Konohana Kitan

Episode 12

“Time travel” isn't necessarily a concept you might associate with Konohana Kitan, and yet this finale manages to once again surprise and delight its audience with an unexpectedly emotional story that revolves around the twisting of time. For a series that started off feeling like just another fanservice-driven yuri-flavored slice-of-life, this final episode is a thorough reminder of how powerful and resonant Konohana Kitan turned out to be.

It all starts predictably enough, with the foxgirls travelling to the shrine in order to usher in the new year. The way the different quarters of Konohana Kitan's run have reflected the four seasons of the year has always been charming, but the past few episodes have felt especially timely with their wintry tones and palettes. The palling around doesn't last too long, since our clumsy Yuzu inevitably drops the mysterious scroll she found while cleaning out Konohanatei, and in chasing after it, she inadvertently stumbles onto the road of the gods. If the plot this week has any weakness, its that Yuzu's habit of literally stumbling into ghostly pathways and spiritual shenanigans has become a stale trope within this series, regardless of the excuse this adventure taking place during the Miracle of New Year's Eve. It's also unfortunate that we don't get to spend much time with the other girls this week, especially since this is the end of the season. While they all definitely have a presence in the story, since much of the emotion comes from Yuzu reflecting on how much she loves her home at Konohanatei, I personally wouldn't have minded a couple more scenes of this adorable cast playing off one another.

These complaints are easy enough to forgive when we get to the meat of Yuzu's Excellent Adventure, her arrival at the bustling headquarters of the kenzoku, who are the motley crew of fox spirits that work to grant the wishes and prayers of humans on Earth. These girls are all immediately likable, and I could imagine an excellent spinoff about the daily grind of trying to manage the impossible number of wishes that the kenzoku must receive every day, to say nothing of New Year's. Of particular note is Tsubaki, the fiery kenzoku who accidentally brings Yuzu to her place of work, only to get caught up trying to help her find her way back home. This task initially seems insurmountable, but eventually all of the kenzoku help Yuzu find her path back to Konohanatei, wherever and whenever it may be.

At first, the episode plays up this kenzoku plot as one final deep dive into Japan's culture and mythology, but the more time was spent focusing on Tsubaki and Yuzu's relationship, the more suspicious I became that Konohana Kitan was once again trying to pull a fast one on us. Rarely does a single figure stand out so much in an episode, unless the story is setting up one of the show's signature low-key revelations. Given how heart-wrenching these moments could be in previous episodes, I braced myself for the worse. That is, until the episode started laying on thick how Yuzu had gotten the kenzoku's patron goddess so into the idea of constructing her own hot spring inn for the gods. Combining that with the already established notion that these spirits were operating in a time far removed from Yuzu's present, the episode's end became clear to me fairly early on.

That's not to say I was disappointed or bothered by figuring everything out; it just made the whole episode work that much better. Just last week, I noted how much I enjoyed getting to see Okami take part in the action more, and this week we learn that the feisty young fox who accidentally spirited Yuzu away is the same woman who would come to be the head of the Konohanatei household. Tsubaki's touch eventually unfolds the ancient scroll that Yuzu has been carrying around and, far in the future, her desire to summon her surrogate family home ends up giving Yuzu a clear shot back to her own time. The old fox's look of stunned recognition cinches it, and suddenly what seemed like a one-off adventure for Yuzu becomes a key moment of understanding for the least developed member of the show's cast. This is a spirit who has been wandering from home to home for thousands of years, and only in Konohanatei has she managed to root herself to a sanctuary where she takes care of other hardworking girls. Yuzu isn't just another fox rounding out Konohanatei's staff; she's the friend that Tsubaki never knew she needed, a stranger whose heart is always filled with love, who wished for nothing more than for Tsubaki to find her place in the world. In planting the seeds for Konohanatei's inception, Yuzu is directly responsible for building the home and family that she has come to hold so dear.

It's a ridiculously powerful and heartfelt note to end the season on. Sure, Yuzu admits that her life at Konohanatei can't last forever, but time with her friends has changed her for the better, and she couldn't bear to live in a world without them. Yuzu truly loves and is loved by Satsuki, Tsubaki, and all the others who have come into her life. Thanks to the wobbly magic of time travel, the power of those bonds even stretches back thousands of years into the past, and it will continue to last as long as Konohanatei exists to give people a place to call home, even if only for one night. I never would have imagined that the colorful show about gay foxgirls would be able to conclude on such a rich and satisfying note, but here we are. Iyashikei anime are all about providing their audience with a subtle yet profound form of mental rejuvenation, a sense of healing that only well-written stories can provide. After twelve weeks of providing the coziest emotional comfort food, with a healthy side of genuinely moving pathos, I'm pleased to report that Konohana Kitan stands at the top of the iyashikei class. Simply put, this was a wonderful show.

Rating: A-

Konohana Kitan is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James needs there to be more Konohana Kitan, so Yuzu and Satsuki can finally confess their feelings for each other. You can join him in petitioning for an even sappier second season on Twitter and his blog.