Futakoi Alternative 13 (END)

  
  
  

As the castle crumbles, Rentarou holds on the Sara with all he's got. And that's not the only problem they've got -- a GIANT squid emerges, attacking and destroying all around it... Sara's about to give up, saying Rentarou should go back with Souju, it'd be okay for her to be gone. She had finally given up on the three of them being together... but Rentarou won't have any of it -- it has to the three of them together. As the bridge finally crumbles, Souju pilots the plane and catches them, then takes Rentarou to make his attack on the squid. Just like his father did, he jumps off the plane, running across missles and the like and finally giving that damn squid the good ol' detective kick right in the eye, destroying it.

And when we go back to Rentarou, he gets a very rude awakening from Sara-chan. How's a bowling bowl dropped on your stomach for a wake up call? (^^;;) Sara and Souju fight over who does the cooking as Rentarou spaces out at the table, so it looks like things are pretty much back normal, now three weeks after the incident in Germany. They got locked up in a German prison for a bit, but thankfully Lulu and Lala were able to get them set free. Kimihiko and Shimojima seem to be doing pretty good as well. And in a surprising development, at least to me, Gen-san and Midori-san get hitched. Rentarou gets asked to say a few words: "Are you happy?". He gets a resounding "Yes!" for an answer :)

Lately, Rentarou always has this dream -- a dream that has things from monster squids to prearranged marriages to biplanes.. it's difficult to explain, but if he were to sum it up in one phrase, it'd probably be... Souju and Sara run through the falling sakura leaves as Rentarou follows behind... it'd probably be -- it's a story about love. The three of them walk along the river like usual...

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And we get a new claymation ending with the third verse of "Bokura no jikan" to end things on a great note. So we got some more crazy action on our way to a happy ending with Rentarou together with Souju and Sara. And every guy watching said "Rentarou, that lucky bastard" as it ended, yes? ;) Anyways, he really did turn out to be just like his dad, and just as cool, too :)

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Futakoi Alternative Wrap-Up

What else can I say besides that ufotable has taken us on one hell of a ride with Futakoi Alternative. From insane action, to painting the everyday life of Rentarou and Souju/Sara, to drama as the three split, then back to action as they reclaim that happiness of the three of them being together. And only in Futakoi can the guy get two girls and both girls be happy with that ;) The story took its odd twists and turns, and the non-linear direction at times made it somewhat hard to follow, but in the end it all worked out to form a good whole.

While Sara and Souju weren't quite the same Sara and Souju I got to know and love from the fall Futakoi and the serialization in Dengeki G's, they still have all their charm and more in ufotable's altered setting. From the moment I learned they'd be the main characters in Futakoi Alternative I was excited, and ufotable did not disappoint in the end. Though I would've liked to have perhaps see Souju be a bit more prominent at times ;) The other twins got their chance to shine... well, in Ai/Mai's case not exactly "shine", and in Ui/Koi's case they didn't really get anything at all... ahem. But the other twins that did get a good bit of screentime were done well. Lulu and Lala were awesome as kick-ass soldiers in the first episode, and their cameos in the following episodes were interesting. Kira and Yura as the goth loli duo were great as well, along with Kaoruko and Sumireko in that one episode. Besides the twins, the supporting cast was a hoot as well. Kinoshita and Dirty Harry were great for tons of laughs and memorable scenes, and Shimojima the same.

And the technical merit of the show, wow. The animation quality held up until the very end. I don't think I've ever seen a show that's had as much movement, and such detailed movement as Futakoi Alternative. It's just about reason enough on its own to watch, but add that onto the story and characters and you've got one heck of a show, one of this year's best, definitely. Recommended to those who like cute girls with action and a good dose of drama as well. Good job, ufotable ;)