The future is looking bright.
Youta won’t be escorted out alone after all. Although he did technically run out of time, Hina remembered him at the very last moment. They’ll be going home together, though things won’t ever quite be the same. Nonetheless, Youta now plans to devote his entire life to Hina. He’ll make those summer memories a reality again and much more one day.
Story: 6/10
While I don’t believe this show got close to hitting its mark, it’s not all bad. The slice of life episodes and comedy bits were done well. It’s when you add in Hiroto, the CEO, and the world governments, things jump far too large in scale. There was just no possible way a one cour show could handle all these additions and land successfully. Realistically, the moment they took Hina away this show should’ve been over. If Hina and her brain-chip was such a threat to the world, then there’s no way the world governments would’ve allowed this ending. Youta and those around him would have been shut down before they put up a single flier. Unfortunately, the show merely disregards this and many other loose ends. We’re simply given a happy ending through yelling and hoping for the best.
Art/Animation: 7/10
This is definitely not P.A. Works finest production, though it’s nowhere close to the bottom. There’s some still frames and mistakes that could use attention, but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed on a blu-ray release. As for the animation, it was the standard affair across the board. Nothing too noteworthy, although this show didn’t really require them to go all out.
Enjoyment: 5/10
At this point, I believe I’ve learned my lesson with Jun Maeda as a writer. Between this show, Angel Beats, and Charlotte, they each have very unsatisfying endings. They all start out well enough, yet once the end game approaches it’s a disaster. I can definitely feel the built-up emotions of these stories, but there’s only so much story you can tell in a one cour slot. The premise of this show is fine, it just needed to be reigned in a bit. Something as simple as having Hina’s brain-chip malfunction would’ve worked great in this case. You can cut out everything Hiroto related, then focus heavily on the aftermath.
Disappointments aside, this show is watchable by all means. Just don’t buy into the hype that this was the saddest tale ever told. It’s nowhere as bad as people make it seem, too. Hina was a ball of fun to watch at times. Anyhow, I’ll be rewarding this one with a solid 6. Enjoy an uncertain future with Hina!
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Dry up those tears! Our fall 2020 season isn’t quite over yet.
