It’s very, very easy to say Relica is a bitch and leave it at that. It’s also tantalizing because she sure sucks, especially since we learn that she’s known all along to torture Zhima for her own twisted gratification. He told She didn’t follow him to that infamous party, which puts the blame entirely on Lilyka herself, and she’s jealous that Shimo is at a good high school, trying to live her best life while she’s in trouble, which again blames Her own poor choice. It was enough when she scared his mother away and was recklessly proud of herself. but like this To write her off would be to ignore the whole point of being a series. This story doesn’t just love its characters, it respects them and takes care to make sure we see them not just as “characters” but as people. Sure, some unpleasant people feel like cardboard villains, but that’s not what this story is about. Lilyka sucks, but she has a reason for being so. She was terrified of losing Shimo, and the only way for her unhappy self to catch him was to torture him. This is what Kasahara might have become if she hadn’t learned her lesson. Lilica did learn this (or at least started to learn it) this week when Shimo told her that he would no longer punish himself for her pain. But she was forced to know this knowledge. Ririka’s main problem is that she doesn’t want to grow because she is afraid of what will change and what (or who) she will lose. at a To some extent, this is also Shima’s problem. As he marvels at Sammi’s ability to bounce back and her full awareness of her own shortcomings, he’s admiring something he didn’t have the guts to do. Although he doesn’t admit that he wants his mom to stay and watch his school play, he eventually realizes that he’s been hiding something he wants behind an anxious and affable exterior. It’s not that he wants to be the one who agrees to everything, it’s that he’s afraid of not become. I don’t know if we can say that Sammi definitely gave him the courage to really think about himself and what he wants, but she did show him the way. When he finally runs to meet his class friends, his stride is truly alive, and for the first time he looks like what he was: a kid still figuring things out. Sammi helped him find this, and he knew it. The last of the series Chapter adaptation of the manga’s fourth volume (eight books have now been published, seven of which are in English), may have shifted the focus from Mitsumi to Shima, but she remains the heart and soul of the series. Her ability to insist on being herself is her greatest strength, even if she doesn’t realize it. She’s like a reverse manic pixie dream girl – sure, she’s kind of weird, but she’s not self-consciously weird, and when you take it seriously, you realize she’s never been anyone else but herself. She’ll do stupid things and worry about how she’ll impress others, but she’s just Sanmi,that’s enough. As the ending credits say, she’s good at picking herself up, and she’s good at getting out of trouble. This is an excellent recipe for moving forward. Would be nice to see more closures here? Sure, but that would sacrifice a faithful adaptation of the source material, and that would be too bad. The ending is great, and we can be sure the characters will move on. Of course, they will fall, and Shima still has a lot to figure out, but now he has a loyal anteater to protect him from monsters, and a new understanding of who he is and what he wants to do. I can assure you that the manga is just as good as the anime, so be sure to pick it up when we’re hoping for a second season. Keep going and wipe yourself off when you fall. Rating:
©Misaki Takamatsu, Kodansha/”Skip and Loafer” Production Committee
