Amagami SS - Episode 25 (Completed)

After traversing all of its major arcs, Amagami SS finally comes to a close with a one-shot effort that I shall dub "the Gary Numan" arc for reasons which should become clearly shortly... if you have a clue what I'm on about, at least.

Given its single episode format, this instalment wastes no time in getting straight to the crux of the matter - the girl of the moment Risa Kamizaki confesses to Tachibana, and he accepts despite not really knowing anything about her despite the fact that they share the same class.  Well, he is a guy after all.

However, it soon becomes clear that something is amiss in this relationship, as Kamizaki is only happy to meet her new boyfriend in an unused storeroom, and doesn't want Junichi to tell anybody about their relationship either.  Although Tachibana accepts this blindly without asking any questions, we soon learn the reason why and in rather a bizarre fashion at that, jumping across all of the different timelines we've seen thus far as though they were one, with Risa using a doctored photograph to persuade them that Tachibana already has a girlfriend so that she can keep him for herself.

You probably already know where this is headed and you'd be absolutely right - Risa is also the reason for Tachibana being stood up two years previously, meaning that if Kamizaki didn't exist none of this series would have happened at all!  A mind-bending thought indeed, ladies and gentlemen; to think that this simple could could have deprived us of all this back of knee licking, fish toe nibbling, turning into miso soup goodness.  Anyhow, despite all these misdemeanours and admitting them all to Tachibana (although was her story about Makihara and that date from two years ago true, I wonder?), somehow their fledgling relationship survives and they all live happily ever after.. until Risa gets interested in another guy and starts stealing his underwear, probably.

With the series at an end, I will admit one thing - it's been quite a fun journey.  At times bizarre, at others unintentionally hilarious, there's certain been no shortage of talking points from this series, normally accompanied by the raising of a single eyebrow at whatever insanity has just passed for drama or comedy.  On the other hand, you can't help but feel that Amagami SS never really made the most of any of its characters or their situations, to leave the series feeling rather tame as it went about its business, while ironically leaving its most believable and heart-warming story arc with no conclusion at all.  Still, this series entertained me enough to make me glad I watched it, but to be honest it's probably destined to a place on the "just another dating sim to anime adaptation" pile by this time next year.