Sasaki and Miyano Episodes 11 & 12 (Final Impression)

EPISODE 11

After Miyano had all of this time to come to his answer and actually tell Sasaki, about 6-7 months in fact, he’s finding that he’s having a hard time actually finding the opportunity to tell him. He finally has realized he in fact does have feelings for Sasaki, but actually having the courage to tell him is so much pressure. The ending left them shaky, but I hope that things get patched up quick.

It was so cute how differently Miyano looks at Sasaki now. Before he would just see him as his really cool senpai, but now the more he looks at him, the more cute he seems to him. He’s a lot more flustered around him, and a little awkward too. Mostly because his mind is constantly working out a plan for him to finally tell him his answer. It was funny watching him try over and over, but again it’s ironic he had all the opportunity in the world since summer (it’s now December/January), and how when he’s finally ready he can’t find any time because Sasaki is busy with studying and exams. He had the perfect chance during Christmas when they went to the exhibit, and I am kind of disappointed they didn’t show it. The “couples break up when getting together on Christmas” thing was silly but he was definitely stalling and trying too hard to find a perfect moment. I wonder how it’ll go what with the near-kiss at the end. Also the detail of Miyano switching his bag around so it wouldn’t hit Sasaki when they walk together IS SO CUTE!!! Such a cute little detail I never even noticed, but says so much about Miyano’s character. Just lovely.

I think the most interesting part of the episode however was the part with Hanzawa and his brother. I didn’t think we would get into that drama during this season but I guess so. I think it may have happened a little too fast, but it was fine. Hanzawa didn’t dwell on everything too much and ended up feeling more comfortable with Miyano and Sasaki’s relationship seeing how happy they are. Hanzawa didn’t exactly take the news too well when his older brother came out as gay to his family, apparently he had been pretty harsh towards him. We don’t really know how harsh he was since we never saw that particular confrontation between them, but it seems their relationship had gotten shaky. He didn’t accept it at first but soon he overcame his prejudice and saw how happy people can be despite being attracted to the same sex. I don’t exactly know whether he came to that change before Miyano and Sasaki’s relationship formed before him or afterwards, but it’s a positive change. I did kind of laugh when we saw the coming out as his brother was so nonchalant about it, as well as the other brother. And the mom was like “Wait was that a coming out? Huh, you’re gay too? Hmm okay.” She was so okay about it and there wasn’t that big a reaction from the other siblings as well either that I thought it was funny. Maybe some people may find it weird only because we’re so used to coming out moments being this grandiose thing in media, and in real life it can be for some people, but I actually liked how this show handled it with how casual it was. Coming out to your family should be normal and casual and I’m glad we got this whole segment in general, with Hanzawa accepting his brother and the two of them acting like regular brothers. It just felt so normal and I hope in the near future topics like this can be normalized.

Anywho, yeah thinking about it more, cutting out another Christmas moment really irks me. But why?!

EPISODE 12

Before moving on to the big moment of the episode, I just want to say how much I love Hirano and Hanzawa. Kuresawa and Tashiro didn’t do much this episode but Kuresawa did give Miyano the right train exit, but I love how supportive and accepting they are. And of course the same can be said about Hirano and Hanzawa, who more directly supported both boys. Hirano always went out of his way to smack some sense into Sasaki, and with him walking out on Miyano he was very much annoyed with him and did what he could to help. Hanzawa being the more calm guy with wise words, Hirano is more the “You idiot what are you doing?!” type, which I also appreciate lol. He even says at the end he’s not good with this stuff, but he’s helpful in his own way. Thanks Hirano.

Hanzawa and Miyano’s conversation was fantastic. It didn’t come off as too cheesy or in your face, it very much was a very real conversation. Their relationship isn’t going to be the most easy because of them being a same-sex couple. People are going to look at them weird and ask them strange things that they dare wouldn’t ask a opposite-sex couple, a point I’m glad he brought up because of how true it is. Only being able to relate on a family-level with his brothers, he imparts some words for Miyano but he very much believes that they’ll be okay and is in full support for them. Miyano’s response was also pretty uplifting. It really shows how serious he is about his feelings and their relationship that he’s fully prepared for those comments in life, but he cares about Sasaki more than he cares about what other people say. And dammit that is beautiful. While I did complain that I wish the side characters got a bit more depth, I am happy with what we got because they’re all just so charming. Hanzawa definitely got the best treatment, though.

When it comes to anime confessions, this probably had to be one of the most wholesome, romantic, and natural. I think I may have said this before in one of my reviews, but what I’ve really noticed during this whole confession and looking back on the show, everything is just straightforward. This show doesn’t have big drama and honestly it doesn’t need it. The conflict Sasaki had this time was that he felt horrible for almost kissing Miyano without his consent and again I LOVE THAT. Thank you Sasaki for understanding that’s not right, why can’t other romance anime do the same? If this were any other anime, this drama would definitely have conflated into something bigger and caused the characters the avoid each other and be awkward. Sasaki even considered putting distance between them but Hirano and Miyano nipped that crap in the bud and were proactive to end that and make things right. There’s a problem? Skip the bullshit anime drama, let’s fix it. Even just the way they speak with each other sounds so natural.

What I truly appreciate from the confession, other than how romantic and sweet it was, is that it absolutely felt like two awkward teenagers talking to each other. I loved how Miyano was true to his character with how formal he was, while also fumbling his words and the order of how he wanted to say them, Sasaki chuckling and laughing at how he spoke. Miyano bringing up not wanting their relationship to fall into dumb tropes like in BL. It was super genuine and heartwarming, both sweet and funny. Miyano said every single thing he wanted to tell Sasaki, including the fact that his reaction to the almost kiss earlier was that he didn’t hate the idea of it, he was just caught off guard. “I love that you always accepted me for who I am, accepted my interests, and didn’t make me feel weird. I love being around you and want us to stay that way” It can’t get better than that. And oh my gosh, Sasaki’s reaction to it. Him letting a happy tear slip out made me so happy, but again I laughed when he asked Miyano not to rush to this. Really showed how in happy disbelief he was to hear Miyano say those words. I love their characters, I love how straightforward they are, and I love that Sasaki asked Miyano if it was okay to hug and kiss him. Sasaki is so careful around Miyano and doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable or push him away, just like he thought he did before, and that just shows how much he truly cares about him. I’m just so happy. The hug was sweet, the kiss(es) was sweet, and Sasaki asking him out like how he did in the first episode of the show is just AAAH! Truly one of the cutest romances recently. And thank fuck they finally exchanged numbers. I love how Hirano again got pissed they took forever to get each other’s numbers, basically what I kept thinking this entire season. Finally, we’ve reached this point and it was extremely satisfying even though it took so long to get here. Ugh I’m so happy.

FINAL IMPRESSION

I know I sound like a broken record, but this anime was extremely wholesome, cute, and sweet. I can only say cute so many times without sounding repetitive. I’ve already said what I love about this anime plenty of times. The characters, Sasaki and Miyano’s relationships, the support of the side characters, the interactions, how this anime had tropes but then also did away with the more annoying tropes, and just how heartwarming it all was. I’m sorry I didn’t get this final review out sooner because this anime was a joy to watch each week in my crappy schedule. A lot of moments in this show straight up had me laughing and smile, and I most definitely had the goofiest smile for the entirety of the finale. Almost brought me to happy tears as well because of how moving it was. I had a fantastic time with this anime and I’m sad it has to end, but at least it ended on a really happy note.

That said, there are problems with the anime. I do like the side characters, but like I said before, some got more attention than others and I wish there were more to them, like Tashiro and Ogasawara. The story mostly revolved around Miyano and Sasaki so it was hard to include them without taking away from them, but I wish some of them had more depth.

If you don’t like slow burn anime, this anime might not be for you then because it is SLOW. And I don’t mind slow-burn romances, in fact I’m realizing I’m starting to prefer those more because I like the development more. But I won’t lie, this anime was torture because of how long it took to get to this moment. It kind of felt like each episode since the confession took my life force from me and by the time we got to the finale I was crawling my way here and was rejuvenated lol. The problem with this is that I felt like some episodes were starting to feel same-y and like filler, because not too much progress would happen and it would get a little frustrating. This can kind of be a turn off but since I was so invested in this couple and the anime is fun to watch anyways, I could put up with him. For others who aren’t as invested, it might be a make or break moment for them. Depending on how slow-burn romances go, it can be a good or bad thing. While it was tough, I still ended up enjoying myself but there are faults to it.

The first half did also feel repetitive in the sense that most of the time Sasaki and Miyano’s interactions were just at school. And it was just normal stuff like meeting up at class, or in the hallway. Not exactly the most interesting so it sort of felt static. Things did pick up in the second half with the cultural festival, the boys going to the movies, and then the Christmas date. That is what I had wanted, but it did take awhile just for the setting to get less boring. This might also have to be because of the direction and set up of the scenes. The animation for this show was pretty average to be honest. Studio Deen is pretty average when it comes to their animation, and kind of weird. They have a couple shows here and there that can look gorgeous and stylistic, another couple here and there that look butt ugly, and then most of their shows being in the middle. Sasaki and Miyano has the Deen problem where the shots weren’t all that interesting either. For example, here’s Sasaki and Miyano walking in the hallway. Here they are in the train again. Here they are sitting. Here’s a static close-up shot of their face, and some really cute chibi. And of course all the bright shoujo floating shapes and the backgrounds. Even the shots in the OP and ED are pretty standard stuff, like the walking and the characters shyly looking at each other. Not terrible or anything, but it could have been better. More dynamic shots, more symbolic shots. I just wanted something more. And you can see that there were moments where the animation looked…not too good, or just lazy. Damn it Studio Deen. However, there were definitely some shots that looked beautiful, all during the romantic moments like the confession, the fireworks scene, and Sasaki’s confession, and other moments too. So I’ll give credit where credit’s due.

But all in all, what a fantastic anime. I’m currently watching My Dress-Up Darling (it’s good) and when it comes to romance, I prefer this much more. This anime has faults and the other anime absolutely looks a lot better than this one, but I just had such a great time. I’ve already said what I said, it’s cute and just makes me smile. There’s no over-the-top drama, no anime bullshit, it’s just pure love. Genuine love between these two characters that is just contagious, that it makes my heart flutter. And I am just stoked that they’ve already announced another anime project for this series. I’m really hoping it’s another season so we can watch Sasaki and Miyano’s life as a couple now, but there is a spin-off Hirano story I didn’t know about that could possibly get adapted. I kinda want the second season more, but I’ll take what I can get. More Hirano would be pretty great too. Anyway, I’m sad this anime had to end since it brought a lot of joy for me but I’m happy with how it ended. A fantastic watch, fantastic romance, and a BL that anyone that’s not into the genre can get into. It’s just a really good romance story, plain and simple. Lovely show. 8.5/10