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「さよならの忠」 (Sayonara no Chuu)
“Goodbye Kiss”
It was a little cliché, a tad too overdramatic, and had black and white battle scenes that dragged out for a bit too long, but this climactic finale still left a very good impression on the series as a whole. Surprisingly, the loss of Jubei’s innocent personality wasn’t emphasized in a remorseful way, and instead became the high point of her final battle with a Amakusa Shirou empowered Gisen.
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「シャドウミラー」 (Shadou Miraa)
“Shadow-Mirror”
The intermission last time was short-lived, as the battles kick into high gear against the approaching Neo DC forces before quickly coming to a crashing halt when Vindel and Lemon arrive on the scene. Shadow-Mirror’s existence is finally revealed to our Earth Federation protagonists, and it comes with the shocking revelation that they have to obey them now that Graien Grusman’s seized power.
They aren’t allowed to end things off on such a sweet note are they?
「戦わなイカ？／ピンチじゃなイカ？／もっとピンチじゃなイカ？」
(Tatakawanai ka? / Pinchi Janai ka? / Motto Pinchi Janai ka?)
“Won’t You Compete? / Isn’t This a Pinch? / Isn’t This a Major Pinch?”
They may have broken practically every rule in the book when it comes to beach volleyball, but this final episode went all out in a tournament that saw Ika and Eiko as an unstoppable duo. Everyone got involved at some point as well, giving the sense that they were going to go out on a high. That is, until the last two mini episodes headed in a completely different direction with Ika’s return to the sea.
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「ハルカナソラヘ」 (Haruka na Sora he)
“To A Distant Sky”
It wouldn’t have been a finale if they didn’t save the best arc for last. In terms of having a flair for the dramatic, this one sure delivered as I found myself feeling sorry for Haru when Sora forced him into a corner about their relationship. It’s like I could see his mental breakdown happening before my very eyes as he was torn between his feelings and his moral principles.
“There’s no way my sister would settle for such a normal ending.”
「俺の妹の人生相談がこれで終わるわけがない」
(Ore no Imouto no Jinsei Soudan ga Kore de Owaru Wake ga Nai)
“There’s No Way My Sister’s Life Counseling Ends Here”
After the previous episode set things up for a conclusion with an improved sibling relationship, this television finale did just that with a little bit of a twist at the end. Leading up to that, it looked like we were possibly in for something more profound when Kirino started acting nicely towards Kyousuke, until the humor that this series is known for quickly took over.
Lag is the light in the darkness to rid Noir from Gauche’s body!
「光、闇を照らす」 (Hikari, Yami wo Terasu)
“Light, Illuminate the Darkness”
With a lot of the immediate loose ends tied up in this episode, this could have very well been a precursor to a finale next time. Had I not known better, I’d be inclined to believe that the producers planned for a possible one-cour sequel just to be on the safe side.
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「ガラス越しのキス」 (Garasu-goshi no Kisu)
“Kiss Beyond the Glass”
Whether you like Kanako’s promiscuous personality or not, it’s hard to deny how she spices things up by teasing Takuto about kissing her through the glass. Judging by her behavior, it has no bearing on the brigade’s plans to take their Cybodies to the fifth phase and out of Zero Time either. Instead, it’s just her way of enjoying her high school life, which works for me since this series is intended to be as much about school life as it is Cybodies.
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「クリスマスの願いごと」 (Kurisumasu no Negaigoto)
“Christmas Wish”
I can’t say I’m too surprised that the finale focused almost entirely around Mio, but I feel a bit cheated by the way they slipped in a completely unexpected development and made me sympathetic towards her sadistic character. Mio isn’t as nearly an unbalanced tsundere as Taketatsu Ayana’s other lead role this season either, so I even got a bit teary-eyed when I saw her crying.
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「刺突抗剣（スタブソード）」 (Shitotsu Kouken (Sutabu Soodo))
“Thrusting Anti-Sword (Stab Sword)”
After punching so many girls in the face lately, Touma finally gets a taste of his own medicine care of one pissed off Misaka Mikoto. Next to Tsuchimikado’s scuffle with Oriana, that ended up being one of the highlights of this episode too. The rest of it bounced back and forth between Touma and Stiyl’s pursuit and Himegami’s talks with Komoe, both of which didn’t really result in anything.
“You may now kiss the bride.”
「明日に羽飛く彼女達（フォルテ）」 (Asu ni Hapataku Kanajo-tachi (Forute))
“The Girls (Forte) Flapping Their Wings in the Morning”
After the climactic battle with Chaos last time, all I was really expecting in this finale was a lighthearted epilogue of sorts. While that’s pretty much what we got, this last episode surprised me by slipping in the big question at the very end: Which girl would Tomoki marry?