So, going into the finale (series or season, TBD) of Osomatsu-san there was one big question: would they punt on the serious setup from the penultimate episode as they did in the first season?  I guess my answer would be “sort of”.  I mean, there’s no question they left all the issues from last week’s ep hanging, just as they did the first time.  But still, there was a hint of seriousness about this one – perhaps because there’s more than a hint of possibility that it really will be the series finale, unlike last time around.

Truthfully, I was pretty sure something like this was going to go down – it was just a matter of how Fujita and Matsubara were going to stage it.  Turns out it was Iyami crashing a plane (after having ditched his friends on the treasure-hunting trip) into the Matsuno house and killing all six sextuplets (and himself, of course) instantly.  That’s one sort of get out of jail free card, I suppose, and thus a big “never mind” to all the growing up issues is uttered by all concerned.  I won’t say I was thrilled, but it was so expected that I can’t honestly say I was disappointed either.

If anything did disappoint me, it’s that none of the boys thought to mention the new leaf they’d turned over last week when they were in “defending your life” mode before King Enma (if Hoozuki no Reitetsu were still at Pierrot, would we have had a crossover?).  I mean – wouldn’t you think that’d be relevant?  Sure they were NEETs and slackers most of their lives, but when things got bad they stepped up and decided to take care of their mom.  Shouldn’t that count for something?  And besides – it’s really only Osomatsu who was a true asshole anyway.

As the parents load the bodies in a truck (jeez), the sextuplets stand in judgment in the afterlife – and there’s never really much doubt about how this is going to go.  And when they actually get to Hell it’s more or less as you’d expect it – nipples being pulled off repeatedly, etc..  The funniest bit here was when Totty’s middle-school essay was read out loud (and it was totally in-character).  Also, all of the other facets of the Matsuno brothers (the “proper” ones, et al) were there too – as were most of the supporting cast, interestingly enough.

I did like where Fujita and Matsubara decided to go from here – bringing Akatsuka-sensei into the story (in a non-speaking role, which is as it should be) offering the boys a spider’s thread to escape from Hell.  But they’re going to need some help, and that’s where the surviving cast jump in to lend a hand.  It’s all pretty madcap and none too serious, but this is Osomatsu-san in the end – it can get serious with the best comedies out there, but it’s just not going to conclude that way.  I think that was always a given.

I guess no that the big question has been answered, the new big question is the obvious one – is there going to be another season of Osomatsu-san (pulling out the original OP suggests not, though the end card is a teasing one)?  There’s no disputing that this one was nowhere near as big a commercial hit as the first by any standard, but context is important here – that first season was one of the biggest anime hits of all time.  The second is still going to average around 10K per volume, well above the line where sequels get ordered, and Osomatsu-san is still a merchandising powerhouse.  The problem is, I don’t think the team behind it really want it to continue – I frankly don’t think they even wanted to do a second season.  They were expecting to have a blast and be done – wham, bam, thank you sir or madam.  But it sure as heck didn’t work out that way.

Funnily enough, my gut tells me we may see a big-screen take on Osomatsu-san at some point – that feels like something big enough to lure Fujita and Matsubara back for more, and greater freedom from censorship certainly wouldn’t hurt either.  Now that’s something I’d really like to see – Osomatsu-san unleashed in the cinema.  But I’d like to see more TV, too – there have been some clunkers, but generally speaking this series is one of the more fearless and relentlessly inventive comedies of the past few years.  At its best it can go toe-to-toe with any anime comedy – and ironically, at its best Osomatsu-san often isn’t even trying to be funny.  It’s an unusual and noteworthy show, one of the unlikeliest social phenomena in anime history, and if this is all we get there can be no doubt it will be remembered for as long as there’s anime.