Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!

Episode 10

Episode 10 provides a soft launching for Komari and the literature club seniors.

I don't often use this word to sum up an episode, but this one was quite the cozy little outing. There is some interpersonal drama and realizations, a few mildly tense moments but nothing truly pressing. It is mostly a slowly advancing clock throughout the festival day broken up by character interactions, usually close one-on-ones and overheard conversations. This makes for a nice easy watch for the entire runtime and there are ample sweet moments and comedy beats throughout.

Perhaps the other major word for this episode would be closure. More than a few instances this week related to tying up loose ends. The emotional threads waving in the tumultuous school-age winds since Komari's confession on the trip are finally tended to and brought to a close. Komari gets a last moment with Tamaki—once she thinks she has cleverly orchestrated but perhaps not so—and also gets plenty of time with Nukumizu. It's a mix of kind gestures and heartfelt goodbyes along with passing the torch to the next generation. These are precisely the right emotional beats to hit in an autumnal episode as far as I'm concerned. The willingness to hold on to these threads in the background but give them a soft landing near the end of the season was very smart I think—hat's off to the creative team for the courage to let that simmer for so long.

And of course, it's just a gorgeously animated piece of weekly television. I repeated myself often in this regard, but it is a treat to see so many mundane activities and average people animated with affection and aplomb. School hallways and class pets, holiday costumes and everyday wear, recurring characters, and momentary passersby; in art and life the truism remains that there is nothing quite so beautiful as the simple things. Rating:

Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.