Review of Saekano the Movie: Finale

SHORT SUMMARY: MAINSTREAM, CRINGEY, ANKWARD BUT I LOVE IT. *Warning spoilers ahead* Saekano's story is as mainstream as it gets. You have your typical harem male protagonist where he tries his best to help out all the girls in his harem while also making things work out for him. Then a big conflict arises, characters fight, they make up and he falls in love with a girl in his harem. Its super mainstream and cringey at times but for me that is all part of Saekano's charm. Especially if you're watching it from an otaku's perspective like Tomoya. What separates Saekano from your average storyis its charming characters especially the "Main Heroine", Katou Megumi. Since the start of the series, Megumi never fit into any character stereotype. In fact, she even looks and act like a side character sometimes. Even though she was part of Tomoya's circle she never seemed jealous of the other girls and was a true "boring girlfriend" but she did everything for Tomoya like cheering him up even though they were not close as classmates, understanding his yapping and even learning how to program and script just so Tomoya can achieve his dreams. It made me realize that Megumi really loved Tomoya way before they both even took notice of it.

And this movie was the perfect epilogue to their story. Some stories end when the MCs get in a relationship but Saekano made sure that we see it until the end. The end where they grow up but are still together which is for me the icing on top. Yes, it might seemed rushed but it is due to the anime being a movie. Besides, the plot development was already fleshed out in the first two seasons and I liked it better that they focused more heavily on the romance here rather than just bringing out mainstream plot points. Also seeing Megumi breaking out of her own shell and letting others understand her feelings was very moving. It also provided a conclusion to Eriri's feeling towards Tomoya. Some people may argue that Utaha was not given a proper conclusion but for me it already occured in the previous season when Tomoya didn't go with her route on their game. Nevertheless, I was a great movie and my personal favorite movie this year. Its a sweet love letter to those Megumi fans but a bittersweet one for those Eriri and Utaha fans. But, let's be honest we all knew that this was Megumi's show from the get go.

You can say that I'm biased but this is what I truly felt for the series and this satisfying epilogue.

I can only wish for one last episode where Megumi and Tomoya go for a real date not bound by being circle members.

#TeamMegumi