Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy – S2 12 – Not Too Late to Apologize

After a bear attacks one of the orcs as a warning, Makoto investigates the deep forest and meets huggable bear, a surprisingly reasonable pack of wolves, and an ever larger bear, essentially the ruler of the forest. Once Makoto makes clear he has no plans for conquest and only wants to be friends, the animals are open to coexistence.

While Makoto is scolding Tomoe and Komoe for picking too many persimmons, another animal friend appears: a giant bird that shrinks to the size of a pigeon to speak to Makoto. Introducing himself as “Boulder Bird”, once Makoto compares it to “roc bird”, he adopts that name going forward. In these guardians of the forest, he’s gained subjects, not to be confused with followers like Tomoe, Mio, and Shiki.

Back in Rotsgard, Jin and Abelia dress up and go out for drinks. Abelia wants to pump Jin for info on Shiki at first, but it become apparent they both want to have another go at the demidragon before summer break is out. We learn a lot from the two. Abelia has no family or home to speak of since her mother passed, so maintaining high enough marks to stay in school is key.

As for Jin, he admits he has a village to go home to, but he left it with a bad taste in his mouth. Another resident of the village, an orphan girl named Miranda, was his first love, mostly because she was so much stronger than him. But when they discovered a giant chimera in a remote barn while on patrol and she seemed to take pleasure in tearing it to pieces, Jin called Miranda a “monster”, and she ran into the woods, never to be seen again.

While he was only a punk kid, how he left things with Miranda never sat right with Jin. So he vowed to work hard enough to get scouted by the academy so he could become strong enough that when he saw Miranda again he could apologize. To that end, thanks to Makoto providing them with one, the whole group, Jin and Abelia included, manage to bring down the demidragon as a sign that they are becoming stronger together.

As for Miranda, well, we know her: she grew up to be Sofia Bulga, the tough-as-nails warrior that nevertheless was squashed by Makoto once he got serious back in season one. Having returned to the abandoned barn where she and Jin last saw one another (and indeed, she momentary wonders whether he’s still alive), she vows to track down her creator, Luto, and “absorb” him, no doubt to become strong enough to defeat Makoto. Good luck with that, kiddo: he’s got a slime suit now!

Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! – 12 (Fin) – Cool Like You

This finale starts, somewhat surprisingly, with Tsubasa and Minami sharing a hotel room together. Turned out they missed the last bus home because they read the weekday schedule on a weekend (I’ve done that too many times to count). But when Tsubasa calls his dad, he tells him a friend has a hotel he’s welcome to stay at to spend more time with his friend.

Whether his dad knows this friend is a girl or not, it’s clear his dad is looking out for him. His and Minami’s date essentially continues with a sumptuous dinner. Then Minami takes her shower first, and Tsubasa fantasizes about her coming out in a towel and kissing him. Instead, she comes out fully dressed, and he’s already fallen asleep.

Minami leaves him a note and leaves, presumably having been picked up by her mom. The next we see her, she’s dropping in on Sayuri, who was hanging with her kohai friend and her friend. Minami has her carry-on, so she must be on her way to the airport. She thanks Sayuri for the advice she gave, and is determined to come back from studying abroad “just as cool” as she and Tsubasa and Rena are.

Tsubasa, meanwhile, has spend much of break holed up in his room, believing from the note that Minami didn’t like him anymore. But when a little pink hairpin falls out of his backpack, Tsubasa takes it as it was intended: a little push he needs. Sayuri texts Tsubasa like the good friend she is, and fortunately for Tsubasa his dad’s able to reschedule a meeting and drive him to the airport.

Minami’s mom can tell her daughter is nervous about her impending trip abroad, but that’s not all. Minami is also watching her phone and waiting for Tsubasa to say goodbye. She’s walking into the departure lounge when he finally makes it, taking her by the arm before she leaves. He tells her he came to return her hairpin (just as she’d planned), but that’s not all.

He had to see her again before she left, because he wanted her to know just how happy he was to move to Hokkaido and meet her, and that whenever she comes home—six months, a year—he’ll be waiting for her. That’s when Minami tells him she’s be gone for—wait for it—two weeks. That’s it! Tsubasa totally misunderstood, but now that he knows she won’t be gone long. The relief washes over him, and he can wish her good luck with a genuine smile on his face.

He no doubt counts the days when Minami will be back, and on the day of her return, she’s late for class, arriving as the teacher is takng attendance. Tsubasa doesn’t wait until lunch, but hands her the gift of her favorite konbini chicken, which she starts munching on and even feeds him. I love how they’re just in their own little world. Not even the teacher making them stay after class can harsh their vibes. Minami’s back; that’s what matters!

While initially I wanted a confession to come out of this finale, the urgency of that was based on the fear she’d be gone a long time. Since she’s back after two weeks, there’s no rush there. It was actually a wonderfully stress-relieving revelation. All I ever asked of this show was to make me smile and experience some nice feels, and it never disappointed.

Your RABUJOI “Wake the F*** Up” Song of the Day: “Psychological Warfare”

It’s a slower track, but whenever I heard this in OverLord I knew some scheming was afoot, and that guitar rif is epic, so I can say without qualifications that this is a theme to wake up to and get some shit figured out!