Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You ‒ Episode 12
The final episode of Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You isn't necessarily bad, but does double down on some narrative and character attributes that feel pretty secondary to where the story and characters are at the end of this first season.
Beginning with Sasaki's work year kicking off, he receives an invitation to meet up from his former mentor who's staring down retirement. This invitation clearly weighs on Sasaki, as he's even more distracted and clumsy while navigating his daily life than usual. Tayama/Yamada confronts him about this development, first in Yamada then in Tayama-mode, and Sasaki reveals that he doesn't want to see his former mentor out of some vague sense of guilt or not being good enough to meet with the man. This, understandably, upsets Tayama/Yamada who pushes him out of the smoking area and tells him to get his shit together. Sasaki then heads to Hokkaido to meet with his mentor, the two hit it off, and then Sasaki and Tayama/Yamada have a cute, post-credits hangout to bring the season to a close.
While I do understand that Sasaki's mentor was set up previously in the season with Sasaki talking about a former coworker that gave him his treasured watch, I didn't need this season to end with Sasaki getting pushed out of his comfort zone and getting a confidence boost in the process. While I understand that it is difficult for a lot of people to accept that they are loved by others and allowed to take up space in their lives, that part of Sasaki's growth was already being explored in him and Tayama/Yamada growing closer throughout the season. This storyline would have worked a lot better and been a lot more affecting if it happened in the first half or even two-thirds of this season, but as it stands it kind of feels like a detraction from the core relationship that's been driving this show so far.
I know the Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You manga is still ongoing and, to the best of my knowledge, Sasaki and Tayama/Yamada haven't done a love confession or started dating yet, but with so much of this season building their dynamic and a whole destined lovers thing with Sasaki previously inspiring Tayama/Yamada when she was first stating her career I really would have liked to see some kind of payoff here! Even if the themes and takeaways from this episode are good and important for people to learn, I'm growing tired of this perpetual will-they-won't-they romance. This finale does not undo any of what made this season so special, but I'm now less excited if the story is just going to keep introducing tangents rather than escalate and explore the relationship driving it.
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Lucas DeRuyter is your one stop shop for smoking hot anime takes, and you can read the best of those by checking out his portfolio. You can also catch him filling a double shift as a columnist for ANN's recurring This Week in Anime segment, where he shares his insights into that week's news, trends, or special topics.Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
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