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Invaders of the Rokujyōma!?
Episode 12

by Paul Jensen,

Well, crap. Here I was, all ready for one final story to tie everything together, and Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? just sort of coasts leisurely to a stop. Instead of a big, dramatic finale, we get a Christmas party and some vague hints that the story isn't necessarily over. At least it's a pretty good Christmas party.

Rather than arriving at a definitive resolution, Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? chooses to spend its last episode reflecting on what's already happened. The apartment residents carry on with everyday life and make plans for the holiday season, all while getting along far better than anyone would have imagined at the beginning of the season. The invasion of Koutarou's apartment has effectively ended in a truce.

While this isn't the conclusion I'd expected, it's at least a pleasant way to say farewell to the series. It's easy to feel all warm and fuzzy as Koutarou reminisces about his group of likable rivals, and the episode drives home just how much the cast has come into its own. What started as a collection of walking parodies has gradually evolved into a group of believable characters. The opening breakfast scene will feel familiar to anyone who's shared a tiny apartment with several roommates, and the Christmas party has the relaxed atmosphere you'd expect from a group of old friends.

What's not so pleasant is the blatant attempt at leaving the door open for another season. The episode closes out on the suggestion that Koutarou and Harumi share some sort of inexplicable, supernatural, cross-dimensional, timey-wimey connection with one another. After dropping that bombshell, the show rolls the final credits over a montage of the characters rehearsing for another school play. The end, thanks for watching, goodbye. Unless there's already another season in the works, that is certifiably not OK. It's a needlessly frustrating final note in what's been an unexpectedly satisfying series.

Aside from that last scene, though, Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? has managed to do a lot of things right. It's a show that understands a basic necessity of writing: before a character can be a princess, a knight, or a magical girl, he or she must first be a person. Given a bit of screen time, each of the outlandish apartment hunters has proven to be just that. They all have their own goals, fears, strengths, and flaws. They make good and bad decisions that fit their personalities, rather than just performing actions to move the plot along. Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? is ultimately worth watching because of its ability to make the extraordinary feel perfectly normal. In a genre that's so often content to simply go through the motions of character development, that's no small feat.

Rating: B

Invaders of the Rokujyōma!? is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Paul Jensen also covers anime and manga at SharkPuppet.com.


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