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Nov 19, 2007 1:22 AM
#1
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THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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Interesting end to an interesting series.

I still don't' understand it all though...

Why did that guy try to shoot asuba at the end, and what happened to iriya after that?
thenJul 25, 2008 2:19 AM
Nov 19, 2007 3:04 AM
#2

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I think that guy hated Asaba for getting close to Iriya and changing her.

And Iriya may or may not have died in the end.

I'm trying to remember this other anime that this one reminds me of, but I can't remember...
Feb 2, 2008 3:04 PM
#3

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Asaba loves Iriya so much that he wishes that the need for her to fight to stop. He says that he didn't care about mankind or its annihilation, which was something Iriya similarily says in the first episode of the series.

I believe Enomoto was "attempting" to kill Asaba because as long as Asaba is lives, he will try to do anything in his power to prevent Iriya from ever fighting again. This would be problematic to the project. But then again, this was declared as the final battle... so that wouldn't make too much sense.

What Asrialys says above is true. A distinctive yes/no was not given whether Iriya lives on after the final battle or not. What we do know is that he receives a full confession from "Mayumi Shiina" (whose name is unknown?! T.S. are the initials from the letter though...) about his participation in helping Iriya prepare for and participate in the final battle to save the whole world, including Asaba. In this letter, it says she "lived" as a pilot? She's not a pilot anymore could mean that she's dead or the project is finished and she's retired from piloting.

@Asrialys, if you ever check this again (lol), perhaps the anime it reminded you of was Evangelion?
kanakaFeb 2, 2008 3:09 PM


Feb 15, 2008 3:17 AM
#4

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Asrialys said:
I think that guy hated Asaba for getting close to Iriya and changing her.

And Iriya may or may not have died in the end.

I'm trying to remember this other anime that this one reminds me of, but I can't remember...


Saikano?
May 10, 2008 4:58 AM
#5
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Wow this was great.

Enomoto wasnt going too shoot Asaba. He just wanted Asaba too shoot him so he could die and atone for his mistakes. Was kind of anti-climatic though, so I can't give it a 10.

May 14, 2008 12:39 AM
#6
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I feel the same way about this final episode as I do all too often with this type of anime. Where's the closure? First off, don't get me wrong. I definitely enjoyed this anime, and will probably come back to watch it again.. I'm just getting tired of the "what if" situation at the end. I would have been equally satisfied if she died as I would have if she lived with Asaba forever.

I am personally of the opinion that she either died or lost her memory. If she hadn't died, it surely would have shown her at the end... However, Shiina eludes to Iriya's autism and "loss of memory" in her final letter. It could be possible that she is still alive, but has forgotten Asaba for good.

Regardless of the true ending... I'm upset that we don't get a solid answer. I cannot give this anime a 10/10.
May 14, 2008 3:56 AM
#7

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What an ending to a crazy series :P

jidus said:
I'm just getting tired of the "what if" situation at the end. I would have been equally satisfied if she died as I would have if she lived with Asaba forever.


I feel the same way!
May 16, 2008 12:38 PM
#8

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kanaka said:
In this letter, it says she "lived" as a pilot? She's not a pilot anymore could mean that she's dead or the project is finished and she's retired from piloting.


I think she's dead.
If she was still alive I'm sure she would've gone to Asaba in the end =/
Mehh, I'm depressed ;_;

May 23, 2008 11:29 PM
#9

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May 2008
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That was pretty intense, I really enjoyed it, and for me the ending had just the right balance to it. I don't think I'd have rated the show as highly if there had been a classic happy ending for Asaba and Iriya as it would definitely have taken the edge off. The last scene for Asaba is actually quite upbeat anyway, showing his acceptance and moving on with life.

I think AnimusNathan is totally right about Enomoto's motivation at the end too. Sacrificing Iriya for the "greater good" was eating at his conscience from the start. When Iriya launches for that final mission Enomoto is left to face up to everything he's done. In what is probably his only selfish act in the whole series he turns to Asaba to help end his own life. I also think its pretty obvious throughout the film that Enomoto respects Asaba a lot, and when he dies its not as an enemy.
Jun 22, 2008 11:29 PM

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Okay just finished the series..

AnimusNathan said:
Wow this was great.

Enomoto wasnt going too shoot Asaba. He just wanted Asaba too shoot him so he could die and atone for his mistakes. Was kind of anti-climatic though, so I can't give it a 10.


Yeah I agree with this..

I still have a lot of questions in the end though.. Is Iriya alive or not? Well.. I really enjoyed the series but I didn't get a solid answer on Iriya.. 8/10
Jul 11, 2008 12:44 AM
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Interesting end to an interesting seires.

I still don't' understand it all though...

Why did that guy try to shoot asuba at the end, and what happened to iriya after that?


I think he tried to shoot Asuba to cover the evidence that a girl pilot exists with all the hi tech equiped to her. He probably didn;t want asuba to spread, and maybe the project was a secret.
i tried writing my signature onto the monitor screen, but it didn't come up. WHY?!!:?!!
Jul 11, 2008 1:35 AM

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I felt pretty empty when this ended :| I hope she didn't die, but most likely I think she did :(


Aug 5, 2008 5:53 PM

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Friendlysoul said:
What an ending to a crazy series :P

jidus said:
I'm just getting tired of the "what if" situation at the end. I would have been equally satisfied if she died as I would have if she lived with Asaba forever.


I feel the same way!


I also agreed with this I hate it when they always have endings where they dont show ive a main character died or lived.
Iam really frustrated about that.
Then about what I suspect is that she died. The reason: Shiina used a past tense when she was narrotion the ending and talking about Iriya.

(sry for my crappy grammar xD)
Sep 9, 2008 3:15 PM

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I think she really died because in the earlier parts she's almost dying...

Oct 9, 2008 7:06 PM

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You guys need to stop making up excuses for how bad this anime was and just accept it >_>
Oct 10, 2008 11:55 AM
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I think she did die due to the fact that the letter was referring to her in past tense. In general, they just seemed to hint at it.
There's still one more thing I'm confused about, though- were they fighting humans or aliens? That stuff Enomoto said really threw me off.
Jan 5, 2009 9:29 AM

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This anime essentially was about a human being used as a weapon. Asaba was seen as the only person who could improve Iriya's mental health since she was depressed. Due to her performance as a weapon depends on her mental health, Asaba was seen as a good way to make her better.

Everything goes downhill from there. Terrible anime. Saikano executed the idea much, much better.
May 2, 2009 12:45 AM

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It would be interesting to know where she actually battled the UFOs. We know she was used to settle human disputes on earth but we never hear anything about the UFO part. For all we know they could have been training and preparing her to make a preemptive strike on the UFO race that crashed in Roswell and caused her friends to die. Her only reason for living is Asaba now so chances are she would go to the deepest reaches of space if it was to protect him.

Enomoto wasn't planning to kill Asaba. The words he said where meant to scare Asaba into killing him. If Enomoto had really intended on killing him it would have put earth in a risky position if Iriya returned. Enomoto job was simply done and he wanted to pay for what hey believed where sins that he committed. He even says this on top of Asaba's grandparents house that he will die and go to hell for the sins hes committed..or something along those lines.

With that said I honestly don't think Iriya is dead. Theres the slight possibility that she will be back...just not herself. I'm sure she will remember Asaba since he's her reason for fighting and living but I doubt she would remember anything else.

PS. wtf happened to the club leader lol? Did he get brainwashed by the government or real UFOs? So random haha.
Jul 24, 2009 9:03 PM

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Feb 2008
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AnimusNathan said:
Wow this was great.

Enomoto wasnt going too shoot Asaba. He just wanted Asaba too shoot him so he could die and atone for his mistakes. Was kind of anti-climatic though, so I can't give it a 10.


This....
Aug 14, 2009 10:16 PM

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The story was nice, but realy... the end was confuse and alot of questions unanswered.

I agree with Grmo's post.
Oct 18, 2009 5:57 PM
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I appreciate this series for what it was, but I thought many things were considerably ignored. I'm giving it a 6/10.
Nov 20, 2009 5:50 PM
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DeathfireD said:

PS. wtf happened to the club leader lol? Did he get brainwashed by the government or real UFOs? So random haha.


I am suprised that the President lost all interest in the whole UFO scoop...

It should have been revealed more about Erika - why her vessel went berserk and all - coudn't she have ejected off her Black Manta? Why was Iriya assigned to destroy it in the first place?

I was looking foward for a happy ending though - a kissing scene would be nice just before she pushes Asaba off the platform in the B-ship.

It would be more satisfying for me to know if Iriya is dead or alive - I personally would prefer a happy ending = alive.

What's the motif with the japanese character in the wheat plain? Does that indicate perhaps that Iriya can see it in the sky? Or does that symbolises that she is dead and Asaba tries to communicate with her in heaven?

However this didn't made me vote this anime bad. I really enjoyed watching it - emotionally touching OAV.

EDIT:

I wrote more here:

http://calamitousintents.wordpress.com/2008/08/23/iriya-no-sora/#comment-4441
FliuNov 20, 2009 9:44 PM
Dec 9, 2009 10:00 PM

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I believe hostage was right about Enomoto. His conscience was eating at him from the beginning. He started by saying it was for the greater good and to save the world, but then he realized what they were doing to achieve that. He said when the two ran away, that he wasn't seriously trying to find them, but Asaba made the stupid mistake of calling his grandparents and he had to follow orders. He even said he'd give them 30 minutes to escape without trying to stop them, though whether he was joking about it or joking about joking about it is for others to decide. After Iriya takes off for the final battle, he pulls the gun on Asaba not to kill him, but to face up to everything they've done by having Asaba end his life. If he had wanted to kill Asaba, he had the chance when he held the gun to Asaba's head.

As for the president, he seems to have had his memory erased for that time frame by the government (not lost interest in the whole UFo scoop. Hell the "I don't remember anything" lines might be a giveaway...) just like Asaba couldn't remember for a while what happened after leaving the pool, though in a lot stronger dosage... (Remember the nurse's office when Asaba was on a bed and the nurse on the phone?)

And lastly, th japanese character in the wheat plain was on the side of the Black Manta. There were a bunch of UFO symbols X'ed off and then a few of those symbols as well, most likely representing the other Black Manta pilots who died. From that you see that Iriya is dead, a sad ending.
Dec 31, 2009 2:16 AM

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Well isn't the fact that mankind wasn't annihilated a hint that she lived? Unless she died from one of those wicked seizures later on.

Also, about those symbols (the one he made in the grass), they were shown on the chalk or white board in one of the earlier episodes beside the club members names, which I thought were used as a golden star type of deal, or to show the days they attended... Or something like that, I have no idea, but they were there.

edit: It was episode 3.. here's a screen of that nonsense.
MalwareDec 31, 2009 2:21 AM


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Jan 27, 2010 7:34 PM

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I loved this show because I grew too attached to Iriya. Just figuring that she dies in the end takes a little bit of my heart away. Sure it wasn't that perfect in the plot or basically anything else, but yeah, I loved it.

It's amazing how fast people grow up though. =/
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Feb 8, 2010 1:05 AM

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I've pretty much assumed that Iriya died, though who knows how exactly. She lived a tough life, saddled with a burden that involves such tremendous personal sacrifice. Still, I'm happy that she had that final moment with Asaba and learning how much she meant to him. Unlike her fate, there's no ambiguity or open-endedness there. Bittersweet, more bitter than sweet.

Enomoto had to be manipulative until the very end even if it was his way to own up to his sins. He probably hated himself more than anyone.

Sad story. Far from perfect, but well worth the time spent.
ArcticMechFeb 8, 2010 1:09 AM
Jun 25, 2010 4:16 AM

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nice short story :) the time for this was not wasted

President is epic, it was great when he returned in the middle of nothing and say "I can't remember anything!"! :D

in this episode, you will die horribly... *laughs just as shion*
lightness vs. darkness
Nani mo kamo wo hoshigatteita Mayoeru mono no chikai
Mada miru sekai o tsukuridasu koto Kuchi hateteiku
Jul 16, 2010 9:05 AM

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nice anime but as many others i ask my self what's the meaning of the end?
it was the final war and humanity survived... so she won the war or not?!?!

double kill with the last enemy or did she just cash with the fighter after the battle? who knows? cause if she was shot by an enemy, you can't tell that she won... or is the war still ongoing?

i hate those kind of ending for an anime without an sequel.

that's just like playing lottery without an announcement of the winning numbers...
Aug 1, 2010 6:12 PM

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A nice, quick, heartwarming series.

But there are a considerable amount of variables that I don't feel comfortable about.
The war for one. The world is at war. That's what we're told from the start. Iriya is the last one who can fight in it. But with who? Battles are never shown and Enomoto's speech on the roof does little to clear things up.

Enomoto himself was a rather controversial character until the very end. For me, he became somewhat of a martyr for Iriya's cause. He knew they were slowly killing Iriya from the inside with that plane. He tried to help her with Project Puppy so he could make up for Kana's state. And in the end he wanted to die at the hands of someone who would have been entitled to do it.

Iriya's psyche was hard to grasp. I know all that fighting in the Manta has dire effects over time but what happened after Asaba yelled at her on the railroad was rather disturbing. Was she so afraid of being hated by the only person in the world that she cares for that her mind just... turned off? Odd turn of events.

The state the chairman would wind up by the end of the series was funny but in contrast with his usual genki and energetic disposition, it was funny to see. Guess all that snooping around got his brain turned into mush by the government. Or the aliens. Or both. Again, not explained.

The end was rather disappointing for me because it is never clearly stated that Kana dies. The letter was suggestive. Naoyuki's final line is spoken in a resigned voice. The character in the wheat field was kind of a giveaway for what became of Kana.
She did die, then why hasn't all of mankind been annihilated? Contradicting possibilities much?


In conclusion...
Great story. Could have been improved here and there.
The question "Who am I?" certainly has got a lot more meaning for me after watching this.

8/10.

Hope for the best. Expect the worst.
Feb 28, 2011 12:32 AM

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AnimusNathan said:
Wow this was great.

Enomoto wasnt going too shoot Asaba. He just wanted Asaba too shoot him so he could die and atone for his mistakes. Was kind of anti-climatic though, so I can't give it a 10.


yeah this was definitely how it went. I hate to say it but Iriya does appear to be dead. She fought the war for Asaba but lost her life. I'm so sad that they did not kiss.

We really didn't get solid evidence or explanations for who she was foghtig against and the cause of the nosebleeds as well a white hair. Was it related to the incident with her other comrade? It appears to be so...

Anyways, I thought this anime was beautiful. It wasn't all too romantic bit it does have a lot of emotions. Sad to see this series end.

8/10

Apr 15, 2011 2:08 PM
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Glad to know that Iriya is still out there somewhere. I thought they're gonna pull that Saikano ending. The only thing I don't like is Enomoto's suicide, I was expecting more from him but it turned out that he's just another weak character. Rather, that Chairman was a win, I could imagine him saying, "I can't remember anything! I'm in despair!" XD
The window, the window shopping! Hooo!
Jun 28, 2011 2:19 PM

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A sad ending, I really didn't expect Iriya to die. Another possible reason for Enomoto trying to kill Asaba could be that Asaba may not know about everything that happened with the interplanetary war, though it's not something I think is true.
But really, they should have put a kiss in it.
Aug 9, 2011 2:37 PM

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I think the Black Mantra was my only interest in this short series.

So there were aliens after all and we're fighting them. Oh and that was it? Great! Moving on...
You see there's no need to wonder where your god is,
Coz he's right here! ...and he's fresh out of mercy.
Sep 25, 2011 4:54 PM

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i watched this anime around when it came out... i never finished it, last ep i watched was 5, i just now redownloaded and watched 1-6.. very sad ending, put me in a horrible mood.. but there is also this question.... HAS anyone read the light novel? even just skim the ending pages to see if it ends like that? i know there is also a manga but not sure where to get either. i mean if she died doesnt that mean she failed and earth is in danger?, and if she succeeded , she should be alright and coming back home.

im surpirsed people are still posting regarding this, since it is about 6 years old
Master7ZeroSep 25, 2011 5:08 PM
Oct 22, 2011 6:45 PM

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Well that was sad, although, the abscence of them confirming or denying whether she died or not makes the ending a little better as it could still be a happy ending, who knows, I'll take this over having her die outright.

Wish it had a different ending regardless it's 8/10 from me.
Jan 23, 2012 7:50 AM

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Well the whole series is based on how they lied Asaba about everything... Maybe Iriya is still fighting to protect him.

Good story overall. They went through a lot in 6 episodes and concluded with a bittersweet ending... 8/10
huh?
Feb 23, 2012 12:04 AM
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now i hate the goverment
Mar 13, 2012 9:05 PM

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this is based on light novel.. i tink we should read that to know what actually happened... but there's no completed one released.. ;A;
Sep 27, 2012 12:49 PM
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The last battle wasn't on Earth, "final battle" only makes sense if it was an attack on the aliens home planet, wiping them out, supported by the fact that they can accurately predict when the final battle will occur. Xenocide, basically.

"Final battle" simply makes no sense if it was a defensive battle. Even success in such a case wouldn't win them the war. The aliens could mass another fleet and attack at a future date.

However, "Final battle" does make sense if it was an offense, an attack on their planet, as in that case defeat would result in Irya, the final pilot, being dead and humanity doomed. While victory would mean the aliens being wiped out.

Thus we can conclude that the final battle is not on Earth, let's call that Alpha Centauri (after our closest neighbouring star system). First off, there is the distance to consider. How long does it take to travel to Alpha Centauri? Years, unless they use hyperspace, wormholes or whatever. The fighters do not seem to have any inertia, but anyway...

As such I interpret the sign as a symbol for Irya to see, not surprising, either as a spirit or whenever she return. She may or may not be dead, but he still has hope. I think the battle was a one way ticket - regardless if she won or not, but at least he has hope.
Dec 10, 2012 1:07 PM

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Sep 2012
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otakuhime said:
this is based on light novel.. i tink we should read that to know what actually happened... but there's no completed one released.. ;A;


The novel has the same ending, take a look:

http://www.jupiterstar.com/moscribbles/archives/001265.html
Apr 4, 2013 4:57 PM
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Nov 2012
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Quote from Jauregui's link;

After she leaves, Enomoto thanks him and pulls out a gun. Asaba also has a gun in his hands and shoots Enomoto. Enomoto also shoots, but he has blanks.

So Enomoto did plan to be killed bY Asaba at that time. U can actually hear him pull the trigger when he has the gun to his head. I think he punched him more cause of being a bad shooter and inflicting more pain then actually killing him straight away :D

I don't think Irya survives, and like said before its more like a 1 way ticket. The reason why is cause of a small hint said in the last episode;

I don't care about anyone else, I don't care if all of them die, I will protect you alone Asaba, I will fight for you alone Asaba, I will die for you alone Asaba.

I think they both know it at that point and if u realize in time its a nice sad goodbye

The president did get his memory wiped and should have been quite clear with the on the phone abduction and later the i don't remember anything scenes.

Could have been better, but all in all this was a rather good anime. It had plot, some romance (no kissing scene sadly and that's costing this show a point!) Ending was a bit unclear and u have to read a a lot between the lines to get it.

Also for the question who they were fighting, just like Enomoto said on the roof, Both aliens and humans. The human war is what you could see on TV etc. probably result of power battles between US and JAP i guess, maybe cause they have last pilot for the black manta, and then the real war with the aliens.

8/10 for me. Would have given a 9/10 if it had a decent romance ending / scene and maybe a bit more clear to follow story.
Sep 25, 2013 2:27 AM

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it was good show with a sad ending..i'm guessing that Iriya really died..sigh another sad ending but overall it wasn't that bad.
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Sep 28, 2013 3:35 PM

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Aug 2013
5354
Just T.T, I really had a hope for happy ending, because almost whole time was depressing in this serie... But anyway, It was good anime at all...
Dub = fake crap. Always.
Nov 7, 2013 7:08 AM
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Aug 2013
27
I felt like such a bad person when I started laughing when Asaba's friend asked if Asaba got dumped by Iriya and an awkward silence followed by Asaba crying happened. lol
BroIicNov 7, 2013 3:34 PM
Dec 4, 2014 7:01 PM

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Aug 2013
522
Just when I'm starting to love Iriya. I really hate sad ending like this.

6/10
Jul 14, 2015 2:28 AM

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Jan 2013
11047
The last episode explains a lot.
7/10, while frustrating to watch it was interesting.
Dec 6, 2015 6:55 PM

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Mar 2011
2395
Awful episode and also probably the worst anime I've finished this year.
I just lost about 2 hours, there were some good parts indeed, but lesson learned, I'll try to avoid things like that much as possible.
Jul 21, 2016 2:08 PM

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Sep 2013
506
Wow, vague end but still not surprising as it was hinting at an eventual parting since the title of a summer spent with her. Glad to see Asaba moving on without moping around, btw he got off murdering a Defense Officer/Agent???
Aug 20, 2016 7:17 PM

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May 2012
25827
This sure was an interesting way to end this series, while it sure had an interesting set of characters and atmosphere, it did sometime feel a bit strange I must say. But I do loved the whole drama/emotion put into it. A pretty good watch!
Aug 24, 2016 4:05 PM
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Jun 2010
223
This was a terrible piece of shit anime.
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