Kokoro Connect - Episode 13

Iori's mother is quite awesome.

Unfortunately, the ending to this arc was far less entertaining than I thought it'd be. Maybe it's because I'm so used to the consistently great episodes that are shown each week that my standards were unconsciously raised for an arc finale such as this. I personally felt the ending was too abrupt. Both in Hito and Kizu random, the conclusions of the phenomena came after a climatic event (Iori jumping off the bridge and Himeko finally coming to terms with her feelings for Taichi thanks to Iori, respectively). However, in Kako random, there isn't really anything you can point to and say, "Yes, this event was the pinnacle moment of the arc." But although this was the case, just like the previous two arcs, there is still a lesson to be learned. This time around, Iori realized that her past—both the good times and bad times—are what makes her the person she is today, and thus, thinking she made a mistake in the past would be the same as thinking she, herself, is a mistake. I thought these words were quite powerful and was glad she made the right decision (though the wrong decision could've made for some nice drama).

Despite being three episodes long, the Kako Random arc was still decent; definitely not as good as the first two though. Maybe it would've been more enjoyable if it was given two more episodes to further expand on the pasts of the other two (i.e. Taichi and Himeko). Speaking of the former, I thought his revelation of Heartseed #2 to the others was both stupid and uncharacteristic. If he's the selfish freak that Himeko claims he is, then why did he tell the other four, even after being told that he'd regret it? Anyways, I think I'm officially going to support Taichi x Himeko now; Iori seems to have enough on her hands given the current state of her household and her desire to make her mother happy; a relationship on top of all that would be just too much, in my opinion.

With the TV airing of Kokoro Connect now over, the last arc of the series, Michi Random, will be, according to the official Kokoro Connect Twitter account, first shown at a live event before the Blu-ray releases in March and April. This means that there will approximately be a half-year wait before the real ending finally arrives. It will definitely be hard to be patient, but the reward looks to be worth it. From the short teaser at the end, the arc looks to tackle the love triangle, with Himeko looking to have the advantage going in given that Iori seems to be starting to doubt her own feelings. But for now, it is time to bid farewell to Kokoro Connect. Thanks for thirteen awesome episodes and looking forward to four more next year!