CHARLOTTE : Final Episode Review [SPOILERS]

Here it is. The final episode of what PA Works and Key expect to be their masterpiece. Disclaimer: before you read any further, this is a final episode discussion and may include spoilers if you haven't watched it yet, but here, have a sample spoiler: Charlotte was worth!


On to the discussion shall we? So, the last episode was what the fans actually expected it to be: Yuu becoming badass while 'curing' ability users and also carriers (future ability users). P.S. There's a TLDR at the end if you only want a short review. The rest is formatted into 5 parts each with their own synopsis and my own opinion.

Synopsis A : Maintaining the jagged pace of the show, the episode starts of funny with Yuu having a hard time talking in Engrishu and taking 2 abilities (here in the Philippines <3) to jumpstart his quest. He obtains the ability to locate ability users just by looking at maps. He goes around the world plundering abilities, coming across other facilities who gather ability users and carriers. After obtaining the ability to worsen illnesses, he can draw out the abilities from carriers and plunder them too. Yuu becomes famous in the underworld and earns the name "One-eyed Grim Reaper", also putting a bounty on his head.

Review A: Of course the anime starts off with something light and funny like Yuu struggling to speak English (soon he obtains an ability to translate though). What I find inconsistent on this part is how some of the powers appear overpowered. The anime started off with the concept 'okay you get powers but it has a weakness' with Yuu having to leave his body for 5 secs, Nao can only be invisible for 1 person etc. and it's odd how suddenly powers without drawbacks appear. But maybe they do have it but the anime doesn't further elaborate so as not to extend unnecessarily. Anyway nothing much on this part.

Synopsis B: This is where the drama begins. Yuu finally starts to feel the pressure as he almost gets gunned down (only to be saved by a sort of 'barrier' ability) and he tears up after said encounter. He comes across an ability user who has the power to heal, and contemplates if he should heal his right eye and time travel to save Kumagami. He tells himself not to lose sight of his real objective and decides otherwise. The next scene starts with him getting annoyed by voices in his head, and his Collapse ability triggers; paranoid of enemies, he almost kills an innocent civilian. He tries to get some more rest by taking sleep-inducing drugs, but when he wakes up he finds out he does things he he has no memory of in his sleep. He decides not to sleep anymore fearing what would happen if he did.

Review B: One of my favorite scenes in this episode, Yuu chooses not to heal his right eye to cut off the temptation of backing out of his real goal. I believe it was the right choice because who knows what Yuu might have done with time traveling powers when he became mentally unstable? Which is the second part: having not enough rest, Yuu starts to break down and develops sleepwalking tendencies where he uses his powers with him having no recollection. This was actually expected: Yuu is a very fragile person (can be seen in what happened to him when his sister died) and this 'transformation' is necessary to revive the bad-ass Otosaka Yuu we had back then.

Synopsis C: Yuu forgets. He forgets for whom he's doing these things for. He remembers he made a promise (but he doesn't know what) as he picks up the translation booklet, and he continues on his quest. This is where bad-ass, mad Yuu makes his appearance! He plays his role as the One-Eyed Grim Reaper, making all ability users and syndicates fear him. He doesn't kill anyone though: it's mostly him having fun playing his role as someone omnipotent, someone to be feared. In a scene, he wonders why he's doing all of this, and why it has to be him. He laughs it off and thinks he'll just conquer the world, since he's all-powerful. Quite conveniently, the translation booklet Tomori made for him fell, and he realizes how important it is to him although he doesn't remember why. He comes to his senses, and makes the booklet a necklace.


Review C: The amnesia was a standard visual novel thing / common plot twist, so it wasn't all that surprising. The anime delivers as they show off the powers Yuu have and how it looks really cool, especially the part where he plays the role of a Reaper. Eventually though, Tomori's memento made him recover some sanity, and he keeps on going. Now what I like about this scene is when Yuu was crying over the translation booklet, it was open and it had two messages written on it: "Thank you for all you've done" and "I am grateful for your help" maybe reminding Yuu of the people he saved, and how what he's doing isn't all for naught, or that someone who's grateful for what he's done is waiting for him to return home. *cries*

Synopsis D: Yuu continues his quest plundering abilities, shutting down facilities (hehe rhymes) but minus the evil One-eyed Grim Reaper facade. He's confident in using all of his plundered abilities (some new ones shown are real teleportation, disintegrating objects , and earth bending *no joke*). Finally, tired (he doesn't sleep/rest) and beaten up, Yuu looks for the last ability-user. Needing a staff to keep himself standing he no longer appears like someone who has tens of thousands of abilities. In the streets of Beijing a man who recognizes him and his bounty shoots him two times with a crossbow without Yuu retaliating. About to be shot dead, a loli, the last ability user, steps up to try and save him. The man still shoots but Yuu reacts in time to save the girl; recognizing her ability of 'Courage' and that she doesn't need it because she already has enough. The girl although at first refusing to leave him, gives in and decides to call for help instead. Yuu turns his back on the crossbow man and feels fulfilled on the completion of his goal. He remembers he has to go back, that he's made a promise...and gets shot in the back a third time. He reaches out for the translation booklet, trying to recall the promise. Here, Shunsuke arrives on time to save him.

Review D: It was entertaining to see some of Yuu's most powerful abilities, but it was kind of touching how he only used telekinesis to stop the crossbow from hitting the girl. The viewers realize how far Yuu has gone and how gruesome of a quest he endured to get to this moment, where he finally has to return, with a faint memory of a promise. This part would be the climax and the feels part of the anime, as the story of Otosaka Yuu, cheating fiend, Zhiend enthusiast, siscon, One-Eyed Grim Reaper, and Tomori's lover ends.

Synopsis E: Yuu wakes up in a hospital bed. Tomori greets him and thanks him for fulfilling the promise. He asks Tomori who she is, and Tomori only seems slightly surprised. Tomori openly admites that she is his lover. Tomori recalls all that they've been through, and Yuu apologizes for his not remembering anything. He notices the translation booklet by his side, and Tomori tells him she made it. He tells her it was the only thing that kept him going. She tells him she's happy to hear that, and tears up. Yuu holds her hand, and tells her not to cry. Final scenes unfold for the anime, like Shunsuke visiting Kumagami's grave, and a reunion of the student council + Ayumi, all of them looking forward for things to come.

Review E: Very predictable, but a touching ending nonetheless. I think it could have been better, but it could've been worse too depending on what mood the producer was on. In my opinion Yuu temporarily losing his memory on the mission and then regaining them when he sees Tomori again would have been so much better but the ending was heartwarming enough. I'm not complaining that much because my worst expectation was Key killing off Yuu after he plunders all abilities.Anyway, we see Tomori welcoming Yuu back, and the Flash card was at a page where a single message was written: "I'm home." *cries* The last scene ends with their reunion and Tomori narrating how she always used the camcorder to record things she didn't like. Now she has a lot to look forward to, and she wants everyone to do fun things in their now, normal, lives.

TLDR Overall: Kind of predictable. The badass Yuu scenes were awesome. Some people say it could have been better with more episodes. Maybe, maybe not - I kind of like everything the way it was done except for the amnesia ending. I prefer Yuu regain his memories when he meets Tomori, because I kind of like how strong Yuu has become. But I've got to admit it was dramatic and kind of puts a final touch on the anime; kind of like the past Yuu, the person who went insane because of plundering thousands of abilities, the Yuu who single-handed-ly saved an entire generation, died that night he looted the last ability Courage. Courage meaning strength in the face of pain and grief, what Yuu embodied throughout the Finale. Now that he's forgotten pretty much everything, he could lead a normal life, a fun life with his friends. It was a good anime and one hell of a ride. I'd be expecting more from Key and PA Works in the future :) (Edit: Rewrite, a visual novel by Key, to be animated!)

Comments appreciated :>