Just Because – The Ending Is Not Perfect, Does Not Mean The Show Is Terrible

Alright, I’m done with Just Because puns now. I’m going to miss it, I guess I’ll just have to get creative with next season!

Just Because, my favorite romance this season has finally reached its conclusion and it left people wishing it finished differently. I’ve discussed the show in my previous articles, the ending more or less goes how people expected it with the girl that worked to the bone to win the guy over losing out to the other girl the guy was focused on from the start. Though the complaints I have and have heard from others wasn’t even “best girl lost,” but “the ending could have been done better.”

Komiya’s rejection was the most heartbreaking moment in the show. While it was not an outcome some people wanted, it played out so much better than Izumi’s confession to Natsume. Komiya’s worked harder than any other character in the series to show just how dedicated she was. She not only went to every shrine for a massive handful of charms for Izumi, but she also decided to not submit the picture Izumi wanted to be deleted to the competition, and she created a scrapbook yearbook for Izumi because the school’s yearbook would have literally nothing for Izumi to look back. It’s no surprise her rejection was as sad as it was.

Back in episode 10, Natsume decided to avoid Izumi all because of Komiya on his phone’s wallpaper. She decides to lay out her feelings for Izumi after she passes the entrance exam to the school Izumi got into on a  recommendation. She passed and messaged Izumi to meet with her, but before he goes to meet up he has a one-at-bat game with Haruto.

While the one-at-bat game was excellently done and not something I complain about because it’s a perfect parallel to the beginning of the series with Haruto’s situation, what happens after is where the story could have been done better. Izumi runs and tried to meet up with Natsume but doesn’t get there before she leaves. Then we cut to a time-skip and montage of Haruto and Morikawa communicating while settling into work and school respectively.

As for Izumi and Natsume, instead of either of them, both committing to confess after entrance exams, trying to communicate before college, they have the fairy tale ending of Izumi texting Natsume after the first day at their university asking how it is and she miraculously happens to be right behind him. He turns, Natsume acts all tsundere, then the first words out of Izumi’s mouth are “I like you.”

This ending literally made the one-at-bat with Izumi hitting the home run literally pointless. There was no need for Izumi to build up that courage if he wasn’t going to confess soon after. If anything, they could have not shown Natsume leaving the location they were to meet and the time skip could have been them happily together, screw confessions.

Overall the show was a trip. Don’t let the sub-par conclusion detract from the rest of the drama altogether. The initial love-polygon and the drama around it were well played out and the characters are some of my favorite in any romance anime. It’s definite worth a watch as long as you’re aware the ending won’t live up to the rest of the series as a whole. It’s available on Anime Strike to binge. Let me know what you think in the comments! Were you disappointed in the conclusion?