Alright folks, it’s time to finish this journey. I’ve been watching and writing about Oregairu for basically as long as I’ve been writing about anime; I was writing seasonal reflections back on reddit during the first season, handled Anime News Network’s articles for the second, and am appropriately finishing off the third on my own humble website. After nearly a decade of writing about Oregairu, it’s an exceedingly bittersweet feeling saying goodbye.

That said, it certainly feels like the time is right for this story to end. To be honest, this third season itself has felt somewhat superfluous; both Haruno’s claims of codependency and Yukino’s need to host the prom felt like new injections of drama, not conflicts that emerged naturally from the initial premise. This season also can’t help but embrace the sort of melodrama its predecessors would sneer at, with its character study origins giving way to something a lot more heightened and sentimental. But in spite of the ways we’ve grown apart, I still feel a great fondness for this cast, and am eager to see them step out into the wider world. Let’s say goodbye to Oregairu!

Episode 12

We open our last episode on a dear and familiar site: Hachiman awkwardly lurking outside the club room, mentally fortifying himself for the trials on the other side. I greatly appreciate this moment; Hachiman has grown a great deal, but he is still fundamentally himself. You can work to overcome social anxiety, but that’s not the same as fully discarding a fundamentally nervous disposition. And no matter how confident he gets, I imagine Hachiman will still be the kind of person who rehearses every way a conversation could go, hoping to master all the routes before he’s forced to speak

But of course, the door is locked, leaving him awkwardly shaking the handle instead of earning his big moment

“I’m sorry, were you waiting long?” And because the door is locked, Yukino’s arrival seems like they’ve just met up for a date, complete with the classic meeting-a-date line

Gosh they’re adorable. Each of them awkwardly feeling out comfort levels regarding this new intimacy, each of them just so darn happy that it’s happened at all

As usual, these two are most comfortable using the pretense of their club activities as an emotional support strut. Rather than just directly tell Yui about the change in their relationship, Yukino frames it as part of conscripting Yui into their second prom activities. Just admitting your feelings outright is scary, but framing them in the context of a group project helps mitigate that fear

The two are very used to working together, but context changes everything. Love their awkward flustering as they keep brushing up next to each other

“Want to go see it, then? It’s close and we’re off tomorrow.” And once again, Hachiman uses club pretense (“we need to scout locations for the prom”) to soften personal requests (“would you like to go on a date tomorrow”)

I love how both of them dressed up for the occasion. Yukino’s back to her adorable loose pigtails, while Hachiman’s basically wearing the same suit he wore for prom

“Seeing your usual look gives me a sense of security, but I gotta admit, this look has its perks too.” Oh my god Hachiman, how are you this disastrously incapable of conveying a simple compliment

Hachiman decides to take an Instagram photo of his bubble tea, leading Yukino to take the bold step of a photo with them linking arms. It is kinda weird to reflect that Oregairu started before Instagram was a major social media platform

Hachiman could not be less photogenic, but at least he doesn’t look like he’s afraid Yukino will eat him in their second photo attempt

My gosh, this episode is just too adorable. “Young couple awkwardly figuring out how to be a couple” is pretty much always great content, but knowing these two so well makes it even better

“Your looks and personality are already terrible. If your powers of deduction fail, what would you even have left?” There’s our classic Yukino

Iroha figures out the change in their relationship immediately, and is predictably smug about it

Once again, the prom serves as a convenient device to gather all of Oregairu’s characters together, lightly touching up the cohesiveness of a fundamentally rambling series

And of course, Yui is the last to arrive. She signals her desire to regain their easy friendship with a traditional “yahallo”

The dudes break for a sauna trip, wherein Tobe, of all people, asks if our leads are dating

With basically all of this show’s male characters in a room together, we get to see some rare points of commonality emerge. Tobe and Zaimokuza are both irrepressible gossips, but unsurprisingly, both Hayato and Totsuka come to Hikki’s defense, telling the others to quit it with their questions. It feels like Hayato often feels compelled to apologize for his friends; he certainly likes and cares about them, but in contrast with someone like Hachiman, he doesn’t necessarily consider a guy like Tobe his actual peer

It’s a weird thing, being a socially precocious teenager. Hachiman’s greater understanding of the dynamics and consequences of high school drama actually left him paralyzed, while Hayato’s intelligence and confidence allowed him to create an entire solar system of friends surrounding him

“That’s why we all agreed just to watch over them, right?” Oh my god, Hayato and Totsuka were actually spearheading some kind of Hachiman support project, like he’s their shared helpless child. I feel like those two have at this point proven themselves as the most well-adjusted members of the cast, adults included

Hachiman’s three routes are waiting for him outside, each of them expressing their fundamental nature through posture – Iroha bad-temperedly resting on her elbows, Yui beaming with energy as she waves, and Yukino sitting in perfect posture, eyes straight ahead

Gosh, Yukino’s eyes are beautiful in this episode. They really went all-out in capturing fine details of color and light reflection

In spite of it all, Yukino can still rest her head peacefully on Yui’s shoulder. Their friendship has survived the storm

“I can stand without you helping me.” “I know.” A key denial of Haruno’s charge here. They don’t help each other because they can’t stand without support – they help each other because they care about each other, and want to continue expressing that concern in every way they can

Iroha and Komachi meet, a terrifyingly powerful combination

Oh my god Iroha. After Yui states that Komachi shouldn’t interrupt our young couple while they’re having a moment, Iroha counters with fuck it, interrupt them all you want, it’s not like they’re going to last. Bless this perfectly terrible gremlin

“Because girls get a special privilege that allows them to never give up!” Oh my god Yui, stop looking like you’re actually taking mental notes. Iroha is made of poison, and all her ideas are as toxic as she is

“Fake drunkenness, get aggressive, and snatch your target through entrapment.” Iroha is definitely going to end up in jail

“I see now, it’s possible my brother could end up with someone just as trashy as he is!” Komachi with the killing blow

Oh no, Iroha and Komachi actually start teaming up by the prom’s halfway point. This is such a dangerous pair – Komachi is too clever and Iroha is too chaotic, something’s definitely going to catch on fire

And Sensei arrives at last, dutifully roasting Hachiman with his essay from the very first episode. He’s come along far enough to feel desperately embarrassed by his childish nihilism from back then

Oh my god, are we really doing a dramatic trip into kiss posture with Sensei? I feel like she must be Wataru Watari’s own pick, and the dude just can’t help himself

Sensei offers a hand to help him up, but he stands on his own, before offering his own handshake. An easy enough visual metaphor for him no longer relying on Sensei, but respecting her as an equal

In true Yukino fashion, her confession comes as the final line item on a list of remaining chores

Komachi enters high school and immediately takes over, recruiting President Iroha in order to reestablish the Service Club. Komachi is going to absolutely rule over this school, huh

And providing one more dovetail with the show’s opening, their first request comes from Yui Yuigahama

Oh my god, Yui just actually lays out the conflict of their love triangle!? And Yukino is receptive to resolving it!? We might just earn the perfect ending yet

And Done

Oh thank god, Yui isn’t just left out in the cold completely. That was my main fear for this conclusion, and it seems like the show narrowly avoided it, utilizing just enough ambiguity to keep their futures bright yet uncertain. And as for our other two leads, this episode was just a nonstop barrage of adorableness, embracing the awkward charm of a new couple to full effect. Oregairu’s third season is ultimately a good bit messier than its first two, and might actually have worked better as a film, but I’m still quite satisfied with the overall journey of our mixed-up youths. You did good, Service Club. Be proud!

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