The final volume of Kare Kano is all over the place. The transition from the previous volume to this one is seamless, but then the show decides to go off in a whole new direction after Episode 24. And right when it comes back into focus, it ends. Add in the fact that the storytelling method primarily used for the final episode isn't up to par with the rest of the show, and you can't help but feel a little bit cheated. The unusual ending doesn't negate the appeal of the rest of the last volume or of the show, of course. It's still very much worth watching.

Volume five begins with Yukino finally caving in to Aya's demands. She requires Maho to participate in Aya's play as well. They have to overcome some obstacles though, such as finding a sponsor for their new club, and finding the open timeslots and resources they need. Meanwhile, Takefumi is getting frustrated because he can't seem to get under Tsubaki's skin with anything he does, and Arima has realized that he can't grow into a real bishounen without a little self-loathing exercise followed by introspection and pseudo-existentialist monologues. Also, Yukino starts to wonder about how much she's changed with Arima around, and whether she actually needs him. In case anyone is wondering, all these lines of thought are wrapped up nicely.

Now, let's talk about the ending. There is a definite distinction from the ending they chose to give us, and the kind of ending we would have wanted. It's not that there is anything wrong with giving people what they don't expect, but it turned out to be a bad thing to do in this case. The 25th episode's only sin is that it came completely out of left field and doesn't fit in with the story progression. It's a little feature about Tsukino and Kano (Yukino's little sisters), with a theme of solving one's own problems. It's a nice episode, but does not belong where it was placed. It should have appeared earlier in the series, or not at all.

The gang works hard to be ready in time for the culture festival.	CLAMP must have drawn this scene.

The final episode (#26) does do its job of wrapping up various plot threads at least partially, but it fails to entertain due to its method of presentation. The basic format of the episode is a series of stills with on-screen text and narration. The problem with this approach is that the majority of the voice actors (i.e. my main reason for liking this anime) were all but left out. It leaves behind a rather empty feeling when you realize that this was the show's grand finale.

With that past us, endings are a time of reflection! Looking back on the entirety of Kare Kano, I can honestly say that nearly every second of the first 24 episodes is A-quality entertainment. Creator Masami Tsuda has won my eternal appreciation for being able to spotlight a comprehensive array of human emotions in a realistic fashion, and at the same time remind us how beautiful life really is. Director Hideaki Anno and his fantastic cast ran with Tsuda's vision and created something altogether different and special. And even though director and author reportedly clashed over the direction of the anime, it was in good hands almost all the way. Given the greatness of the majority of the show, I have half a mind to forgive (and hopefully forget) the last two episodes.

Right Stuf's treatment of Kare Kano has been excellent all the way through the series, and volume five is no different (even though the actual show implodes). On the front cover, we've got a shot of Yukino and Souichirou wearing "Yeah, we're cool." expressions. On the disc itself, there's a sizable amount of goodies, but chances are you'll be interested in exactly half of them. For the dub fans in the audience, there is a set of live outtakes for the next-episode preview segments; and there is a set of phone messages done by the various voice actors (in character). Don't ask me why that is there, but it's amusing at least. For my kindred clan of sub fans, there is another glorious Japanese voice actors interview. This round of interviews features Yukari Fukui (Rika Sena), Mayumi Shintani (Tsubasa Shibahime), Saeko Chiba (Tsubaki Sakura), and Yukiko Hontani (Aya Sawada). There's also the ever-informative translation notes that have graced all the volumes of the series. Finally, the first US trailer (a.k.a. "music video") of Kare Kano is present.

Given that I've gushed over the show enough at this point, I'll go ahead and confer a high recommendation for this wonderful series. And why wouldn't I? All 24 episodes are great.

Video Quality: A
Audio Quality: A
Presentation: A-
Content: B-
Overall: B+