Probably the most egregious combination of episodes I have done yet. Again, sorry for that.
So What is Inou-battle all about? Supernatural powers with a small bit of conspiracy and intrigue that was not quite as fleshed out as I would have liked – but more importantly, about the main cast of characters and their relationships, feelings for one another, and the bond that helps them get through anything.
While it would be easy to dismiss Inou Battle as a “harem anime with a twist” – and perhaps you could do so – I would not be so hasty as the host of other elements it brings to the table make it seem unfair to slap such a label on it and be done with it. While superficially nothing special, I found myself loving and rooting for all of our main characters as the story wore on – perhaps I’m just an easy person to make an impression on. I was really hoping Tomoyo was going to pour her feelings out when she and Andou were in that “secret fireworks” spot. I felt my emotions rushing, I thought the time was ripe!
I always love how shows like this can make my feelings resonate so strongly with some characters – I can see a younger version of myself in the same situation where I might have wanted to give myself an extra push. Sometimes it gives me ideas or interesting locations to think about taking Missi someday – I actually love to ponder on this. Many measure success in different ways, and many anime that I’ve seen throughout my life have toyed with what the definition is – for some in the “Sakura Hall” anime, it was to be a game designer, or a light novel writer. For me, it was always one thing, which should be obvious from this.
Andou’s “Darker and dark”‘s second stage had quite a dark side effect, but I was impressed by what tenacity he employed it with to defeat what appeared to be the final antagonist. While I feel the final confrontation combined Andou’s friends in a satisfying way to conclude “their” story, at least for the moment, I felt it did nothing to bring the whole “Fairy war” to a satisfying end which makes me wonder whether or not this show will continue beyond what we’ve seen here. It felt like a “Well, this isn’t really a conclusion, but here is something” kind of ending, almost like the final episode in an arc but not in the entire show. I will not be too harsh here though as it is possible it will continue.
I only hope this isn’t the last we see of our friends, as I feel there’s a whole hell of a lot more potential and stories to be told.
Also, Kudou is so cute. Seriously, I wanted to hug that poor thing at the very end. Andou, as much as I love the other girls, Kudou is so adorable, do what must be done, please.
