My God, they actually did. No, they didn’t engage Tachibana and Jinguuji like an OTP trashboi, but for possibly the first time on the entire show, they allowed our central couple to have a heartfelt moment of connection and vulnerability. And they even managed to get that annoying brainwashing part out without it interfering with the important stuff! Good for you, show.
Though my favorite (incredibly skewed) part of this ending is definitely Schwartz von Lichtenstein Lohengramm of all people having to be the emotionally mature adult in the situation, and telling Jinguuji straight up that there’s nothing wrong or shameful about showing you care. by Tachibana. This guy can be a rod in ODS cosplay, but even he knows it’s important to tell your friends how much they mean to you, because otherwise they’ll never know. You know you have serious emotional issues when a chuuni high school student is your relationship counselor.
It’s a good thing that Jinguuji regains his super strength here, because he just so happens to have an entire airport of luggage that he’s been lugging around. We had seen bits of his past and a less than happy family life, but here we see how deep it all got buried. He was raised not only in a strict and traditional household, but sought to trample on any perceived weakness or vulnerability in Jinguuji when he was a child, teaching him that trusting others was shameful and to remain stoic no matter what. It’s a toxic mindset that he barely escaped thanks to Tachibana’s friendship, but it left him almost unable to be emotionally honest or vulnerable with anyone. But with the help of Love Doctor Schwartz, and with his only real friendship on the line, he is finally able to open up.
I mean it opens up the entire Hoover Dam and floods Tachibana with millions of metric tons of excitement at the same time. It’s amazing how long their Rant Friendship goes without a break, and even more impressive how masterfully it straddles the line between heartfelt sentiment and wry humor on which the show is built. You really get the sense that all the little quirks of Tachibana’s personality, from mundane things like how he likes animals, to how much he considers those around him, are important enough to Jinguuji that he has them all memorized. The romantic subtext there is obvious to everyone except Jinguuji himself, but of course we can’t really figure that out, so Tachibana just blushes in another dimension at the rush of affection. Thus, his initial game of Gay Chicken comes back in full force, ready to drive these two idiots crazy until they finally admit their feelings.
It’s a great punchline to get out, and only slightly hampered by the need to stretch the denouement to lead into a potential second season. Not that I dislike there being a sequel – one of my biggest disappointments with the show is that its extended cast has largely been left by the wayside, so the idea of Yggie and the other characters venturing out on their own journeys with the promise of meeting our heroes again is a good one. I just wish the show hadn’t spent so much time on what amounts to “and her adventures continued!” coda
In general, however, Total Fantasy Knockout It’s been a fun time. It’s had its weaker episodes and awkward jokes, but at best, this series could be a rude and loud blast. I just wish he had been at his best more often than he was, because there are a couple of episodes that are total riots, perfectly balancing the various characters and punchlines, while more than a few averaged “okay” afterwards. to wander weakly. gags for too long. As it stands, it’s still a solid comedy and one of the most entertaining isekai this season, but I can’t give it a particularly strong recommendation. However, I can hope it works well enough that they actually give us a full Schwartz spin-off.
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Life with an ordinary guy who was reincarnated in Total Fantasy Knockout is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.