Wagnaria!!3

Episode 14

Well, that certainly took long enough. After a season-long wait, we finally get to see how Wagnaria!!3 really ends. This double-length special may have taken its sweet time getting here, but the good news is that it goes a long way toward rewarding viewers' patience. It's a definitive finale for the series as a whole, tying off the last few loose ends that were left over at the end of the regular season. It's time for one last visit to one of anime's most endearingly dysfunctional restaurants.

Takanashi's been Spirited Away by his overbearing mother, but the rest of the crew carries on to the best of their abilities. He's eventually able to come back to work, but only on the unexpected condition that Kyoko avoids scheduling him for any of the same shifts as Inami. When Inami finally musters up the courage to corner Takanashi on his way out of the restaurant, she witnesses yet another swift parental intervention. With the guy she loves being held captive in his own home, Inami sets out to rescue Takanashi and restore order to the restaurant. She encounters Takanashi's four sisters before coming face-to-face with his mother, and things ultimately turn out well thanks to direct and indirect support from just about every character in the show.

In some ways, this feels more like a victory lap than a big special ending. Wagnaria!!3 spent the better part of a season wrapping up its various storylines, and even the relationship between Takanashi and Inami felt sorted out ahead of this special. The two of them had already more or less come to terms with their feelings for one another, so their big confession of love was more a matter of “when” than “if.” The absence of any serious dramatic tension is mirrored by a lack of major spectacle on the animation front; rather than having one or two standout scenes, the episode as a whole merely feels a bit more polished than usual. Then again, Wagnaria!!3 has had solid production values from the beginning, so there's not a huge amount of room for improvement. There's nothing actively wrong with this episode; I'd just like to see a special finale like this do more to surpass the standard set by the series as a whole.

The good news is that since Wagnaria!!3 is a very strong comedy, simply meeting its usual standard makes this special enjoyable from start to finish. Jokes that have been around since the first season are delivered with abundant energy and excellent comedic timing. The characters are let loose to be their naturally entertaining selves, yet the narrative somehow finds a fitting role for everyone's quirks in the quest to bring Takanashi back to work. Rather than feeling tired or overplayed, the show's sense of humor seems like it's only gotten better over time. Whether it's Yamada driving Souma up the wall or Kyoko showing that she cares about her subordinates while still acting lazy and selfish, these characters can make us laugh so easily that it seems effortless.

Most importantly, this special accomplishes its primary goal of sending the series off on a good note. Having Inami march through a series of friendly and agreeable “opponents” while Takanashi plays the part of the damsel in distress is a clever twist on the usual romantic comedy formula, and it feels like an appropriate final ordeal for the show's central couple to overcome. The two of them finally get a quiet moment to confess their feelings in earnest, which wraps up the last big storyline in the series. Even as things are set to change at the restaurant with Todoroki's departure and Taneshima's promotion, we get the sense that all is right with the world. As much as I like these characters and want to see more of their antics, it feels right to let the story end here.

As a standalone special, there's room for debate over whether or not this is worth waiting an extra season for. As the “real” last episode of Wagnaria!!3, however, it's everything it needs to be. A satisfying and conclusive finale is often a rarity when it comes to slice-of-life comedies, but that's exactly what we got this time. The characters have all grown to one extent or another, yet they've also retained the quirky charm that's come to define this series. It's only natural for that charm to drive this story along to the end.

Rating: B+

Wagnaria!!3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Viewster.

Paul Jensen is a freelance writer and editor. You can follow more of his anime-related ramblings on Twitter.