Minami-ke Okaeri 13 (finale)
みなみけ おかえり Episode 13 (final episode)

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Chiaki notices that Haruka seems down. At first, Kana thinks Chiaki is making to much of it, but eventually even Kana has to admit that there’s something wrong when the following morning before school, Haruka seems depressed. Kana and Chiaki plan to meet after school to discuss the matter, which they eventually do. Meanwhile, Yoshino and Uchida come by for a visit after school to find Kana and Chiaki gone. Uchida notices Haruka looks down and asks about it. Haruka says she has a cavity and then asks if there is something wrong with Chiaki and Kana, who are acting strange lately. Yoshino suggests making funny faces to lighten the family mood and gives an example on Uchida. Kana and Chiaki come home to find this merriment, leading Chiaki to assume the worst. Kana thinks otherwise and the two enter the room to join the face-making fun.

Chiaki has a nightmare that Kana leaves and never returns, so she climbs into Kana’s bed. Haruka is surprised to find Chiaki clinging to Kana the next morning and she’s amused by it. Chiaki clings to Kana all day through meals and nap time. When Haruka returns home from a trip out with Maki and Atsuko, she finds Chiaki still clinging to Kana but Kana is now very upset. Kana races to Haruka to hug her and Chiaki is close behind to hug Kana. When Haruka asks about this, Chiaki explains that Kana had a nightmare that Haruka left and never returned.

Uchida and Yoshino are about to depart the Minami residence when they ask Kana to write down her wish for Tanabata. She does but doesn’t want them to see. Then, she tells Haruka that she’s going to escort the girls home and do some shopping. Haruka forbids Kana from buying sweets, so reluctantly Kana agrees. After they are gone, Chiaki notices a slip of paper whereupon Kana had written her wish. It appears to be a suicide wish and since Kana has been gone for a while, she and Haruka fear the worse. However, Kana does return very late, saying she had to go to another store to find milk with a better date on it. Happy that Kana is OK, Haruka and Chiaki eventually learn on the day of Tanabata that Kana’s wish had been for sweets, but the Kanji they saw made them think otherwise.

Thoughts/Review:

So, the series comes to an end. I’ll have final thoughts later. Meanwhile, we go out without any real humor at all. Instead, the episode is basically all about sisterly love with Kana and Chiaki becoming concerned about Haruka and she them, Chiaki becoming concerned that Kana might leave followed by Kana becoming concerned that Haruka might leave, and then wrapping up with Haruka and Chiaki thinking that Kana might commit suicide. It was sweet for what it was worth, but lets face it — what works best for the Minami-ke franchise is the humor of the first series, not the drama, no matter how nicely done.

Chiaki did get in some of her trademark “bakayarou” remarks and they were done more in the style of the first series, only without the humor attached. I have to think that it is partially the way this is being done and partially because maybe the joke is getting old. I’d have to watch the first series to see for sure.

So really, not too much to say on this episode. Shame really, but hey — at least it wasn’t Minami-ke Okawari. ^_^;