What’s the show? Comic Girls, Episode 12.
So here we are at the season finale of Comic Girls, are you okay? I’m not crying… you’re crying…
Do you need a minute to compose yourself? No, I’ll be fine; I must be strong for my cute girls!
That’s the spirit? Geez, this has gotten weird so quick… So what’s the episode about? Kaos’ guest piece in a manga magazine was a success! Her editor praises her on the background and the line work especially… i.e. the things that the other girls in the dorm helped her out with… And with a new deadline looming for part 2 plus the dorm being (temporarily) closed down plus the other girls are all leaving the dorm early Kaos gets caught in a Kaos-spiral, finding herself unable to work in these conditions!
Oh dear… Indeed, Kaos’ crippling self-doubt reaches an all-time high in this episode as she spends most of the run-time fumbling and screaming and stuttering her way through her own special kind of nervous break-down. Only to eventually find the inspiration she needs to complete her work through the help of the matron, her mother and the friends she misses so dearly.
So everything works out in the end? More or less, and more than any other episode this is very much a Kaos-centric, introspective—almost one-woman show type of deal. Let’s just say if Kaos and her bumbling incompetence/neurotic tendencies aren’t something you can deal with than this isn’t the episode for you. Personally though I’ve always found her mix of high anxiety and social ineptitude with a subtle perverted streak equally hilarious and relatable—she’s like a less delusional Tomoko from Watamote.
I’m not quite sure what you mean by that but sure… A crucial part of Kaos’ big ‘revelation’ is that she’s an otaku and she has fun with her silly little hobbies like playing with her cute girl figurines and spending time by herself and geeking out about things. It’s an arc that’s been playing out since early on and while it’s only touched upon slightly here it is perhaps her most relatable quality—that and the all-consuming self-doubt of course.
So it sounds like we don’t get a lot of the other girls in this episode? There’s some at the end and some at the start, but yeah, probably the least we see of the other three Comic Girls in the whole series—which is a bit of a shame since their interactions and growing friendship is a part of what makes this series so good. But as they say, “absence makes the heart grow fonder” and the post-credit scene with their inevitable reunion outside the brand new dorm hits all the right kind of emotional notes.
All in all a good finale then? It won’t rank among the show’s best episodes, the comedy is somewhat lacking in parts but its heart is still firmly in the right place. But honestly it’s hard to imagine any other way to have concluded this season other than the way they did and after all is said and done it makes me long for more of this beautifully put together show—here’s hoping we get a second season some day but until then I’ll continue to savour the memories and revisit when the mood strikes me and I dare say the mood will strike me often.
Previous Comic Girls Reviews:
Episode 1 Review
Episode 2 Review
Episode 3 Review
Episode 4 Review
Episode 5 Review
Episode 6 Review
Episode 7 Review
Episode 8 Review
Episode 9 Review
Episode 10 Review
Episode 11 Review
If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!
Anime QandA 