Here we are at the very last episode of Play it Cool, Guys and it was in many ways very much like the first! Cute, a little dorky, understated, and relaxing. Basically the epitome of Slice of Life anime. And I was happy to see that it was mostly appreciated by audiences. The ratings are ok but all the actual reviews say the same thing: fun, comfortable, and relaxing! And that is exactly what the show was going for.
So yay!
Weirdly, the last two episodes seem to have gone on a mini-arc about Souma’s artistic/professional coming of age. It’s not exactly weird for episodic or SoL anime to end on a two-parter but somehow I just didn’t expect it at all for this particular show. It also makes it seem like Shiki is the main character when the series has been entirely ensemble up until now. Not a big deal, just a surprise.
One thing we did learn though is that Shiki has been passionate about design since he was a little boy. And what a cute little boy he was. I really liked the scene with the bears and how his brother immediately lied to him to keep up the illusion. But you know what I noticed most? It seems that Shiki dyes his hair. His natural hair colour is dark brown! Isn’t that crazy!?!
You might be wondering why I’m making a deal about this detail. Play it Cool Guys is one of those shows where the curtains match the window. Or to put it plainly, it’s a show where the characters’ eye colour matches their hair. Even Shun has golden eyes to go with his blond hair. That’s a pretty common feature in anime although it’s gone a bit out of style now. Still, it’s something I didn’t even really register until this episode. Shiki has always had burgundy hair which matches his unusual wine-coloured eyes. But now it turns out that he actually went out and actively decided to dye his hair the same colour as his eyes. I don’t know why but that makes me very happy. Leave it to a guy in design to do that. Then again, since everyone else has matching hair and eyes, maybe he just felt pressure to be like the rest of the world? Honestly, this brings up so many questions and is by far the biggest reveal in Play it Cool, Guys!
As for the rest of the episode, it was exactly as sweet as you would expect. The guys drove home after their fun day at the beach. They stopped by the roadside to watch some fireworks and decided to go again next year. Nothing big, just a nice mundane little adventure. And that is exactly what I wanted from this show. It was perfect in length and fun in content. I’m going to miss it, as it was the perfect anime palate cleanser after a long day!
Previous Posts
- Play It Cool, Guys – episodes 1-3
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 4
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 5
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 6
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 7
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 8
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 9
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 10
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 11
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 12
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 13
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 14
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 15
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 16
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 17
- Play It Cool, Guys – episodes 18 & 19
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 20
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 21
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 22
- Play It Cool, Guys – episode 23
Aw, it was so weird to see Souma with brown hair. But they probably had to do something like that, since otherwise he hardly changed at all. Out of all the kiddy versions, I find he’s most instantly recognisable (hair-colour notwithstanding).
I’m going to miss this show. It was such a relaxing fixture in my week.
Agreed. It was such a great wind down!