I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day ‒ Episode 12
Well, that whole situation just sort of resolved very quickly didn't it? While I fully understand where Mimi and Sheena are coming from regarding their specific perspectives on this complicated issue, this episode just resolved that argument in the least interesting way possible. Not only has there not been that significant of a change in the way that these two characters view each other, but there also isn't a significant change in the situation that they're dealing with. There is a quiet tragedy in the fact that they are basically resolving themselves to do the best with what they have. Sometimes, the most you can do or hope for is just making sure you have somebody to return to after battle. However, the show already beat me over the head with this idea in previous episodes so by making that the answer to their argument AGAIN, what I'm left with is this empty feeling that the episode wasted my time.
There are definitely some strong conversation starters presented here, like the idea of Mimi developing a stronger sense of maturity, the tragedy of her immortality and how the reason why she's so attached to Sheena is because prior to them meeting, Mimi did feel incredibly lonely. In fact, Mimi didn't even realize how lonely she was until she found someone to actually return to. The problem is that the episode treats these ideas like they have always been what the show has been about or only really introduces those ideas now…in the second to last episode of the season. The show definitely revolves around Mimi, but Mimi herself was almost never a main focus or a character whose journey I feel like I was following. While the change to her character in the last episode makes sense and I don't question the attachment she feels for Sheena, I think things would've emotionally hit harder if the show actually showed things from Mimi's perspective more often. I won't go so far as to say that this is radical or out of left field, but it definitely wasn't seeded as strongly as I think it was supposed to, and definitely not as strongly as the show pretends that it was.
There are some points where I'm not even sure if Mimi fully understands the tragedy of her situation because it's almost never brought up. This episode still feels like it's more about Sheena coming to terms with her own weakness and her lack of resolve for how terrible everything is but she's still willing to go through everything or do whatever she can. I think that Mimi is scared about Sheena developing her magic to the point where she does go out on the front lines and so she doesn't want Sheena to practice magic at all. But that's never really brought up. Maybe Mimi doesn't want to lose Sheena the same way that Mimi lost her mother? Does Mimi even remember what her mother looks like? It would be great if the show gave us any flashbacks or a real idea of what Mimi's life actually was like before she met Sheena instead of just saying that she had always been lonely.
Or here's an idea, how about instead of tricking me into thinking that the episode is going to be about Sheena and Mimi actually defending themselves on the battlefield by throwing a quick two minute dream sequence in there, you just actually do that for the climax of the season? Why not actually shove it in both of these characters faces what the reality of this war does for both of them? Sheena could get an opportunity to actually see how Mimi puts herself on the line for other people and she could maybe actually prove to Mimi that there is something that she can do on the battlefield even if she is physically weak? I'd rather see that then just have Sheena figure it out by hearing from all the students second hand. I was so mad when Sheena woke up from that dream because while it was sudden, that is an actual narrative progression and what's worse is that it doesn't really add anything to the episode! Instead, this episode (and I worry the climax) is going to do the exact opposite, scaling things down and sanding off any edges for the sake of a really safe conclusion that doesn't say anything significant. I really hope I'm wrong, but unless this show plans on ending on some kind of massive cliffhanger, I really am curious about how this show is going to end because outside of this war in the background that I still don't know anything about twelve episodes later, there really isn't a conflict anymore or emotional struggle that needs to get resolved.
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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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