Anime Hajime Review: My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax!

Original Run: July 10, 2020 - September 2020
Number of Episodes: 12
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life
Based on the Series Created By: Wataru Watari and
Ponkan⑧

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

And so, it’s come to this.

Although it has only been a few months, Hikigaya Hachiman, Yukino Yukinoshita, and Yui Yuigahama (voiced respectively by Takuya Eguchi, Saori Hayami, and Nao Touyama) feel as though they have been together forever.

As members of the Service Club, they have taken pride in solving the problems of their clients. Now in this final chapter, they must turn their attention inward.

Endless doubt has crept into their relationship, and if things continue as they are, it will come crashing down. But the love the trio has for one another is too strong to give up. Thus, they will fight to protect it until the bitter end.

Series Positives

For context, this review is the final segment of a three-part marathon viewing session of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU (MTRC). I highly encouraged you to read the previous two installments to better understand my thought process upon watching My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax (MTRC 3).

To start, although MTRC 3 wasn’t my favorite entry in the MTRC franchise (that honor goes to season two), I doubt we could have gotten a more proper conclusion. And to be honest with you, as I was watching this installment, I worried it would fail to deliver a satisfying ending.

Both season one and season two’s conclusions were not fantastic. Rather than bringing the story to a natural breakpoint, the previous two installments seemed to stop in mid-sentence. Still, despite several years passing between chapters (two between MTRC 1 and MTRC2, and five between MTRC 2 and MTRC 3), these sudden stoppages weren’t the worst thing in the world.

Or, at least, they weren’t for me since I watched all three seasons back to back.

Knowing there was more to come served as a relief; there was always next time. Well, that wasn’t going to work for MTRC 3. As far as I know, this is it; there is not going to be a season four. Therefore, this show would either give us an ending or it would find a way to leave things open-ended, the latter being the worst-case scenario.

There are certain aspects of MTRC 3’s conclusion I want to discuss, and I’ll give fair warning beforehand because spoilers will be involved. For the moment, though, you can take solace in knowing that this season signed off with a definitive conclusion.

Now, I am focusing on this season’s ending like am because it was the element that separated MTRC 3 from the other two installments.

Season one was a much more lighthearted affair that prioritized getting to know our leading trio, Hachiman Hikigaya, Yukino Yukinoshita, and Yui Yuigahama. Season two drastically changed gears and introduced a ton of dramatic weight to the story. Season three was the culmination of everything; thus, it makes sense why its conclusion would contain the most meat.

The majority of MTRC 3 was a continuation of what made MTRC 2 so good. I’m saying this season had needless filler; Hachiman, Yukino, and Yui had to face escalated versions of problems they met in the previous season. In a way, the Service Club had yet to hit their wall; the relationship they had could still be maintained. When that was no longer the case, season three finally came into its own.

To put a number on it, this happened in episode eight.

I don’t feel the urge to talk about what went on in the first half of this season because the MTRC 2 review already has everything I would otherwise say here. Therefore, I am left with only the ending.

And this is where I must issue a SPOILER WARNING. MTRC 3 had one critical detail that did away with any worries about not getting a satisfying conclusion. Unfortunately, this one detail is THE detail fans of this series have been waiting for since 2013. So, I wouldn’t want to give it away here casually.

If you have not yet watched this show and would like to see how it plays out for yourself, please skip to the review’s Series Negatives section now.

If you’ve elected to continue reading, let’s get started.

There was one element I chose to omit from the MTRC 2 review. I did so because I wanted to see how season three would play out. On the whole, Yukino was underutilized in season two.

Way back in my original MTRC review, I applauded how this series had not followed the usual slice-of-life romance path – the male protagonist automatically falling for the first female lead. The first season of MTRC spent more time building up a Hachiman-Yui relationship rather than a Hachiman-Yukino one.

Now at that time, Yukino and Yui were on even footing; the story could still go either way. Then came MTRC 2. When considering the amount of screentime she with had Hachiman and the number of bonding moments they shared, Yui took a clear edge. This was thanks mainly to the introduction of  Iroha Isshiki (voiced by Ayane Sakura), who occupied focus that would have most likely gone to Yukino.

At the end of MTRC 2, I would have said a Hachiman-Yui ending was imminent. However, Yukino was kept in the running. Unfortunately, the series did this not by making her a character to fall for. Instead, she became a project that needed to be completed.

By and large, MTRC 3 continued this trend. Despite Hachiman and Yui spending so much quality time together, this series continued to inch towards a Yukino ending.

I am not saying Hachiman didn’t have feelings for Yukino or that I was against the idea of a relationship between the two. What I am saying is, the effort wasn’t there like it was with Yui. Nevertheless, I resigned myself to expect Hachiman would chose Yukino over Yui.

And this is where MTRC 3 pulled a fast one.

It was Yukino, not Hachiman, that made the confession; Yukino told Hachiman that she loved him. This tiny switch-a-roo made all the difference. Why?

When you consider everything Hachiman had done for Yukino, it makes far more sense that she would be the one to pull the trigger. Plus, this series never fully showed Hachiman’s answer. I believe Hachiman and Yukino did become a couple, but MTRC never confirmed that.

What made MTRC 3, and by extension, the whole MTRC series so satisfying was the breaking of that last taboo. Finally, everyone’s feelings were out in the open; there were no more secrets. The bond between Hachiman, Yukino, and Yui was so strong they were willing to no longer deny what was really going on.

This ending was satisfying, not because Hachiman got the right girl but because Yukino and Yui’s friendship survived. After all, it was that relationship that grabbed my attention back in season one. I don’t doubt that these two will be romantic rivals, but they ended this series as best friends above all else.

I was afraid this show would ruin this dynamic, and I’m happy to say it didn’t.

Series Negatives

MTRC 3 had the first incredibly cringy joke of the series.

Hachiman got into an impromptu rap battle with the student council president of another school, and it just felt so out of place. This franchise had a distinct comedic style, and this was not it.

Other than that, though, I’ve got very little else to say.

My usual criticism for this series – lack of seasonal resolutions – was a non-factor this time around.

I can’t speak for people who have been watching this show since 2013. If you are one such person, let me know in the comments below if you were satisfied with how MTRC 3 wrapped things up.

However, speaking as someone who marathoned the three seasons, I can confirm that it was not time wasted. Thus, I think I will leave it here.

Final Thoughts

It is hard for a single season to be worth watching. This series had three that knocked it out of the park.

From the first episode of the first season to the last episode of the third, this show was never off its game. This story balanced some genuinely hilarious comedy with heartfelt and moving drama. The focus was always on the characters and their relationship with one another. As such, this series delivered one of the best trios the anime world has ever seen.

And to top it all off, this show knew how to leave us with a gracious bow.

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax, as well as the entire My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU series, has earned a resounding recommendation.

But these were just my thoughts. What are yours? Have you seen this series? How would you advise My Teen Romance Comedy SNAFU Climax? Leave a comment down below because I would love to hear what you have to say.

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For Anime Hajime, I’m LofZOdyssey, and I’ll see you next time.