my thoughts on needy girl overdose episode 13 "EZ DO DANCE"
we're down to the very last episode. it's been a very fun ride watching a whole new story of NSO, wondering about where it would all lead up to. and it was fun to write down these little reviews too. if you've been reading these since i first started, i thank you for your viewership =]
i like that the overarching theme of the epilogue is the idea that the whole story of this anime is basically its own ending. NSO is a game of various endings where things could go, so this anime explores the ending "A boring reality without angels" where it follows not just ame but kache, lollipop, michica and nechika as they find honest lives after the main events of the game.
it was certainly interesting to see dark angel be recontextualised as a figure who oversees every possible fate these characters could have gone through. i'm pretty sure it was hinted at the very first episode, where dangel appears for a second in the concert venue before the show before moving out of view, like she's just arrived to see what comes after the 10 million subscribers grand concert. and it's not just ame's fate that is explored but the other main characters too. kache and karamazov could have headed towards endings as bad as in the original game as well...
fortunately, everyone doesn't have a bad ending in this epilogue! so i'll just drop my thoughts on where everyone ended up
i always admired the karamazovs' taste in fashion, so it was sweet to see lollipop become a fashion designer with her own international brand! she's obviously got talent for that based on the fact that she did design the outfits that all three would wear for their Crime & Punishment show. it was pretty hilarious to see her do a rich person stunt where she literally had purple tanks shoot out money in response to those who say she's really in it for the money. also she did get taller! i think i'll miss short purple lollipop unfortunately... i was hoping to know what her real name was, cause no parent would name their kiddo Purple Lollipop, but i guess it will be a mystery forever
michica stays true to the value of beauty and becomes a model and icon of lolita fashion. she also has written an autobiographical novel with its own movie adaptation starring herself, being able to speak about drug overdosing and self harm. i reckon this was an obvious career choice after streaming, because modelling is most linked with beauty which she still values dearly. it's cute that both lollipop and michica both entered into jobs of fashion, since one can design dresses and the other can model those out!
i didn't quite expect nechika to just... disappear. i suppose it makes sense considering she's the type to take on new quests not necessarily because of the goal but rather the chase of it, but disappearing wasn't what i thought she'd do. i think it's implied that she's travelling the world if the various postcards are anything to go by, and ame's doing the same too. i do wanna say that ame's outfit in the episode is just very gorgeous! but... mistranslation nitpick here, i was genuinely confused when the subtitles say "actually my name's not ame, it's..." but then i realise it must be ame saying her name means rain instead of candy. so the subtitles should have said something like "actually, my name's not ame in the meaning you think it is, it's..." so that people won't get very confused. but it was sweet to see ame being given a piece of candy by that one girl, like how her grandma gave her one in the past.
i'll just say it... i don't like kache's ending. it's not even the fact that she gets married to the ramen shop guy (though i would have liked it if he had a proper name and face and was established as a character) it's just that... kache being the outlier of the cast in the sense that she is ordinary compared to the rest of them but gains her own individuality over the course of the anime made her stand out to me. but her returning to an ordinary life in marriage while the karamazovs and ame get to bask in their individuality even after quitting streaming... it makes her whole character development seem pointless. sure she's in a better spot compared to where she was at the beginning but... i would have liked it if she was in a comfortable mix of boldness and ordinariness. like idk, might be cool if she has blonde streaks in her hair, wears outfits with rock influences and owns a nail salon that's been the talk of the city, but also enjoys the simpler things in life such as going to the church of kangel with her husband... at least there, she's comfortable in her own blend of the two contrasting ideas.
i did lament over lollipop not being able to spend time with kangel personally in the last episode like all the others, so this episode makes up for it with a whole montage! ...though it felt jarring to see all the side characters cheering them on, including ame's parents, bullies, the parasocial fan from episode 2 and so on-
i find the last scene, where kangel takes the man from the very first episode to the ocean by bike while the credits roll, to be... beautiful. it's just them and the sunset, while kotoko sings in the background... of course, i think kotoko has every right to be the singer for the final credits, considering that she's been the original vocalist for internet overdose, internet yamero and moon-rainbow butterfly. sally amaki's performance is very good as well, but i'm happy they brought back the former for this song!
as for the post-credits, i LOVE the fact that they basically state that this anime is just an ending like any other. because well... it's literally an exploration of how ame's life could have gone. even at the beginning, there is an exploration of how the other characters' lives could have gone so badly too, so it really does lead up to the fact that this isn't the canonical path NSO goes on, but it's an example of many possibilities. dangel was recontextualised as an observer of such paths... i find it all so brilliant. and the anime does get its own ending name: A boring reality without angels.
overall, i hoped that i would enjoy this anime, and i did! there were some weaker parts here and there, but this is nyalra's first time writing an anime, so it's understandable too. it was fun to wait for the next episode coming out every saturday, it was fun to wonder what would happen next based off the previews, it was fun listening to all the cool music that got released! and well, i liked making these posts going into what stuff i noticed and what i thought of it all.
so... if i must give it a rating, i'd think it'd be like an 8 or a 9. i loved this as a fan of the game, and well... i'm a little sad to be saying goodbye to these characters now. but all things have to come to an end, and i'm happy it ended on a lighter note for everyone.
this was my review of needy girl overdose.
see you whenever!
