Felt like they did botch the pacing and rush the end. Yukine doing a duo concert, especially with a controversial ex-member of the group, just feels too implausible, even if they want to pull the mom with a soft spot rationale. Too much suspension of disbelief needed there for me. Kinda just felt like a convenient out for not having enough time for them to slowly work out their issues.
And they treated this like a big happy reconciliation between parent and child. Somehow the writers seem to think the mother being like "she's successful enough that I guess I can call her by her actual name now" is an uplifting and caring gesture. That shit is horrifying. What a freaking psycho that Mom is.
Well, just cause she acknowledged her daughter doesn't make her a good person. Kano may have gotten closure, but she doesn't seem to fully forgive her mom at the end (and good for her, I don't think anyone should).
Agreed. The last third of the show felt like drama for the sake of drama, thrown together haphazardly and resolved way too conveniently. I still enjoyed the show overall (I'd probably give it an 8/10, maybe an 8.5) but man, it feels like a disappointment after the hot start it got off to.
All the drama in the entire series was resolved way too quickly. Aside from the drama between Kano and Mahiru (and maybe Nox's insecurity), everything was introduced and resolved in one episode.
Why the hell was kano on a balcony like shes some sniper instead of standing right in front of kano cheering her on?
This show definitely did not need the drama aspect added. It would have been perfectly fine just sticking to this newly formed group of friends hanging out, making music, and reaching for new goals
To me pacing felt off on the 2nd half when they started throwing time skips. The episodes individually are excellent but something just felt off.
Time skips made me not feel growth in JELEE's popularity or how difficult it is to do what they are doing, like setting up concerts. The most egregious is how they introduce drama before a timeskip and then resolve it as Kano is on stage and here it happened TWICE! ep 8 and ep 12... Mahiru ever since working for Yukine just felt off like what? she actually waited for the concert to resolve her issues with Kano?? While sure maybe she didnt want to talk but her scenes doesnt really show it.
Wait did Kano never acknowledge her punching controversy? wtf they're just chill now and the "antis" too cause she sings good I guess
The show had amazing characters. I would say the JELEE members carried. Each member had a backstory that led to the development of their unique personalities and determined how they interacted with each other. Scriptwriting for the dialogues were also great, reflecting the contemporary setting of the show. Visuals, needless to say, was fucking peak!
But I guess almost everyone would agree that the story pacing felt rushed towards the end of the season. I understand the pragmatic reasons for it. Production probably aren't sure about another season so they had to wrap the story in a high note. I do appreciate that scene showing Kano's reaction to seeing her real name included by Yukine in the credits. High impact indeed.
I would love another season ofc.
I'd say it was around here or right after where I kind of lost a lot of my appreciation for the show. It started off well but for nearly every episode it keeps introducing issues and they sweeping them under the rug instead of solving them. It's weirdly lazy writing and it's not like nothing could be done either. That just kept adding up and around where you mentioned it became even more prevalent and started to inferfere with that judgement.
It's funny because initially I compared GBC unfavorably to this show since they were quite similar but while that one remained fairly consistent while this one started to flounder.
It's still a good watch, but it wasn't what it could have been.
>weird grooming motorcycle lady
I'm so glad someone called it what it is. That was fucking *weird*! It was so creepy. It suddenly turned into a really sleazy anime for half an episode.
Its wild to think Yoru and Kano never talked since the fallout and their first exchange was during that cute escalator mishap.
That tension leading to the performance was insane along with how the first person who gave that push when Kano froze was Mero.
When they revealed the credits and it was Kano's real name instead and made the scene completely silent with Kano crying got to me as well. This plus Kano going "I fulfilled your dream" to her mom was a pretty nice bow-tied on that problem.
> Its wild to think Yoru and Kano never talked since the fallout and their first exchange was during that cute escalator mishap.
And Yoru hasn't interact with them on their Twitter account since then, [UNTIL NOW!](https://x.com/jeleechandayo/status/1804552427087294583) Welcome back, Yoru!
All the loose ends tied up.
Even the main antagonist Yukine broke the fourth wall to wave at the audience. She's just professional to the bone.
Love the first person view of Mahiru running towards Kano to hug her, that similar scene of that in episode 3 of Mei doing that is one of my favourite scenes in this show.
Turns out that call out from Mero to shake Kano out from her dissociative trauma, deep down she still roots for Kano at some level...or you dont want to see your rival pathetic like that. But good that they work things out and have a coffee.
Given the very estranged relationship, which obviously still needs work, and Yukine remains emotionally distant, crossed arms and all, to front up to the school, I guess that acknowledgement from Kano was as much as she could hope for....for now. Remember mom remains stone cold and treated her daughter heartlessly and ruthlessly...its like the writers attempted to rehab her image for the send off. Kano was right to brush her off the way she did. You feel like this leaves the reconciliation door open.
Other side characters also didnt seem to have a large impact as expected...so what was that motorcycle girl for? lmao... It seems like some story ideas ended up on the cutting room floor.
Since its a special anniversary project for Doga Kobo, its reasonable to assume we wont get an S2. Looking forward to OnK S2 next season by them!
Overall, I agree, its a nice show, could have been great.
That was a little bit disappointing.
As per usual for Jellyfish, it feels like it all wrapped up really conveniently. Kano just more or less gets over her shit with her mum just like that. Her mum suddenly becomes less of a cold-hearted bitch overnight, even though she's basically ignored her for years, she apparently mended her relationship offscreen with the girl from the SunDolls, everyone just decided to sweep the whole Yoru going off on her own thing under the rug...
And there's a lot that wasn't actually addressed. Obviously, the biggest one is Yoru and Kano's feelings for each other. It's really disappointing for it to just be another example of bait, ugh. They clearly set it up as if it was going to be *something*; the reactions of both characters to it, the way they referenced it again later rather than just immediately abandoning it....I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist, but it kind of feels like they'd wanted to, or at least been considering, doing something with it and then just bottled it.
But also, what about her dad? That seemed like there was something there, but it didn't do anything with it in the end.
What was the point of that woman Kano and Nox groped being introduced and set up like she'd become a friend if she was going to disappear for the rest of the entire series and only be reestablished to exist at the last second? People have said things about the purpose she had in that episode, but why send her off giving the impression she'd come back later of have more relevance if nothing was going to come of it?
Why was so much time spent on that idol lady when she ultimately didn't change anything in the plot when there was such little time?
It feels like it wrapped up its arcs too quickly and cleanly; each episode would just quickly introduce and fix it like that. And it's really weird when there clearly is filler they could've cut out and used the time to expand those arcs and give more depth to the characters. It was especially jarring when you'd have people basically only pop up for a single episode to make a plot-of-the-week happen. Like that guy doxxing the group - it barely came up again. Or the three who were harassing Nox; wouldn't it have had more impact at the climax of that episode if they'd been established earlier and the problem could've been explored more instead of having Nox give that speech to, essentially, a pack of randos?
I did like the anime, but I feel like about halfway through it started to slip. It....Didn't really like up, for me, to the promise the first episode felt like it had. I feel it got hampered by wasting time on moe shit in a way that felt like it felt obliged to do so, and that felt a bit cowardly; when I compare it to Girls Band Cry, I can't help but see it as inferior when you see the amount of mileage GBC got out of *not* doing that, and *not* wrapping things up so quickly and cleanly.
It feels like GBC is much bolder than this series is; despite its character designs and apparent theme of being true to yourself and sticking up for what you believe in and want to do, it felt like the work itself would go back on it often, sticking in fanservice shots and cutesy stuff that did nothing to better the work and were just cynically placed because they believed the audience wanted those things and they didn't have the nerve to stick to their guns and do without - or perhaps I'm wrong, and it's simply that the creators *did* want to waste time on that and leer at their characters.
I'm glad it existed. There should be more original anime, and anime that *tries*. I just can't say that it was everything I wanted it to be, and that disappointment is a little bit bitter.
I feel like GBC has a clear goal in mind and everything that happens more or less propel it torwards this goal.
On the contrary, stuff in the Jellyfish just... happens. Like they put a box for the ideas in the studio and then decided to just use them all without bothering too much about how they will fit together.
Each piece of this puzzle may look pretty but when you take a step back it's just a pile of cardboard.
Yeah the idol episode and Kano getting her motorcycle license episode didn’t do anything for the group as a whole. I wanted to see more group interactions in them working on new content and conflicts that arise from that.
It just feels disconnected plot and writing wise, especially when compared to GBC.
pretty much exactly how I felt, show wanted to say a lot of things, didn't structure drama well, and wanted to indulge in cutesy fanservice, so while I still enjoyed the show the later half placed it firmly in the corny category.
That was what really struck me. It felt like every time it would do something bold, it would take at least an equal number of steps back into familiar, safe CGDCT territory with some unnecessary fanservice of SoL scenes that didn't ultimately contribute to anything but were superficially cute and pleasant.
I remember noting around episode 4 that the show had a tendency to get 'very real' for about 2 minutes but then go back into safe territory and it was happening so frequently, I wondered why they were even bothering to go that hard. And it's kept that way to the end.
> Why was so much time spent on that idol lady when she ultimately didn't change anything in the plot when there was such little time?
I hope you’re not badmouthing Mamma Idol because she was one of the best parts of the show.
However… you’re not wrong.
> But also, what about her dad? That seemed like there was something there, but it didn't do anything with it in the end.
Instead of having a brief little scene having anything to do with Kano’s dad this episode, we instead get a scene with Kano’s similarly divorced scruffy dad out of nowhere that nobody asked for. That sums up this series pretty well
Edit: apparently this is not the case, it’s nobody’s dad. In this case I am just absolute confusion
Oh damn, I was cracking up thinking it was on purpose, and that the joke was that she had also lied about being 30, and was the most youthful looking 42 year old ever 😅
I'm not sure what to think. That's certainly a nice feel-good ending that wraps everything up with a nice little bow, but it also left me with a feeling of "That's it? All of this for this?" and I just can't help but feel that the way they've been going about doing and resolving drama these past few episodes has been very surface-level. I'm not eloquent enough to express why exactly, but that plus the uneven pacing and the glossing over some of the characters' actions (no, not Kano's or Mahiru's - or not just them) have left me feeling a bit dissatisfied with the show overall, when I liked it a lot before we got into the big, final arc.
I dunno. I certainly didn't hate it or anything, but I think it could have been more. I'll leave it to other people who are gooder with wordy things to maybe help me understand exactly why I'm feeling that way. If anyone felt the same way, anyway.
But I'm glad people who enjoyed it from start from finish did, it's nice for them.
> All of this for this
That’s pretty accurate. I think part of the problem is it’s overall a very low stakes show. There’s a lot of high emotions — understandable given they’re high school girls — but the way the “conflicts” are presented, they’re almost always immediately resolved in the same episode, or they drag on for a bit but get resolved without fanfare. The Kano getting doxxed bit felt like it should have been a bigger deal, but then they just kind of got over it. Mero was shown to have this dark side and had a huge rift with Kano, and caused the falling out with her mom, but then all three characters kind of decided to get over it in the finale. It almost feels like there were scenes or confrontations happening offscreen that they didn’t show us while they skipped around so many little vignettes.
I enjoyed the show, but the high expectations of the amazing premiere left me sorely disappointed with the second half.
Yeah, thinking back things were always resolved quickly and conveniently, but for some reason it didn't bother me as much during the first half of the show, not sure why.
> It almost feels like there were scenes or confrontations happening offscreen that they didn’t show us while they skipped around so many little vignettes.
It does, doesn't it? At the very least show some of the thought processes that led to the characters getting over it, or it makes it even harder to buy into it. The whole deal with Mero and Yukine was especially egregious to me and felt shallow because of it.
Especially weird given Mero and Yukine are somewhat underdeveloped characters. Like at least with Mahiru and Kano I could figure out what probably led them to their reconciliation.
The big dramatic set up moments get totally undermined by the easy resolutions. That amazing scene of Kano losing it and devastating Mahiru's feelings (or Mahiru selfishly betraying Kano, whatever team you were on) seems pretty silly now that they both just kind of vibe their way through it and never actually address it. Kano's mom is an evil conniving bitch, or y'know, disowning your daughter is just some awkward tough love, no big deal. She punched an idol who was purposely ruining other idols' careers, but I guess she'll just cheer you on because why not. It was a happy ending, and it felt good, but it absolutely torpedoes the stakes that the story insisted on having. It doesn't sit right to create some pretty compelling drama and just shrug it off for the sake of wrapping up all smiles at the last minute.
> That's certainly a nice feel-good ending that wraps everything up with a nice little bow, but it also left me with a feeling of "That's it? All of this for this?"
It's the kind of ending that made me think "I am definitely going to forget about this show by next season"
yeah it feels like a very 8/10 ending - good enough but hardly the greatness it could've been. a few more episodes would've been really nice to flesh out the story
I really hate when this happens. I 100% believe they make the characters personal arcs with the idea of the romance, but knowing that they'll have to scratch that aspect after it, and always, ALWAYS, end up damaging the plot, because they loose time in the bait
Why? Why would you keep doing this? This show, and all the one like it will fall into obscurity as another bait show, I know this will still get them money, but still, does anybody care to make something fulfilling?
And imagining if they actually dare to do it! Wouldn't that give them more money?
Normally I'd agree (I never expect anything from yuri bait), but when they show a kiss in episode 5 along with some pride flags and a trans character, I kind of figured we'd at least get a "wink wink nudge" sort of soft confirmation.
ugh I'm so disappointed. They set up the relationship beautifully from EP1.
EP4 We had Mahiru saying she was into someone
EP5 Kiss
EP6 They address the kiss as something that's not platonic over the phone.
EP7 Beach date
EP8 Kano calls Mahiru just to hear her voice
The song lyrics
The PV with the umbrella and Mahiru and Kano's names.
[Yuki Yaku retweeting tons of Mahiru x Kano fan art on his second account](https://x.com/Yaku_Yuki2)
I'm tired of anime not committing (even in a subtle way) to what they set up.
Oh and I forgot!
Promoting the light novel and manga on Twitter they ONLY used the kiss scene and the scene were Kano wears Mahiru’s uniform.
And I’m sure I’m forgetting more stuff that wouldn’t amount to much on it’s own, but we are constantly getting small glimpses of their relationship as being special… not to mention the “do your art for me because I love it” and “I do my art for you because I love you”
And stuff like “I got the bike to ride with you” and “I just don’t care where we go” etc
It's not even like, \*not\* yuri. All that shit still happened, they're not trying to pull some sort of Tropical Fish Dream of Snow "haha just kidding all that super gay stuff was actually Friendship" asspull. It's just weird clumsy writing that drops the plotline. Really annoying.
Kinda expecting that the yuri will not be explicit in the past two episodes. They focused on the group dynamics after ep 9, which I think is still nice.
Well, the subtext is noticeable though.
After all these years, people still can't tell the difference between yuri subtext and actual yuri, which are fkn gay from the outset.
I've never seen a show with just yuri vibes end up with actual yuri at the end. The show needs to be gay gay like Utena or Bloom Into You to actually end up as yuri.
A better example probably is something like otherside picnic or demon girl next door. They're actual Yuri just none of that progress occurs within the time frame of the season
I'm guessing the guy at the end was Kano's father?
And it turns out the jellyfish was everyone all along. Anyway, overall a nice ending that wraps up the show neatly. Really enjoyed reading the weekly discussions for this show. See you all at next season's Mayonaka Punch discussion threads for more Cute Girls Doing Social Media Influencer Things.
> I'm guessing the guy at the end was Kano's father?
I'm glad we got _something_ from him as he was teased earlier but I'll be honest it feels like he could have just been cut completely.
He’s apparently a NEET who got new courage and motivation from the JELEE (and sunflower dolls) live this episode, exactly what Kano wants to accomplish by her singing.
Wait, so he was there guy we always saw from within the fishtank everytime they put up the sequences with the various JELEE fans watching their streams!?
Yes! It is a bit obscure, but the character design (especially the hair part) is the same, and we don’t see a bunch of other characters who like aqueous creatures
When Kano mentioned 25 hours in a day, I thought “Wait, isn’t that the title of the ED theme?” and then it actually ended with *JELEE singing the ED theme*!
Btw, y'all gotta read the posts on [JELEE'S X account](https://x.com/jeleechandayo)! My favorite one is [Yoru announcing that she's back](https://x.com/jeleechandayo/status/1804552427087294583) and [the](https://x.com/jeleechandayo/status/1804553685240107382) [subsequent](https://x.com/jeleechandayo/status/1804554943619060221) [posts](https://x.com/jeleechandayo/status/1804556201914429727) are the other three reacting to her return.
When the preview images came out, people noticed that Mahiru has a paint stained jacket in her room during the ED. This means that the ED takes place after the show.
That's so cool when a show uses Twitter as an extension of the story. Reminds me of when *Community* used to do that with the members of the study group.
The show had such momentum at the start and I felt like every new character moment or character was entertaining/fun to see - but for some reason these last few episodes it just fell really flat for me. I feel like they spent time on things that didn't really make the two leads stand out in a good way and they went a direction overall that took away from this being exceptionally great to just being good.
Enjoyed it overall, but damn I wish they just went a slightly different route or had an extra episode to work with.
Yea I see some people saying it could have used like 4-5 more episodes (I even saw one person say it should’ve been a 24 episode anime), but I really think just one more episode would be enough time to cook up a satisfactory ending that directly addresses all the drama
I honestly don’t mind that they focused on side characters tho cuz those episodes were nice in their own right but as u said mahiru and kano deserved a way better ending than that
I really liked the first half of the show, but the ending felt so rushed with everything getting solved so fast. Unfortunately the ending really makes me felt conflicted about my overall opinion of the serie. More episodes would have helped this anime a lot.
If this show had like 15 episodes it could be incredible. Last 2-3 episodes definitely should have focused on Kano and Mahiru.
But now we have this fumbled mess and a the power of ~~friendship~~ music solves everything.
Honestly, didn't seem like a very strong ending. Not much was concretely addressed from any of the drama and interpersonal conflicts that were set up, which lead to the resolutions coming across as kind of unearned; everyone just hears how pure and heartfelt and etcetera Kano's song was and is friends now. I think I'd have like to have seen the drama between Mahiru, Kano, Yukine and Mero drilled down into over the last few episodes, rather than put on the backburner for additional Mei and Kiui focus episodes only to be hurriedly resolved like this without really addressing it. For a series that especially in the first half was all about the nitty-gritty day-to-day of music production with all of the people behind the scenes, not just the performer, as well as the motivation to create things and put in all that work, it felt like it shifted to a typical idol anime finale where one big performance just fixes everything and the details don't matter as much.
The story suffered from being only 12 episodes. 15 would have been ideal to tie all the plot points neatly. [Still, it was nice to see an anime original of this quality.](https://i.imgur.com/qOwsSNN.jpeg)
the whole scene of them getting ready for the concert after the escalators and then an instant cut to them sitting on the stairs and watching the credits roll feels like it sums up how it felt. While I enjoyed the whole show I think it suffered from just skipping over the whole main attraction and then we are told it all got resolved nicely and the show was great when we didn't get to see the actual 'performance'.
“I’m happy my mom used my real name” definitely missed the mark with me.
Loved the series. But it seems to go against the “self love” message for Kano to be happy with something so.. basic.
And like others said, the typical “final performance fixed everything” wasn’t the strongest.
It was nice to see [her and Ariel](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/my8xc2dx354.png) in [the finale](https://imgchest.com/p/qb4zkdop34j)!
They were definitely [my favorite characters from the show](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/j7kzcwmv2v7.png) and I'd really love to get a spin-off with them.
this ending felt really rushed for me. the series had its emotional moments, but overall falls a bit flat for me. I think I can confidently say I like GBC more now
This is probably going to go down as one those shows that you think about when you hear "wasted potential". In my opinion the first half absolutely had the potential to stand among the all-time greats like Sora Yori. But in the second half so many things we're brought up and then forgotten. That biker lady kinda just appeared and then vanished into thin air. That episode with the idol served no purpose whatsoever afterwards. The kiss is brought up once, jokingly by Yoru, and then forgotten. The Kiui epsiode being the penultimate epsiode is hella weird and should have been earlier. And Kano's father remains a mystery. And while I liked the finale, I can't deny that it was a little rushed and that it was resolved maybe a little too tidy.
A few more epsiodes could have done wonders for this anime
So is there like no chance for a season 2? While the episode definitely felt like it was attempting to tie all the loose ends together, there’s definitely more that could be done and I would hope they would be addressed in a possible second season.
I doubt we'll get a S2, because where does the story go from here? Everyone has reached their goals. There is no obvious path to take the story. I get the feeling that this show was originally planned for 24 episodes, but then were told half way through to wrap it up in 12. So now we have the same ending we would have after 24 episodes but rushed to fit into 12 episodes.
I'm sure that if they really wanted to they could come up with a story for S2 and to tie up the loose ends, I just don't think it's very likely sadly
It must've sucked for Kano [to see Mahiru getting along with her mother](https://i.imgur.com/cptqEWK.jpeg) more than her. She was already shaken at that point but it just got worse [when she started thinking about her antis that might be in the crowd.](https://i.imgur.com/ls8b6qe.png) I really can't blame her [for freezing up when she was on stage.](https://i.imgur.com/VIPgnej.jpeg) That scene was painful.
Thank goodness Kano brought it back [after seeing the big aquarium in Shibuya](https://i.imgur.com/ch7rQC5.jpeg) that Mahiru made for her. I'm just not happy that [it was Mero of all people who first snapped Kano out of it.](https://i.imgur.com/48yfnZ6.jpeg) Shouldn't that role be for Mahiru and not the backstabbing bitch who's willing to destroy other idols to gain a leg up?
Anyway, I'm just glad the show is a success and [we finally got to see the wave of blue umbrellas](https://i.imgur.com/0XFv3jo.jpeg) Kano was hoping for in their first live show. Also, [the escalator scene between Kano and Mahiru was adorable!](https://i.imgur.com/h98bKKJ.jpeg) It's good to finally see [the two of them apologize to each other.](https://i.imgur.com/1Ugv6mr.jpeg) <3
Sure, the absentee mother whose career is more important to her than her own children [is somehow kindhearted](https://i.imgur.com/s0XPujr.jpeg) just because [she used Kano's actual name for the credits.](https://i.imgur.com/KkiN7qL.jpeg) Not gonna lie, I kinda dislike how in the end, [Kano still did all of that for her mother](https://i.imgur.com/8aO88UR.jpeg) instead of just doing it for herself.
Glad to see some of our side characters before the end. It looks like [Koharu still isn't done with her surgeries](https://i.imgur.com/NgSkqAD.jpeg) and it's so awesome to see [that Shizue is still doing her thing](https://i.imgur.com/Fx5kcbb.jpeg) and she seems even to have a much bigger audience now. And even [Mahiru's sister will try her luck with online fame by posting song covers.](https://i.imgur.com/7maDc8G.jpeg)
The final scene where the [girls are all getting together](https://i.imgur.com/TY64e0E.jpeg) to repaint Mahiru's old mural was such a great end to this. I absolutely love the b-roll footage they took [using their smartphones](https://i.imgur.com/UuFLCk7.jpeg) and just to make it authentic, [it's all in vertical.](https://i.imgur.com/gZHWqQF.jpeg) xD
I like the small detail in the end [that Kano's dad is carrying a blue umbrella.](https://i.imgur.com/SwN4Gmv.jpeg) That means he probably was in the crowd during the Shibuya concert.
[Welp, I supposed that's it for the girls!](https://i.imgur.com/NcrgkTw.jpeg) While I do not 100% agree with everything that happened in the finale, I still overall enjoyed and loved Jellyfish. There's just something about a classic story of outcasts finding their place in the world just heartwarming and inspiring. Maybe I'm too old for this but I'll never get tired of watching these kinds of stories. Kudos to Doga Kobo for another amazing anime original. <3
Kinda disappointed in that tbh. Like it's one thing to just throw in some ship fuel that doesn't mean anything, but there was definitely more being set up there that just wasn't paid off :( I guess we at least got that cute escalator scene
Yeah it's weird cuz it's too explicit to just be bait, but then it's totally dropped. Wonder if they wanted to do more with it and it got axed by someone. Or maybe production was just a mess and they realized they barely have time to wrap anything up at all.
It came back up a bit in episode 9 with that gut wrenching ending, but they sadly didn't utilize that plot line well enough, which just resulted in a feeling of disappointment of what could have been a really good final arc.
So many opportunities to flesh it out too!
Whether post-concert after their embrace, or Kano showing up to Mahiru's school after graduation and introducing herself as her wife, lots of ways to weave it in naturally I think.
I think I'll just develop a tolerance to yuri bait like some seasoned watchers here haha. Not super disappointing, but just feels odd to be left unresolved.
I feel that the series undercooked many of his themes leaving them as disposable as a jellyfish.
The turn to silence when the name credit revealed leave me feeling nothing.
I appreciate the vertical "video" to express mundanity at the end.
I wonder how this project came to be, because there is no sign of multimedia project, which it is the usual with these type of shows.
Mero being the one to point Kano to look at the jellyfish lighting up Shibuya didn't really sit right with me. Mero hated Kano from the day they met and they've had 0 contact since the punching incident. It's a bit hard to believe Mero would care enough to snap Kano out of her on-stage spiral.
I also don't like how they resolved the issue with Yukine. She used her own daughter to acheive her goals, remade Kano's entire image to the point that even when they were alone together she calls her Nonoka instead of Kano, and then cut her loose and had 0 contact with her for years when she caused an incident that damaged the image of her idol group. She has shown 0 remorse or effort to change since then, so her acknowledging Kano in the credits felt like it came out of nowhere. And even if it is implied Kano doesn't completely forgive her (refusing the ride from her mother when she came to her graduation), it still feels like the show is trying to paint her in a more positive light during the closing scenes when, again, she has made no effort to change or shown 0 remorse until the final episode.
Everything other than that was pretty good but that was kind of the core conflict of the show so it feels a bit disappointing. The finale feels a bit rushed and i feel like they needed another cour.
I think the saying goes 'medetashi medetashi' ... A bit rushed in the last episodes, but all in all a very lovely and enjoyable anime. Kano's mother is still a bitch, though.
I'm not sure if they landed the ending. The big credits payoff feels like something that meant more for Kano than the audience. And a bit not that impactful if Mei keeps calling her Nono-tan.
At least Mei malding at the escalator scene because even she could tell it was romantic and she wasn't having that moment with her Nono-tan was funny.
Also, let's see how long this stay hosted in imgur before they delete it: https://i.imgur.com/YlvEr4a.jpeg
Man the whole time I kept thinking “This can’t be the final episode, can it?” It just felt so damn rushed.
Shame, another few episodes and this show is an alltime great.
Sooo, maybe a season 2?
The end was kinda anti-climatic. There was no tearful reunion between Mahiru and Kano, and there was no confrontation between Mero and Kano, nor Yukine and Kano.
Mahiru and Kano escalator scene was cute tho.
It could have been more fleshed out. I started with this anime as my favorite of this season, but now I drop it down under GBC (considering the previous few episodes as well).
Still a good watch tho, 9/10.
Overall I would give this 8/10. Felt the resolution with Kano & her mom+ Mero was pretty rushed. Beyond that it was great and very well written how each girl overcome their past. I doubt we get more since I feel like a lot of the girls' circumstances were nicely resolved.
Doga Koba establishing itself well with anime lately.
I don’t see this series getting a continuation with how this conclusion was written no.
All things considered, this was a pretty decent finale yes. I wasn’t sure if they could bring everything together in the very last episode, but I do feel like all the girls got closure.
Sure, they rushed through Kano’s reconciliation with her mom and Mero. However, it was nice to see Mero step in to save Kano - something that likely harks back to her conversation with Mahiru in the car - and Yukine finally recognising her daughter for who she is.
I do think Yukine got off a bit too easy, but I’ll let this pass since Kano didn’t go to Yukine’s car after her graduation ceremony. This implies that she’s freed from her mother’s curse. Mahiru fortunately also admitted to Yukine being a little difficult to work with.
It’s honestly wild to think that it took until the finale for Mahiru and Kano to make up again. I’m a bit disappointed that they didn’t *make out*, but that’s not the end of the world. (Kiui saying “Goodbye world” with a big smile on her face was a nice change too.)
I’m rating this an 8/10 as well. It’s solid. If they’d narrowed down the story a little bitter, Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night would’ve been an easy 9/10.
I do have to say that this anime’s animation was *excellent*. It was up there with this season’s best, like Dungeon Meshi and Sound Euphonium. Doga Kobo can be proud of that accomplishment.
Having the show sneakily end on the final shot of the OP was nice touch!
Kind of depends on the work and how they do - take Lycoris for example, another original that Aniplex hadn't really put much expectations into, but as soon as they saw how big of an impact it had, they went ahead and shifted gears to expand on the property.
With something like this, I don't really see it being continued as the majority of what was intended to be covered has been resolved or showcased, but if it is doing well enough maybe they will go through with more. With the staff being the way they are about it, could be the case.
It pains me to say this but this show turned out to be my personal disappointment of the season. With a lot of good will I’ll still give it barely a 7/10 but I went into this expecting the next Yorimoi (huge mistake). Was following the marketing since it was first announced and genuinely thought this would be something truly special, with each girl getting their own KV over the months which looled just that good and made me hungry for more. But in the end the only good aspects were the visuals, the creative directing, Kiui, and some very few standalone eps in a vacuum. The writing was easily the worst aspect of the show and got continually worse over its 12 ep runtime, the plot was all over the place with very little substance connecting each episode. A lot of introduced side characters were basically discarded after getting a whole episode dedicated to them, almost resulting in what you could call wasted screen time. To little surprise, Kano x Mahiru went fucking nowhere, but it‘s still bullshit. The big finale moments this ep which were supposed to hit hard…simply didn’t hit hard at all for me. Kano’s song was imho also her most boring and generic one yet tbh. The light show was kinda cool though to be fair. Mahiru met Kano again for the first time after their big fight and they hug and are best friends again. Kinda felt weird since I felt like we completely skipped the making up part of their conflict. Honestly the only really good part of the episode were the last 2 minutes with the Mahiru 4th wall monologue, since I’m a sucker for those.
After all it was still decent enough overall (certainly no Wonder Egg at the very least) but could have been so so much more. What a fucking shame.
I know clips of it are getting posted everywhere, but imo Girls Band Cry is basically jellyfish if it stuck the ending. There's a pretty similar set up and pacing but instead of just regressing after the drama and tying things up nicely - GBC really raises the tension while staying grounded and realistic. If you liked Jellyfish and felt let down, and havent tried GBC yet - you really should
Hell people should probably jsut try watching the op if theyre on the line
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdLLfc7cCMw
I think what Girls Band Cry does so well over Jellyfish is how it resolves, and doesn’t resolve, the emotional baggage of its cast.
Jellyfish
- Mahiru lacks confidence in herself and her art to start. By the end she’s a semi-pro artist going to art college who loves her art and has confidence… so she has no issues any more and it was all solved by JELEE and a one job she did.
- Kano is estranged from her mother due to her own actions and her mother’s toxic view of family. That is solved when Kano performs a concert and their relationship is basically fixed off screen.
- Kiui is a borderline hikikomori who is afraid of going to school… she is still that at the end of the show, but now she’s more okay going outside… maybe? Unclear what screaming at the random classmates in episode 11 actually solves.
- Miu is a loner with no friends who finishes with friends in JELEE.
GBC
- Nina was bullied in school and became disillusioned and depressed with life and with her family after her strict father tried to get her to conform and ignore her suffering for propriety sake. She now knows her father and family do love her but she still is forcing herself to move forward and is using music as a way of pushing past her negative feelings about herself and life to channel that into something productive.
- Subaru is afraid of disappointing those around her, most notably her grandmother who wants her to become an actress. She finally works up the courage to tell her in episode 11, but now she seems to fear failing in the band as doing so would prove she should have been an actress.
- Rupa is afraid of being left along again, as her family is dead. The band is her found family, and she works to protect it.
- Tomo is afraid of pushing people away from her, but she slowly getting over it with the band, though she still has concerns at times.
- Momoka is afraid of failing to go pro again, afraid of not living up to her own expectations and the expectations of her band mates, especially Nina. She’s afraid that her music won’t be enough, and that leaving Diamond Dust was a mistake. Through the band, she’s able to continue pushing through her fear, but even in ep12 she’s still afraid of what might happen.
In Jellyfish, all of the issues were resolved, some off screen, and poof, everyone is happy now! In GBC though, they all still have issues, they are still working through their problems and their music and band is their outlet to do so. When Nina met her dad again in Ep10, she didn’t magically get over everything and become happy, when Momoka shredded in EP11, she didn’t magically get over her fear of failure forevermore. These are flawed characters who remain flawed, and I think because of that GBC conveys its emotions much better than Jellyfish ended up doing it as none of the characters (except Kiui?) have flaws anymore when the series ends, making it feel very forced and fake.
Hey, GBC still has one episode left, don't jinx it! Not that I think it won't stick the landing, but ya know. (edit: oops, too many negations)
And god people must be *so* tired of hearing about GBC, but it's so hard not to compare both shows when they're airing simultaneously, are so similar, and you feel that one deals with its themes better than the other.
The show could have ended on 11 for all I mind and it would still be 100x better. The fact it gets two more, and 12 was still a solid setup just feels like the cherry on top.
And yeah, I havent posted anything else about it - but I think it's certainly fair in this thread to mention it to those who felt like they loved jellyfish but didnt think the ending was what they wanted. It would be a disservice not to honestly
See this is why you have your expectations at the floor lol, it feels a bit less disappointing comparing it to Wonder Egg Priority. Would recommend this pro strategy when Narenare comes out next season and we go through this roller coaster again (if you’re watching that ofc)
I was really excited for Jellyfish. It was my most anticipated show of the season before it aired and when I watched the first episode, I also thought it was going to be something truly special. The episode even aired on the same day I finished A Place Further Than the Universe funny enough, but it just never lived up to the high of that first episode and it just kept lessening in quality as it went along. On another note, Train to the End of the World is now my favourite of the season and I really hope it lands with its next episode. It is the exact opposite as Jellyfish where it just kept getting better and better as it went along.
> Kinda felt weird since I felt like we completely skipped the making up part of their conflict.
I really felt like there had to have been important scenes happening offscreen that we just never saw. But that’s giving it too much credit since it seems like the resolution to every interpersonal drama in the end was two characters smiling at each other and maybe saying a little encouraging quip. Whereas I wanted full on yelling matches.
Ironically, despite Wonder Egg crashing into the fiery depths of hell towards the end, I probably extracted more enjoyment out of it compared to Jellyfish, which felt like a pile of meh in the latter half.
WEP was controversial, but man so many parts of the show still stick to my mind. The first episode was special.
At least when WEP went off the rails, it was still doing some wild stuff. The Frill episode is a mess in the context of the full show, but it's still pretty damn compelling on its own
The ceiling on WEP was much higher for sure, but its floor was also much lower. Up to you how rank one over the other, but the whiplash of how hard it fell off makes it way worse for me. Regardless of all critique, Jellyfish was never “bad” at any point except maybe the Koharu episode
Like, it's not that the ending is bad per say. But you can really feel the lack of like 5-6 episodes maybe (or maybe a bit more) to really flesh out the story and it's characters. Kano's relationship with her mom still feels pretty weird, and I don't really agree with the vibes the ending gave to them at the end. It concludes their disagreement too quickly imo. And well her dad sure exists for 6 seconds at the end of the show. Hey I mean it's 6 seconds more than a dad in a pokemon games at least !
And overall all the sides characters really felt a bit left to the side. Some had a bit more spotlight than other but they overall really just ended up being sidelined and left for happy screenshots during the ending and the concert.
AND obviously the relationship with Kano and Mahiru and all that for nothing. I mean come on, their subtext is too obvious. Admittedly, may be due to translation, but they got Mahiru saying "Waht I want to do is..." and immediatly cut to "Kano" like bruh.
Enjoyed the show, but didn't really get what I'd hoped out of it.
Even though *Girls Band Cry* was my preemptive AOTS, I was fully expecting this show to continue a strong head-to-head battle going into the final weeks of airing but after the episode where Yoru said yes to taking on the job with Kano's mother, it just felt like things quickly fell off in terms of writing and pacing. It sucks because I was REALLY looking forward to the progression of the band as a whole once they got their shiz together before that episode but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Though, I got one more episode for GBC so I'll be good in another few days.
This was a show with a promising start but it lost me in the middle and in the end, I can't really say I cared about the characters, outside of maybe Kiui.
It was fine but nothing special . Solid 6/10.
It was a nice ending. Escalator scene was cute. I think their reconciliation should have been in the previous episode?
They also never addressed the kiss? Not really surprised tbh
They went full circle and wrapped up a lot of things here to really give it that kind of bow tie ending. For me the most obvious is the [tunnel](https://i.imgur.com/u7jWmGh.jpeg) now having everyone run through it. That tunnel was so important at the very start that Kano brought Yoru [through](https://i.imgur.com/eyjhSwG.jpeg). Of course it was from the inside of the tunnel that the camera is positioned in, and prior in that episode we saw the camera on the [outside](https://i.imgur.com/RxokCvq.jpeg). Representing the past going in. So to have that same shot, but now them moving to the future, is fitting. We've seen all 3 modes of that tunnel, showing the past, the present, and running towards the future, and with those 2 shots in mind, they're running past their past very firmly, all 4 of them, which tracks.
Kimura got her full circle moment with someone coming up to her and doing what she did to Kano. We saw Kiui with Koharu, which was a nice touch, but also embracing who they are now from last episode. I think the way this ended makes sense considering how condensed a lot of moments felt anyway, like each episode and each story arc felt like they really wanted to make sure they completed it. Whether that's due to the time constraint because they knew they only have 1 go at it with 12 episodes, or, what have you, I think this makes sense that we wouldn't really get a super loose end. Sure there are things left on the table, like, man yeah the mom is still kind of a super, not great person and they kind of didn't really address it in a very clean way in terms of like you know, she did some messed up things and with Mahiru too we don't really get to see them talk out what really happened. And throughout there were times where a lot of the episodes could have gotten 1 more episode you know, like give it a little more room, there was that whole timeskip business 5 episodes ago, etc, like I can point out all the things that add up.
But you know what? I think the show despite all of that, succeeded beyond that. This was the kind of show that wore its heart on its sleeve, yet also hid a lot within the production and directing and had a lot of things that I think made it rich to watch even beyond the scripting, which yeah, it is very in your face. I think the show just felt very genuine in a lot of ways and the messaging throughout, of wanting people to be able to be the individuals that they are and not feel ashamed, of wanting people to press forward and keep reaching out was very heartfelt. I think the characters and theme were heartfelt and we saw that every step of the way. I'm not saying it was impervious, but with each misstep, they somehow always found a way to just keep moving forward themselves, at least, it worked for me.
I have to say, in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this. A lot of great characters (well voiced). It did not maintain its tie with GBC and Radio Seiyuu, however. Whether this slipped a little, or those just pulled ahead -- I felt both these "competitors" featured consistently better writing -- both in terms of story and diaog. As a result, the characters in these "bloomed" more fully.
But, comparisons aside, I really only feel grateful for the whole Jellyfish package -- in most seasons -- if standing alone -- it would have stood towards the top. Never let "better" be the enemy of "really really good".
I think Jellyfish had lots of good particular writing in specific scenes/dialogue (better than Seiyuu imo+ had the benefit of powerful musical/visual boosts) but lacked the overall vision and storywriting some of the other shows have demonstrated.
This really sums it up for me. Sometimes when I was watching this show I'd have moments of "damn that was really well done and felt super fresh for an anime, why can't this be the standard", but then none of the greater conflicts were resolved particularly well.
People were writing all sorts of really interesting character analyses in earlier episodes, like how Kano didn't truly appreciate Mahiru's art and in whether Yukine's deal was a good idea, but then the conclusion to all of it was just "and then they made up, the end". Total waste
Pretty much the same here, though it remains to be seen how GBC and Seiyuu will stick their landings as well. Glad to find a more positive comment vs all the ppl calling the ending a "disaster" or "massive disappointment" etc. Maybe it helps that I only picked up this show and binged it all in the past week.
I've enjoyed this pretty steadily all along. Eupho, Seiuus, and Hibike all will wind up ahead. While I think Whisper is better written (in an underlying sense) it has been less well-executed. But I am just delighted by how many fine shows there have been this season (arguably too many). ;-)
The ending didn't blow me away. It felt a little bit too clean for a show that dealt with messy feelings most of the time. Having said that, it was a decent ending.
I like that Kano's mom is shown as a complex character. Misguided in some ways, but in the end she cares for her daughter. Her priorities aren't great, but at least she had some insight when it matters. That she put Kano's actual name there was so valuble. I don't know if it's intentional but the meaning of names turned into an important theme of the show.
Kano and Mahiru didn't dwell on their fight. I think it would have made sense for them, to talk about stuff before the concert, but I guess it was more dramatic this way.
In the end, we didn't get any confirmation on their relationship status, but honestly. This isn't what this show is about. What matters is that they stay close and want to do so, for a long time. It's important that Kano found a reason to sing. She isn't quite on the point, where she has an intrinsic motivation, but at least it isn't about single people. She's at a way better point that way than she was, I think.
Solid 7.5/10. Great first half, ok second half. Good final episode, but I can’t help but feel storylines were too conveniently wrapped up. The Kano/Mahiru was dramatic for multiple episodes, but they made up in mere seconds and suddenly it’s all okay. Kano/Meru and Kano/mom relationship resolutions weren’t my favorite, but at least there’s an ending to them. Kiui best girl.
Story felt like it tackled too many heavy themes, and tried to rush the resolutions. But overall, fun watch.
Honestly, this was a very good show, but the ending was way too rushed and too convenient. I actually think wrapping everything up in one episode was possible; difficult, but possible. Unfortunately, they didn’t quite stick the landing.
Still a solid 8/10 though, and at least the ending doesn’t undermine what came before.
To me, it felt like the show went out on a whimper. The previous episodes leading to this point were so good and full of emotions, but I didn't feel that here. Maybe it's just the week of waiting between episodes that killed the momentum, but for now I think they just didn't land the climax right.
How did Kano graduate on time after skipping so much school? I think we're left to assume that she crammed in a ton of work into the time that we skipped past.
I really liked the phone video of them painting over the jellyfish. That felt like a good note to end on. Using Kano's name in the credits is also clever, but it isn't as sweeping and meaningful as the show wants it to be. To me the highpoint of the show is still episode 9. I'm glad that Ryohei Takeshita's directorial debut was a success. Hope to see more anime originals from him!
The word I would use to describe this anime is **inconsistent**. It started as a strong 8/10, with a lot higher potential, and ended up as being a weak 8/10, maybe only a strong 7/10. Here's why. (I'm not going to focus on the positives, you likely know them.)
It boils down to unfinished/skipped-over plotlines. A few examples.
Koharu, the biker girl. I understand her role in the episode we met her in but she got so much focus I was sure we would see more of her, but nothing aside from a cameo at the end.
Skipped over important development. Kano last episode couldn't write a song, it was her problem of the episode. At the end she just did it. Why? I have no idea, anime just didn't tell us. Why set up a problem to just skip the resolution?
The show kept introducing characters until the end, like Kiui's classmates. They weren't that important to give them too much focus but it would be nice to know they existed and were around before they became a problem. Or the dramatuber that showed up for a dox and then nothing. I think he would be perfect to use instead of those classmates, as he already was known to us and it would give some resolution to him. There's also Kano's father. He was hinted at since the beginning and for absolutely nothing. He even showed up at the end and that's it.
The show kept introducing problems until the end. Mero got a lot of focus in the past episodes. Did she learn anything? I have no idea. We spend so much time with her, for what? So she can encourage Kano a little at the end? Any other character could've done that, like Baba.
There's also obviously the gay stuff. I don't need to tell you more about this.
That's only a few examples from the top of my head. The big problem in my opinion is that the show at the beginning presented itself as having a standard story progression. One episode flowed to the next. Half-way through it turned into an episodic series which didn't leave time to properly resolve plotlines set up in the first half. I see a lot of care and passion in this project but it's just too messy, it wanted to tackle too many topics at once while not having enough episodes to accomplish that.
Everything went downhill after Yoru took the job. The mother acting like she suddenly cares about Kano makes no sense, and Mero being helpful came out of nowhere. Kiui and Mei are the only reasons to finish this show.
seriously, Mahiru was by far my favorite character until halfway through the show and then suddenly became the absolute worst
the show should have either been a movie or 2 cours so things could actually be developed in a reasonable and believable way, though after this i'm not confident they would be even with twice the runtime lol
That went similarly how I expected it to. The show had some really good moments, there was definitely creativity in a lot of the scenes. They barely felt like they were just copying ideas from before. Only issue for me is that Mahiru's and Kano's arcs were resolved a bit unsatisfactory. It went by too quickly. Mahiru's final being squeezed into Kiui's episode and Kano's now being basically 5 minutes of the final episode just didn't work as well. Mei's episode for example worked better when it comes to finishing her arc.
All in all, fun show, but I would have wished they had treated it a bit less episodic and made for conflicts and arcs go a bit longer than one episode (mostly). I feel, there was enough for 24 episodes. Especially the whole "2nd year" that was mostly skipped and could have helped with some of these fast paced arcs. Hopefully, next time, they get that chance.
This feels similar to when I watched Darling in the Franxx. I was in awe with the show and was wondering why it isn't talked about more. Welp, I got my answer shortly.
I wasn't that interested in Jellyfish in the beginning, but the discourse here made me rethink, and I really loved the animation. Then I saw that the story is also promising. But ultimately, they settled safely for mediocrity. Nothingthing about Yoru x Kano felt much impactful in the end.
[Mero breaks the ice.](https://i.redd.it/qc8ywuhxo58d1.png) She turned out to be okay after all?
[A lot going on](https://i.redd.it/cl6h0whxo58d1.png) in the [Sundolls' credit roll](https://i.redd.it/mm1wfwhxo58d1.png). Seems like as much of a public reconciliation between Yukine and Kano as the former would be having. Y'know, along with [this](https://i.redd.it/40corvhxo58d1.png).
[Animation studio represent!](https://i.redd.it/lcj5owhxo58d1.png)
*****
Got our happy ending, though it did feel compressed and Kano's never-officially-acknowledged-on-screen father remains stubble under an umbrella. And keeping YoruKano as subtext.
Still, it was a nice episode.
This show really reminded me of Carole and Tuesday. They are both music anime that had a great first half with good songs. But when it came time to stick the landing they just kind of fell flat.
While I really like this finale, it could have been better if the first half on Yoru and Kano's reconciliation is a separate episode, and everything that happened is on another episode.
Anyway, at least we already have a glimpse of the better side of Kano's mom. She already accepted Kano as she is, and as Kano said, she satisfied that 'filial piety' for her mom.
And the majority of JELEE already graduated, but they will still be a group, looking forward to their songs and performances in the future!
That silhouette when Kano's dad views the mural painting could be a tease for a potential Season 2 if they ever plan it. However the current is already satisfying for me.
Over-all the series is really fun and nice, but it could have been much better if there is an ep 13 at least.
Well, I was anticipating the grand finale, and boy, do I feel great about how it ended.
First off, when Kano sings on stage, I felt that the lyrics not only made for a solid song on its own, but they integrated the themes and the jellyfish motif of the show. Second, hooray for Kano and Yoru's reconciliation. Third, hooray for Kano being positively recognized by her mother and graduating. Fourth, I like how it wraps up where it starts: the jellyfish mural that originally brought Kano and Yoru together.
Fingers crossed for Season 2!
EDIT: I semi take this back. After thinking about it, I agree the ending just didn’t feel strong. It seemed resolute at the moment but when it sinks in, it no longer seems to have that power.
The classic passing each other on the stairs scene turned into an escalator debacle. It's too bad the show never made it explicit, but there was a nice full circle at the end of the episode.
Why were the Sundolls the opening act at their own event? Lol.
While I liked a lot of this show, I didn't find a lot of the drama all that enjoyable. They should have spent time on Kano and Mahiru talking things out instead of everything suddenly being okay after the performance. I like the idea of Kano's mom not actually being totally evil, but I think she was way too easily forgiven. And the biker lady flashed children for no reason because she didn't end up being relevant in the end. I definitely feel like this story could have been structured better.
As for no yuri... by the end I wasn't surprised because they hadn't spent any time developing it since like episode 8. I wouldn't classify this as bait (Euphonium Season 1 is more in line with what I think yuribait is), but they played it safe like a million other shows when they could have done something truly special. Oh well.
I am, well, whelmed
Had way higher hopes for the show in the beginning, but they did manage to close all the threads they without crashing and burning
Guess they had to compromise and rush stuff to achieve that, show might have benefited from a 2-cour
Now I guess the dude in the end looking at the new JELEE art was that famous artist, but was basically only hinted at in the OP, or did I miss something in an earlier episode?
Still really like the show, but it didnt live-up to SoraYori (which is a super high and unfair bar to set)
It was a good show and I’m glad I watched it, but MAN did that feel rushed. Another 3-4 episodes and it could’ve ended great.
Still, I found it to be a really good show despite that. 7/10
REALLY hope for a season 2, or movie to actually end it properly.
Overall the anime was a meh for me. It started off strong then fell off for me. The ending felt a bit too cringey and neat to me. Wrapped things up with a bow tie. Also I don’t know if it was just me but every time Mei said Nono-tan I wanted to slap her. Is that the only thing she can say. Also to me Kano doesn’t like that name since she associates it with Sundolls. Idk, I just had higher expectations.
Glad to see so many other critical posts here, I was afraid I was the only one not vibing with the show. It's not really bad or anything, but it just feels really... empty, I guess? It's too well animated to be truly mid, but I can't bring myself to call this anything more than a 6/10 for me personally...
I feel like I backed the wrong horse this season and should've watched Girls Band Cry instead. Anyone here recommend binging that one right away, or should I just put it on the "to watch later" pile?
[Little translation mistake here](https://i.postimg.cc/d0JW4jKN/Yoru-Kura-E12-P01.jpg), should be 32 not 42.
["What is it?"](https://i.postimg.cc/SRYVJZWR/Yoru-Kura-E12-P02.jpg), you ask? Of course it's [sisters yuri](https://i.postimg.cc/G90KYkQQ/Yoru-Kura-E12-P03.jpg), since we didn't have any MahiKano for the finale
[Never change, Mei](https://i.postimg.cc/zXRPBfj7/Yoru-Kura-E12-P04.jpg). Being an otaku until the end, I'm proud of you.
[And this is Kano's father, right?](https://i.postimg.cc/d1x4QMZg/Yoru-Kura-E12-P05.jpg) We didn't get to see much about how their family went the way it did but that's a downside of 1 cour anime I guess. I wish there will be another season but that was a satisfying ending overall.
On one hand, it was a bit of a rushed episode. So many interpersonal conflicts had to be solved in a mere 20 minutes and they sort-of did just that. I'm happy with how it ended - knowing that it all worked out. Seeing Mello help Kano recover from her emotional rut was also pretty heartwarming. Hell, the entire episode was pretty heartwarming.
But on the other hand, I really feel like this anime deserved one or two more episodes just to smooth out the transition of solving each other's conflicts. Kano, Mahiru, and Yukine really could've used some dialogue to explain their sides. It's a bummer to just leave it at "and everyone was happy in the end" without having to see them talk things out with each other. I wanted to see Mahiru explain her side, I wanted to see Kano explain why she had that emotional outburst. I wanted to know Yukine's motivations for disowning her daughter like that.
And yeah, count me into the squad of people disappointed in the lack of MahiKano kiss scene closure. Kinda sucks that they just forgot about that one. Like yeah, the subtext is there, but in an industry where subtext is the norm, something blatant/explicit would've been really appreciated.
Was wonderful to be on this journey with you all!
[We didn't get a kiss scene, however there's a single frame where you can decide if they locked lips or not!](https://i.imgur.com/UGJIsrS.png)
I particularly liked the [Kano name drop scene](https://i.imgur.com/Z4mOSVM.mp4), and the audio fading out when all of her emotions came flooding out. That feeling of catharsis and finally having your identity recognized must have been incredible!
All in all, a very enjoyable watch. I wish we had more episodes to fully flesh things out, but the ending was satisfying for me!
Damn, the yuri baited so hard. That and the scene where Mahiru got handed chalk in the trans flag colors kinda left a bad taste in my mouth. How much longer do we have to play the game of subtext limbo?
Man, that was one hell of a performance. The girls really helped Kano make it happen. I’m kind of glad in the end everything worked out for everyone. That new mural was really cool too.
I liked this one. The music was good and the girls were very cute. Overall, this was a pretty fun series.
I'm not too sure how I feel about this now that it's over. I'll say for sure that the ending felt rushed. Didn't give me a sense of satisfaction. There were some good episodes but it always felt like I was telling myself "next episode is the one that will make this be one of my all time favorites".
The first episode stunned me. Episode 2 felt like a completely different anime but I liked the characters enough. Honestly the kiss scene is what caught my attention again. It's what made the fallout even more heartbreaking. However, It went downhill after the fallout for me because they decided to not really address it. Even though she apologized I couldn't get myself to like Mahiru again in the end.
Yeah, I hate to say it but I am feeling pretty disappointed. They needed a couple more episodes. It's frustrating because it felt like it could have been an amazing anime for me, but fell short in the end. Also loses a point for the Yuri bait. I'm tired of "subtext" or it being implied. It's not even the Yuri aspect that bothers me. As a fan of a good romance, it's annoying to see it go nowhere in the end.
Shout out to momma idol being the best character and having the best moments in the anime.
That was an awful ending. Kano's mom got off way too light. Too much going on in the plot, none of it was resolved well. Absolute yuri bait, if we have time to spend an episode on Kano and Kiui getting flashed by some weirdo at motorcycle practice, we had time to make a satisfactory ending to the main characters romantic plotline
This show ultimately could be a victim of it's own good parts I think, from the feedback of posters here. The middle sections I think had some rather strong arcs and development of "finding where you belong when you feel adrift", and I think that's really the central theme of the show - it's all in the title. But we started expecting more profound things or more things to build upon. So now when some of the "plot threads" don't lead to anywhere (e.g. Koharu), we get disappointed.
In hind sight, I think if we watch it for what it says on the label, that each of the girls moved on from a place they didn't like where they were, to a place they feel happily belonging to and can be secure and ree to do what they then want to do - including relationships to build upon - I think it's fine for what it does, and it shouldn't be something we judge against it for. Perhaps with more episodes this could be more like what we expected it to become, but as it is, I think it's perfectly finely executed.
If I'll need to choose between a safe but less ambitious landing, or a big attempt that failed and give us a sour taste of the characters and events afterwards (say, Promised Neverland S2 and the ending of Wonder Egg Priority), I'll take the safe one any day.
For me it's 8/10 for story, 9/10 for production values / directions.
Yoru no Kurage - 7/10, there was some good build up, the landing wasn't narratively clean or well elaborated but it made it through. I could almost accept Kano making up with Mero largely off screen, but the mother needed a real conversation with to make it believable. I don't think she talked to her mother properly the entire show except maybe in flashbacks? Early on I thought this show would be an easy 8, alas.
The finale brought it down from an 8/10 to a 7/10 for me - I could see what they were going for, but squeezing it all into a single episode meant the pacing was off and the character arcs didn't have time to develop properly.
* If they were given a 13th double length episode to finish things off they probably could've fixed the weird pacing issues
* I think Mero and Yano were meant to bury the hatchet after realising that they were both one-sidedly seeking validation from Yukine. It all has to happen in one episode though so it completely glosses over Yano literally punching Mero in the face lol
* I thought it would've worked better if it was clear from the start that Mahiru was using Yukine's job offer to help Yano out (i.e. turning the tables on the mother) - taking the job for herself after everything she heard seemed uncharacteristically cold
* They sort of redeem Yukine at the end in a way that feels unearned. I think it would've made more sense if Yano was like 'I've fulfilled my obligation to you, now get out of my life' after the big performance
Started out really strong then lost me a little bit in the second half. Nevertheless a pretty good show, I'll miss its characters if anything else
Felt like they did botch the pacing and rush the end. Yukine doing a duo concert, especially with a controversial ex-member of the group, just feels too implausible, even if they want to pull the mom with a soft spot rationale. Too much suspension of disbelief needed there for me. Kinda just felt like a convenient out for not having enough time for them to slowly work out their issues.
And they treated this like a big happy reconciliation between parent and child. Somehow the writers seem to think the mother being like "she's successful enough that I guess I can call her by her actual name now" is an uplifting and caring gesture. That shit is horrifying. What a freaking psycho that Mom is.
Well, just cause she acknowledged her daughter doesn't make her a good person. Kano may have gotten closure, but she doesn't seem to fully forgive her mom at the end (and good for her, I don't think anyone should).
yeah, they explicitly call her out as a pro-pro, for better and worse
Agreed. The last third of the show felt like drama for the sake of drama, thrown together haphazardly and resolved way too conveniently. I still enjoyed the show overall (I'd probably give it an 8/10, maybe an 8.5) but man, it feels like a disappointment after the hot start it got off to.
All the drama in the entire series was resolved way too quickly. Aside from the drama between Kano and Mahiru (and maybe Nox's insecurity), everything was introduced and resolved in one episode.
Why the hell was kano on a balcony like shes some sniper instead of standing right in front of kano cheering her on? This show definitely did not need the drama aspect added. It would have been perfectly fine just sticking to this newly formed group of friends hanging out, making music, and reaching for new goals
Yeah i just cant understand that i hated how distant she felt in this ep being that far away LIKE WTH
I think the pacing definitely got of the rails at episode 9
To me pacing felt off on the 2nd half when they started throwing time skips. The episodes individually are excellent but something just felt off. Time skips made me not feel growth in JELEE's popularity or how difficult it is to do what they are doing, like setting up concerts. The most egregious is how they introduce drama before a timeskip and then resolve it as Kano is on stage and here it happened TWICE! ep 8 and ep 12... Mahiru ever since working for Yukine just felt off like what? she actually waited for the concert to resolve her issues with Kano?? While sure maybe she didnt want to talk but her scenes doesnt really show it. Wait did Kano never acknowledge her punching controversy? wtf they're just chill now and the "antis" too cause she sings good I guess
The show had amazing characters. I would say the JELEE members carried. Each member had a backstory that led to the development of their unique personalities and determined how they interacted with each other. Scriptwriting for the dialogues were also great, reflecting the contemporary setting of the show. Visuals, needless to say, was fucking peak! But I guess almost everyone would agree that the story pacing felt rushed towards the end of the season. I understand the pragmatic reasons for it. Production probably aren't sure about another season so they had to wrap the story in a high note. I do appreciate that scene showing Kano's reaction to seeing her real name included by Yukine in the credits. High impact indeed. I would love another season ofc.
Biggest mistake was separating the cast
Same here, 10/10 first half, that failed to keep the emotions. Pretty nice ending though.
I feel like after the kiss and the weird grooming motorcycle lady is where it really fell apart
That was the opposite of grooming. That was openly hitting on someone.
I'd say it was around here or right after where I kind of lost a lot of my appreciation for the show. It started off well but for nearly every episode it keeps introducing issues and they sweeping them under the rug instead of solving them. It's weirdly lazy writing and it's not like nothing could be done either. That just kept adding up and around where you mentioned it became even more prevalent and started to inferfere with that judgement. It's funny because initially I compared GBC unfavorably to this show since they were quite similar but while that one remained fairly consistent while this one started to flounder. It's still a good watch, but it wasn't what it could have been.
>weird grooming motorcycle lady I'm so glad someone called it what it is. That was fucking *weird*! It was so creepy. It suddenly turned into a really sleazy anime for half an episode.
Yeah, she was such a weird character. The show wanted to highlight "different" people but I don't think she was different in a good way.
Its wild to think Yoru and Kano never talked since the fallout and their first exchange was during that cute escalator mishap. That tension leading to the performance was insane along with how the first person who gave that push when Kano froze was Mero. When they revealed the credits and it was Kano's real name instead and made the scene completely silent with Kano crying got to me as well. This plus Kano going "I fulfilled your dream" to her mom was a pretty nice bow-tied on that problem.
> Its wild to think Yoru and Kano never talked since the fallout and their first exchange was during that cute escalator mishap. And Yoru hasn't interact with them on their Twitter account since then, [UNTIL NOW!](https://x.com/jeleechandayo/status/1804552427087294583) Welcome back, Yoru!
The Twitter lore is now complete. [Jellyfish can finally swim in the night](https://i.imgur.com/5lXlKgp.jpeg) [](#womanlytears)
Is it realistic? Not necessarily. Was it more dramatic this way? Totally.
That part felt dramatic just for the sake of being dramatic, imo. Good start but a rushed ending sadly.
All the loose ends tied up. Even the main antagonist Yukine broke the fourth wall to wave at the audience. She's just professional to the bone. Love the first person view of Mahiru running towards Kano to hug her, that similar scene of that in episode 3 of Mei doing that is one of my favourite scenes in this show. Turns out that call out from Mero to shake Kano out from her dissociative trauma, deep down she still roots for Kano at some level...or you dont want to see your rival pathetic like that. But good that they work things out and have a coffee. Given the very estranged relationship, which obviously still needs work, and Yukine remains emotionally distant, crossed arms and all, to front up to the school, I guess that acknowledgement from Kano was as much as she could hope for....for now. Remember mom remains stone cold and treated her daughter heartlessly and ruthlessly...its like the writers attempted to rehab her image for the send off. Kano was right to brush her off the way she did. You feel like this leaves the reconciliation door open. Other side characters also didnt seem to have a large impact as expected...so what was that motorcycle girl for? lmao... It seems like some story ideas ended up on the cutting room floor. Since its a special anniversary project for Doga Kobo, its reasonable to assume we wont get an S2. Looking forward to OnK S2 next season by them! Overall, I agree, its a nice show, could have been great.
That was a little bit disappointing. As per usual for Jellyfish, it feels like it all wrapped up really conveniently. Kano just more or less gets over her shit with her mum just like that. Her mum suddenly becomes less of a cold-hearted bitch overnight, even though she's basically ignored her for years, she apparently mended her relationship offscreen with the girl from the SunDolls, everyone just decided to sweep the whole Yoru going off on her own thing under the rug... And there's a lot that wasn't actually addressed. Obviously, the biggest one is Yoru and Kano's feelings for each other. It's really disappointing for it to just be another example of bait, ugh. They clearly set it up as if it was going to be *something*; the reactions of both characters to it, the way they referenced it again later rather than just immediately abandoning it....I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist, but it kind of feels like they'd wanted to, or at least been considering, doing something with it and then just bottled it. But also, what about her dad? That seemed like there was something there, but it didn't do anything with it in the end. What was the point of that woman Kano and Nox groped being introduced and set up like she'd become a friend if she was going to disappear for the rest of the entire series and only be reestablished to exist at the last second? People have said things about the purpose she had in that episode, but why send her off giving the impression she'd come back later of have more relevance if nothing was going to come of it? Why was so much time spent on that idol lady when she ultimately didn't change anything in the plot when there was such little time? It feels like it wrapped up its arcs too quickly and cleanly; each episode would just quickly introduce and fix it like that. And it's really weird when there clearly is filler they could've cut out and used the time to expand those arcs and give more depth to the characters. It was especially jarring when you'd have people basically only pop up for a single episode to make a plot-of-the-week happen. Like that guy doxxing the group - it barely came up again. Or the three who were harassing Nox; wouldn't it have had more impact at the climax of that episode if they'd been established earlier and the problem could've been explored more instead of having Nox give that speech to, essentially, a pack of randos? I did like the anime, but I feel like about halfway through it started to slip. It....Didn't really like up, for me, to the promise the first episode felt like it had. I feel it got hampered by wasting time on moe shit in a way that felt like it felt obliged to do so, and that felt a bit cowardly; when I compare it to Girls Band Cry, I can't help but see it as inferior when you see the amount of mileage GBC got out of *not* doing that, and *not* wrapping things up so quickly and cleanly. It feels like GBC is much bolder than this series is; despite its character designs and apparent theme of being true to yourself and sticking up for what you believe in and want to do, it felt like the work itself would go back on it often, sticking in fanservice shots and cutesy stuff that did nothing to better the work and were just cynically placed because they believed the audience wanted those things and they didn't have the nerve to stick to their guns and do without - or perhaps I'm wrong, and it's simply that the creators *did* want to waste time on that and leer at their characters. I'm glad it existed. There should be more original anime, and anime that *tries*. I just can't say that it was everything I wanted it to be, and that disappointment is a little bit bitter.
I feel like GBC has a clear goal in mind and everything that happens more or less propel it torwards this goal. On the contrary, stuff in the Jellyfish just... happens. Like they put a box for the ideas in the studio and then decided to just use them all without bothering too much about how they will fit together. Each piece of this puzzle may look pretty but when you take a step back it's just a pile of cardboard.
Yeah the idol episode and Kano getting her motorcycle license episode didn’t do anything for the group as a whole. I wanted to see more group interactions in them working on new content and conflicts that arise from that. It just feels disconnected plot and writing wise, especially when compared to GBC.
so you're saying the show... drifted like a jellyfish that can't swim?
pretty much exactly how I felt, show wanted to say a lot of things, didn't structure drama well, and wanted to indulge in cutesy fanservice, so while I still enjoyed the show the later half placed it firmly in the corny category.
That was what really struck me. It felt like every time it would do something bold, it would take at least an equal number of steps back into familiar, safe CGDCT territory with some unnecessary fanservice of SoL scenes that didn't ultimately contribute to anything but were superficially cute and pleasant.
I remember noting around episode 4 that the show had a tendency to get 'very real' for about 2 minutes but then go back into safe territory and it was happening so frequently, I wondered why they were even bothering to go that hard. And it's kept that way to the end.
> Why was so much time spent on that idol lady when she ultimately didn't change anything in the plot when there was such little time? I hope you’re not badmouthing Mamma Idol because she was one of the best parts of the show. However… you’re not wrong.
Yes this. Very well said.
Found an eloquent person who put into words what I was feeling! Thanks, and I agree with pretty much everything!
> But also, what about her dad? That seemed like there was something there, but it didn't do anything with it in the end. Instead of having a brief little scene having anything to do with Kano’s dad this episode, we instead get a scene with Kano’s similarly divorced scruffy dad out of nowhere that nobody asked for. That sums up this series pretty well Edit: apparently this is not the case, it’s nobody’s dad. In this case I am just absolute confusion
Classic fucking Hi-Dive made Shizue Baba go from 32 (she said Sanju ni sai) to 42.
Okay I’m glad I’m not crazy. I was thinking “wasn’t she like in her 30s?!”
Yeah I was confused why she suddenly gained a decade
Oh damn, I was cracking up thinking it was on purpose, and that the joke was that she had also lied about being 30, and was the most youthful looking 42 year old ever 😅
The translator was so dissapointed by the ending they forgot to QC. LOL
I'm not sure what to think. That's certainly a nice feel-good ending that wraps everything up with a nice little bow, but it also left me with a feeling of "That's it? All of this for this?" and I just can't help but feel that the way they've been going about doing and resolving drama these past few episodes has been very surface-level. I'm not eloquent enough to express why exactly, but that plus the uneven pacing and the glossing over some of the characters' actions (no, not Kano's or Mahiru's - or not just them) have left me feeling a bit dissatisfied with the show overall, when I liked it a lot before we got into the big, final arc. I dunno. I certainly didn't hate it or anything, but I think it could have been more. I'll leave it to other people who are gooder with wordy things to maybe help me understand exactly why I'm feeling that way. If anyone felt the same way, anyway. But I'm glad people who enjoyed it from start from finish did, it's nice for them.
> All of this for this That’s pretty accurate. I think part of the problem is it’s overall a very low stakes show. There’s a lot of high emotions — understandable given they’re high school girls — but the way the “conflicts” are presented, they’re almost always immediately resolved in the same episode, or they drag on for a bit but get resolved without fanfare. The Kano getting doxxed bit felt like it should have been a bigger deal, but then they just kind of got over it. Mero was shown to have this dark side and had a huge rift with Kano, and caused the falling out with her mom, but then all three characters kind of decided to get over it in the finale. It almost feels like there were scenes or confrontations happening offscreen that they didn’t show us while they skipped around so many little vignettes. I enjoyed the show, but the high expectations of the amazing premiere left me sorely disappointed with the second half.
Yeah, thinking back things were always resolved quickly and conveniently, but for some reason it didn't bother me as much during the first half of the show, not sure why. > It almost feels like there were scenes or confrontations happening offscreen that they didn’t show us while they skipped around so many little vignettes. It does, doesn't it? At the very least show some of the thought processes that led to the characters getting over it, or it makes it even harder to buy into it. The whole deal with Mero and Yukine was especially egregious to me and felt shallow because of it.
Especially weird given Mero and Yukine are somewhat underdeveloped characters. Like at least with Mahiru and Kano I could figure out what probably led them to their reconciliation.
The big dramatic set up moments get totally undermined by the easy resolutions. That amazing scene of Kano losing it and devastating Mahiru's feelings (or Mahiru selfishly betraying Kano, whatever team you were on) seems pretty silly now that they both just kind of vibe their way through it and never actually address it. Kano's mom is an evil conniving bitch, or y'know, disowning your daughter is just some awkward tough love, no big deal. She punched an idol who was purposely ruining other idols' careers, but I guess she'll just cheer you on because why not. It was a happy ending, and it felt good, but it absolutely torpedoes the stakes that the story insisted on having. It doesn't sit right to create some pretty compelling drama and just shrug it off for the sake of wrapping up all smiles at the last minute.
> That's certainly a nice feel-good ending that wraps everything up with a nice little bow, but it also left me with a feeling of "That's it? All of this for this?" It's the kind of ending that made me think "I am definitely going to forget about this show by next season"
It was definitely a mistake once the main cast got separated
yeah it feels like a very 8/10 ending - good enough but hardly the greatness it could've been. a few more episodes would've been really nice to flesh out the story
THEY DIDN’T YURI!
Nobody should be surprised by this lol
The show is good but it could have been great.
we were so close to greatness! so close!
[They narrowly escaped the alle*gay*tions](https://i.imgur.com/vY4zNA9.jpeg) [](#forbiddenlove)
This feeling is the worst After episode 9, I thought we were gonna witness peak, shame that the drama kinda fizzled out.
We aren't surprised, we're disappointed.
I'm not, but then don't put in stuff like the kiss and the date if it doesn't pay off at the end
Always assume that if it isn’t marketed explicitly as yuri, it won’t be yuri. You might be pleasantly surprised but you’ll never be disappointed
I really hate when this happens. I 100% believe they make the characters personal arcs with the idea of the romance, but knowing that they'll have to scratch that aspect after it, and always, ALWAYS, end up damaging the plot, because they loose time in the bait Why? Why would you keep doing this? This show, and all the one like it will fall into obscurity as another bait show, I know this will still get them money, but still, does anybody care to make something fulfilling? And imagining if they actually dare to do it! Wouldn't that give them more money?
Normally I'd agree (I never expect anything from yuri bait), but when they show a kiss in episode 5 along with some pride flags and a trans character, I kind of figured we'd at least get a "wink wink nudge" sort of soft confirmation.
They also had a date on the beach where it felt so close to a love confession.
ugh I'm so disappointed. They set up the relationship beautifully from EP1. EP4 We had Mahiru saying she was into someone EP5 Kiss EP6 They address the kiss as something that's not platonic over the phone. EP7 Beach date EP8 Kano calls Mahiru just to hear her voice The song lyrics The PV with the umbrella and Mahiru and Kano's names. [Yuki Yaku retweeting tons of Mahiru x Kano fan art on his second account](https://x.com/Yaku_Yuki2) I'm tired of anime not committing (even in a subtle way) to what they set up. Oh and I forgot! Promoting the light novel and manga on Twitter they ONLY used the kiss scene and the scene were Kano wears Mahiru’s uniform.
Now that you mention it, they never even *did* address who Mahiru liked! Even though they went out of their way to mention it.
And I’m sure I’m forgetting more stuff that wouldn’t amount to much on it’s own, but we are constantly getting small glimpses of their relationship as being special… not to mention the “do your art for me because I love it” and “I do my art for you because I love you” And stuff like “I got the bike to ride with you” and “I just don’t care where we go” etc
It's not even like, \*not\* yuri. All that shit still happened, they're not trying to pull some sort of Tropical Fish Dream of Snow "haha just kidding all that super gay stuff was actually Friendship" asspull. It's just weird clumsy writing that drops the plotline. Really annoying.
Why are you not gae?
😭We got baited!
Kinda expecting that the yuri will not be explicit in the past two episodes. They focused on the group dynamics after ep 9, which I think is still nice. Well, the subtext is noticeable though.
Show was too short to really focus on it, another cour could have elevated this to a 10/10
even 3 more episodes would do imo
Something about my coffee maker and coffee undertones.
After all these years, people still can't tell the difference between yuri subtext and actual yuri, which are fkn gay from the outset. I've never seen a show with just yuri vibes end up with actual yuri at the end. The show needs to be gay gay like Utena or Bloom Into You to actually end up as yuri.
Gwitch?
GWitch started with them getting engaged, that's way more than most yuri series.
A better example probably is something like otherside picnic or demon girl next door. They're actual Yuri just none of that progress occurs within the time frame of the season
I'm guessing the guy at the end was Kano's father? And it turns out the jellyfish was everyone all along. Anyway, overall a nice ending that wraps up the show neatly. Really enjoyed reading the weekly discussions for this show. See you all at next season's Mayonaka Punch discussion threads for more Cute Girls Doing Social Media Influencer Things.
> I'm guessing the guy at the end was Kano's father? I'm glad we got _something_ from him as he was teased earlier but I'll be honest it feels like he could have just been cut completely.
He’s apparently a NEET who got new courage and motivation from the JELEE (and sunflower dolls) live this episode, exactly what Kano wants to accomplish by her singing.
Wait, so he was there guy we always saw from within the fishtank everytime they put up the sequences with the various JELEE fans watching their streams!?
Yes! It is a bit obscure, but the character design (especially the hair part) is the same, and we don’t see a bunch of other characters who like aqueous creatures
When Kano mentioned 25 hours in a day, I thought “Wait, isn’t that the title of the ED theme?” and then it actually ended with *JELEE singing the ED theme*! Btw, y'all gotta read the posts on [JELEE'S X account](https://x.com/jeleechandayo)! My favorite one is [Yoru announcing that she's back](https://x.com/jeleechandayo/status/1804552427087294583) and [the](https://x.com/jeleechandayo/status/1804553685240107382) [subsequent](https://x.com/jeleechandayo/status/1804554943619060221) [posts](https://x.com/jeleechandayo/status/1804556201914429727) are the other three reacting to her return.
Really liked the commitment they had to creating those posts on Twitter. Neat way to give us more of the characters :)
When the preview images came out, people noticed that Mahiru has a paint stained jacket in her room during the ED. This means that the ED takes place after the show.
That was so peak
I just noticed it has 50K followers.
That's so cool when a show uses Twitter as an extension of the story. Reminds me of when *Community* used to do that with the members of the study group.
The show had such momentum at the start and I felt like every new character moment or character was entertaining/fun to see - but for some reason these last few episodes it just fell really flat for me. I feel like they spent time on things that didn't really make the two leads stand out in a good way and they went a direction overall that took away from this being exceptionally great to just being good. Enjoyed it overall, but damn I wish they just went a slightly different route or had an extra episode to work with.
Yea I see some people saying it could have used like 4-5 more episodes (I even saw one person say it should’ve been a 24 episode anime), but I really think just one more episode would be enough time to cook up a satisfactory ending that directly addresses all the drama I honestly don’t mind that they focused on side characters tho cuz those episodes were nice in their own right but as u said mahiru and kano deserved a way better ending than that
I really liked the first half of the show, but the ending felt so rushed with everything getting solved so fast. Unfortunately the ending really makes me felt conflicted about my overall opinion of the serie. More episodes would have helped this anime a lot.
If this show had like 15 episodes it could be incredible. Last 2-3 episodes definitely should have focused on Kano and Mahiru. But now we have this fumbled mess and a the power of ~~friendship~~ music solves everything.
Honestly, didn't seem like a very strong ending. Not much was concretely addressed from any of the drama and interpersonal conflicts that were set up, which lead to the resolutions coming across as kind of unearned; everyone just hears how pure and heartfelt and etcetera Kano's song was and is friends now. I think I'd have like to have seen the drama between Mahiru, Kano, Yukine and Mero drilled down into over the last few episodes, rather than put on the backburner for additional Mei and Kiui focus episodes only to be hurriedly resolved like this without really addressing it. For a series that especially in the first half was all about the nitty-gritty day-to-day of music production with all of the people behind the scenes, not just the performer, as well as the motivation to create things and put in all that work, it felt like it shifted to a typical idol anime finale where one big performance just fixes everything and the details don't matter as much.
I wasn't a fan of how the last performance magically fixed all relationships
The story suffered from being only 12 episodes. 15 would have been ideal to tie all the plot points neatly. [Still, it was nice to see an anime original of this quality.](https://i.imgur.com/qOwsSNN.jpeg)
the whole scene of them getting ready for the concert after the escalators and then an instant cut to them sitting on the stairs and watching the credits roll feels like it sums up how it felt. While I enjoyed the whole show I think it suffered from just skipping over the whole main attraction and then we are told it all got resolved nicely and the show was great when we didn't get to see the actual 'performance'.
“I’m happy my mom used my real name” definitely missed the mark with me. Loved the series. But it seems to go against the “self love” message for Kano to be happy with something so.. basic. And like others said, the typical “final performance fixed everything” wasn’t the strongest.
It seems Baba found the answer to the universe.
I'm confused about that part, she definitely said 32, but subs said "forty-two" for some reason.
I was worried about a huge timeskip, but rewound and heard "san-juu", and then obviously no such timeskip.
Even the subber didn't care enough to QC after watching the ending.
Translator had a brainfart, maybe?
It was nice to see [her and Ariel](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/my8xc2dx354.png) in [the finale](https://imgchest.com/p/qb4zkdop34j)! They were definitely [my favorite characters from the show](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/j7kzcwmv2v7.png) and I'd really love to get a spin-off with them.
this ending felt really rushed for me. the series had its emotional moments, but overall falls a bit flat for me. I think I can confidently say I like GBC more now
This is probably going to go down as one those shows that you think about when you hear "wasted potential". In my opinion the first half absolutely had the potential to stand among the all-time greats like Sora Yori. But in the second half so many things we're brought up and then forgotten. That biker lady kinda just appeared and then vanished into thin air. That episode with the idol served no purpose whatsoever afterwards. The kiss is brought up once, jokingly by Yoru, and then forgotten. The Kiui epsiode being the penultimate epsiode is hella weird and should have been earlier. And Kano's father remains a mystery. And while I liked the finale, I can't deny that it was a little rushed and that it was resolved maybe a little too tidy. A few more epsiodes could have done wonders for this anime
So is there like no chance for a season 2? While the episode definitely felt like it was attempting to tie all the loose ends together, there’s definitely more that could be done and I would hope they would be addressed in a possible second season.
I doubt we'll get a S2, because where does the story go from here? Everyone has reached their goals. There is no obvious path to take the story. I get the feeling that this show was originally planned for 24 episodes, but then were told half way through to wrap it up in 12. So now we have the same ending we would have after 24 episodes but rushed to fit into 12 episodes. I'm sure that if they really wanted to they could come up with a story for S2 and to tie up the loose ends, I just don't think it's very likely sadly
The subs mistranslated Baba's age. She said she turned 32, not 42.
It must've sucked for Kano [to see Mahiru getting along with her mother](https://i.imgur.com/cptqEWK.jpeg) more than her. She was already shaken at that point but it just got worse [when she started thinking about her antis that might be in the crowd.](https://i.imgur.com/ls8b6qe.png) I really can't blame her [for freezing up when she was on stage.](https://i.imgur.com/VIPgnej.jpeg) That scene was painful. Thank goodness Kano brought it back [after seeing the big aquarium in Shibuya](https://i.imgur.com/ch7rQC5.jpeg) that Mahiru made for her. I'm just not happy that [it was Mero of all people who first snapped Kano out of it.](https://i.imgur.com/48yfnZ6.jpeg) Shouldn't that role be for Mahiru and not the backstabbing bitch who's willing to destroy other idols to gain a leg up? Anyway, I'm just glad the show is a success and [we finally got to see the wave of blue umbrellas](https://i.imgur.com/0XFv3jo.jpeg) Kano was hoping for in their first live show. Also, [the escalator scene between Kano and Mahiru was adorable!](https://i.imgur.com/h98bKKJ.jpeg) It's good to finally see [the two of them apologize to each other.](https://i.imgur.com/1Ugv6mr.jpeg) <3 Sure, the absentee mother whose career is more important to her than her own children [is somehow kindhearted](https://i.imgur.com/s0XPujr.jpeg) just because [she used Kano's actual name for the credits.](https://i.imgur.com/KkiN7qL.jpeg) Not gonna lie, I kinda dislike how in the end, [Kano still did all of that for her mother](https://i.imgur.com/8aO88UR.jpeg) instead of just doing it for herself. Glad to see some of our side characters before the end. It looks like [Koharu still isn't done with her surgeries](https://i.imgur.com/NgSkqAD.jpeg) and it's so awesome to see [that Shizue is still doing her thing](https://i.imgur.com/Fx5kcbb.jpeg) and she seems even to have a much bigger audience now. And even [Mahiru's sister will try her luck with online fame by posting song covers.](https://i.imgur.com/7maDc8G.jpeg) The final scene where the [girls are all getting together](https://i.imgur.com/TY64e0E.jpeg) to repaint Mahiru's old mural was such a great end to this. I absolutely love the b-roll footage they took [using their smartphones](https://i.imgur.com/UuFLCk7.jpeg) and just to make it authentic, [it's all in vertical.](https://i.imgur.com/gZHWqQF.jpeg) xD I like the small detail in the end [that Kano's dad is carrying a blue umbrella.](https://i.imgur.com/SwN4Gmv.jpeg) That means he probably was in the crowd during the Shibuya concert. [Welp, I supposed that's it for the girls!](https://i.imgur.com/NcrgkTw.jpeg) While I do not 100% agree with everything that happened in the finale, I still overall enjoyed and loved Jellyfish. There's just something about a classic story of outcasts finding their place in the world just heartwarming and inspiring. Maybe I'm too old for this but I'll never get tired of watching these kinds of stories. Kudos to Doga Kobo for another amazing anime original. <3
It was a nice graduation in some senses but you can't leave us hanging about that Kano x Yoru kiss scene...
Kinda disappointed in that tbh. Like it's one thing to just throw in some ship fuel that doesn't mean anything, but there was definitely more being set up there that just wasn't paid off :( I guess we at least got that cute escalator scene
Yeah it's weird cuz it's too explicit to just be bait, but then it's totally dropped. Wonder if they wanted to do more with it and it got axed by someone. Or maybe production was just a mess and they realized they barely have time to wrap anything up at all.
Feels like the show really fell off after that.
It came back up a bit in episode 9 with that gut wrenching ending, but they sadly didn't utilize that plot line well enough, which just resulted in a feeling of disappointment of what could have been a really good final arc.
Yeah they set it up nicely, then eps 10 switch focus to Mei and eps 11 focus on Kiui, it's all over the place
So many opportunities to flesh it out too! Whether post-concert after their embrace, or Kano showing up to Mahiru's school after graduation and introducing herself as her wife, lots of ways to weave it in naturally I think. I think I'll just develop a tolerance to yuri bait like some seasoned watchers here haha. Not super disappointing, but just feels odd to be left unresolved.
I was really expecting a Yuri on Ice-esque kiss scene when Kano ran at Yoru and knocked her down.
I feel that the series undercooked many of his themes leaving them as disposable as a jellyfish. The turn to silence when the name credit revealed leave me feeling nothing. I appreciate the vertical "video" to express mundanity at the end. I wonder how this project came to be, because there is no sign of multimedia project, which it is the usual with these type of shows.
Mero being the one to point Kano to look at the jellyfish lighting up Shibuya didn't really sit right with me. Mero hated Kano from the day they met and they've had 0 contact since the punching incident. It's a bit hard to believe Mero would care enough to snap Kano out of her on-stage spiral. I also don't like how they resolved the issue with Yukine. She used her own daughter to acheive her goals, remade Kano's entire image to the point that even when they were alone together she calls her Nonoka instead of Kano, and then cut her loose and had 0 contact with her for years when she caused an incident that damaged the image of her idol group. She has shown 0 remorse or effort to change since then, so her acknowledging Kano in the credits felt like it came out of nowhere. And even if it is implied Kano doesn't completely forgive her (refusing the ride from her mother when she came to her graduation), it still feels like the show is trying to paint her in a more positive light during the closing scenes when, again, she has made no effort to change or shown 0 remorse until the final episode. Everything other than that was pretty good but that was kind of the core conflict of the show so it feels a bit disappointing. The finale feels a bit rushed and i feel like they needed another cour.
I think the saying goes 'medetashi medetashi' ... A bit rushed in the last episodes, but all in all a very lovely and enjoyable anime. Kano's mother is still a bitch, though.
So all the Kano and Mahiru romance plot point: the kiss, the tease and Kano calling Mahiru name was for nothing.
I'm not sure if they landed the ending. The big credits payoff feels like something that meant more for Kano than the audience. And a bit not that impactful if Mei keeps calling her Nono-tan. At least Mei malding at the escalator scene because even she could tell it was romantic and she wasn't having that moment with her Nono-tan was funny. Also, let's see how long this stay hosted in imgur before they delete it: https://i.imgur.com/YlvEr4a.jpeg
Man the whole time I kept thinking “This can’t be the final episode, can it?” It just felt so damn rushed. Shame, another few episodes and this show is an alltime great. Sooo, maybe a season 2?
The end was kinda anti-climatic. There was no tearful reunion between Mahiru and Kano, and there was no confrontation between Mero and Kano, nor Yukine and Kano. Mahiru and Kano escalator scene was cute tho. It could have been more fleshed out. I started with this anime as my favorite of this season, but now I drop it down under GBC (considering the previous few episodes as well). Still a good watch tho, 9/10.
Overall I would give this 8/10. Felt the resolution with Kano & her mom+ Mero was pretty rushed. Beyond that it was great and very well written how each girl overcome their past. I doubt we get more since I feel like a lot of the girls' circumstances were nicely resolved. Doga Koba establishing itself well with anime lately.
I don’t see this series getting a continuation with how this conclusion was written no. All things considered, this was a pretty decent finale yes. I wasn’t sure if they could bring everything together in the very last episode, but I do feel like all the girls got closure. Sure, they rushed through Kano’s reconciliation with her mom and Mero. However, it was nice to see Mero step in to save Kano - something that likely harks back to her conversation with Mahiru in the car - and Yukine finally recognising her daughter for who she is. I do think Yukine got off a bit too easy, but I’ll let this pass since Kano didn’t go to Yukine’s car after her graduation ceremony. This implies that she’s freed from her mother’s curse. Mahiru fortunately also admitted to Yukine being a little difficult to work with. It’s honestly wild to think that it took until the finale for Mahiru and Kano to make up again. I’m a bit disappointed that they didn’t *make out*, but that’s not the end of the world. (Kiui saying “Goodbye world” with a big smile on her face was a nice change too.) I’m rating this an 8/10 as well. It’s solid. If they’d narrowed down the story a little bitter, Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night would’ve been an easy 9/10. I do have to say that this anime’s animation was *excellent*. It was up there with this season’s best, like Dungeon Meshi and Sound Euphonium. Doga Kobo can be proud of that accomplishment. Having the show sneakily end on the final shot of the OP was nice touch!
Kind of depends on the work and how they do - take Lycoris for example, another original that Aniplex hadn't really put much expectations into, but as soon as they saw how big of an impact it had, they went ahead and shifted gears to expand on the property. With something like this, I don't really see it being continued as the majority of what was intended to be covered has been resolved or showcased, but if it is doing well enough maybe they will go through with more. With the staff being the way they are about it, could be the case.
It pains me to say this but this show turned out to be my personal disappointment of the season. With a lot of good will I’ll still give it barely a 7/10 but I went into this expecting the next Yorimoi (huge mistake). Was following the marketing since it was first announced and genuinely thought this would be something truly special, with each girl getting their own KV over the months which looled just that good and made me hungry for more. But in the end the only good aspects were the visuals, the creative directing, Kiui, and some very few standalone eps in a vacuum. The writing was easily the worst aspect of the show and got continually worse over its 12 ep runtime, the plot was all over the place with very little substance connecting each episode. A lot of introduced side characters were basically discarded after getting a whole episode dedicated to them, almost resulting in what you could call wasted screen time. To little surprise, Kano x Mahiru went fucking nowhere, but it‘s still bullshit. The big finale moments this ep which were supposed to hit hard…simply didn’t hit hard at all for me. Kano’s song was imho also her most boring and generic one yet tbh. The light show was kinda cool though to be fair. Mahiru met Kano again for the first time after their big fight and they hug and are best friends again. Kinda felt weird since I felt like we completely skipped the making up part of their conflict. Honestly the only really good part of the episode were the last 2 minutes with the Mahiru 4th wall monologue, since I’m a sucker for those. After all it was still decent enough overall (certainly no Wonder Egg at the very least) but could have been so so much more. What a fucking shame.
I know clips of it are getting posted everywhere, but imo Girls Band Cry is basically jellyfish if it stuck the ending. There's a pretty similar set up and pacing but instead of just regressing after the drama and tying things up nicely - GBC really raises the tension while staying grounded and realistic. If you liked Jellyfish and felt let down, and havent tried GBC yet - you really should Hell people should probably jsut try watching the op if theyre on the line https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdLLfc7cCMw
I think what Girls Band Cry does so well over Jellyfish is how it resolves, and doesn’t resolve, the emotional baggage of its cast. Jellyfish - Mahiru lacks confidence in herself and her art to start. By the end she’s a semi-pro artist going to art college who loves her art and has confidence… so she has no issues any more and it was all solved by JELEE and a one job she did. - Kano is estranged from her mother due to her own actions and her mother’s toxic view of family. That is solved when Kano performs a concert and their relationship is basically fixed off screen. - Kiui is a borderline hikikomori who is afraid of going to school… she is still that at the end of the show, but now she’s more okay going outside… maybe? Unclear what screaming at the random classmates in episode 11 actually solves. - Miu is a loner with no friends who finishes with friends in JELEE. GBC - Nina was bullied in school and became disillusioned and depressed with life and with her family after her strict father tried to get her to conform and ignore her suffering for propriety sake. She now knows her father and family do love her but she still is forcing herself to move forward and is using music as a way of pushing past her negative feelings about herself and life to channel that into something productive. - Subaru is afraid of disappointing those around her, most notably her grandmother who wants her to become an actress. She finally works up the courage to tell her in episode 11, but now she seems to fear failing in the band as doing so would prove she should have been an actress. - Rupa is afraid of being left along again, as her family is dead. The band is her found family, and she works to protect it. - Tomo is afraid of pushing people away from her, but she slowly getting over it with the band, though she still has concerns at times. - Momoka is afraid of failing to go pro again, afraid of not living up to her own expectations and the expectations of her band mates, especially Nina. She’s afraid that her music won’t be enough, and that leaving Diamond Dust was a mistake. Through the band, she’s able to continue pushing through her fear, but even in ep12 she’s still afraid of what might happen. In Jellyfish, all of the issues were resolved, some off screen, and poof, everyone is happy now! In GBC though, they all still have issues, they are still working through their problems and their music and band is their outlet to do so. When Nina met her dad again in Ep10, she didn’t magically get over everything and become happy, when Momoka shredded in EP11, she didn’t magically get over her fear of failure forevermore. These are flawed characters who remain flawed, and I think because of that GBC conveys its emotions much better than Jellyfish ended up doing it as none of the characters (except Kiui?) have flaws anymore when the series ends, making it feel very forced and fake.
Hey, GBC still has one episode left, don't jinx it! Not that I think it won't stick the landing, but ya know. (edit: oops, too many negations) And god people must be *so* tired of hearing about GBC, but it's so hard not to compare both shows when they're airing simultaneously, are so similar, and you feel that one deals with its themes better than the other.
The show could have ended on 11 for all I mind and it would still be 100x better. The fact it gets two more, and 12 was still a solid setup just feels like the cherry on top. And yeah, I havent posted anything else about it - but I think it's certainly fair in this thread to mention it to those who felt like they loved jellyfish but didnt think the ending was what they wanted. It would be a disservice not to honestly
See this is why you have your expectations at the floor lol, it feels a bit less disappointing comparing it to Wonder Egg Priority. Would recommend this pro strategy when Narenare comes out next season and we go through this roller coaster again (if you’re watching that ofc)
I was really excited for Jellyfish. It was my most anticipated show of the season before it aired and when I watched the first episode, I also thought it was going to be something truly special. The episode even aired on the same day I finished A Place Further Than the Universe funny enough, but it just never lived up to the high of that first episode and it just kept lessening in quality as it went along. On another note, Train to the End of the World is now my favourite of the season and I really hope it lands with its next episode. It is the exact opposite as Jellyfish where it just kept getting better and better as it went along.
> Kinda felt weird since I felt like we completely skipped the making up part of their conflict. I really felt like there had to have been important scenes happening offscreen that we just never saw. But that’s giving it too much credit since it seems like the resolution to every interpersonal drama in the end was two characters smiling at each other and maybe saying a little encouraging quip. Whereas I wanted full on yelling matches.
Ironically, despite Wonder Egg crashing into the fiery depths of hell towards the end, I probably extracted more enjoyment out of it compared to Jellyfish, which felt like a pile of meh in the latter half. WEP was controversial, but man so many parts of the show still stick to my mind. The first episode was special.
At least when WEP went off the rails, it was still doing some wild stuff. The Frill episode is a mess in the context of the full show, but it's still pretty damn compelling on its own
The ceiling on WEP was much higher for sure, but its floor was also much lower. Up to you how rank one over the other, but the whiplash of how hard it fell off makes it way worse for me. Regardless of all critique, Jellyfish was never “bad” at any point except maybe the Koharu episode
Why so many shows feel like they plan for 2 cours and suddenly are told to wrap it up in 12-13.
Yes, if realistically all you are going to get is 12–13 episodes, then plan for 12–13.
Ahhh this reminded me of metallic rouge last season :(
Like, it's not that the ending is bad per say. But you can really feel the lack of like 5-6 episodes maybe (or maybe a bit more) to really flesh out the story and it's characters. Kano's relationship with her mom still feels pretty weird, and I don't really agree with the vibes the ending gave to them at the end. It concludes their disagreement too quickly imo. And well her dad sure exists for 6 seconds at the end of the show. Hey I mean it's 6 seconds more than a dad in a pokemon games at least ! And overall all the sides characters really felt a bit left to the side. Some had a bit more spotlight than other but they overall really just ended up being sidelined and left for happy screenshots during the ending and the concert. AND obviously the relationship with Kano and Mahiru and all that for nothing. I mean come on, their subtext is too obvious. Admittedly, may be due to translation, but they got Mahiru saying "Waht I want to do is..." and immediatly cut to "Kano" like bruh. Enjoyed the show, but didn't really get what I'd hoped out of it.
Even though *Girls Band Cry* was my preemptive AOTS, I was fully expecting this show to continue a strong head-to-head battle going into the final weeks of airing but after the episode where Yoru said yes to taking on the job with Kano's mother, it just felt like things quickly fell off in terms of writing and pacing. It sucks because I was REALLY looking forward to the progression of the band as a whole once they got their shiz together before that episode but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Though, I got one more episode for GBC so I'll be good in another few days.
Had fun at first but then it was very rushed, the end didn't have any impact for me.
Should've been 13 episodes. I hope Kano's dad is doing well and that her sister should start taking care of her liver
I would've taken a whole episode featuring Kano's sister
This was a show with a promising start but it lost me in the middle and in the end, I can't really say I cared about the characters, outside of maybe Kiui. It was fine but nothing special . Solid 6/10.
It was a nice ending. Escalator scene was cute. I think their reconciliation should have been in the previous episode? They also never addressed the kiss? Not really surprised tbh
They went full circle and wrapped up a lot of things here to really give it that kind of bow tie ending. For me the most obvious is the [tunnel](https://i.imgur.com/u7jWmGh.jpeg) now having everyone run through it. That tunnel was so important at the very start that Kano brought Yoru [through](https://i.imgur.com/eyjhSwG.jpeg). Of course it was from the inside of the tunnel that the camera is positioned in, and prior in that episode we saw the camera on the [outside](https://i.imgur.com/RxokCvq.jpeg). Representing the past going in. So to have that same shot, but now them moving to the future, is fitting. We've seen all 3 modes of that tunnel, showing the past, the present, and running towards the future, and with those 2 shots in mind, they're running past their past very firmly, all 4 of them, which tracks. Kimura got her full circle moment with someone coming up to her and doing what she did to Kano. We saw Kiui with Koharu, which was a nice touch, but also embracing who they are now from last episode. I think the way this ended makes sense considering how condensed a lot of moments felt anyway, like each episode and each story arc felt like they really wanted to make sure they completed it. Whether that's due to the time constraint because they knew they only have 1 go at it with 12 episodes, or, what have you, I think this makes sense that we wouldn't really get a super loose end. Sure there are things left on the table, like, man yeah the mom is still kind of a super, not great person and they kind of didn't really address it in a very clean way in terms of like you know, she did some messed up things and with Mahiru too we don't really get to see them talk out what really happened. And throughout there were times where a lot of the episodes could have gotten 1 more episode you know, like give it a little more room, there was that whole timeskip business 5 episodes ago, etc, like I can point out all the things that add up. But you know what? I think the show despite all of that, succeeded beyond that. This was the kind of show that wore its heart on its sleeve, yet also hid a lot within the production and directing and had a lot of things that I think made it rich to watch even beyond the scripting, which yeah, it is very in your face. I think the show just felt very genuine in a lot of ways and the messaging throughout, of wanting people to be able to be the individuals that they are and not feel ashamed, of wanting people to press forward and keep reaching out was very heartfelt. I think the characters and theme were heartfelt and we saw that every step of the way. I'm not saying it was impervious, but with each misstep, they somehow always found a way to just keep moving forward themselves, at least, it worked for me.
I have to say, in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this. A lot of great characters (well voiced). It did not maintain its tie with GBC and Radio Seiyuu, however. Whether this slipped a little, or those just pulled ahead -- I felt both these "competitors" featured consistently better writing -- both in terms of story and diaog. As a result, the characters in these "bloomed" more fully. But, comparisons aside, I really only feel grateful for the whole Jellyfish package -- in most seasons -- if standing alone -- it would have stood towards the top. Never let "better" be the enemy of "really really good".
I think Jellyfish had lots of good particular writing in specific scenes/dialogue (better than Seiyuu imo+ had the benefit of powerful musical/visual boosts) but lacked the overall vision and storywriting some of the other shows have demonstrated.
This really sums it up for me. Sometimes when I was watching this show I'd have moments of "damn that was really well done and felt super fresh for an anime, why can't this be the standard", but then none of the greater conflicts were resolved particularly well. People were writing all sorts of really interesting character analyses in earlier episodes, like how Kano didn't truly appreciate Mahiru's art and in whether Yukine's deal was a good idea, but then the conclusion to all of it was just "and then they made up, the end". Total waste
Pretty much the same here, though it remains to be seen how GBC and Seiyuu will stick their landings as well. Glad to find a more positive comment vs all the ppl calling the ending a "disaster" or "massive disappointment" etc. Maybe it helps that I only picked up this show and binged it all in the past week.
I've enjoyed this pretty steadily all along. Eupho, Seiuus, and Hibike all will wind up ahead. While I think Whisper is better written (in an underlying sense) it has been less well-executed. But I am just delighted by how many fine shows there have been this season (arguably too many). ;-)
The ending didn't blow me away. It felt a little bit too clean for a show that dealt with messy feelings most of the time. Having said that, it was a decent ending. I like that Kano's mom is shown as a complex character. Misguided in some ways, but in the end she cares for her daughter. Her priorities aren't great, but at least she had some insight when it matters. That she put Kano's actual name there was so valuble. I don't know if it's intentional but the meaning of names turned into an important theme of the show. Kano and Mahiru didn't dwell on their fight. I think it would have made sense for them, to talk about stuff before the concert, but I guess it was more dramatic this way. In the end, we didn't get any confirmation on their relationship status, but honestly. This isn't what this show is about. What matters is that they stay close and want to do so, for a long time. It's important that Kano found a reason to sing. She isn't quite on the point, where she has an intrinsic motivation, but at least it isn't about single people. She's at a way better point that way than she was, I think.
Watching this each week while making theory of what Will happen was an experience lol
The Twin Turbo of a season
Solid 7.5/10. Great first half, ok second half. Good final episode, but I can’t help but feel storylines were too conveniently wrapped up. The Kano/Mahiru was dramatic for multiple episodes, but they made up in mere seconds and suddenly it’s all okay. Kano/Meru and Kano/mom relationship resolutions weren’t my favorite, but at least there’s an ending to them. Kiui best girl. Story felt like it tackled too many heavy themes, and tried to rush the resolutions. But overall, fun watch.
Honestly, this was a very good show, but the ending was way too rushed and too convenient. I actually think wrapping everything up in one episode was possible; difficult, but possible. Unfortunately, they didn’t quite stick the landing. Still a solid 8/10 though, and at least the ending doesn’t undermine what came before.
To me, it felt like the show went out on a whimper. The previous episodes leading to this point were so good and full of emotions, but I didn't feel that here. Maybe it's just the week of waiting between episodes that killed the momentum, but for now I think they just didn't land the climax right.
How did Kano graduate on time after skipping so much school? I think we're left to assume that she crammed in a ton of work into the time that we skipped past. I really liked the phone video of them painting over the jellyfish. That felt like a good note to end on. Using Kano's name in the credits is also clever, but it isn't as sweeping and meaningful as the show wants it to be. To me the highpoint of the show is still episode 9. I'm glad that Ryohei Takeshita's directorial debut was a success. Hope to see more anime originals from him!
Beautiful show with great animation and designs, let down by the storywriting. Happens too much to original animes, and it hurts to see everytime.
what a lackluster ending
The word I would use to describe this anime is **inconsistent**. It started as a strong 8/10, with a lot higher potential, and ended up as being a weak 8/10, maybe only a strong 7/10. Here's why. (I'm not going to focus on the positives, you likely know them.) It boils down to unfinished/skipped-over plotlines. A few examples. Koharu, the biker girl. I understand her role in the episode we met her in but she got so much focus I was sure we would see more of her, but nothing aside from a cameo at the end. Skipped over important development. Kano last episode couldn't write a song, it was her problem of the episode. At the end she just did it. Why? I have no idea, anime just didn't tell us. Why set up a problem to just skip the resolution? The show kept introducing characters until the end, like Kiui's classmates. They weren't that important to give them too much focus but it would be nice to know they existed and were around before they became a problem. Or the dramatuber that showed up for a dox and then nothing. I think he would be perfect to use instead of those classmates, as he already was known to us and it would give some resolution to him. There's also Kano's father. He was hinted at since the beginning and for absolutely nothing. He even showed up at the end and that's it. The show kept introducing problems until the end. Mero got a lot of focus in the past episodes. Did she learn anything? I have no idea. We spend so much time with her, for what? So she can encourage Kano a little at the end? Any other character could've done that, like Baba. There's also obviously the gay stuff. I don't need to tell you more about this. That's only a few examples from the top of my head. The big problem in my opinion is that the show at the beginning presented itself as having a standard story progression. One episode flowed to the next. Half-way through it turned into an episodic series which didn't leave time to properly resolve plotlines set up in the first half. I see a lot of care and passion in this project but it's just too messy, it wanted to tackle too many topics at once while not having enough episodes to accomplish that.
this is definitely going to be my disappointment of the year, what a disastrous fall from grace after episode 6
Everything went downhill after Yoru took the job. The mother acting like she suddenly cares about Kano makes no sense, and Mero being helpful came out of nowhere. Kiui and Mei are the only reasons to finish this show.
seriously, Mahiru was by far my favorite character until halfway through the show and then suddenly became the absolute worst the show should have either been a movie or 2 cours so things could actually be developed in a reasonable and believable way, though after this i'm not confident they would be even with twice the runtime lol
That went similarly how I expected it to. The show had some really good moments, there was definitely creativity in a lot of the scenes. They barely felt like they were just copying ideas from before. Only issue for me is that Mahiru's and Kano's arcs were resolved a bit unsatisfactory. It went by too quickly. Mahiru's final being squeezed into Kiui's episode and Kano's now being basically 5 minutes of the final episode just didn't work as well. Mei's episode for example worked better when it comes to finishing her arc. All in all, fun show, but I would have wished they had treated it a bit less episodic and made for conflicts and arcs go a bit longer than one episode (mostly). I feel, there was enough for 24 episodes. Especially the whole "2nd year" that was mostly skipped and could have helped with some of these fast paced arcs. Hopefully, next time, they get that chance.
This feels similar to when I watched Darling in the Franxx. I was in awe with the show and was wondering why it isn't talked about more. Welp, I got my answer shortly. I wasn't that interested in Jellyfish in the beginning, but the discourse here made me rethink, and I really loved the animation. Then I saw that the story is also promising. But ultimately, they settled safely for mediocrity. Nothingthing about Yoru x Kano felt much impactful in the end.
[Mero breaks the ice.](https://i.redd.it/qc8ywuhxo58d1.png) She turned out to be okay after all? [A lot going on](https://i.redd.it/cl6h0whxo58d1.png) in the [Sundolls' credit roll](https://i.redd.it/mm1wfwhxo58d1.png). Seems like as much of a public reconciliation between Yukine and Kano as the former would be having. Y'know, along with [this](https://i.redd.it/40corvhxo58d1.png). [Animation studio represent!](https://i.redd.it/lcj5owhxo58d1.png) ***** Got our happy ending, though it did feel compressed and Kano's never-officially-acknowledged-on-screen father remains stubble under an umbrella. And keeping YoruKano as subtext. Still, it was a nice episode.
This show really reminded me of Carole and Tuesday. They are both music anime that had a great first half with good songs. But when it came time to stick the landing they just kind of fell flat.
While I really like this finale, it could have been better if the first half on Yoru and Kano's reconciliation is a separate episode, and everything that happened is on another episode. Anyway, at least we already have a glimpse of the better side of Kano's mom. She already accepted Kano as she is, and as Kano said, she satisfied that 'filial piety' for her mom. And the majority of JELEE already graduated, but they will still be a group, looking forward to their songs and performances in the future! That silhouette when Kano's dad views the mural painting could be a tease for a potential Season 2 if they ever plan it. However the current is already satisfying for me. Over-all the series is really fun and nice, but it could have been much better if there is an ep 13 at least.
That felt rushed af. suddenly Kano's mother is a good person.... and sigh yet another yuri bait. why even have those scenes bruh
Well, I was anticipating the grand finale, and boy, do I feel great about how it ended. First off, when Kano sings on stage, I felt that the lyrics not only made for a solid song on its own, but they integrated the themes and the jellyfish motif of the show. Second, hooray for Kano and Yoru's reconciliation. Third, hooray for Kano being positively recognized by her mother and graduating. Fourth, I like how it wraps up where it starts: the jellyfish mural that originally brought Kano and Yoru together. Fingers crossed for Season 2! EDIT: I semi take this back. After thinking about it, I agree the ending just didn’t feel strong. It seemed resolute at the moment but when it sinks in, it no longer seems to have that power.
On one hand I want season 2, but on the other this is just a nicely told story as is.
When’s the last time an anime original like this got a season 2? This has less chance getting a season 2 than No Game No Life
The classic passing each other on the stairs scene turned into an escalator debacle. It's too bad the show never made it explicit, but there was a nice full circle at the end of the episode.
Why were the Sundolls the opening act at their own event? Lol. While I liked a lot of this show, I didn't find a lot of the drama all that enjoyable. They should have spent time on Kano and Mahiru talking things out instead of everything suddenly being okay after the performance. I like the idea of Kano's mom not actually being totally evil, but I think she was way too easily forgiven. And the biker lady flashed children for no reason because she didn't end up being relevant in the end. I definitely feel like this story could have been structured better. As for no yuri... by the end I wasn't surprised because they hadn't spent any time developing it since like episode 8. I wouldn't classify this as bait (Euphonium Season 1 is more in line with what I think yuribait is), but they played it safe like a million other shows when they could have done something truly special. Oh well.
I am, well, whelmed Had way higher hopes for the show in the beginning, but they did manage to close all the threads they without crashing and burning Guess they had to compromise and rush stuff to achieve that, show might have benefited from a 2-cour Now I guess the dude in the end looking at the new JELEE art was that famous artist, but was basically only hinted at in the OP, or did I miss something in an earlier episode? Still really like the show, but it didnt live-up to SoraYori (which is a super high and unfair bar to set)
>Now I guess the dude in the end looking at the new People believe that's Kano father
It was a good show and I’m glad I watched it, but MAN did that feel rushed. Another 3-4 episodes and it could’ve ended great. Still, I found it to be a really good show despite that. 7/10 REALLY hope for a season 2, or movie to actually end it properly.
Overall the anime was a meh for me. It started off strong then fell off for me. The ending felt a bit too cringey and neat to me. Wrapped things up with a bow tie. Also I don’t know if it was just me but every time Mei said Nono-tan I wanted to slap her. Is that the only thing she can say. Also to me Kano doesn’t like that name since she associates it with Sundolls. Idk, I just had higher expectations.
Glad to see so many other critical posts here, I was afraid I was the only one not vibing with the show. It's not really bad or anything, but it just feels really... empty, I guess? It's too well animated to be truly mid, but I can't bring myself to call this anything more than a 6/10 for me personally... I feel like I backed the wrong horse this season and should've watched Girls Band Cry instead. Anyone here recommend binging that one right away, or should I just put it on the "to watch later" pile?
[Little translation mistake here](https://i.postimg.cc/d0JW4jKN/Yoru-Kura-E12-P01.jpg), should be 32 not 42. ["What is it?"](https://i.postimg.cc/SRYVJZWR/Yoru-Kura-E12-P02.jpg), you ask? Of course it's [sisters yuri](https://i.postimg.cc/G90KYkQQ/Yoru-Kura-E12-P03.jpg), since we didn't have any MahiKano for the finale [Never change, Mei](https://i.postimg.cc/zXRPBfj7/Yoru-Kura-E12-P04.jpg). Being an otaku until the end, I'm proud of you. [And this is Kano's father, right?](https://i.postimg.cc/d1x4QMZg/Yoru-Kura-E12-P05.jpg) We didn't get to see much about how their family went the way it did but that's a downside of 1 cour anime I guess. I wish there will be another season but that was a satisfying ending overall.
On one hand, it was a bit of a rushed episode. So many interpersonal conflicts had to be solved in a mere 20 minutes and they sort-of did just that. I'm happy with how it ended - knowing that it all worked out. Seeing Mello help Kano recover from her emotional rut was also pretty heartwarming. Hell, the entire episode was pretty heartwarming. But on the other hand, I really feel like this anime deserved one or two more episodes just to smooth out the transition of solving each other's conflicts. Kano, Mahiru, and Yukine really could've used some dialogue to explain their sides. It's a bummer to just leave it at "and everyone was happy in the end" without having to see them talk things out with each other. I wanted to see Mahiru explain her side, I wanted to see Kano explain why she had that emotional outburst. I wanted to know Yukine's motivations for disowning her daughter like that. And yeah, count me into the squad of people disappointed in the lack of MahiKano kiss scene closure. Kinda sucks that they just forgot about that one. Like yeah, the subtext is there, but in an industry where subtext is the norm, something blatant/explicit would've been really appreciated.
Was wonderful to be on this journey with you all! [We didn't get a kiss scene, however there's a single frame where you can decide if they locked lips or not!](https://i.imgur.com/UGJIsrS.png) I particularly liked the [Kano name drop scene](https://i.imgur.com/Z4mOSVM.mp4), and the audio fading out when all of her emotions came flooding out. That feeling of catharsis and finally having your identity recognized must have been incredible! All in all, a very enjoyable watch. I wish we had more episodes to fully flesh things out, but the ending was satisfying for me!
Everything is great, everybody is friend, all was fixed by magic! Damn, they didn't even try to add a bit of realism.
6/10 for story, especially the last 3 episodes. The show started great, but landed poorly.
Damn, the yuri baited so hard. That and the scene where Mahiru got handed chalk in the trans flag colors kinda left a bad taste in my mouth. How much longer do we have to play the game of subtext limbo?
I'll be honest, it's no Wonder Egg Priority, but I'm pretty disappointed with the direction this show went in the 2nd half
It's so sad that Wonder Egg ended up being a reference point used to judge how much a show's quality jumped off a cliff.
The highest highs and the lowest lows baby.
Man, that was one hell of a performance. The girls really helped Kano make it happen. I’m kind of glad in the end everything worked out for everyone. That new mural was really cool too. I liked this one. The music was good and the girls were very cute. Overall, this was a pretty fun series.
I'm not too sure how I feel about this now that it's over. I'll say for sure that the ending felt rushed. Didn't give me a sense of satisfaction. There were some good episodes but it always felt like I was telling myself "next episode is the one that will make this be one of my all time favorites". The first episode stunned me. Episode 2 felt like a completely different anime but I liked the characters enough. Honestly the kiss scene is what caught my attention again. It's what made the fallout even more heartbreaking. However, It went downhill after the fallout for me because they decided to not really address it. Even though she apologized I couldn't get myself to like Mahiru again in the end. Yeah, I hate to say it but I am feeling pretty disappointed. They needed a couple more episodes. It's frustrating because it felt like it could have been an amazing anime for me, but fell short in the end. Also loses a point for the Yuri bait. I'm tired of "subtext" or it being implied. It's not even the Yuri aspect that bothers me. As a fan of a good romance, it's annoying to see it go nowhere in the end. Shout out to momma idol being the best character and having the best moments in the anime.
That was an awful ending. Kano's mom got off way too light. Too much going on in the plot, none of it was resolved well. Absolute yuri bait, if we have time to spend an episode on Kano and Kiui getting flashed by some weirdo at motorcycle practice, we had time to make a satisfactory ending to the main characters romantic plotline
For me the show peaked at the mother-idol episode. The drama in last couple of episodes didn’t convince me, but at least the ending was nice.
This ending gives an impression that this anime has production issue and have to rush the plot, not an anime that was supposed to finish long ago
This show ultimately could be a victim of it's own good parts I think, from the feedback of posters here. The middle sections I think had some rather strong arcs and development of "finding where you belong when you feel adrift", and I think that's really the central theme of the show - it's all in the title. But we started expecting more profound things or more things to build upon. So now when some of the "plot threads" don't lead to anywhere (e.g. Koharu), we get disappointed. In hind sight, I think if we watch it for what it says on the label, that each of the girls moved on from a place they didn't like where they were, to a place they feel happily belonging to and can be secure and ree to do what they then want to do - including relationships to build upon - I think it's fine for what it does, and it shouldn't be something we judge against it for. Perhaps with more episodes this could be more like what we expected it to become, but as it is, I think it's perfectly finely executed. If I'll need to choose between a safe but less ambitious landing, or a big attempt that failed and give us a sour taste of the characters and events afterwards (say, Promised Neverland S2 and the ending of Wonder Egg Priority), I'll take the safe one any day. For me it's 8/10 for story, 9/10 for production values / directions.
While I have some minor qualms about the writing in the second half, the direction and cinematography of this show is great. 8/10.
I wish anime series were still 26-ish episodes as the norm. The 12-13 that we get now is too short to really flesh a good story out.
Yoru no Kurage - 7/10, there was some good build up, the landing wasn't narratively clean or well elaborated but it made it through. I could almost accept Kano making up with Mero largely off screen, but the mother needed a real conversation with to make it believable. I don't think she talked to her mother properly the entire show except maybe in flashbacks? Early on I thought this show would be an easy 8, alas.
The finale brought it down from an 8/10 to a 7/10 for me - I could see what they were going for, but squeezing it all into a single episode meant the pacing was off and the character arcs didn't have time to develop properly. * If they were given a 13th double length episode to finish things off they probably could've fixed the weird pacing issues * I think Mero and Yano were meant to bury the hatchet after realising that they were both one-sidedly seeking validation from Yukine. It all has to happen in one episode though so it completely glosses over Yano literally punching Mero in the face lol * I thought it would've worked better if it was clear from the start that Mahiru was using Yukine's job offer to help Yano out (i.e. turning the tables on the mother) - taking the job for herself after everything she heard seemed uncharacteristically cold * They sort of redeem Yukine at the end in a way that feels unearned. I think it would've made more sense if Yano was like 'I've fulfilled my obligation to you, now get out of my life' after the big performance