Where's mai sunshine girl?!

Angel: Happy to see me again? It must be a miracle~ Frankly, I don’t want to blog episode 11-12 right now *dodges tomatoes and bricks* so I’m going ahead and reviewing the finale.

Previously, Jin and Nagi’s relationship is shattered as Jin questions her existence. He feels as if she’s hiding something about her role as a deity. Jin was influenced by Suzushiro (Religions teacher and Hakua’s father; he also knows that Zange possesses Hakua), as he suspects that the twin goddesses are unsure or pretending to be divine. After researching about the Kannagi shrine, Jin fails to find anything helpful. This leads him to consult with the shrine keepers. They say that the god’s name is unknown, which causes Jin to further doubt Nagi. What is a goddess to be without her little worshiper? She’s already left, but Jin rushes to find her before time runs out.

The scene opens with the old couple worrying about the “girl that ran away from home,” or Nagi. Crouching against the wall, Nagi is remorseful and oblivious to the beautiful, misty garden outside. Being stereotypical nice and senile, the old woman stands over her and shows concern; Nagi gives a detached response by saying she feels ashamed for taking advantage of Jin’s kindness.

Jin is pensive as well as he sits in the locker room. Tsugumi questions Jin about Nagi’s absence. He says he doesn’t know where she is while Tsugumi suggests that he should notify the police. He’s fed up with her being pushy and he slams his shoes against the locker.  He coldly replies that it’s none of her business and leaves her there dazed and torn.

Well, it’s raining a lot in this episode. I’d just enjoy explaining imagery, but it’s common sense that rain symbolizes sorrow, grief, misery, and such.

Tsugumi is in class, but as the bell rings, she is ushered into the hallway by the art club girls, Takako and Shino. They briefly discuss Nagi’s absence and Jin’s apathetic mood. The girls believe that since Tsugumi is his “guardian,” she should figure out what is wrong with him. Tsugumi is in denial and she justifies this by mentioning that this just might be another one of Nagi’s childish tantrums. Can I just say that Tsugumi is the worst childhood friend ever? I’m sure your female senses are tingling; there is something definitely up with Jin.

Girl, you need to have GUTSSS!! -shot for Code Geass reference-

It flashes to the classroom again. Apparently, a female student is reading aloud an excerpt about love. Tsugumi is restless and reminisces over her childhood with Jin. There’s probably a deeper meaning to this excerpt, but it does solidify her feelings for Jin as her eyes widen after soaking in the words.

It ping pongs back to Jin, who is in gym class. He’s exhausted from running, but probably from thinking too hard. After school, he walks towards to gate and sees a fierce Tsugumi waiting for him. Don’t disappoint me, girl~

The two are on a swing set at a local playground. She tells him to stop wasting time and to look for Nagi. He mutters a few words, saying he has searched and it was over a “little squabble.” He continues being monotonous, saying that she left on her own and didn’t want to stay with him. Tsugumi is shaking and she explodes.

She yells at him and says that it’s is nonsense. She explains that Nagi has no where else to go and he is her only “family” so she does care about him.  Nagi wants Jin to come after her, possibly to prove their relationship. Tsugumi sighs over Jin’s naivety and cowardice; his face is literally stunned over her outburst but he realizes what he must do now.

He rushes off the swing and onto his bike. I love the song that plays here since it’s full of hope. Tsugumi catches hints via the internet of Nagi’s whereabouts and tells Jin. As he continues racing on his bike, Jin thinks of Suzushiro’s skeptical comments. Jin is glad he got to meet Nagi and had fun so it didn’t matter.

He cuts through a grassy field and gazes at Nagi, who is wearing a black dress. As the two confront each other, Nagi is shocked to see him but tries to walk around him. He grabs her arm, and even though she struggles, he turns to her to question her again. He says that she doesn’t remember anything and she lied about it to cover her own fear.

Epic showdown.

He suddenly turns her to face him and explains that he honestly doesn’t care about her past; however, he still believes that she is a god. He reminds her that he’s seen her as a child and cherishes the memories they share. She begins to cry, but feels that she is a god but is losing power. She collapses in tears and feels inferior for trying to preserve her pride. Jin, staying by her side, reassures her that they will find the answers together. She drowns herself in tears and rests on Jin’s chest.

As she calms down and the two share a warm feeling, a woman in a kimono approaches them. She says she’s happy that Nagi found her family. Her name is Shige, and she is cheerful seeing Jin again. She drags him away to point to where the Shinto shrine once stood. She asks if Nagi can remember, and at first she remains silent, but then can recall her memories. Shige reveals that she wanted to commit suicide after learning of her husband’s death in battle. She explains that she tied a rope to a tree, but it broke despite being sturdy. This was mentioned in the previous few episodes of how Kannagi saves people from hanging themselves. Overall, she is grateful for Kannagi watching over people, and she excuses herself from the two and wanders off into the distance.

Really peaceful looking..

Nagi explains that the woman was an early follower. The pair visit a funeral, which appears to be of Shige’s husband. Nagi questions if she should still call herself a god, as her memories are vague. As she begins to doubt herself, Nagi is surprised when Jin takes her hand and cheers her up. He wonders why she is hypocritical since before she claims she does remember and now she doesn’t. He isn’t bothered by it and will find answers eventually. The pair hold hands as she agrees with him.

JinxNagi ending, of course I am happy.

They’re finally home. Jin checks the answering machine, and Takako fusses over the confusion of their relationship. Akiba leaves a random message about Nagi’s show, and I giggled over Daitetsu’s multiple stutters over the phone. Even the pair laughs. Well, it’s awkward now, so Nagi says she’s going to bathe. Before she heads to the bathroom, she blushes and thanks Jin. He turns bright red and flusters, saying that it’s nothing. He turns away and clutches his heart.

He’s in the living room, and is actually having pervy thoughts. Good boy; you’ve finally reached manhood. He tries to distract himself by watching TV. Little Miss Zange is on, promoting her horrible new CD.

As Nagi bathes, she thinks about Jin. She steps out and realizes that she doesn’t have another set of clothes. She wraps up in a towel (hun, you know this is a bad idea with a now pervy boy in the house).

So yeah, you can tell what happens next. Jin walks right into Nagi, drops his glass drink, steps back, trips her, reaches out for her, and falls on top of her exposed body.

Yeah, no pictures of that action. I’m looking at you, Ric.

He blushes immensely and is too stunned to move. He attempts to apologize, but then Little Miss Tsugumi pops in. Bad timing for her, but gotta love her expression. I enjoyed hearing her head bump on the door, lol. Poor Tsugumi..

Priceless.

Tsugumi, crying, bolts from the house even though Jin calls for her. He claims it was a misunderstanding, but Nagi is enraged and tells the pervert to get off. She hits him for seeing her nude. Jin is dispirited as he didn’t even see the “crucial” parts. She covers up, winks at the fading camera, and Nagi mentions that he would make fun of her for her small breasts anyway.

And well, I don’t know how to explain this, but I love and hate the ending/series.

Love:

Striking animation: Whether it’s the fluttering hair or wild outbursts or subtle movements, the animation always is dynamic. It’s usually soft colors, which is also appealing to the eye. The faces are a laugh, and you can tell most of the time I screenshot faces; I just love how emotion is portrayed.

Admirable characters: I liked the character development in such a short amount of time; I really felt a connection to all of the characters. Nagi and Zange are probably my favorites, even though twin goddesses isn’t exactly original. At first, I hated Jin for being so indecisive (c’mon it’s a harem, show me some action) but he’s fun to pick at. Nothing superb, but we always need an ordinary character for simplicity. As you can tell, Tsugumi annoys me with the same reason but I’m glad she speaks up in this episode. She sacrifices her own feelings and worries about Nagi’s safety. It’s a shame that Akiba/Shino were somewhat neglected (they never even went over her open eye issue ._.).

Hysterical events: Most of the time, this show is hilarious. I just adore the squabbles between Jin and Nagi (she locks herself in the closet since he accidentally records over her show), and even his classmates (especially Takako and her strange fetishes as seen in the maid cafe episode) are funny too. Yeah, episodes I haven’t gone over. Don’t hurt me. I suggest you just watch the series on your own, as I can’t describe anything as fast well as I see it, so yeah, I totally recommend it if you’re not a fan already.

Hate:

Somewhat filler-ish: I’ve mentioned before how this series may seem slow and repetitive at times. Okay, they’re at school (yes, I understand, they’re all students but.. Maybe go to the shrine and learn something?). Okay, they’re at home watching cartoons (it works for Hamlet, but as far as I can tell, the cartoon within this cartoon is meaningless). Okay, they’re sulking (lol, overused word). I could be doing other things than watching the characters do silly things. This always peeves me off and it’s frustrating to blog as I like seeing action or supernatural things.

Empty plot: Um, I know it’s a romance/comedy, but after it establishes a plot, it pretty much ditches it and goes into the former antics. From my understanding, there were two spiritual trees being twin sisters. Nagi has a split personality, her godlike persona being Kannagi. Her tree was burned down but Jin sculpted a feminine figure which Nagi took form of. She can’t remember anything, but it is her duty to exorise black insect-like impurities or else evil things will happen. She can’t literally touch these critters, so that’s why she needs Jin’s help. This is the first time I mentioned it in my reviewing because yeah, that’s how rare it shows up in an episode. There was an early episode about an impurty hunt, so I’ll have to get around to it.

Ambiguity: Okay, the legend of Kannagi itself is obscure, but this ending answered nothing. Sure, they got back together and have finally realized their feelings for each other, but it should of dealth more about her past; I can’t really say much to this as it is a romance comedy. I believe a sequel is coming out possibly in 2010, but dayum folks, I’ll be going to college by then. I also wish they developed the twin’s relationship more than just fighting over Jin’s attention. No real cat fights, wtf? Both can kick ass but rarely make use of it (You’ll see Zange’s pwnage in episode 12). All in all, kinda too soapy for me, but I enjoyed the ride.

Angel’s Overall Rating for Episode 13: 7/10

Angel’s Overall Rating for Series: 8/10