I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day ‒ Episode 13
If you told me weeks ago that this show would end with an episode that barely had focus on Mimi or Sheena, I would've told you that was a really weird creative move. I guess that isn't completely out of left field, considering that any emotional arc or conversation that those two had was resolved last week, as muted a resolution as that was. In fact, it could've ended last week, and that probably would've been more fitting since it would've brought the show full circle, even if no major lessons or overall improvements had been made. I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day likes to present problems, but not offer any solutions or genuine outlets for them. With all my complaining, you would think that I absolutely hated this final episode, but honestly, it's probably one of the strongest emotional episodes of the show because it actually concludes a relatable emotional arc.
I have already said numerous times how I don't think this earned a lot of the emotional beats it presents with Ali and Seiran, as they spent half of the show in the background. I still feel like it is retroactively trying to get me to care about their relationship after Seiran already died, when it would've hit a lot harder if the relationship was a bit more at the forefront before the tragedy struck. This finale does still have a few elements of that issue, showcasing scenes of Ali and Seiran together in flashbacks for an emotional payoff in the present. However, I do like the fact that Ali is struggling to find a genuine way forward in her grief.
Seiran is dead, but the war is still going on; people keep getting sent out and life sort of just moves on. It's a surprisingly grounded approach to grief, with Ali self-isolating and trying to put on a brave front, even though a major part of her life is suddenly missing. The climax of the episode, about finally letting go and crying as the emotions finally wash over her, was fitting with the metaphor of the rain being used to great effect. I wasn't necessarily expecting the show to give me any conclusion to Ali's character, but I can't say I'm disappointed because it was fairly well done.
That being said, I do still feel like this finale has a lot of missed opportunities. The absence of Sheena and Mimi throughout most of this episode feels jarring, but also largely unnecessary. The fact that a random upperclassman needed to be brought in to have this conversation with Ali so that she can get over her grief feels incredibly lazy. The show would've been stronger, or at the very least more thematically consistent, if Sheena or even Mimi were the ones to nudge Ali to tackle her grief. Wouldn't it have been more appropriate if Mimi was the one who brought Ali to the outer walls to get a glimpse of what Seiran got to see before she passed away? It also would've served as a great emotional growth point for Mimi and maybe would've brought the two characters together better instead of pretending they were a lot closer than they really were, like the past couple of episodes had been trying to do.
This finale is very indicative of how I feel about the overall show. There are a lot of really well-directed and emotionally charged moments, but I'm always left wondering if this show realizes that it could be a lot more than what it is. I sit here and wonder, after thirteen episodes, what I ultimately learned. I don't know anything about a war or how this world works outside of the fact that it's really comfortable sending orphan students out to fight full-grown adults. I know that Sheena doesn't like being weak, and she is still figuring out how to deal with that. I know Mimi is immortal and is slowly learning what it means to be a normal teenage girl, and I know Ali is mourning the loss of her lover. There are a lot of things that happen in this show, but it still feels like the show isn't really saying anything, like I'm just watching a series of unfortunate events unfold. I don't know if the source material is any better about this, but it almost feels as if the show is scared to do anything, so it presents very safe yet sad ideas with very muted execution to fill out thirteen episodes. I won't call the show boring, but it definitely got close to that, and I don't think I'll return to this series because I'd rather spend my time watching something more ambitious.
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Bolts also streams regularly on Twitch as the indie VtuberBolts The Mechanic where they talk about and play retro media!I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
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