At the end of the last episode, Yohane’s magic appears to have restored some of the forestry back to normal but there was one curious shot where the calamity appears to be still be in effect. As such, the finale is spent getting rid of it once and for all. Naturally, this involves gathering all the members of the technically unnamed idol group back for one final music performance. The end result speaks for itself but I think given Yohane’s growth and Lailaps giving her the rest of her powers, I can buy this performance getting the job done compared to the one five episodes ago.
There’s certainly a climatic atmosphere to the MV. I mean, the girls are literally performing high up in the sky with Yohane’s magic presumably working overtime with the amount of graphical effects on the display. It doesn’t get any more epic than that in Love Live!. One detail I really enjoy is that the calamity actually stops the MV partway through, trapping Yohane in a bubble and reverting the girls back to their normal attires. The performance resumes when Yohane hears everyone call out to her. One detail that I find really cheesy is the townsfolk joining Aqours(?) during the encore but this is Love Live! I’m talking about here. Of course it’ll get cheesy at times. This MV is also a bit sentimental. I don’t know if it sounds as bittersweet as the last song in the Sunshine!! movie but this could very well be the last one performed by Aqours as far as the anime is concerned so it’s poignant in that sense.
The second half of the episode details the aftermath. Everyone is doing their own part in restoring Numazu back to normal. Yohane is of course saved for last and it turns out that she decided not to audition again at Tokai. Part of me did think she might follow through on it after she regained her confidence and saved the day but I get her reasoning behind her decision. She doesn’t need the audition to prove her worth and having attached to Numazu, she would like to play her part in helping it recover. It’s a very natural conclusion to her arc. Of course, this decision doesn’t put an end to Yohane’s music career as she and her friends decide to form an idol group together. Maybe they can find a school to save from closure. That should be easy to do considering that they just saved the whole darn town.
How strange that Saint Snow makes a cameo at the end. I was wondering if Leah and Sarah exist in this universe. While I am glad to see that confirmed, it’s a bummer that this is all we get with them. Also, I can’t help but think it’s a wasted opportunity to not make Leah a fairy. That seems like an obvious thing to do given the parallels she had with Ruby during Sunshine!!.
Will this show get renewed for a second season? With Love Live‘s popularity, I suppose it’s possible. The ending is pretty conclusive but the writer(s) could probably come up with something new. I’d be very surprised to see YOHANE renewed, however. Nijigasaki and Superstar!! are both in production and Lantis and Sunrise are presumably going to make an anime for franchise’s fifth generation. It’s hard to see where YOHANE could fit in. That said, this franchise’s output has been strange these past couple of years so who knows.
But anyway, I reach the end of YOHANE THE PARHELION. In the end, I think I still prefer Sunshine!!. The parent show has its issues but it’s still very charming and I’m overall more attached to that version of Aqours compared to their fantasy counterparts. Still, this has been a fun series. I enjoyed seeing the cast reinterpreted in a fantasy setting, often with very amusing results and even if some of those aren’t utilized to their fullest. I especially have to hand it to the show in that it successfully reinvented one of my least favorite characters in Sunshine!!. This version of Yoshiko has a way better arc compared to the original. Also, it’s nice hearing more music from Aqours. Sunshine!! has a pretty solid soundtrack so I’ll gladly take more where that came from.
YOHANE may be over but I personally still have Love Live! series to catch up. Next up on the list is Love Live! Superstar!!, the fourth iteration in the franchise that started back in Summer 2021. Goodbye Aqours and hello Liella.
Watch YOHANE THE PARHELION -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR on Crunchyroll
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