Mitsuboshi Colors

Episode 12

I don't think anyone watching was expecting Mitsuboshi Colors to end the season with a bang. The series has traded in low-pressure light escapades pretty much through its whole run. Still, as a capstone to the whole experience, this final episode definitely comes off more low-key than necessary.

The creative apex of the episode is definitely the extended cold open, with the girls filming a video of them going around introducing the denizens of the town in their usual quirky ways. The format change does lend some novelty to the way the jokes are delivered (that slow zoom-in on Yui's zoned-out expression is a highlight), and there's a clever touch to the way the girls rotate who is filming at any given time. In a major revelation, we also learn that Pops's real name is Kujiraoka, which finally explains why his shop is called ‘Whale Factory’. This bit embraces the endearing, childlike sincerity that drives the series and feels like it's over too soon; it would have made a creative note to end the whole series on.

It's a disappointment because what follows after the opening credits roll is Mitsuboshi Colors at its most middling. The animation was saved well for this finale, as there are great bursts of spunky movement for all the characters, like in a moment where Sat-Chan jumps up out of her chair and it rattles around before settling. That's an admirable commitment to detail. Similarly, the animation of the girls spinning in the park has a nice look, reminding me that this show's production effort can still take me by surprise.

It's good that the animation gives me something to focus on, because there's little else happening in this segment. It starts with the girls apparently getting a call from an old lady about a case for them to solve, but quickly devolves into them getting sidetracked on a playground. This is that meandering trap Mitsuboshi Colors has fallen into regularly, where it relies on cute kids messing around to be engaging content on its own. The girls' personalities are endearing, and a little iyashikei relaxation never hurt anyone but we've seen this sort of content before. This show is better when its plots actually go somewhere, and it is the final episode. I don't think it's out of line to expect more.

The next piece at least has a little more substance to it, as it attempts to give off more of a last hurrah vibe. The girls head to a cherry blossom viewing and try to sell strawberries with the intent of making money to buy treats from a vendor. Seeing our supposed superheroes make attempts at unscrupulously grifting people has always been an amusing contrast that exposes the fickle personalities of the kids well. Also notable is their language, particularly from Sat-Chan, scheming to specifically sell to drunk people and ‘bleed them dry’. It's an amusing acknowledgement that this is a show where the exploitable activities of grown-ups are just another avenue for kids' adventures.

So we get a cute new insert song set against the attractive backdrop of the cherry blossoms, as the girls just happen to come across almost every other incidental character in the show. There still aren't dramatics of any sort, and these characters were fun enough when they initially appeared, but they didn't leave enough of an impact that this curtain call can have the effect of a tender farewell either. Given that this is just one part out of the finale amongst a bunch of otherwise inconsequential fluff, it seems like it would have been better to combine this segment with the home movie at the beginning and make more of an effort to let us say goodbye to the Colors and their town.

The Colors' effort to sell their last box of strawberries at the cherry blossom viewing is adorable, as the girls roll up on another unfortunate member of the adult world to brighten his day for fun and profit. The ‘Spring bonus’ is a cute punchline that utilizes everything the series has done so well. It's a stronger finish than the final post-credits scene of the series, which is maybe too protracted for its own good; the Colors dragging a futon into the town square to conduct ‘surveillance’ while sleeping is a goofy idea, but mostly falls under ‘cute enough’. That also sums up Mitsuboshi Colors as a show. It did its particular thing pretty well, but it didn't rise to stand out as much as it could have, settling for ‘good enough’ regularly. Spending time with the Colors was nice, but I don't know that I'm chomping at the bit for more in the future.

Rating: B-

Mitsuboshi Colors is currently streaming on HIDIVE.