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"How can we make the most unsatisfying ending possible, while still technically concluding something?"

I am convinced that this is what the directors/writers/whoever asked themselves when making this film.

Sora no Otoshimono Final: Eternal My Master is a film that replaced the would-be third season of Sora no Otoshimono, an anime I find sadly underrated. It's often cast aside as yet another pile of trash fanservice, when in fact it has an incredibly deep storyline, as well as fantastic emotion and drama. SnO Final forgets about all of that-- no, they deliberately ignore it in this mess of a film.

The SnO manga had mountains of story left ... to tell. A third season would have barely managed to fit all of that in, but it was still possible. When it was confirmed that we were getting a second film instead, that dream was crushed. Yet there was still hope. Towards its end the anime deviated from the manga, making it possible that this new movie might provide a unique ending while still borrowing key elements from the source material. We were worried, but we had faith. What we got, however, was nothing of the sort.

The movie begins with Ikaros' dramatic climax from the second-to-last chapter. Immediately this is unsettling; there was no way they could fit the massive final arc and all of its setup into this 50 minute timeblock. The scene progresses, and ends approximately where the chapter does. It then cuts away to several months prior, a typical day at the Sakurai household. From this point to the penultimate scene, the film is nothing but random filler chapters meshed together to create a bastardization of the romantic progression between Ikaros and Tomoki. Chapters are placed where they don't belong for no rhyme or reason, important plot points are tweaked to move along this clusterfuck of a story, and the supporting cast is reduced to comic relief and pointless exposition. But this isn't even the worst offense. Consistently, the film teases all of the major plotlines. ALL of them! And what do we get from it? NOTHING!! Absolutely nothing, as if to say "All this cool stuff happened, but you don't get to see it." I may not speak for everyone, but I for one was offended by this. This movie's lack of care for the audience's appreciation of detail was insulting. In the end, Ikaros' dramatic climax concludes, and the movie ends... bitter, and incomplete.

One may argue that speaking from the point of view of somebody who read the manga is unfair, and that I should take it as a piece of the anime and nothing more. Ok, let's try that.

Right off the bat I have no clue what's going on. What is Zeus? Why are they attacking it? What happened to Nymph and Sugata? Where is everybody else? Why is the world falling apart?
All of these questions come from the first scene alone, and the rest of the movie fails to answer any of them. This movie expects you to have read the manga, and is impossible to review from any perspective otherwise. That said, I feel it does an incredible injustice to the manga and its fans, blatantly disregarding everything that made it so special in the first place, just to say they half-assedly resolved their love story.

I've seen many disappointing anime in my time, but none are as painful as a disappointing ending to a good anime. Sora no Otoshimono Final: Eternal My Master was just that.

Love Live! School Idol Project is by no means the best show around. It's standard fare, run-of-the-mill, and doesn't really stand out. Yet for some reason I still adored this show. Why? There's no enticing romance, no exciting action. It's not particularly funny, and for a show with nine lead female characters there's an astounding lack of fanservice. So then what is it that made this show so damn enjoyable?

In short, the answer lies in the characters themselves. I've always been of the belief that characters can make or break a show, and Love Live! is a prime example of that. Coming out of the ... first season, I didn't think it was all that special, but I enjoyed watching it, a lot more so than some of the more subjectively appealing shows I've seen. Hearing that a second season was announced, I was so happy to see such a modest success getting more attention. Now, with the second season having come to a close, I can say with certainty that it was absolutely worth the ride.

Story: 6/10
Naturally the story is the weakest part of Love Live. It's the simple tale of a group of highschool girls who form an Idol group to save their school from closing. They then go on to enter the popular "Love Live" Idol competition. Nothing special about it, that's really all there is to say. While there's nothing noteworthy about it, it's not really bad either, hence the fair rating.

Art: 8/10
For such a basic show, it was surprisingly beautiful looking. The animations were smooth, the characters were able to stand out without needing unreal hair colours, and the 3D models used for the dances were almost seemlessly inserted. It didn't accomplish the most stunning feats, but for what it did it was phenomenal.

Sound: 8/10
As the name suggests, this show is chock full of the kind of J-pop you'd hear from idols. If that's your cup of tea, then look no further because the soundtrack of this show will blow you away. If you're not too fond of the genre, you'd best look elsewhere, because that's about all this show has to offer. But then what are you watching it for if you don't like idol music, anyways?

Character: 9/10
Like I said early, the characters are really what made this show. Their personalities are unique and portrayed spectacularly, and they synergize with each other in a remarkable way. Watching the show start to finish, I couldn't help but empathize with them through their ups and downs. They took such a humble story and made it something truly beautiful.

Enjoyment: 9/10
It's still hard to believe how much I enjoyed watching this show. The first season took me by surprise, but I was ready going into the second one, and even then I was blown away. For something so light to make such an impact really says a lot.

Overall: 8/10
Love Live is most certainly a very good show. If you want something different from all the action and drama you typically see, and are just looking for a nice leisurely ride, then give this show a watch. I'm sure you'll enjoy it from beginning to end... or is it the end? In a stunning announcement at the end of the final episode, production of a film was confirmed. I was certainly taken by surprise, and I'm excited to experience μ's one last time.

==SPOILER WARNING==
This review assumes the reader has seen the first two seasons of the show. Proceed at your own risk.



The first two seasons of Shakugan no Shana were a very enjoyable experience, and the final moment of Shakugan no Shana II (Second) left me with high hopes that the following season would do what so few anime strive for, which is to elaborate on the central relationship beyond the confession. Watching the OVA, which at first seemed to be nothing more than filler, I was soon informed that I may not be getting what I hoped for.

Shakugan no Shana III (Final) oddly strays from the ... path that the prior seasons were building, a sudden and jarring step in the wrong direction. It begins with the disappearance of Sakai Yuji, a phenomenon soon explained to be because he had become one with the leader of Bal Masque, the Snake of the Festival. To have the main couple grow so close, only for such a thick wall to be thrown between them - they say conflict builds character, but an obstacle so great can only hurt their relationship, and that it did. Clear that Yuji had become the antagonist of his own will, he and Shana are torn apart. Despite their attempts to bring the other back to their own side, it's clear that they no longer have the same bond they once did, which greatly hurts the romantic appeal of the show. Even in the end when things finally seem resolved, Yuji's determination as the antagonist is sustained until the very last moments, stripping the conclusion of its satisfaction.

Yuji alone is not the only instance of poor choices this season makes. Characters who once seemed important are revealed to be nothing in the grand scheme. Ike's uselessness is brought to light by his major lack of presence. His true purpose in the show becomes clear: to stand between Yuji and Kazumi, whether it be to help them along or to try and take Kazumi for himself. Once he confesses in the second season, his purpose is fulfilled, and they rightly cast him aside. Similarly, Tanaka and Ogata's entire dynamic is thrown away. With Ogata's lack of presence, the entirety of Tanaka's character development disappears, and he reverts to the same grunt role he had in the first season. Of the human characters, the only two who continued to show promise were Kazumi and Satou, the former more than the latter.

Humans aside, (Final) has a terrible problem of throwing in Flame Haze and Denizens where they don't belong. The season introduces new characters on both sides whenever it gets the chance, making for a surplus of meaningless stand-ins to take hits and kill grunts. They have no time to grow on the viewer, and thus their emotional moments fall flat. It also makes for a few difficult moments keeping track of who's who.

Despite all these problems, though, (Final) was not as terrible as it could have been. It may have chosen the wrong path on which to end the series, but its journey down that path was handled rather well. The characters who still had purpose, and who the viewer had time to become attached to, were utilized in very exciting battles and emotional moments. The aesthetics were lovely, and as always the soundtrack was phenomenal.

All in all I feel that (Final) was an unnecessary ending to the series. It was not so reliant on information from the past seasons that it needed to happen the way it did, and the ambiguity between good and evil throughout left for an abundance of uncertainty and lack of satisfaction. Still, it did not fail to take what it had, no matter the quality, and make an overall enjoyable experience.