Amagami SS (Episode 25):

Junichi is meeting with a girl who wrote him a letter. He says he is happy to date a cute girl like her. She cries with joy, and her name is Risa. The next day, he tells her he wants to introduce her to his friends, but she refuses. She says they have to keep it a secret, so he agrees. Later that night he goes to meet her at the park. Even though it is where he was stood up, he will remember it as their first date. He asks Risa to the Festival, but she wants to think about it. She is really worried about the Festival, and we found out she sabotaged his chances with all of the girls. Junichi is at the park, when a girl named Makihara shows up. She’s the one who stood him up two years ago. She asks him why he never showed up, and that she was told about a change to the meeting place by another girl. He meets Risa later, and she doesn’t want to go to the festival. He thinks maybe they aren’t a good couple. She says she doesn’t have the right to date him, but doesn’t want to hurt him by telling him why. She finally tells him the truth about everything. She tells him that Makihara was going to make fun of him. He asks her what the problem is then, and she confesses about the other girls.  He asks why she cares so much. She explains they were in elementary school, and he would help her finish her food everyday. She apologizes and thanks him for making her happy in the short time she was his girlfriend. He asks if she is going to dump him too, and he wants her by his side. He wants to apologize to everyone with her, but she says she will take care of it herself. They finally kiss.

Risa was such a stalker, and it didn’t even phase Junichi when they first started dating about how she knew everything. I enjoyed how they incorporated all the other girls’ arcs and how she managed to end them. I suspected she was the reason he was stood up, but wasn’t expecting the reason as to why. Overall they did a good job of portraying her as being protective and not creepy.  It was a really nice one episode arc, and Risa wasn’t a yandere at all.

Final Impressions:

This was one of the best anime series of 2010. Instead of coming off as a typical harem anime, they broke it down into four episode arcs, which gave each girl their own spotlight to shine in. Even though each girl had their own arc, they managed to give cameos during each one. The animation was well done with rarely and issues. The voice work was excellent, and I felt each girl and Junichi were portrayed with near perfection.

Haruka turned out to be really goofy and perky, instead of the stuck up vibe she first gives off to the viewer. Kaoru came off as a tomboy and tsundere, but turned out to have a much more emotional and girly side. Sae lived up to the quiet and shy demeanor, and I loved her for it. I thought Ai would have more of a cold attitude, but she turned out to be someone who is a go-getter and very motherly.

Rihoko was the typical childhood friend, and she was so cute with how clumsy she was. Tsukasa seemed to be Miss Perfect, but ended up having the most issues out of everyone. Risa was a stalker, but thankfully not a violent one, and it was all for her love of Junichi. Junichi’s sister Miya didn’t have her own arc, but she was such a cute character. I could listen to her say Nii-Nii all day.

The best part of this series was how Junichi interacted with each girl. His reactions, mannerisms, and even how he spoke to each of them was always different. It was nice to see a show take that into consideration. The girls were all great, and if I had to rank them, it would be Kaoru, Sae, Haruka, Ai, Rihoko, Risa, and Tsukasa. I highly recommend this show to anyone looking for a good romance comedy.