English Dub Review: My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax Episodes 5-8

Overview:

Hachiman both concocts a plan to help Yukino and tries to bridge the gap.

Our Take:

A lot happens in a short amount of time and honestly, it’s pretty good.

The fracture in the kids’ relationship really came from Haruno’s comment that they are all codependent on each other. It’s kind of hard to tell whether this is true or not, or is just a matter of perspective. Of course, the trio functions best when they are all aligned toward the same goal, because they have become a ragtag bunch that has learned how each other works and cemented their abilities over time. Codependency and relying on others are very different things, and they seem to have those muddled up. Even so, Yukino especially is trying to do her best on her own right, with her own efforts, but it’s still hard to see them have to take such roundabout actions.

And yet, Hachiman’s proposal is a good one. He is her competitor (as they do very well when they are competing against each other) but his work also puts hers in a better light. While Yukino has allies, Hachiman has no intention of sabotaging them, but rather, making his proposal look worse so hers looks greater by comparison. He is even willing to go so far when he meets with Yukino’s mother, the spokesperson for the PTA and the main one giving Yukino a hard time, by putting forth a truth he’s built up for a while. It’s really nice to see how much these kids have grown, honestly. Hachiman, especially. He started out pretty self-centered, and even if he was able to get a bird’s eye view of people and cliques, that he never engaged with them set him very far behind. However, this time he has really grown and connected with people and is whether he admits it or not, sticking his neck out for Yukino. While it may seem like he’s against her from the outside, he is doing his best to make sure that what she wants, the prom, happens without outside interference.

I know this is the final season so it’s only natural that the kids’ relationships would wind up together like this, but this configuration is a good one that I enjoy. Considering where they all were when the series first started, watching everyone put in all this effort– it feels nice.