Labeling this episode review is a bit tricky. Do I call this episode a season finale or the series finale? It is technically the last traditional TV episode of the series but obviously the true finale is the movie and the last thing produced for the anime is the special. The special is going to air in two parts so I guess I should label the second part as the series finale instead of this last episode of Season 2.
Putting that aside, let’s start with overall impressions. I really enjoyed The Quintessential Quintuplets 2, more so than the original season. One big reason I can think of right now is that this season makes better use of the quintuplets. Miku still carries this show as always. Nino redeemed herself to the point that I’m actually comfortable with the idea of liking her and rooting for her (and I genuinely thought that’d be impossible). Ichika…had a very interesting role this season. Yotsuba still feels a bit overshadowed but I always find her entertaining and she does have some really great moments in this season. Itsuki is the only one I’d still call a weak link but she does have her moments and I wouldn’t go as far as say I hate her. Simply put, this season struck a better balance in highlighting the harem and that made for a more compelling experience, especially from Episode 4 onwards. Also, I’m really glad I chose to come back to covering this show in episode reviews. Back in Winter 2021, I thought it’d be fine to drop this series of posts but it ended up being a lot of fun recapping and unpacking Season 2.
So last episode ended with Itsuki revealing that Yotsuba is the original Rena (I say “original” because at this point, the exact identity of this façade is complicated). What does the show do with this bit of info during the finale? Nothing! Yotsuba tells Itsuki that she has “no reason” to tell Futaro the truth and she continues to keep it a secret. It’s a baffling move after the show spent so long teasing the mystery and using it at as great bookend to the penultimate episode. I will say however that Yotsuba’s hesitance and silence is interesting. When the Rena mystery was first introduced, I was afraid it’d be an easy path for the quints to become the bride and it would undermine all the stuff happening in the present. That may still be the case in the end but at least for now, the show is aware that Rena’s identity is a big power move. Perhaps Yotsuba is keeping the truth to herself because she is aware of this issue. As soon she tells Futaro the truth, she immediately becomes a participant in the race and she might make the others unhappy.
You know who else realizes that Rena is a power move? Ichika. Somehow, this girl is not done with lowering the bar she’s set for herself. She first invites Futaro out for a walk, the same pathway he and Rena took six years ago. Despite the pain she caused to Miku, she dresses up as her sister once again, as if the events of last episode didn’t happen (or Ichika chucked her heart out of the window and then steamrolled it). That alone is a horrible move but that’s not the only thing Ichika does here. She also claims to Futaro that she’s Rena. Taking advantage of Miku’s feelings is one thing but taking advantage of Futaro’s? The man she loves? I’m at a loss for words. Fortunately, Futaro doesn’t fall for it. He has every right to be mad in this moment. Even if he has let go of Rena, that day he spent with her is still a precious memory and taking advantage of that is a serious line to cross.
Oddly enough, this episode later reveals that Ichika did indeed meet Futaro all those years ago. The two apparently met and hung out while Yotsuba was chatting with the other quints and Futaro mistook Ichika as the same girl. This is a weird move, to be honest. The fact that Ichika kept impersonating Miku in the present day puts this scene in a bad light. Rather than thinking this is a cute moment that makes me feel bad that Ichika is screwing the pooch, I instead look at this and think that Ichika has been manipulating to victory since the very beginning. Also, even if Ichika did meet Futaro all those years ago, she technically is still lying to him in the present since Yotsuba is the one Futaro would be looking for. So to be frank, I don’t think this scene works as intended.
Back at the hotel, the quintuplets discuss how to de-escalate the conflict between them. Since the last day of the Kyoto trip is divided into 5 courses, the girls agree to each pick a different one and leave it to luck if they get to spend the day with Futaro. Before discussing with the girls, Ichika overheard which course Futaro is going to take so she writes that one as her choice. Given recent events, I honestly did think that Ichika was up to no good for the millionth time. The show certainly had me fooled with that evil looking smile she gives. Imagine my relief when Ichika deliberately trades her pick with Miku’s, guaranteeing her sister one more chance to confess to Futaro. Thank the heavens, she’s redeeming herself!
After what happened last episode, Miku is too afraid to interact with Futaro again. Fortunately, the other quints have snuck into the area to give Miku a much needed push. Obviously, Ichika stands out the most because of all the damage she caused last episode. In a funny bit of irony, Nino has Ichika impersonate Miku at a shop so that she can wear a costume alongside Futaro. That’s a nice reversal to Ichika’s past schemes and it’s the kind of playful trick that the girls are meant to do in the first place. Ichika also provides Miku with the lunch she made for Futaro, allowing Miku to accomplish what she set out to do before the trip started and end her impromptu date on a strong note. Liking Ichika again feels awkward but to give credit where it’s due, she does redeem herself and repair her relationship with Miku by the end of the episode.
Nino also has an interesting moment during Futaro and Miku’s hangout. Watching those two causes her feel jealous and Nino realizes that she could’ve gone down the same route as Ichika did. This leads to her apologizing and reconciling with Ichika. Now, there’s still a big difference in that Nino didn’t actually trample on Miku’s trust and feelings but I guess she’s not entirely wrong here. That Nino reacts this way worries me, to be honest. Nino said last episode that she’d accept losing Futaro to someone else but this scene has me thinking otherwise.
So here’s something that irks me. Miku’s date with Futaro goes very well, in part to her sisters’ assistance. She fulfills her wish of giving Futaro a lunch she herself made. It’s the perfect time for her to confess her feelings to him and she very much does so…only to then play it off as an affirmation of love to her sisters, who she realizes is hiding in the house behind Futaro. You got to freaking kidding me. Miku had it! She could’ve won. Why must this show do this to me? I guess to be fair, Miku needs to reconnect with her sisters, especially Ichika, and this scene is a good enough excuse to do that. But goddamn it! Miku had it! The show could’ve ended there or cut to the wedding and I’d be more than okay with that.
After his date with Miku, Futaro reconciles with Ichika. Ichika gives Futaro a kiss on the cheek and she more or less tells him that her feelings towards him is a “lie”. Obviously, that’s a lie in and of itself but I think Ichika playing her feelings off as such is her conceding in the race. Ichika burned so many bridges the past couple of episodes that she must think she no longer has a chance with Futaro so better to move on than to try again. The Ichika fan in me is sad about this development but after what Ichika did, this is the best conclusion for her arc. That said, there is feature-length movie left in this series and it kind of needs Ichika to do something so who knows if this is actually it for her.
As the credits roll, we find out that Maeda is the one who took pictures of the quintuplets last episode. He wasn’t actually peeping on them, he was just trying to get pictures of the girls per Futaro’s request. I’m kind of glad this subplot is revealed be more innocent in nature but what is the point of this, exactly?
Like with Season 1, Season 2 ends with a brief look at Futaro’s future wedding with one of the quintuplets. I love that the dialogue is almost entirely written in text so you can rely on the voice actors to give away who the bride is. The scene seemingly reveals that Futaro had his first kiss with the bride in the Bell of Vows scene back in Episode 8. The girl kissing Futaro appears to be Itsuki but bear in mind that the girls all dressed up as Itsuki during this point in time so while I could invoke Occam’s razor here, this scene really isn’t much of a hint in regards to the bride’s identity. Besides Itsuki, I say Nino or Miku are the most likely candidates. I’ll be shocked if it’s Ichika considering that the show just had her accept that she’s lost. Given Yotsuba’s character, I doubt it’s her though it would be very interesting if she is the one who kisses Futaro. It’d be as if she briefly gives into whatever feelings she has for him. I suppose it’s kind of silly for me to speculate. The movie is next for me to watch so I’ll know soon enough who the lucky girl is and how this series ends.
Watch The Quintessential Quintuplets 2 on Apple TV and Crunchyroll
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