Privately (or rather in the presence of their aunt), Akari has bittersweet pangs about Hina’s choice to give her childhood self a “proper sendoff” and take a step forward as “the new me.” Akari is sad that one stage of her little sister’s life is ending, but excited and even a little envious of the next Hina’s “springtime of life.” Soon thereafter, just before she starts high school, Hina decides she’s going to get her hair cut. Like so much with the Kawamotos, it’s warm, tasty, cozy, and fun.Īnd as Hina remembers a younger, smaller Takahashi sitting on the steps with an ice cream bar in his baseball uniform, she commits to doing her best where she is, just as he’ll be doing his best farther away. She, Akari and Gramps clean up, capitalizing on the slight remnants of the winter chill by selling hot red bean soup and dumplings. For one thing, the previous night’s farewell was just fine for another, she’s got work to do, working at the Crescent Moon food stall. Takahashi leaves for his new school the day of the cherry blossom festival, which means he’ll miss it, but Hina doesn’t see him off. Again I held back tears…watching her hold back tears. Going pro is no longer a dream for him, it’s a goal, and leaving the home he loves was something he had to do to achieve it.Īs they talk about how there won’t be monja where Takahashi is going, and that he’ll simply bring it with him to represent March Town, it dawns on Hina that while people may move away, they remain children of the town.Īs the minutes and seconds left with Takahashi tick implacably down to zero, Hina savors those remaining moments with everything she has before saying goodbye. I was already in tears before the OP, but this episode wasn’t done, as Rei takes Takahashi and Rina out for monja to congratulate their graduation and bid farewell to the brawny baseball kid. When she dreams of Rei being her real son, he’s a sassy layabout like the others. Rei was such a genuinely good boy, it was a weight the rest of the family could not bear. Rei’s visit confirms to Mother Kouda that it was for the best for Rei to leave, and she is grateful that he did it of his own volition. Meanwhile, Kyouko and Ayumu (seen but never heard here) continue to flounder they remain children, seeking immediate enjoyment. Rei was always capable-more capable than her children, which is why he had to go-but she finds him even more so now he’s become an adult. He is received only by the mother, who narrates the entire segment. The eight minutes that kick off 3GL’s final episode (for a while at least), in which Rei visits the Kouda household, were some of the most hauntingly beautiful, unsettling, and emotionally gutting eight minutes I’ve ever seen.
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