And you thought there is never a girl online?

Episode 12

The series finale has arrived, and as you might expect from the way the previous couple of episodes played out, it completely resolves the siege warfare arc. It does not, however, do anything concrete to wean Ako off her assertion that there isn't much difference between reality and the game, nor does it even address her deep-seated problems. Apparently that will either be dealt with later in the source novels or given up on entirely. In fact, things are muddled further when Hideki refers to Ako as his wife outside of the game at one point, though the show does (weakly) come back to its “there's a difference between the game and reality” claim at the very end.

But it does, at least, satisfactorily resolve its most recent storylines. The business with Wallenstein did not sit well with anyone last week, so now the Alley Cats are doing it their way. The team-up with Nekohime's loyalists gives them the manpower, and the use of gi (essentially giant robots) gives them the firepower needed to breach their target castle's defenses. Nakano proves her worth by providing a timely distraction, allowing Akane and Master (with pumps from Nekohime and Ako) to do their thing. As a result, it's a full-team effort at their own hands, as it always should have been. Defending against Wallenstein's expected assault is the much trickier part, but the Alley Cats have some aces up their sleeves there too, such as characters making timely sacrifices to absorb the use of Wallenstein's skills. They also have an advantage in not actually having to defeat Wallenstein, just keep them from defeating the Alley Cats.

In essence, their entire strategy comes down to exploiting game mechanics, but there's nothing wrong with that. This is a series about online gaming after all, so it's only fitting. It also allows a few minutes to wrap up other matters, such as the Cultural Festival and how Hideki and Akane relate to each other. Akane has previously indicated at least some feelings for Hideki, but she's held off on them because of Ako. Perhaps because of that, she seems especially pleased when Hideki refers to her as a partner. That's satisfying in its own way too.

So in the end, the series doesn't at all accomplish what it set out to do, but that might not matter. Everyone is a bit more comfortable with themselves and gets to have some fun, and that (along with innocuous fan service, of course) is enough to make the show a mild success overall.

Rating: B

And you thought there is never a girl online? is currently streaming on Funimation.