Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru Kan - Episode 12 [END] - 10 Second Anime

Hachiman and Yukino organize a joint-school prom and begin a new school year together. Series Finale.

Episode 12 – “My Teen Romantic Comedy is Wrong, as I Expected.”

Hmm.

Oregairu gave us a satisfying final episode and a great way to say goodbye to our beloved characters who think and feel too much, but never say those words to each other. Well, they’re doing that now and not even hiding their feelings. There were three key scenes that showed us what Hachiman, Yukino, and Yui will be like as friends who are open and honest with each other. Hachiman’s scene where he offered his hand to help Yukino stand up from a bench showed he was now happy to be predictable and predictive, but still enjoyed the moment. Previously, he would have avoided a situation like that because he craved something to surprise his cynical self.

I liked Yui’s scene with Iroha where they openly talked about trying to steal Hachiman away from Yukino by making him take responsibility for a drunken situation. That kind of talk fit Iroha’s personality because she was the one who made a big deal about taking responsibility for how he made her feel. However, that scene also showed Yui’s growth because she didn’t deny that she liked Hachiman. Almost all her drama over the three seasons dealt with her trying to be loyal to Yukino as a friend by suppressing her attraction and genuine care she felt for Hachiman. That’s all in the past for her now.

Yukino’s key scene was the obvious one. She told Hachiman she loves him. That’s it. Three years of drama ruining a teenage romantic comedy ended at that moment.

Heh.

Hachiman got exactly what he wanted – spending time with Yukino working on a project together is how these two have a relationship and go on dates. Every couple needs a shared interest to break the ice. I think all the blushing and compliments means we're working with crushed ice between Hachiman and Yukino already.

Har. Iroha is flipping the nerds' M switch on. Just look at all these people who claim not to want to help Hachiman but they're here anyway. Huh. So this is what a slice-of-life comedy with Hachiman would look like without any relationship drama. Oh my. Oregairu never stops trying to turn Saika into a trap. He's the only "boy" covering up his chest in the sauna. Tobe is insightful in his own way. He picked up on Hachiman and Yukino's changed relationship status.

Iroha's manipulative man-eater ways haven't changed at all. Yui and Iroha will have fun times together with Komachi in high school. Perhaps Komachi will have a spinoff series. Uh oh. Mrs. Yukinoshita totally wants Hachiman for a son-in-law now. Uh, I don't think Haruno is wearing any underwear...

This is the farewell scene we deserved for Shizuka-oneesama. The metaphor for connections in the final Oregairu episode is all the ways holding hands have different meanings. Hachiman held hands with Yukino and Shizuka. I think we got the final results for the rankings in Hachiman's harem. Yukino is #1 and Shizuka is #2. Iroha and Yui still fight for that 3rd place podium.

Nice. Komachi is the president of the official Service Club and she already has two members, whether they wanted to join or not. Yui is the first client and her problem may take a long time to solve. Maybe a lifelong service plan will be on offer for Yui's issue of being in love with her best friend's almost-boyfriend. Sounds like a messed up teenage romantic comedy. Who would want to watch that?

Final Thoughts.

Here’s a quote from what I wrote at the conclusion of Oregairu’s second season.

John Donne wrote that "No man is an island," and Hachiman's story is his own meditation on what that means.

The theme of that season five years ago was Hachiman realizing he needed a connection to other people and those people needed their connection to him. This season, with Haruno’s pronouncement of Hachiman’s love triangle as an unhealthy relationship, the theme became one of discovering whether people can be too much connected to each other. The answer for Hachiman, Yukino, and Yui was the same one it always has been – be open and honest about your feelings with yourself and with your loved ones. Worrying about hurting someone else ends up hurting them more.

Just as these three came to the beginning of their healthier relationships, Oregairu ends. As expected, the story from now on will be a slice-of-life comedy, all those characters are too funny not to have comedic adventures, and it will no longer be a wrong teenage romantic comedy.

I’m going to miss how much these teenagers talked around their problems instead of about them. This last season, we saw that the only person Hachiman tried to make hate him was Yukino’s mother, but he didn’t do a good job of that at the end. Hachiman is a lovable guy when he doesn’t rely on sneaky tricks. It’s called “diplomacy” when his machinations are out in the open. Mrs. Yukinoshita needs to keep an eye on that young man. That’s expected, fitting, and not funny at all. It’s absolutely satisfying.