Okay, so this turned out to be an ending that I both loved and hated. Let’s just get the bad part over with first:
– Okay you discovered that the real Nostradamus Key was a dimensional time-rift created by Bunmei meeting his former self. The most logical step is now to get Bunmei out of that time-line as fast as possible in order to make the chance of him running into his child version as small as possible, NOT to just wait a day, invite younger Bunmei INTO THE SCHOOL, and just hope that everything goes well.
– Everything seems lost, the aliens have arrived, the world is about to go to hell, and here Bunmei comes, grabs younger Bunmei’s spoon, suddenly gets his powers back and blasts the aliens back to their own time-line. Where the hell did that come from?
Those are the only complaints I have about this final episodes, but dammit they’re pretty big ones. The entire story was rounded off so well before especially the second point comes, and here this series decides to end with a Deus ex Machina… I’m really wondering why the creators went with that plot, out of all possible things.
Nevertheless though, I also loved this episode as a final episode of this series. I love the entire irony behind Bunmei’s part in the series, and how he actually didn’t get to have a happy ending. You’d expect something over the top, after we just learned that that witch of the previous episode was not the Key of Nostradamus, and yet this episode was incredibly quiet with an actual climax of just one minute long (with some pretty neat animation, by the way). Throughout the entire airtime, there was this slight atmosphere of panic about what was about to happen and what was about to end. This series has already proven that it’s excellent at building up, and this episode proved that once again when it built up to the point in which Bunmei would meet his younger self.
I also liked how at the end, we saw the focus shift back to Maya’s father, which was really a charming way to close off this series. Despite the weird choices made, I do consider this episode to e in my top three final episodes that we got to see this season, alongside Kuroshitsuji II and Giant Killing: all of them tried to do something very interesting in order to close themselves off, and came with interesting twists and unorthodox pacing.
Overall, even though things could have gone better for this series, it did solidify me as a fan of A-1 pictures. This series looked consistently beautiful, and a few of the episodes were really masterfully written and laid out. Like all of the previous Anime no Chikara series, it had its flaws: Sora no Oto couldn’t decide what it wanted to be, Senkou no Night Raid’s lead characters needed acting lessons and Occult Academy had its balance issues. Nevertheless, really appreciate all three of them and what they tried to do, and Occult Academy is my favourite so far. I’m not looking forward to the next installment due to Shinbo and all, but I really hope that this timeslot isn’t going to end there because there definitely is potential.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
The thing with Bunmei getting his powers back…
My theory is he never had any powers in the first place. It could be likely that the spoon itself was some sort of telekinesis imbuing UMA.
My only gripe with this ending was the fact that they practically went out of their way especially in that very last scene to NOT show us the likely hotter older Maya.
Does Bunmei lives together with Maya and her dad? Or is he only visiting Maya?
Judging from the Uchida household sign I guess she married Bunmei, and her father lives with them.
I actually really liked that ending.
There was always this big question around as to why Bunmei had lost his powers so suddenly, so I was more than happy that this episode took care of that – and made something really awesome out of it!
Okay, maybe it was a bit over the top that Bunmei took care of all of them single-handedly but on the other hand he DID have real powers as a child and now with his new resolve, the fact that they were in a tme rift and that basically the potential of two people was at hand… I liked it.
This series never took itself too serious and so this ending fitted just perfectly.
I also liked how the guys in the future left their base only to find themselves in a lively city street – and when turning around the base is gone, as well as everything else.
At first I was wondering a bit, why they remembered what had happened, when it didn’t REALLY happen in ther new future… but well, I guess it had to be as to not create a paradoxon. They need to know that they have changed something or they would’ve never done it.
I, too, kept wondering at first, why they didn’t just take him back earlier buton the other hand who knows whether it would have worked?
If he had gone back to the future he might have met himself there then (because in that future he would have attended Occult Academy instead of being selected to become a timetraveller…. so there would have been two Bunmeis, as he wouldn’t been able to forget what happened (as mentioned with the other future guys as well. He needs to know that he saved the world or it would never have happened… but the Bunmei of Occult Academy didn’t save the world…)
So simply returning him ouldn’t have worked, in my opinion.
As for the Uchida sign…
I suppose, Bunmei got to be a pupil at Occult Accademy and Maya has become friends with him and his mother. Maybe even living there after her own housewas sold and destroyed.
All in all I really liked that final episode!
It was sad to me that the future Bunmei didn’t get to have a happy ending. This was very depressing and I didn’t like the end where they didn’t show you [younger bunmei] and Maya’s older self. Maya and the younger Bunmei married; it’s the only logical conclusion that i could come up with. I mean, by the end you realize that she loved the older bunmei but that never came to fruition. His personality was essentially the same i guess, so they probably just fell in love. A bit of a cop out ending scene though…just to write it again.
I liked the way the ending managed to surprise me. I did not see that coming at all.
I also liked Bunmei finally showing a bit of a spine when it mattered. That was a much better resolution than the predictable “happy ending” I was expecting. It makes me willing to overlook the two big problems that you had with the episode.
I did feel a little cheated by not getting to see grown up Maya with Bunmei at the end of the episode, though.
Overall, it was a fun show.
I loved the ending.
It’s an anime, and it was hinting to him having his powers back from the start (or at least I think it was, seeing as some blogger identified it as such).
Occult Academy was first and foremost /brilliantly planned/. That’s its number one strength. The rest are about so-so, but the reason the ending was so fantastic was its brilliant planning.
Oh well, could’ve been better though :
I also loved the ending, for various reason
I loved the fact that the whole OP was pretty spoilerific of everything that happens in the meat of the story.
However what I loved more was Bunmei finally, after 13 episodes, MAN UP! Totally awesome. Since he finally took charge in a universe that made him miserable and look what happens. Everything gets better and he gets the girl in the end, if I got what was implied by the sign outside the house. OMG and the tension after Bunmei escapes his mother! I’m not often on the edge of my seat but SERIOUSLY.
I do agree that letting him stay another day was totally BS otherwise no really complaints. Good final episode
a good ending to a good series. although they were a few plot holes and the deus ex machina at the end, it was still a very enjoyable ending to an interesting series.
can’t believe how many people liked this ending. the whole thing just came crashing down because nothing made sense.
The logic flow was pretty well done with the whole time sequence with future Bunmei and younger Bunmei. Technically it’s about the same ending. I did some age comparison:
In 1999 Maya was in 1st year High school or Gr 10 equivalent…making her 15-16 or so…while little Bunmei is in Grade school 5-6, making him 10-11..so in the end, if Maya and little Bunmei end up together..they are about 5-6 years apart…
On the other hand, the future Bunmei is 21 when he went back to the 15-16 years old Maya…making him 5-6 years older than Maya…
Sad thing is..the older Bunmei pretty much disappeared with his love for Maya, maybe he died maybe he didn’t but I kinda wish he died..or else he’s be stuck in an alien universe…hmm….I just feel bad for the older Bunmei…he never got happiness for himself, even to the end. His memory, his experience will not be reflected through the young Bunmei b/c the younger Bunmei never experienced it…
SIIIGGGHHHH……..
I’d say Bunmei doesn’t destroy the aliens with his powers. He closes the rift by letting the aliens kill him before the rift fully opened.
Since the rift was formed by himself and young Bunmei being in the same place, letting the aliens take him out in a blaze of glory sucks them back before the rift fully formed.
i agree with DP. i think Bunmei killed himself so to close the rift before it is fully formed. i don’t think the story is that absurd as to make it seem like he single handedly beat the alien’s ass. the former explanation is more sensible. and also you could see in the scene how the rift closes before it fully opens.
I actually thought it was so awesome and amazing when Bunmei got his powers back! I was just so charmed at those scenes!!! BUT!!! I’m soooo mad that the older Bunmei is sacrificed T_T! I totally thought the older Bunmei would be able to live with Maya… :'(. But he dies, and the kid Bunmei is living with them.. !! Anyone agree with me?
i think the spoon was the key, once it was broken it destroyed the portal. i think if they just destroyed the key they could have saved him but without him running in there the aliens would have been alive.. it was a sad but good ending, and i wish they showed what happened instead of rushing it.
Some ways series could of have ended:
1. Bunmei goes back.
2. Bunmei goes back before the 21st. Then comes back to visit and we’ll see what happens ahha (:
(plus it’s a very low chance he’d come to visit the skool)
3. The spoon as suggested by HG could have been the key, but the rift activated before he touched it (I think if it was it’d have to be like the notebook and be touched or something).
though they should’ve at least shown if they were married. Though I think they are because she’s calling him by his proper name, and being home early I got the idea of work, but I could be wrong.
Maya takes a picture of Fumiaki and Mikaze with the phone, thinking about destroying what she’s seeing and it depicts a changed future. This is before Fumiaki takes the spoon from his child self, meaning that Fumiaki was the key.
In the end of the last episode Maya calls her father while he’s out and tells him that Fumiaki is coming home early that day so they can all eat together. After the credits finish her father arrives at their home, and we see that Uchida (内田) is the name on the residence.