Sep 24, 2020
*** CONTAINS SPOILERS ****
Ah, Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru (aka Oregairu), what a journey. For those waiting 4 years or those waiting a few days to finish Oregairu, the wild ride has finally come to a stop and we can sit back and enjoy the final moments of the fantastic trio of Yui Yuigahama, Hikigaya Hachiman, and Yukino Yukinoshita (as well as all the brilliant side character). To some, this review might seem like a rave of why I love Oregairu but I believe this show is a painful experience that all anime watchers should bear. Now let's cut to the chase,
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Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru Kan is masterful. No, not a masterpiece, but not yet as bad as an excellent show. Yes, I may have said it was a masterpiece last review, but that was swayed by the one Yui ep I fell in love with. Still giving a 10/10 :)
Story: 9.5/10
The final destination of the Service club at Sobu High School. The last project the trio has to work with, a prom. Oh, how romantic. As the prom is the main focus of the show, tidbits of interactions show the development of the actions about the notorious final scene in Oregairu Zoku. While the planning of the prom progresses, their relationship is continually questioned by the side characters, influencing the trio’s thoughts on their interactions themselves. Doing so puts their current relationship in a tense position, sacrificing what is "genuine" for continuing their relationship, or ending it all. This question is constantly barraged into the audience’s mind through many of the characters and conversations. Unfortunately, the group realizes this fundamental issue with their relationship and attempts to break free of the entanglement they have landed themselves in. With a limit of 12 episodes and a lot of things to conclude for the audience, each episode is high intensity and filled to the brim with pain, pain constantly reminding the audience that this show must have a resolution. Sadly, some pacing is lost compared to the LN, but it is what it is. Fortunately, the resolution is as expected (at a sad loss to all Yui fans such as myself) and gives a fairly conclusive ending satisfactory to the majority of the audience. Even with its tidbits of consistent comedy, the adrenaline runs high during about 95% of the show. Yes some stuff is roundabout and they don’t always take the direct path, however, I think it is unbelievably unrealistic if there was no roundaboutness. Innately, humans are roundabout creatures and want the best for themselves and keep things "how they currently are", Oregairu does a great job of demonstrating that instinct. Episode 11 confession was not the greatest but represented the show’s core themes perfectly and was consistent with character interactions seen in the past. The finale brought closure to the show and I believed was exceptional, it is quite unfortunate something like this is coming to a close, however, it is a much needed one. TLDR: The depth of which both the story and the relationship progresses is phenomenal, thank you very much, Mr. Watari.
Art/Sound/Animation: 8.5/10
Didn't expect too much from a smaller studio like Feel., but I got the gist of it from last season. Art is pretty clean, honestly like it more than the Brain's base variant. However, the jawlines seem a lil sharp and the art seems rigid, which makes sense for this season though. The sound was amazing. Loved the op loved the ed loved the special little changes put to the beginning of almost every op. Ops that do that create an extra sense of development and allow for the audience to go "wow they're moving forward". I listened to every op and every ed sound in the actual show was quite exceptional, same good ol vibes from every other Oregairu season. The animation was also quite decent, there isn’t much to expect from Feel., however, they were able to pull off a good job of doing so.
Characters: 9.5/10
Wow. Where do I even start? I think there’s an argument to be made that every girl in this show could be the best girl in another show. However, the best girl in my eyes is undoubtedly Yui Yuigahama, so I shall start with her.
Yui Yuigahama, an eccentric, dumb, fun girl that is the third official member of the Service Club. The distance Yui goes to keep the relationship of the trio is phenomenal and extremely representative of how people want good things to stay good things. The unchanging nature of Yui slows the development of both Hikigaya and Yukinon but is also the glue that keeps the three of them together. The issue with Yui within the series is her incapacity to deal with issues, ultimately either stalling or forcing the problem onto another. I lied, Yui is probably the smartest of the trio. Why? She knows the issues and she knows the solution but due to her unchanging nature, she does not present issues as issues nor solutions as possible solutions. One could argue Yui is the antagonist of the series and holds back the trio from finding something genuine because Yui doesn't truly desire to be genuine. But she is also the catalyst for the relationship, taking steps and pushing both yukinon and hachiman to move on. The actions she takes specifically contradict the developments Hikigaya and Yukinon strive to make and that brilliance is why she is the best girl. The pain she takes to keep relationships between the three of them is depressing yet very needed. She is the essence of oregairu. Easy 10/10.
Hachiman Hikigaya, the protagonist of the series. An isolated, seemingly self-centered, and generally deprived boy. Depressed on the all over with a small amount of care left within his heart. The essence of every rejected high school boy on the planet. As the story progresses, Hikigaya grows out of his shell of isolation by maintaining the Service Club. He is the one who provides all the solutions to the problems, at the cost of hurting himself and creating a sense of reliance by many of his classmates, including Yui and Yukinon. However, when he is confronted by Haruno, he starts questioning his own ways of solving issues. The rapid growth of Hachiman then begins, breaking apart his rotten outside and letting the caring side of him flow into the show. I know, I know, sounds like Hachiman is a generic tsundere, however, the way Hikigaya expresses his care is undeniably satisfying. By opening up, Hachiman is able to reveal his true nature and his desires that he would only be able to get out from the Service Club. Masked by his rotten exterior it is Hikigaya slowly crumbles to the wills of everyone around him and eventually evolving to the final form of Hikigaya. 9.5/10
Finally, the ice queen herself, Yukino Yukinoshita. A typical tsundere, one might say. And I would have to agree. The fact is Yukinon is a tsundere and the story only works because she is a tsundere. Yukinon is special because she is able to set up so many issues with the Service Club, be it the Sports festival or the prom. Yukinon is the largest weakness in the group, and from that, they are able to develop together. From family issues to friends, she has it all. As a matter of fact, I think Yukinon is the only irreplaceable character in this show. Without her presence, the show would no longer have the tensity nor the pain that is present throughout the journey of these three friends. Yukinon serves her part extremely well and even though she is my least liked of the three she deserves mad respect for her impact within the show. However, her reaction to Hachiman’s confession was kinda iffy but demonstrated her character splendidly. 9/10
Wow, you really thought I wasn’t gonna talk about some of what I consider the best side characters ever? There’s not much to say except these characters fucking rock. Be it femboy or sensei each and every element that they provide increases the value of the show, realizing this show is moving forward comedic value, and their impact on the main trio is undeniable. Not only do these characters play their tropes well, they go beyond and are memorable. (yuigamama is adorable) 10/10
Enjoyment 10/10
Didn’t skip a single second in any of the episodes and watched them while in class. Undoubtedly my best anime of the 2020 summer season. I loved the pain. As some people at some point said “no pain no gain”.
Overall 9.5/10
Gonna still give this a 10/10 cuz that’s what I feel in my heart (: Very sad that this show has finally come to a close but glad it did so in the way it did. The show has a special place inside me. Thank you feel, brains base, the VA’s, and Mr. Watari for putting together and wrapping up one of my favorite romcoms.
Thank you for reading my rant/review, it means a lot, honestly.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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