Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season - Episode 11-12 (Completed)

To be honest, Kimi ni Todoke 2nd Season could have comfortably finished last week and been timed absolutely perfectly, with any misunderstandings settled and Shouta and Sawako finally comprehending their feelings for one another properly.

Still, perhaps it isn't such a bad thing that we have this double-bill of episodes to wallow in the fun and happiness of this pairing finally coming to fruition, and these two episodes certainly do a good job of tying up all of the loose ends that I hadn't really thought (or particularly cared about) come the end of episode ten.

To that end, the series eleventh instalment takes us to the classes post-festival party, which unsurprisingly becomes a rather bizarre post-confession party instead with Kazehaya and Kuronuma at the centre of festivities as their new relationship gets thrust rather uncomfortably into the spotlight.  Of course, there's teasing aplenty aimed at both individuals, while even Sawako herself manages to find a way to tease and embarrass her new boyfriend via a perceived misunderstanding that is anything but.  All in all, this is probably one of the funniest episodes of Kimi ni Todoke yet, and a great change of pace after all of the drama and emotion that has underpinned a large chunk of this second season in particular.

A fair amount of this fun and frivolity extends into episode twelve, with the clean-up day after the school festival seeing yet another round of teasing, rumours and enquiries which leads to Kazehaya being forced into confessing to Sawako again in front of what seems to be the entire school, while Kuronuma's proficiency as a fortune-teller when it comes to romance is now a hot topic.  Of course, not all of the chatter surrounding Sawako is good, and there's a fair amount of jealousy bubbling under the surface, not least from the group of girls who bullied her early in the first series.  It's Kurumi of all people that does her part to diffuse the situation, although Yano, Yoshida and Sawako herself all have something to say too, before Sawako and Kurumi have their final "face-off" borne from a kind of mutual understanding.  In short, all's well that ends well, and come the end of the series we get to luxuriate in our new couple being fumblingly sweet and adorable on a date, thus proving that I'm really just a big, slushy romantic at heart.

So, that brings us to a gorgeous end for a fantastic anime - it has perhaps been slower in its pacing than the first season (or maybe it just seems that way because of the intense focus upon Sawako and Kazehaya), and I know the slow development of its primary relationship isn't for everyone, but for the record I loved every single minute of it.  It's been beautifully animated (more so than the first season from my memory), a fantastically entertaining blend of drama and emotion with light-hearted moments to break the tension when required, and I've loved each and every moment of it.  Would a third season be pushing the franchise too far?  I'm not sure having not kept up with the manga, but while my head says this is the perfect place to leave Kimi ni Todoke my heart has to confess that I'd love to see more.... and more... and more.  Like I say, I'm a big old romantic sometimes, and this particular show has grabbed me in all the right ways throughout to make it one of my favourites of the genre it resides within.