The Quintessential Quintuplets – Ep. 12 (END)

 

Deep down, I figured we’d be in for the usual non-ending. That’s always par for the course with anime adapting a manga with currently no ending in sight. But wow, the frustration that comes with non-endings really feels pronounced with The Quintessential Quintuplets. You’re really going to leave me hanging like that? Come on, who is the bride? WHO IS IT?!

Especially with the whole Miku or Ichika conflict, it feels like we’re in limbo. Miku decides she’ll (rightfully) make Futaro hers and oddly enough, by admitting she’ll work her way to victory, that actually makes Ichika at ease about her own feelings towards Futaro. That’s technically progress but you’re still left wondering how either character will follow through on what has recently happened. Will Miku muster the courage to confess to Futaro? Will Ichika still concede because she wants her sister to be happy? These questions still loom over my head. Oh well, maybe I should just be happy that Miku is starting to step out of her shell and that Ichika can finally enjoy some peace of mind for now.

To be fair, this whole campfire arc is about as good of a stopping point as it can get. It’s the first time some of the quints’ feelings towards Futaro creates conflict and progress is ultimately made across the board. And sure, it is clearly a tease for what’s to come later in the manga but damn is it a good tease. I mean, if just Miku versus Ichika (and I guess kind of versus Nino) is enough to conflict me then I can only imagine what it’ll be like when it’s also versus Yotsuba and Itsuki.

Speaking of Itsuki, this girl sure got her spotlight back. Lord knows that she needs it. Like I said in my last episode review, isn’t that I think Itsuki is a bad character. Rather, she has been horribly overshadowed by everyone else. And I must say that there is something amusing to learn that she has been impersonating Ichika for much of this episode and the one before it. I mean, this is the second time Itsuki has impersonated one of her sisters in order to get closer to Futaro. It’s almost like she knows that in order to become Best Girl, she has to steal someone else’s thunder.

I joke but I do get why Itsuki feels the need to put on a disguise. After such a rough beginning with Futaro and given her own reservations, it must be awkward to try and befriend him, let alone get to know him. In a way, it would be easier for her to impersonate Miku or Ichika because either of those two already have a strong rapport with Futaro. When Futaro takes the wig off, he comments how Itsuki is awkward and struggles to follow through something all the way. It’s true; if Itsuki really wants to know if Futaro is a nice guy then she really just need to confront him as herself. Hopefully, she’ll take that lesson to heart.

Is it a cop out that Futaro is bedridden and can’t dance at the campfire with anyone? A little bit. Going to be honest, I really wanted to see Futaro dance with both Miku and Ichika like Miku initially pitched. What an ideal scenario that would be. To be fair, what we got instead is pretty great. Everyone has their own reasons to wish Futaro well and they all gather to hold Futaro’s hand to send some positive energy. It’s a really wholesome scene though there is a kicker in that the hand holding happens in parallel to the campfire dance. So by technicality, they more or less fulfill a supposed condition to tie their fates to Futaro’s.

Of course, there can only be one lucky winner but it’s futile to even guess who the bribe is. She does resemble Miku the most but Futaro wearing his good luck charm throws me off since that only bears significance to Nino. There is also the fact that the quints all look the same growing up. Who’s to say, they don’t look identical again as adults? And no, I doubt there is anything fancy about the bride’s identity. Like, this is all a McGuffin and what truly matters is that the Nakano sisters are people Futaro holds dear to his heart. At some point, Quintuplets aims to reveal who he chooses and the anime just happens to have the misfortune of not getting far enough in that respect. The only sure way to know is to read the manga, provided that it reaches its conclusion.

And honestly, unless a second season gets greenlit soon, I’m really tempted to just pick up the manga which is something I never thought I’d say when I started watching the anime. I’m not really a harem fan but to my own surprise, I really came around to liking The Quintessential Quintuplets. A lot of that attachment owes to Miku and Ichika, those two alone are great, but overall, the cast is pretty solid across the board. I’ll admit that some episodes early on are a little pedestrian but by the end, I’ve become really invested in the story. So there you go: The Quintessential Quintuplets is a worthwhile anime…and darn it, I need to know who the bride is.

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Watch The Quintessential Quintuplets on Crunchyroll & Funimation.

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