courage and heart cannot be lost and torn apart

“That’s right. Today is March 5th. It’s my... graduation from Mochinoki 2nd Middle School.”

As today is March 5th, it’s the canonical date for a very significant event that gave the series its closure-- Kiyo’s graduation. (There’s a few songs from the OST that I could recommend here, but I’m going to have to go with the ever so bittersweet Yasashii Kaze.)

Kiyo’s graduation was very symbolic in many ways as both him and Zatch recollected everything they’ve been through together. This date isn’t just for them though-- as many teams had to endure their heartbreaking farewells leading up to this point. So, this is in remembrance of all of them.

Day 5 - Favorite Scene/Quote

Personally it always made me sad that Bari was gone so fast. In my opinion Bari is one of the strongest Mamodo. If he wasn’t defeated by a trick he would’ve stuck around into the last ten no contest. He was stylist, he was strong, he was complicated. And Gustav was a great character in his own right as well. A wise old father. I just wish we knew what Gustav did with his life before the battle.

Anyways onto this scene. I just love how willing we see Zatch is to be Kiyo in this scene. His will isn’t gone at this point and he’s just trying to pass down his philosophy. And Zatch getting in the way of this wall laser… thing? is a powerful shot. But I’ll let someone else analyze Zatch and Kiyo’s resolve. I wanna talk about Bari here.

I think Bari is one of the more complex characters. He kinda shows that they’re still kids in a way other big Mamodo like Rodeaux or Wonrei kinda don’t? he doesn’t know where he’s going and he doesn’t fully understand his body. “I’m supposed to have become huge, but my heart is roaring ‘don’t abandon the small things!!!’” Bari is just so strong but just as unsure of himself. His immaturity just feels super genuine, especially with Gustav’s parenting.

Maybe it’s just me but I think this scene holds extra value because there was such a long gap between myself as a child learning that Bari could kick Zatch’s ass but not stop him and finally get this resolution. It just had so much more value, I think. And it’s just so satisfying. He’s not king but he’s something so much more complex, just like Bari.