overambitious and blew too much money on lighting. So this ends up being the episode where all the good will that Sonico and friends have built up over the past year is repaid by all the friends they’ve made. And for a series like this, this was about a perfect finale, reinforcing the circular nature of friendship, the quality that’s been the main theme of this series.

She can rock the house, too

I also liked that they did it with a concert, instead of some other plot device. It was really in keeping with the way the series has gone, and gave us a chance to hear more music that I like, because I’ll always take more girl rock. Plus, it made for a good reason to gather all the other people the show had encountered, or even show them watching the livestream. And to cap it all off, they finished the concert, and the show, with my favorite song by FAV, SuperOrbital.

Computer boobs by Maken-ki

I think “surprise” really is the best description for this show, and it’s been a great surprise throughout. With no source material, and really the only thing we really knew about Sonico before it aired being “big-boobed mascot for Nitro+”, so to have the direction of the show be helping and friendship and happiness was a really welcome development. I don’t know if you’d ever accuse the show of being deep or thoughtful, but it was definitely not shallow, and had surprisingly poignant moments, with things like Tama (who showed up with a baby!) and Daydream or Ayaka’s Santa Claus Christmas present. And the other thing that I really liked about it was that it showed all sorts of body types, seemingly unashamedly. Sonico and Fuuri were both big, hippy girls. There was a fat guy, not played for laughs, but someone that Sonico’s travel companion wanted to meet. There were old people, young people, men, women, everyone was a hero in this show, and nobody was a bad guy. The show just oozed positivity, and for that it was something I really looked forward to every week. So from a complete unknown and almost a joke, this series became something that I think anyone can enjoy, and while I don’t really care for the ‘healing’ label, I think that it’s a show that can have that same kind of happiness effect that a show like Non Non Biyori or Tamayura had.

Toma with a baby! And is this blond the same girl who showed up in other parts of the show as a brunette (with glasses)?

Everyone throws a party!

Haruka gets the wrong idea

The normally unflappable Kaede breaks down

Graduation Party Time! But Mitsuki already knew about it, for whatever reason. And Mitsuki gets a whole bucket of Green Tea pudding with Azuki beans, since Rina is tired of it from using it for a study aid. Emotions run high all around with Sumi and even Kaede crying about the impending graduation. But the big fireworks at the party aren’t because of the fancy chandelier that Kotone gives to Mitsuki, or the handcrafted mustaches from Sumi. Instead it becomes the big showdown between Yuu and Mitsuki for Haruka. I have to wonder how embarrassed the rest of the guests were, since they were only on the other side of the partition from their argument. But on learning that Yuu and Haruka haven’t really said they loved each other, that they just think what they have is just special, Mitsuki declares that she has a chance, and voices her love for Haruka and asks her to go out with her.

Mitsuki confesses her love for Haruka, finally

In order to get an answer, Mitsuki calls Haruka out after the graduation ceremony. And apart from a short-lived burst of hope, when Haruka says she likes Mitsuki, it’s obvious that the first person on Haruka’s mind is always Yuu, and Mitsuki ends up realizing that she’d never take that place. Even if Haruka and Yuu haven’t declared that they love each other, that’s what they do. Even if they don’t acknowledge that they’re dating, they are. And having confessed, Mitsuki can move on. Now maybe Rina can confess to Mitsuki (even though she kind of plays it off, she’s following her to the same college out of town). And maybe Haruka and Yuu can figure out what love means together.

Kiss and Love

This show surprised me from the very beginning, with the very serious and played straight relationship between Haruka and Yuu. This is another example of what I think was a good adaptation of a 4-koma, where the series progressed throughout and didn’t just fall back on the same gag again and again. While I’m just the smallest bit disappointed that they didn’t progress Haruka and Yuu’s relationship even a little further, to them realizing their love for each other, they did have them thinking about marriage, about wanting to be together on New Year’s, about wanting to always be together. I think it depicted a budding romance very well, and worked in some jealousy, some disbelief, and even acceptance of Haruka and Yuu’s relationship. We know that Kaede figured it out, and Shizuku and Kotone certainly know, and you wonder how much Yuzu knows about them.

There were some gorgeous visuals

The show was also well done, continuing the upswing of Studio DEEN as they pull in new talent. This was more like a Shaft production than Deen, given the director, but the fact that Deen can pull off a very Shaft-like production is an important step. The music was fun, the voice work was good, and the show was overall a treat to watch, especially if you like kissing girls.

Girls with mustaches, it’s got something for everyone!

Tags: sonico_a, 桜Trick

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