Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start With Magical Tools

Episode 12

The final moments of Dahlia in Bloom end on such an emotional note for me that it's almost too good for this series. Having Dahlia visit her father's grave and Wolf visit his mother's to profess their respect and desires was cathartic enough for me to forget all of the flaws embedded in this single cour. Suddenly, I didn't care how static the characters were, how abysmal the CG was, how the OP may have ripped off its opening chords from Laura Branigan's Gloria, or even that one scene where those infamously slanted shadows somehow clung onto Dahlia and Wolf as they moved around--I'm no physicist, but I'm pretty sure light and shading don't work that way. Whatever.

Admittedly, the majority of the episode doesn't contain anything too eventful. Dahlia and Wolf's attempt to make a slime-infused magical sword is stale until a magic egg causes them to trip out so hard they land in a fantasy ballroom sequence that seems like it's aping Beauty and the Beast. The next sequence has Madam Gabriella goading Dahlia into talking about marriage plans. Dahlia says she has no interest in romance, although based on both the aforementioned ballroom sequence and how she and Wolf walk out together in the show's final moments, it's obvious that the game of will-they-or-won't-they isn't going to drag on like that. When Dahlia's friends arrive at her dinner party for one final curtain call, I can't feel much for them, since they mostly exist as Dahlia's supportive friends and nothing more. There's not a whole lot of room in this episode for one final breath of tension, unless you count the magical sword wiggling on its own due to a supposed conflict between the types of magic embedded into it. However, as an episode that has all the makings of, well, a final episode, it is whimsical enough for things to be passable and fitting for a finale. Plus as a guy whose summer had him shrugging off the diet and exercise plan hard, I can say with confidence that the characters here were cooking in more ways than one, because that food looks delectable.

It takes the episode a long while to finally arrive at its graveyard scene, which, as brief and fleeting as it is, is one of the best sequences the show has to offer. On a technical level, it's not anything to write home about, since the animation and direction are still as stiff as ever. Yet there is a poignancy that is nonetheless welcome considering how bereft of any real emotional stakes the show has been. The acoustic guitar plays a very wistful A-major pianissimo riff over top of a lush environment, with the tranquility of the weather going together nicely with the scene's somber tone.

There is something delicate about how Dahlia and Wolf “speak” to their respective parents' headstones. Wolf confessing to his dead mother his ultimate desire to protect the people he wants to protect is something universal; we all have those people, be they friends, families, or communities, that are so close and dear to us that we're willing to do anything and everything to see their continued smiles. Dahlia's tribute to her dad is even more sentimental, as she is seen participating in her father's favorite pastime: drinking. The way she pours two big splashes of wine and communicates with him beyond the grave is heartwarming. She's not just paying respects, she's recreating the fond moments she had with him as if he is still there with her. It's not anything too overtly tender, yet there is a real weight to it that makes her father's presence felt. It's a proper way to conclude both Dahlia's character arc and makes for a sweet send-off to conclude the series.

In a week marked by the tragic loss of Nicholas, there's something tragically poetic about a series that ends with characters paying respect to their deceased loved ones. I did not know Nicholas, but I understand the legacy he left behind and the lives he touched. Watching the last episode of Dahlia in Bloom during such a time is a reminder that tomorrow never knows, nor is it guaranteed.

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Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start With Magical Tools is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.