hontou ni Stripey Insists Sisters Cry Oniichan Now

I don't know what to feel.... Prima facie, it would seemed a reasonably good ending. There was real closure to the story, all the characters are accounted for and yes, it was a happy ending. Maybe that's the problem. After being emotionally drained to the point of ep 14, I could not expect a realistically happy ending. It just wouldn't be congruent with the flow of the anime. And kiminozo was an anime I gave much credit for details and emotional realism despite the occasional over-the-top drama. That probably gave me the feeling of being shortchanged. It could also be that Takayuki didn't pick Haruka, which I thought would have been the natural choice judging from the direction of the anime since ep 9ish. I didn't play the game though I have read that the anime follows the Mitsuki track. Nevertheless, I somehow kept getting the feeling that Takayuki loves Haruka deep down and only pays lip service to Mitsuki. In the end, it also seemed to me that Takayuki picks Mitsuki out of gratitude and guilt. It was mostly talk of what she did for him and how badly he had hurt her. In spite of the consistent maturity of the series, I would say if the producers are making Takayuki pick Mitsuki out of guilt, sympathy or duty, their reconciliation is headed for destruction. Well, I guess it's all very subjective. Some would have argued Mitsuki is the only fair choice after all she suffered so much for 3 yrs when Haruka was sleeping. My personal take is that in love, it is never fair. The focus should be on maximising bliss and minimising suffering(long term) which of I also know always never go hand in hand. But being with a person other than out of love, definitely does not contribute to these dual objectives (the effects may not be immediately apparent though) OK, I'm probably just idealistic and maybe a little too hard on kiminozo. It truly has been a great series, a wonderful 14 weeks and easily the most engaging anime for me for 2003. In addition, I get to aquaint myself with one of the most babelicious anime char of ALL time.. Suzumiya Akane! I wish sincerely for Takayuki that he will never, ever come to realise the wonderful person he had missed in Akane. The full measure of the realisation will probably cripple his mind and devour his sanity. Regret will mark all his days and his grief will be inconsolable..... Actually I compare his loss to Yukito's (Cardcaptor Sakura) who also rejected Sakura. However, at least Yukito had a better excuse for it.....