Tension is at its highest with the events that transpired in the previous episode. How will the Nakano siblings continue with their Kyoto trip knowing all of them wants some alone time with Futaro? The second season of The Quintessential Quintuplets comes to a close with its 12th and final episode and it was just perfect in every sense. Read on as we dissect the episode and give our overall thoughts for the entire season. We also have a fan theory as to who the bride could be. “Sisters War: Part 2” covered Chapter 83 up until half of Chapter 86 and ended with the first few sections of Chapter 68.
Quick Recap
Here’s what you’ve missed from the previous episode:
It’s the first day of the Kyoto Trip; the Nakanos have been grouped together as per usual while Futaro is with Maeda and Takeda
Yotsuba split the groups in two so she can help Miku to confess her feelings to Futaro
Ichika tries to sabotage the confession by dressing up as Miku but was caught by Yotsuba and the real Miku
Understanding what Ichika was trying to do, Yotsuba called her older sister out and blurted out Miku’s plan without knowing Futaro was right behind them
Miku ran away because of embarrassment and tension rose to boiling point amongst the Nakanos
You can read the full review of the previous episode here.
Great Sign of Appreciation
We’ve marveled at how architecturally accurate the previous episode was. This one is no different as the characters continued with their school trip by visiting another tourist attraction called the TOEI Kyoto Studio Park. It’s quite commendable for Negi Haruba to share the rich culture of Japan through his art - a great sign of appreciation for one’s heritage.
For people who haven’t visited the country, you might want to include these locations in your personal itinerary once it’s all safe to travel. But for people who have already been there, doesn’t this episode just take you back? Personally, both the past episode and this one made us miss Japan a little extra.
The Season in General
The entire season revolved around the event that started it all for the main characters. A previous trip to Kyoto where a photograph was taken of a young Uesugi Futaro and his first love which turned out to be, as revealed in the previous episode, Nakano Yotsuba.
With this as the foundation of the entire season, the show made sure that the audience had historical context right from the beginning as it focused more on the character development of the Nakanos in the present and how their relationships evolved as it intertwines with Futaro. But what made it even more interesting is the fact that the show did not focus on the identity of the girl in the photo. It seemed to be just a seed of thought that the author had planted to make sure the audience had that in mind. And it honestly works as the audience got hung up on guessing the true identity of that girl all season.
This alone is already a great premise in itself and though it might not appear as something out of the ordinary, it definitely captivated the audience with its creative delivery, great musical accompaniment, and relatable dialogues and events. It cannot get more harem than this as the audience bore witness to multiple relationships unravel among six characters.
Both at the Same Time
The season definitely ended with a bang as sparks flew in the most romantic and hostile way possible. Aside from Yotsuba, every single one of the Nakano Sisters had their own intentions of wanting to have some alone time with Futaro. In true creative fashion, the author made sure there was a seamless transition with how the events would turn out and how a particular quint would eventually get her alone time with the person most special to her.
The hostility already started in the previous episode, but it went real hard on this one as it was about the one truth that couldn’t be accepted because of all the lies that happened prior. It was so heartbreaking that one cannot help but feel for this character. Despite this, however, a great display of love for her sibling transpired as she acted as the key to her sister’s perfect moment.
I can still feel the fuzziness that I felt watching the episode as I write this section of the review because the entire sequence of events definitely made my heart melt. As a certified member of Team Miku, I cannot help but to root for the show’s best girl (again, personal opinion). But what made everything more special was how and where everything happened.
We all know Miku has a great appreciation, almost an obsession, for the warlords of the Sengoku Period; so to have that special moment where the atmosphere resembled that part of history and share it with the person she has feelings for, took everything to even greater heights. But it doesn’t stop there folks, her sisters also worked behind the scenes to make sure Miku had her moment while almost completely disregarding their feelings toward the same guy. It was so wholesome and pure and with everything considered, it may have also been the single best highlight of the entire season. However, as perfect as that was, it was also very bittersweet as we witnessed such a heartbreaking and heartwarming scene both at the exact same time. Not to mention the fact that it also seemed like white flags were raised, for now at least.
Again, we cannot help but to applaud Negi Haruba for such a great storyline that was paced properly. The season started with such selfish intentions among the Nakano Sisters as they literally fight for Futaro’s love but it ended on such a selfless event with everyone supporting their sister to have that one perfect moment.
This was the perfect ending to such a great second season for The Quintessential Quintuplets. More often than not, the first season is always a hard act to follow but this one proved that wrong as it was as engaging as ever and it left the audience wanting more. We also love the fact that every event had depth whether it was in the scenes being portrayed or the dialogues being spoken. An anime like this contributes to the viewers’ outlook and perspective in life which, like it or not, affects us as a person.
As a conclusion to this review, here’s a little fan theory about that ending. As the show ended with the first few sections of Chapter 68, it showed the continuation of that cliffhanger from Episode 8 where a particular Quint was running towards Futaro to kiss him. The finale showed her to be Itsuki but this is where it gets interesting. Episode 8 was when they all went on vacation in the hot springs and this was the time when they all dressed up as Itsuki.
Ichika, at this time, was still at a point where she was unsure about how to act on her feelings so kissing Futaro at the end would not really make sense. Considering Miku got one of her happier endings in that episode, we also doubt she could be the one who tried to kiss Futaro. As for Itsuki, she already made sure that her relationship with Futaro was platonic during that conversation at the hot springs. And for Yotsuba, there was still no hint of romantic interest from her during that point in time.
That leaves us with Nino. This was the exact same episode when the Nino love train started to go full steam ahead as she got bolder and bolder (even joining Futaro in the mixed bath) to make him see her as a romantic partner. Since Futaro was so dense about her advances, this caused some frustration on Nino’s part. And judging from the expression that the particular Quint had as she tried to kiss Futaro, she looked pretty frustrated.
This is just a theory and again, I’m on Team Miku. So I’m all for a Futaro-Miku union but what do you guys think? Could it really be Nino?! Luckily, a third season has been announced so we all just have to wait and see.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
Negi Haruba showed great appreciation for his Japanese Heritage as the show continued to portray architectural landmarks from famous tourist spots in Kyoto.
The girl in the photo served as a seed of thought that kept the audience guessing her true identity all throughout the season; An effective way to keep viewers engaged
A heartbreaking and heartwarming scene was shown as Miku finally got her moment with the support of her sisters and at their expense at the same time
Season 2 has outdone Season 1 as it focused more on character and relationship growth and development compared to the previous season’s focus on introduction
Fan theory that the bride could be Nino
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