SPOILER ALERT: If you have not seen up to Oregairu S3.EP11, everything that follows is a spoiler.
We ended the previous essay, Oregairu – My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU ( S3.EP10) – Communicate? With the following
“Hachiman must now communicate his feelings to Yukino and Yui and he has only two more episodes in which to do it.”
And in very next EP11, our hero did it. My oh My, was EP11 one beautiful EP, and it was the ending.
Over at ANN, Kuzu wrote:
“Well, that’s as definitive of a rejection and confession from Hachiman as you can get. He made his intentions as clear as he possibly could, which means its still pretty roundabout but the most direct he’s been.
He wanted to spare Yui’s feelings and didn’t give her the chance to confess and pretty much let her down gently by saying while he’s fine with the club (and their prior relationship) ending, he’s not fine with letting Yukino go and makes his intentions that he still wants to be with her. He also responded to Yui’s comment from S1 ( about how she’d wait for him) and said she doesn’t have to wait. She’s of course heartbroken but plays it off as best as she can before she lets it all out to her mother.
And Hachiman does what he does and comes with a convulted plan to continue associating with Yukino, but this time he makes it clear. He WANTS to be with her, not out of a sense of duty, but because she completes him. And unlike when Yukino grabbed him last episode, He has to reach out to her. He rambles and rambles, but never actually says the L word, since that’s not enough for him. Yukino has no choice but to relent and accept his feelings and vice versa, finally communicating the emotions they’ve kept inside.
Next week, the finale.”
Wonderful comment and spot on accurate! Hachiman answers both Yui and Yukino’s question in the previous EP and what an answer as only Hachiman could. Wow what an ending is EP11.
Some further impressionistic impressions!
Compare and contrast the Moms:
We have a very clear case here of two moms, Yui’s and Yukino’s. Anyone who marries Yui will find gold in their mother-in-law. We here are ready to vote Yui’s mom Best Anime Mom! But Yui is shedding tears she need not, if she would only listen to herself from EP10, “Though it’s because you were always so weird that there were also sad, uncomfortable, and painful times…..” Yui to Hachiman.
If Yui were introspective, she would see that a life with Hachiman would be like that always. That kind of Hachiman weird may also bother Yukino but she understands the attitude, and she knows how to answer him.
Hachiman has consistently reacted positively to three women in his life, Komachi, Shizuka, and Yukino. While all three are very different characters, they act similar by being direct and honest with Hachiman which is what he wants and needs.
Then we have Yukino’s mom and we now clearly see why Haruno and Yukino are the way they are. Anyone who marries Yukino will have that cold, calculating woman for a mother-in-law, and yet now two times Hachiman has outflanked her, by blackmail and by challenging her authority in the PTO to rule on his new idea. Both times he forces her to hide her emotions behind her fan when she knows she has been mated! And then he feeds back to Haruno and Yukino their own words to him, about regrets (Haruno) and saving (Yukino) which prompts an immediate emotional outburst from both of them! Precious!
The PROMS:
Last week Kuzu got me thinking about the PROM. What the Frack? The story tellers spend all season on this Prom, and then in EP10 its a non-event. I was totally snookered. I was thinking all along that the Prom would be like “the play in which to catch the conscience of the king” type trope where reveals would take place and then resolved into an ending. But nothing happens, and in fact more plates are tossed into the air to be juggled. I did not see what was coming!
The fake Prom is the REAL Prom! And now the Rap session with Tamanawa makes some sense, that Hachiman and Tamanawa are in the groove with each other!
The Ending:
Last week I almost lost hope in the story tellers. I could not see how in the world in 24 minutes, they could possibly end this story, and yet they did, in upending every ROMCOM cliche ever invented. The most beautiful non-confession that those two, Hachiman and Yukino, could ever pull off. But it does show how Hachiman has changed. The old Hachiman would have let Yukino walk away, but just as Yukino chased after him last EP10 and grabbed his arm, Hachiman will not let Yukino walk away this time, but runs after her, and grabs her arm.
She even criticizes herself “I’m stubborn, and I’m not very charming.”, to which Hachiman agrees, “Yeah, that’s true.” And as if to underline how the Romcom is subverted, Yukino answers, “I wanted you to deny that part, though….” like Wait a minute, this is Romcom, you weren’t supposed to say that!
But she then puts her hand on his chest, and he grabs her hand like before but this time he holds it against his heart. The L word is nowhere to be seen, but it’s plastered all over this wonderful scene. A true Hachiman ending and for this reader, a truly wonderful and appropriate ending is EP11!
Make no mistake, EP11 is the ending of Oregairu, but we do have one more EP12 to play which appears to be a coda celebration of the story and characters. One grand party where all the characters will be in play for a last goodbye something like “Angel Beats” maybe. We have come to love and know all these characters and now we must say goodbye, an encore performance which could be very emotional in a story which has consistently been analytical.
This should be a fun, highly emotional close out for a wonderful cast of characters and a story whose script was consistently challenging, intriguing, and exceptionally well written.
(And if she would just stop smoking, I would marry Shizuka, the greatest character in the story, and who is responsible for putting it all together by forcing Hachiman into the Service Club)
© 2020 Folcwine P. Pywackett (mox004)