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Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend Flat
Episode 11

by Theron Martin,

How would you rate episode 11 of
Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend Flat ?
Community score: 4.4

The final episode of Saekano Flat does most of what a season-ending episode should do. It resolves the current story arc in a mostly-satisfying fashion and points to where the story could go next. What it does not do, however, is provide any real explanation for why this season bears the unusual subtitle “Flat,” which is commonly depicted as the musical notation for a flat key. If there is an allusion that connects this musical term to the series' storyline, I'm missing it. (Unless they're trying to conflate “boring” and “flat,” but that seems like a stretch.)

The first part of the episode involves a repeat of the date that Megumi and Aki had together back in episode 6 of the first season, with Megumi displaying a mix of motivations: partly she's bored, partly she wants to cheer him up, and partly she's seeking a sense of completion for the date, since Aki ran off on her before they finished last time. Once again, Aki is uncomfortable with the exercise, though he does end up buying her a hat similar to the one she wore when he first saw her. All throughout this sequence and a following conversation on their fated hill, there's a sense that Megumi is trying to reach out for him, though the conspicuous display of their distance on the hill suggests that she's not closing the gap as much as she might like. Still, there's a comfort to their relationship at this point, and she seems to clearly understand (much more so than the other girls) that Aki can't be rushed on the emotional front. Whether because of feelings she might have for Aki or her own investment in the game production or both, she's committing to stay with Blessing Software, and in a not-at-all-surprising move, the duo gets a third member at the end: Izumi is joining their school for the new year, with the strong implication that she will thus be joining the dojin team as Eriri's replacement.

As for Utaha and Eriri, even though they've forced themselves to move on, Aki's appearance on their departure platform reveals that they still haven't entirely let go. Thankfully, the story doesn't defer to the most trite option here (Aki begs them to stay and they do), as Aki really is just seeing them off, but that doesn't mean there won't be some final romantic hijinks in play. They later appear at the entrance ceremony, along with Michiru's first appearance in ages, for some fourth wall-breaking banter. As much as the series has engaged its “meta” flavor though, that scene felt oddly incongruous, even forced. I'm sure the intent was to refer back to the very beginning of the series, but it does not play out smoothly for a series that's stepped up to a slightly more sophisticated level over the course of this season.

As to whether there will be any more coming, there's definitely room for it. The finale concludes the adaptation of the seventh novel and there are currently 12 novels plus a short story collection available – more than enough material for another season at the pace that the anime has been adapting the story. However, I feel that this is the proper stopping point for the anime adaptation. Unlike with a lot of light novel adaptations, there's not a sense of the story just getting started here, and I'm not sure how much more this story can do without becoming repetitious. This second season as a whole got off to a mediocre start, but it definitely elevated its game over its last third or so. This final episode isn't its strongest moment, but it doesn't diminish the things that the season has done right either.

Rating: B

Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend Flat is currently streaming on Amazon's Anime Strike.


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