In a vacuum, different is always better with anime. It’s not enough in and of itself, but all else being equal I’ll always take “different” over “familiar”. And Ame to Kimi to was definitely different. Not coincidentally, its best moments were when it was most sold-out to that cause, and its weakest were its most conventional. I’d be lying if I denied it didn’t wear all that well with me – I liked it less at the end that I did in the middle. But I still liked it, and I appreciate that it blazed its own trail.
“Why do you like the rain?” is the theme of this last episode, pretty much. And it is a read the manga ending for the most part – it seems very unlikely the ongoing manga will get additional anime, and no attempt was really made to resolve anything. But with this series I could easily see the manga not resolving anything either, so that kind of works. You definitely get the sense that when Kimi asks Fuji-san this question, it’s one with a deeper meaning than it appears. He wants her to assess her life – which seems to be why he came to Tokyo in the first place.
In terms of an explanation for why that might be, it’s best to follow the Minami-ke protocol: “Don’t expect too much”. It’s pretty obvious that Kimi came from Kagawa, the mythical land of tanuki and setting for Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari. He had a family there, or at least friends. He took the ferry to Honshuu and somehow made his way to Tokyo, where he apparently shadowed Fuji for quite some time. The whole “I’m easy to care for!” bit was obviously staged (but we knew that). Kimi knew Fuji needed help and went there to provide it, much like Poco-chan did in Udon no Kuni albeit over a much shorter distance.
We know all this thanks to the “Episode 0” epilogue – technically an epilogue as it aired after the ED, although in truth it was half the episode. As to the “why”, who knows. Poco helps Souta because of an act of kindness in the past. Is there some connection between Fuji-san and Kimi? Are Kagawa tanuki on-call, ready to be dispatched when a human of particular worth needs them? Who knows, and it’s probably best not to think too much about it – again, I’ll be surprised if even the manga ever answers that.
The hook, of course, is that “why” is the whole point of the episode. The more Fuji tries to think of a profound, “writer” answer for why she likes the rain, the more unsatisfied both of them are. Does it matter why she likes it? She likes it. And this is emblematic of her whole life, wherein like most introverts she causes herself problems whenever she thinks too much (which is most of the time). I’m a sucker for series that really get introversion, and Ame to Kimi to definitely does. It’s capable of some moments of real profundity when it mines that vein, and that’s something most shows – including many overall better ones – are not.
Where the series struggled in its second half, at least for me, is that some of the supporting cast – like Fuji’s pals and Ella – proved genuinely annoying, and they were the ones who got the most screen time (more of Fuji’s family would have been great). That, and it tended to get a little too self-aware and precious, and those are never good qualities but especially in combination. The best examples of this genre relax and let the vibe sell itself, but this one had a tendency to try a little too hard.
Still, on balance, it’s definitely positive for me. “Different” and “profound” are words I don’t get to use as often as I want in series review posts, so that tells most of the story right there. I’m a writer, I’m an introvert who thinks too much, an animal lover, and a big believer in the idea that life is what happens along the way (and Oxford commas). As such I’m very much the target audience for Ame to Kimi to. Whatever “that niche” is, this show is definitely in it, and you guys did a good job with your votes this season.
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