Alright, two episodes left. I’ll be okay, probably – after all, from where I’m writing this, Nichijou is actually coming out on bluray in just about a week. I’ll consider it a sacred duty to watch the whole damn thing over again, hopefully while also hooking some of my housemates on it. Nichijou is a bizarre and precious gift, and now that I have seen the light, I will do my best to carry its torch into the dark corners of the world. Everyone must learn that the professor is good, and also to be careful about dogs. All must bear witness to the Nichijou flame.

Alright, that’s enough cultish adoration for now. Let’s burn this sucker down.

Episode 25

Opening with Sasahara asleep in class, as Tsundere and her friends discuss him. This group have gotten at least as much narrative material as the main trio in far less time, something that’s also true of Tsundere’s little sister. Their level of characterization is kind of interesting in that regard – they’re less complete people than Mio or Yuuko, and more binary in the gags they can be applied to, which actually limits their comedic potential while still allowing for a fair amount of narrative progression. It’s almost easier to have these characters continue their stories than be assigned new gag skits, because pursuing an emotional goal requires less character complexity than holding down constant new gags

Tsundere’s friends doing the important work of pushing them together

Tsundere has to tsun even when she’s all by herself in the hall. Very dedicated to her work – but this also kinda echoes my first point. There’s only so much you can do with this character comedy-wise before she starts getting really tedious

Oh man, we even get a flashback to Tsundere’s sister. We rarely get an honest flashback used in a traditional dramatic matter

Damn, the scene continues even after the OP. We’re really getting some dramatic turns here, or at least the appearance of them

Some great, characteristically KyoAni character acting as Tsundere debates entering the room. Her fingers tell the story of her hesitation

I appreciate that Tsundere breaking his glasses is treated as a much more profound act of aggression than firing a minigun at him. It makes an intuitive sense – the two actions take place in entirely different genres, and the stakes of each genre are very different. A slight, mistaken act of aggression in romance land is far more offensive than blowing someone up in comedyville

Tsundere takes the initiative, grabbing his arm to lead him to the classroom. GO TSUNDERE

There’s a sign in the hall that just says “Give Walking A Chance”

“Overcoming this will deepen our relationship.” We’ve had plenty of time with Tsundere, but rarely gotten to hear her interior voice. It’s all pretty predictable stuff, but it still makes her feel more fleshed out as a character. Even if general lines of thought are obvious, specific hangup choices can tell us a great deal

The almost run-over punchline: “these are just for show”

And then we check in with another of our bizarre couples, the two nervous teachers

We jump back to our heartbroken Mio, complete with sorrowful strings. The show’s embracing a real sense of narrative consequence now, which isn’t really Nichijou’s strong suit, but is somewhat necessary if the show’s going to have anything you could reasonably call an ending

A really well-constructed scene using both Yuuko and Mio well. Yuuko is about as terrible at consoling a heartbroken friend as you’d expect, but the joke comes together because Mio’s so dumbstruck she’s still repeating the nonsense Yuuko is saying

A reprise of the classic Mio run

Oh my god, this sequence is gorgeous. Damn you KyoAni for dedicating such beauty to such nonsense

Yuuko’s regular “Mio-chan!”s are a nice piece of the pattern

THIS FUCKING CHASE IT JUST KEEPS GOING

THEY PASS A HELVETICA STANDARD SIGN

Okay, I take it back. Nichijou approaching an ending and burning down all of its own institutions is perfectly fine

I love that we transition directly from this insane run montage to “you know, I guess I’m okay.” This is the traditional ending to a first crush, but of course it only comes after Mio dodged moving trains and rescued a boy from drowning

“Would you like to take on the world with boxing?” Not content with a single ending, they decide to make this scene five endings at once, including a reunion with the police officer and the start of a new journey. Why not

“I guess you never know what’s gonna happen, and that’s why it’s fun.” Mio very directly tying a bow on the show in general here. Nichijou’s events aren’t “normal” by any stretch of the imagination, but the argument here seems to be that that kind of helps them to reflect the everyday madness of real life. Real life doesn’t follow conventional narrative patterns, it’s just a bunch of crazy stuff happening. And Nichijou understands crazy stuff

And we jump directly into another numbered skit with the science teacher

This one also comes just moments after the previous skit, further emphasizing a sense of continuity. Each of this episode’s new skits have been prompted by the actions of the previous one

She finds the Shinonome lab!

“This tea probably contains an amnesia-inducing drug.” Not everyone is you, teacher

The show is essentially “cashing in” on a vast number of prior skits. Details like Biscuit #2 and this black-eyed daruma doll are given new life in the context of the science teacher’s worldview. But the show isn’t necessarily innovating on them – part of this just feels like a nod to the viewers

“There’s no way this child created Shinonome.” Excellent deduction, teacher

“Hello, I’m the Professor. I made Nano.” Oh my fucking god this show

So much buildup and she just says it immediately. Beautiful

Ah yes, Sakamoto with a bag on his head is definitely a homunculus

Seeing this teacher so overwhelmed is actually making me like her for the first time. Her material’s never really stuck with me, but this is all pretty relatable

Please let her get stuck in the glue. Tell me this is leading up to her getting stuck in the glue

YESSSSSSS

I think another of my issues with the science teacher is her voice acting just doesn’t sound very convincing? Her voice modulation seems to be intentionally weird in a way that makes it harder to invest in her problems

Mio’s friends spying on her, not very effectively

And even this sequence is following on the previous material

We actually get a crossfade cut, which is basically unheard of in this show. Nichijou favors sharp, solidly defined scene transitions, and generally creates a sense of congruity in other ways. A crossfade implies an “and then” tone that is rarely appropriate for the show, but works for this specific, totally linear episode

“How can we cheer Mio up?” The answer, of course, is dumpling masks

“Our everyday lives may, in fact, be a series of miracles”

Aw jeez, what a sweet conclusion. This show is so lovely

And Done

Yeah, I’m really gonna miss this show. This episode offered a very satisfying conclusion to Mio’s first love, along with a reaffirmation of all the strange and charming things this show stands for. The characters are odd, but their friendship is very strong. This certainly isn’t up there among the funniest Nichijous, and I doubt the last episode will be either, but that’s fine by me. We’ve spent a long time with these characters. They deserve a proper goodbye.

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