Tonikaku Kawaii S2 – 12 (END)

「幾星霜の果ての果て」 (Ikuseisō no Hate no Hate)
“In All the Times to Come, And Beyond”

While Tsukasa and Nasa have their moments to shine, this was really Tokiko’s episode. More and more, we see how Tokiko and Tsukasa are similar in things from video games to how they care for others through food (and what a delicious breakfast it looked). It’s no coincidence that Tokiko remarked that she takes after Tsukasa instead of the other way around. Judging from that trip down memory lane a few episodes ago, I can guess that Tsukasa ended up raising Tokiko who learned little habits like that from Tsukasa the way a parent’s traits can sometimes imprint themselves on a child.

After being shown such care by Tsukasa, it’s natural for Tokiko to want to do something to alleviate Tsukasa’s loneliness, much as Tsukasa insists that Tokiko needs to stop living for her (and she has a good point there). I can’t imagine spending most of your whole life trying in vain to make someone happy who has lived through countless cycles of pain and loneliness- that would have to be frustrating and unsatisfactory for sure. Which Tokiko gets at with her “After 1000 years- yeah, it’s just a rock”.

The rock in question being the moon one from Tokiko’s mansion. I gather from what was shown that she went to the moon for it. Initially, I thought Tsukasa’s wish had something to do with wanting someone to spend her life with, who would make her happy. But after seeing that Tokiko went to the moon for Tsukasa, I wonder if her wish has something to do with wanting to return to her home there, which may no longer exist, otherwise Tsukasa could just take a rocket ship there. It certainly seems like fate that Tsukasa would meet and marry a man named for space and with the intelligence to get her to space if he so chose.

It is quite symbolic that Tokiko passes the baton or rather, rock, off to Tsukasa. Tokiko must care deeply for Tsukasa, that she would spend her whole life trying to make this girl’s wish come true only to fail, all without any deep bitterness or anger towards herself or others at futilely spending all her years. But perhaps her efforts weren’t entirely futile- she kept Tsukasa company and in so doing, prepared Tsukasa for the VIP who would show up down the line. It emphasizes just how big and important of a deal that someone like Nasa has finally shown up for Tsukasa and that she can slowly open herself up to him after someone like Tokiko tried so hard for decades.

And open up they do, clearing the air about rather personal topics like Nasa’s crappy hugs. Tsukasa has a beef with Nasa about putting his arms under instead of over her as it makes her feel like a kitten being hung mid-air and proceeds to school him on proper embracing in a cutely funny diagram. Nasa is easy going enough to take it all in stride and mend his ways. Open communication and receptiveness to constructive criticism is so important for any type of relationship, though especially a marriage one, so it’s good that Nasa and Tsukasa are starting to get in the practice of doing that now. Poor Nasa ends up digging himself into a hole when he tries to bring up his worry over Tsukasa’s messy sleeping habits. It hits a sore spot for her and she goes on the defensive about how she sleeps. The quickest way to solve that would be to take a picture, though, as Nasa surmises, that would only put more fuel on the fire.

As nice as it is to live rent free, I’d have to agree with Nasa and Tsukasa that there’s a level of discomfort, when you’re living on the generosity of someone else as opposed to in a place of your own- especially when said benefactor spies on you at night. Fortunately for the Yuzakis, their apartment that burned down a while back is finally almost done with the remodeling, and quite a fancy one at that. The most exciting things for them, besides a space of their own are the private bath and bed, for obvious reasons (“We’ll probably get a double bed” LOL all things considered, I don’t think they have many other options). Even though they’ve started settling into a routine of life together, it is sweet to see that things won’t get old or boring, with the prospects of more blushes and adorable moments when they get used to having a place of their own.

Everything comes to a screeching halt when Tsukasa gets one of those dreaded phone calls about a family member getting hospitalized. Tokiko collapsed, but thankfully, seems right as rain a few hours later, beating baddies on her video games. Or at least, that’s how she wants it to appear, but Nasa realizes otherwise. He truly is a sweetheart, insisting on following Tokiko and even noticing a little detail like her gait that clues him in on the severity of her condition whatever it is. Tokiko doesn’t want Tsukasa to know, understandably, to avoid her getting worried. But, I think Tsukasa should know- they’re practically family and it might upset her more to find out much later rather than sooner- but, that’s ultimately Tokiko’s call to make. It seems significant that she would collapse while removing the moon rock- almost as if her body was holding up so long as she felt responsible for Tsukasa and now she’s passing it on to someone else.

While it was the season finale, it was a mellow one- it more confirmed what I’ve already been guessing about Tsukasa rather than dropping big cliffhangers. But that’s what I like about Tonikawa, that it is a fluffy slice of life of a charming couple in an age bracket often missed in anime, and in a way that doesn’t feel contrived or overdone. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of Tonikawa- Tsukasa and Nasa’s blissful newlywed life brought the warm fuzzies to my heart every week and they truly are one of the sweetest anime couples out there. Thankfully, I won’t have to miss it for long, with an ONA coming out in July!