The different endings of Go For It, Nakamura-kun!! (Part 1)
For this anime season, my favorite anime was Go For It, Nakamura-kun!! The anime centers around Nakamura, a high school boy who wants to become friends with his crush Hirose, giving a fresh spin to the BL genre. What stood out most to me were the unique ending sequences for each episode, each acting as a visual and musical reflection of Nakamura’s emotional state.
The endings of Go For It, Nakamura-kun!! function as emotional extensions of Nakamura’s interiority, using retro music, fantasy imagery, and tonal shifts to externalize feelings that remain suppressed in the main narrative.
In this blog, I’ll analyze the meaning of each episode’s ending, focusing on how the musical tone, lyrics, and visualization connect to Nakamura’s emotional progression.
EP1: “First Love” by Kozo Murashita
This ED introduces the emotional “language” of the series. Specifically, it tells the viewers that the series will follow Nakamura’s romantic emotions toward Hirose.
The episode ends with Nakamura’s dialogue: “I’m shy, gay, and in love with Hirose Aiki.” This line flowing directly into the ED makes the ending feel almost declarative. The series openly frames Nakamura as gay from the very beginning instead of relying on ambiguity or “maybe it’s admiration,” which is rare in BL anime.
While Nakamura openly names his feelings in the narration, he remains unable to voice them directly to Hirose. The lyrics “好きだよと言えずに (not being able to say I like you)” captures this contradiction precisely—Nakamura can confess to us, but not yet to the person he loves.
Rather than ending on embarrassment or comedy, the ED softens the atmosphere. It reframes Nakamura’s awkwardness as sincerity rather than ridicule. The nostalgic tone allows a timeless feeling for Nakamura’s emotions toward his crush. The ED tells viewers to emotionally invest in Nakamura instead of merely laughing at him.
EP 2: “WON’T BE LONG” by DA BUBBLE GUM BROTHERS
The ED contrasts with Nakamura’s mood after the episode. Visually, Nakamura is sad, embarrassed, and unable to face Hirose directly since he is hugging his knees and looking down. Musically, the song pushes forward energetically.
The lyrics “もうすぐさ届くまで (almost there until I reach you)” especially imply that Nakamura will recover eventually. The title and repeated lyrics “won’t be long” represent Nakamura’s endurance, that would make the hopeful contrast even stronger.
So instead of the ED precisely reflecting his current emotional state, it reflects emotional potential or a future where he can openly express affection. The ED’s optimism exceeds Nakamura’s current self-perception.
EP3: “Tonight is Boogie Back” by Scha Dara Parr featuring Kenji Ozawa
The urban feel of the ED romanticizes Nakamura’s yearning.
Background-wise, the car moving through the city creates emotional distance and movement without resolution. Meanwhile, Nakamura staring at Hirose turns the ED into pure longing. This distinction shows the series gradually shifting emotional tone. It also gives a bittersweet feeling to the ED.
The hopeful lyrics “すべてがうまくいくはずさ (everything will go well)” feels almost ironic against Nakamura’s gaze. His feelings remain unresolved, yet the song imagines a version of the night where things do go right. This gives the ED a dreamy, cinematic quality, suspended between fantasy and possibility.
EP4: “I Won’t Lose” by Barbee Boys
The ED becomes an emotional aftermath. Nakamura’s joy spills through directly into the credits, with him swaying, doing air guitar, and singing. This ED works because Nakamura finally acts instead of just fantasizing. Protecting Hirose creates emotional payoff, and the ED becomes the overflow of emotions he cannot contain afterward.
The dancing matters because Nakamura is usually so physically restrained, often with hesitation. But in the ED, his body moves freely and his happiness becomes visible. That freedom is incredibly important.
The title and lyrics “負けるもんか (I won’t lose)” directly mirrors Nakamura protecting Hirose from the bullies, especially because Nakamura usually retreats. But in this episode he doesn’t. This emotional courage makes the ED more earned.
The ED temporarily liberates Nakamura from self-consciousness. And because the joy comes specifically after helping Hirose, it makes the romance feel emotionally reciprocal rather than an entirely one-sided fantasy.
EP5: “Fly-day Chinatown” by Yasuha
The ED creates anticipation for emotional movement into the next episode.
This song is incredibly popular globally, especially after the city pop boom online. Popular nostalgic songs work differently from obscure insert tracks because audiences bring pre-existing emotions into them. So the ED instantly activates familiarity, warmth, and collective nostalgia. That emotional shorthand deepens the atmosphere immediately.
The lyrics “真夜中の人ごみに (in the nighttime crowd)” represent movement in the city, which represents transition between episodes. This would fit both Chinatown and Nakamura’s emotional movements.
The series uses culturally familiar music to make Nakamura’s emotions feel collectively recognizable rather than isolated.
EP6: “The World’s Hottest Summer” by PRINCESS PRINCESS
This ED is the emotional peak of Part 1.
The episode flows into the ED rather than stopping. That creates emotional continuity instead of separation. And because Hirose finally acknowledges their friendship, the ED transforms longing into partial fulfillment.
Ending on a shared photo visually confirms something Nakamura has wanted since Episode 1: to exist beside Hirose.
The song’s summer imagery, with lyrics like “8月の風を抱きしめて (hugging the August breeze),” makes the ending feel fleeting yet unforgettable, much like the photograph itself. Both capture a moment Nakamura wants to preserve—the brief joy of finally being acknowledged as Hirose’s friend.
The ED captures happiness, yearning, and emotional intensity all at once. This song makes the audience think: “go for it, Nakamura-kun!”
The endings chart Nakamura’s emotional progression more openly than the episodes themselves. Because throughout Episodes 1-6, the narrative remains awkward and comedic on the surface, but the EDs gradually reveal increasing emotional sincerity, intimacy, and hope. That gives the endings a cumulative emotional effect rather than making them feel disconnected week-to-week.
Part of why Nakamura resonates with me is that while I wasn’t shy around my own crush, I understand what it feels like to be gay and unable to confess. That emotional distance between feeling and saying—the space between knowing you like someone and being able to tell them—is what makes me want to cheer for Nakamura throughout the series.
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