Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto - Natsu no Sora - Episode 12 (Completed)

Having slowly but surely warmed to this series and the sense of happy relaxation it frequently washed over me, I was hoping for a similarly happy ending to Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto - Natsu no Sora to offset the slightly depressing turn that the story took in the last couple of episodes.

With that in mind, I wasn't entirely thrilled with the ending to this show, as it was at best bittersweet. I suppose in reality I should throw some praise its way simply for not taking the easy way out and offering up a suitably 'real' ending to go with what came before - No miracles, no reprieve from the harsher aspects of life, just an old-fashioned story of life, love and loss that reall resonated with me in places. The way Gota and Sora's relationship continued even as distance seperated them was particularly heart-warming, and I suppose at least the way that this episode jumped forward five years at least gave us some closure on most of the questions we might otherwise have been left asking.


For all its shabby animation that was made to look worse, not better, by the photo-realistic backdrops, Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto - Natsu no Sora proved to be a really human experience. Sure, it wasn't fast-paced or full of drama, but it often perfectly captured the nuances of human interaction, offering a realism that belied its use of magic as a central tenent. Indeed, the whole idea of using magic was almost irrelevant to the bigger picture - The main characters could have been at school learning anything you care to mention, and the end result would have been almost exactly the same (although perhaps less eye-catching to draw in viewers in the first place). So, this has proved to be a quiet little hit with me, going about its business in a way that was far from bold and brash, instead choosing to slowly worm its way into my heart by offering up a kind of soft yet true to life reality which I found myself unable to resist being captured by.