True Tears - Episode 12

Oh boy... Just when you thought that all of the main matters of importance had been settled and that True Tears would cruise on through in stylish fashion to the end, so everything gets well and truly shaken up again.

While some of episode twelve's revelations were of no real surprise at all (Jun's in particular, although it was surprising just how forthright he was about it), the shift in Shinichirō's feelings which all seemed to stem from Noe was a big shock, with the show's protagonist having some real moments of clarity during this episode. As if that wasn't enough to make you get down on your knees and beg for the final episode of the series, so we were left with the cruellest of cliffhangers, bordering on mental abuse of True Tears lovers such as myself who know have to wait another week to find out the outcome of those shocking last few seconds. All of that, and I haven't even mentioned Hiromi, who also seems to be realising exactly the way things are panning out.

I think I've run dry of compliments for this show, taking in everything from its animation to the actual plotlines and characterisation which have been unsurpassed, and even though we're getting more and more still frame shots as the series is clearly running out of time and/or money, the important scenes are still a lesson in animated mastery. Even when things get shaken up to keep the show interesting to the very last, it never feels forced or contrived, with everything taking what seems like a natural and understandable path. The thought of this show finishing next week leaves me very much in two minds - On the one hand, I really want to see an ending which will almost certainly befit everything that has gone before, but on the other, a big part of me simply doesn't want this series to finish at all. Ever.