Seeing as Episode 11 ends with Kazuhiro and Marie returning to the other world, I went into the finale expecting one last fantasy adventure. Funnily enough then, the show actually switches back to our world after the first scene of this episode. Kazuhiro mentions there’s an onsen in his hometown and Marie and Wridra waste a day to break up a sweat as an excuse to go back and dip into the hot spring. A bit surprising but honestly, I have zero problem with this. As you may have noticed, I was never the biggest fan of the fantasy side of this show. You’d think it’d be more exciting than the slice of life side but it somehow is slow to sit through at times, more so since the show’s pacing is split across two settings. In the end, I’d rather just watch Marie react to stuff so I’m glad that the last episode offers more of that.
As Team Amethyst departs for the hot spring, Kazuhiro’s grandfather stops Wridra’s cat familiar as animals aren’t allowed at the place. First, the train and now this. Wridra just can’t catch a break. Because she’s so stubborn, Wridra breaks free and makes it all the way to the hot spring on her own. I kind of was expecting Wridra to get denied again and the show keeps the joke going but fortunately, the owner takes a liking to the cat familiar and makes an exception for her. Hopefully the next time the gang goes to Aomori, Wridra can go in her human form and she doesn’t have to deal with this again.
After the hot spring, Kazuhiro takes his grandfather’s truck so that he and the others can tour around the town. While checking out the cherry blossoms in the area, Kazuhiro teaches Marie how to take photos. I’m shocked that this is the first time Marie learns what a photo is. Like, there was never a scene before where Kazuhiro takes out his phone or a camera on screen but you’re telling me this never came up after all this time? I believe this less than Marie not knowing Kazuhiro’s real name. Then again, maybe Kazuhiro was wise to hold off on it. The second he hands his phone over to Marie, the elf girl starts taking picture after picture. I can only imagine what would happen if she gets into social media. Kazuhiro also takes the gang to a castle/museum. Definitely the wildest moment is Marie taking a huge interest in firearms and thinking how wonderful it’d be to have them in her world. Someone better not take her to America.
Before heading back, Kazuhiro and Marie relax by the cherry blossoms. When the wind ramps up around the trees, the two get caught in the moment and share a kiss (which they later admit to each other is their first). I honestly resigned to the show not having the two kiss on the lips or not getting to it if it happens in the light novels so I’m elated that it happens before the show ends and with impeccable execution no less. The only thing missing is Wridra jumping for joy.
The ending is also quite wholesome. Kazuhiro’s grandfather shows Marie his photo album and when Marie notices that Kazuhiro rarely looks happy in the pictures, she learns that Kazuhiro’s parents abandoned him when he was little. Now it makes sense why Kazuhiro preferred Marie’s world and why he didn’t really enjoy his life in Japan until Marie came along. Not only does Kazuhiro’s grandfather thank Marie for brightening up his grandson’s life, he also tells her that she’s free to be exactly who she is. This leads to a spirit reverting Marie’s ears back to their elvish form and Kazuhiro’s grandfather revealing that he already deduced Marie’s real identity. I’m still curious as to how the old man knows about the other world. All we know that is that he’s very perceptive and he’s at a point in his life where he just accepts the mysterious as it is. It admittedly doesn’t matter for the time being. What makes this scene work is just how accepting the grandfather is. Marie has had to conceal her identity for the entire show so it’s incredibly sweet that she finally meets someone who doesn’t bat an eye and encourages her to show her true form. The fact it’s Kazuhiro’s grandfather makes it even more heartwarming.
On that note, Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf has come to a close. I admit that this show can be an uneven experience. As mentioned earlier, the fantasy side of the plot is somehow not as exciting as the slice of life side. Even with all the dungeon crawling and action scenes, I found myself wanting to watch Marie look at stuff instead. The pacing is also quite sluggish. Because of the double life aspect, the show is forced to divide its time across two different plotlines and it takes a while for progress to be made in either. Case in point, it pretty much took the entire show for the characters to explore that darn labyrinth in the desert region. For all its flaws though, I mostly enjoyed my time with the show, mainly because it absolutely nailed the slice of life side of things. The main cast is very charming, with Marie of course being the standout. It’s been so much fun watching her reactions to everything and seeing her and Kazuhiro’s relationship develop over the course of the series. That alone made the show worth watching.
Watch Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! on Crunchyroll
Xenodude Scribbles 