Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night had a couple of plot threads left to address, perhaps more than it should’ve at this point in the story. For what it’s worth, I think the writer’s room came up with a very clever way to resolve of it. By having, JELEE collaborate with Yukine and the Sunflower Dolls, you allow for Kano to reconcile with Mahiru, the Dolls, and Yukine. It would also allow her to finally overcome her inner demons for good. That Yukine would agree to such a pitch is perfectly believable. If it’s good for business, she’d do it (and in the beginning of this episode, Mahiru does a good job pitching it to her). Really, the only one who’d hesitate would actually be Kano since she isn’t very confident right now but even that can be handwaved. The concept is there to wrap everything up neatly with a bow.
As for the execution, this is where mileage might vary. The major story beats are fine. Kano freezes up at the event due to her shaky resolve, the loss of JELEE giving anonymity, and her fear of people judging her for her past as Nodoka. Mero redeems herself a bit by telling Kano to look at the art Mahiru illustrated for the event. Mahiru has drawn various sea creatures, effectively fulfilling Kano’s goal of creating an aquarium in Shibuya. As Kano, everyone shows her support by opening up blue umbrellas, fulfilling something Kano wanted a couple of episodes. Kano and Mahiru reunite in a very cute and heartwarming moment. As the event credits play, Kano is moved by the fact that Yukine credited her as Kano and not Nodoka. All of this is more or less how I’d want things to go and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t satisfying to some degree.
And yet, I feel this could’ve been done better. The big fundamental issue here is Kano’s recent character development. I like Kano but this girl has been running in circles over her reason to sing. First, it was her mother. Then, it was Mahiru. Then, it was the fans. At times, it feels like she’s alternating between each muse. I could accept Kano being stuck in a loop but the thing is, the finale kind of struggles to have her pin down a motivation. She says in dialogue that she wants to sing to help people be happy but what actually got her out of her funk is Mahiru’s drawings (again) and what gives her the biggest catharsis is her mother finally acknowledging her. I know Mahiru and Yukine technically count as people but it doesn’t feel like Kano has gotten over her high levels of attachment to certain people. It instead feels like the show is having its cake and eating it too with this arc.
I like that Yukine credits Kano by her real name but after that, it feels like the two of them instantly get back on good terms. I figured things would still be awkward but no, they get to a point where Kano can freely chat with her mother and Yukine is willing to watch her daughter’s high school graduation (and yeah, Kano managing to graduate when she attends school as often as Kiui does is a huge stretch). It’s almost like Yukine didn’t abandon her daughter or something. I suppose some time passes before the graduation but not showing a more gradual reconnection is contrived. I particularly question the fact that Kano manages to draw in the exact numbers she promised her mother when she worked as Nodoka. It brings another thing full circle but I’d argue that by adding that detail, you make it way too easy for the business-minded Yukine to treat her daughter like a human being again.
So, are Mahiru and Kano a romantic couple? You tell me, because this show sure as hell doesn’t. As cute as it to see them hug it out after their big falling out, that’s all we get. We don’t even get another kiss on the cheek like we did seven episodes ago. I could accept these two being friends but then, why even tease a romance if you’re not going to follow through with it? It ultimately feels like its sole purpose was to dangle a carrot in front of yuri fans. I know from 100+ episodes of Love Live! that I shouldn’t get my hopes but this show teased so much that I honestly was expecting more, so I can’t help but feel disappointed at the lack of commitment.
After the big collab, we get a last minute wrap of things the show kind of started. Kiui and Koharu hang out online to play video games. Shizue stops being a foodie to hold a birthday concert with her fans. Mahiru’s schools friends have seemingly come to accept her drawings, presumably because it’s now the cool thing to do now. As mentioned earlier, Yukine attends Kano’s graduation (and again, I don’t know how Kano pulls it off) and Mion is there also because I guess she also patched things up with Yukine. Kano and Mero are actual friends now but the same can’t be said about Momoko and Akari because they weren’t invited. What a “satisfying” conclusion for this idol group.
In hindsight, what bothers me the most about Jellyfish is that it tries to have a decently sized supporting cast and it just can’t do it. I liked Mion’s introduction but her role is shockingly very small. Shizue’s episode is a lot of fun but you really could’ve cut that out and use that time to better flesh out the things that matter. Mero ended up being one of my favorite characters in the show but it baffles me that Momoko and Akari never get their due. Koharu’s introduction still baffles me to this day and she never made a substantial reappearance for her to be more fleshed out or at least less weird.
Oddly enough, I think the last minute checkup that confounds me the most is when Mei meets a underclassman who has become a big fan of her. It’s very cute that Mei gets to be someone else’s Nodoka and but it also kind of feels like the show is giving her someone to be affectionate towards in case Kano and Mahiru really do hook up. I also can’t help but wonder what will happen to this underclassman. Like, is that girl going to become a Mei clone and obsessively stalk Mei? Is Mei forever stuck in a loop?
For the very last scene, JELEE repaints over Mahiru’s old mural, creating a painting that reflects the comradery between them while sticking with the jellyfish theme. The scene drags on a little too long for my liking but I admit that this is the best scene to end on. It brings us back to one of the fundamentals that carried this show: just four friends having fun together. Of course, this episode can’t help but baffle me one last time by having Kano’s father make a cameo appearance. Why this man’s face is still obscured is beyond me. I’m convinced this guy was going to be super important and for whatever reason, the writer’s room either couldn’t fit him or they changed their minds.
There are times where I think Jellyfish is a damn good show so it disappoints me to see it end less with a bang and more with a whimper. The main cast is solid but in the end, I don’t think the show committed enough with certain aspects of their characters. And as for the supporting cast, I argue that the show bit off more than it could chew and it got sidetracked as a result. I still find the overall package to be pretty good but endings go a long way for me and this one does drag the whole thing down for me.
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