You know by now that my philosophy is to never bury the (Shax?) Lead. No, we didn’t get an announcement. I certainly wasn’t hoping to title this post the way I did. Normally that wouldn’t worry me so much with a series as popular as Mairimashita! Iruma-kun – especially when the anime has contributed so mightily to that popularity. But the fact that we did get one with the Season 2 finale, along with that flashback montage at the end, has me just a bit concerned. On the other hand this entire episode was as much a tease of future events as a denouement, and this franchise has become one of the dozen or so most commercially successful in shounen. I’d still say the odds are strongly in our favor, though with no announcement we may be looking at a longer wait.
The foreshadowing and the retrospection were intertwined quite deeply to be sure. We start not with Iruma’s party at Azz’ but with Bachiko invited to one by Sullivan. Ostensibly it’s to thank her for her work in training up Iruma-kun. Since Bachiko is most definitely on team Sullivan this means a lot to her, but the real reason becomes clear when the Chairdemon extends the cone of silence. As was teased last week, there are demons going missing – important ones. And Sullivan expresses certainty that the Musashino Crew (Six Fingers), a group we know very well, is behind it.
The headline moment here, for sure, is Sully telling Bachiko that Iruma is human. His information about who knows is (critically) not up to date, but he believes she’ll be only the fourth to know. He does give her the option to have her memory of that fact wiped if she’s unwilling to stand by Iruma anyway, but there’s never any chance she’s taking that deal. There has to be some precedent here, I would think, or the demons who find out would be even more shocked than they are. In any event it’s clear that the ones who are good at their core are willing to look past it in the name of loyalty.
The spotlight then shifts to the kids, and this is where it really starts to take on the air of a final episode. Azz has invited Iruma and Clara to a tea party at his house – which is every bit as ostentatious as Sullivan’s. Clara is predictably too hyped to be at such an exciting new place, but Azz declares that it’s water off a duck’s back to him because the antics of a mere Gimel aren’t enough to upset him. This sets off a rather hilarious skirmish between the two of them, which makes Iruma a bit uncomfortable. Not as uncomfortable, however, as the giant Iruma shrine in Azz’ bedroom (which is a bit disturbing for more than just Iruma).
A big splash is made by Azz’ mom, Amaryllis (Kakazu Yumi). We’ve seen her briefly a couple of times – enough to know that Azz is profoundly embarrassed by her – but this is by far her meatiest episode so far. She comes upon Iruma in hallway just as he’s contemplating spilling the beans about his secret. It’s understandable – Clara and Azz mean everything to Iruma, he loves them beyond all measure, yet he’s keeping something of profound importance from them. It’s a reminder than this is always hanging over Iruma’s head, easy to forget because he’s always so upbeat and cheerful.
Amaryllis is quite a live wire, up to and including dressing Iruma up in Azz’ extremely embarrassing swaddling clothes. But I think the advice she gives the lad is sound. It’s okay to have secrets – just because we love someone doesn’t mean they have to know everything about us. She also tells him that if sharing his secret is so worrying for him, his friends wouldn’t want him to do it anyway. The time will come when Iruma does have to come clean to these two, and not just these two – but I don’t think that time is now. Rather, just telling them how much they mean to him is something that will make all three of them happy.
At this point the mixed messages really set in. We get a montage of the first three seasons that gets a bit emotional, and feels very final. But then we get a shit-ton of teasing. There’s the next big arc, the Music Festival, which will be critical in getting the stragglers leveled up to Dalet. And there’s a reminder that one of those stragglers is Purson Soi, who appeared in the very first episode (and possibly not since) but as far as I remember has not uttered a line of dialogue in the entire series. It all wraps up with the narrator’s “we’ll tell you that story another time” – which is pretty cheeky even from one of the cheekiest series around.
As I said, I think the odds are pretty good that story will be told in anime form. And I sure hope so, because Mairimashita! Iruma-kun is a series I hold in great affection. On balance this season wasn’t quite on the level of the really marvelous S2, and the Harvest Festival arc was not among the show’s best. But those are high bars by which to measure, and the season ended with a run of really outstanding episodes. The secret is really out now, and Iruma-kun isn’t such a shounen stealth bomber any longer – it’s starting to be grouped with the giants of the demographic, as well it should. A more likeable and versatile shounen is hard to find, and this adaptation has really elevated the material in a wonderful way. Here’s hoping we get much more of it, and sooner rather than later.
Rob Barrett
March 5, 2023 at 11:56 amWith the manga finally getting an English-language translation and US release, I’m thinking that the reasons for a fourth season are only going to multiply. The Music Festival is a great arc, and there’s an even better one following that.
Also, thank you for image 21-49. It’s a picture-perfect adaptation of one of the best pages of art in the entire manga. Clara and Azz-Azz are at their Seussiest.
Guardian Enzo
March 5, 2023 at 1:51 pmSupposedly Osamu strongly hinted a few chapters back that a 4th season was a done deal.
Darrel
March 5, 2023 at 2:38 pmAbout Purson, he has actually appeared throughout the series up to this point (in both the manga and anime) as sort or a sneaky ‘Where’s Waldo’ by Nishi.
Marty
March 5, 2023 at 9:12 pmI might be wrong here, but I interpreted the ending scene, the one that hints at the next arc and that reintroduced Purson (he’s been a fun character to try to find these last 3 seasons), as a confirmation S4 was coming. I refuse to believe an anime studio without almost a certainty of a next season eould make this kind of an ending rather than a “wrap it all up” kind of ending.
However, this is just amateur speculation, so idk, maybe I’m misreading the room.
Nicc
March 6, 2023 at 2:28 pmIt looks like this is goodbye to Iruma and company for the time being and the Saturday anime watching is going to be less fun. The home visitations continue with Bachiko paying a visit to Sullivan’s estate as he wanted to reward her for job well done with Iruma’s tutoring. But, the feast is only a part of the story. As you said, there were some big reveals after the meal like the latest happenings in the demon world (And, showing the future antagonists) and that, yep, Iruma is a human. Bachiko takes it pretty well, yet it also makes sense because of how Iruma was able to take to her teachings. We also learn a bit more about her too, like how she has a rivalry with one of the Thirteen Crowns.
OK, one more home visit and this time Clara and Iruma get invited to the Asmodeus household. It’s a big, fancy mansion that gets Clara a bit too excited. There’s more playing, there’s more eating (How many feasts has Iruma eaten at since the end of the Harvest Festival?). Just as Bachiko learns that Iruma is human, he’s also thinking about spilling the beans to Alice and Clara. We get to see Alice’s mom again who gives him some advice. Indeed, everybody has secrets, some of them we may take into the afterlife. The reveal may come someday, but in the meantime Iruma lets Alice and Clara know how much they mean to them.
Cheeky is the right word to describe how the episode ends. It has all the makings of a series finale, such as an alternate ED, past seasons recap and of course just what happened earlier with our main trio. Then, we’re shown the next arc and the not-surprise character who has been part of the Misfit Class all along. I remember seeing him in a lot of the group shots and then in the OPs and the EDs. If I remember correctly, the only time he has been addressed directly was during the roll call by Kalego-sensei and then during the initial ranking. It’s just that he had no lines. It reminds me of the older brother character in “Non Non Biyori”, who wasn’t even assigned a VA. I always just assumed that he actually spoke off-screen.
“Thanks for watching and we hope that you enjoyed it!” *takes a bow*. “Well, we’ll see you again in the next arc!” What a tease, indeed. I’m guessing that we may be waiting at least a couple of years, but as Rob said the English localization will be hitting retail shelves soon and so we can read the official release of the manga from the very beginning. I’m thinking that they may need more time to work on the musical numbers for the next arc, after all.
Rita
March 7, 2023 at 8:42 amI sincerely hope that the 4th season announcement is simply delayed to give the manga some more time to pull ahead. While we do have a decent chunk more to work with, after the music festival arc, I think it’s only really 2-ish main arcs before we’d be caught up. And they’re not super long arcs like the harvest festival that could take up most of not all of a season.
That’s my excuse and I’m gonna huff copium until proven otherwise cause I love Iruma to death and hope it sees the continued adaptation other shounen series do
Guardian Enzo
March 7, 2023 at 8:45 amI feel pretty positive about it. I mean, they could always pull a Kingdom and say “new season coming in 18 months” or something, but that would be pretty unusual.
phil
March 7, 2023 at 8:45 amIf this is, in fact, the end of the anime, it would be one of the cruelest “go read the source material” finishes ever. Beyond the quality of the series in general, the teases towards the larger plot, and even Purson finally being reintroduced, we have a show that has proven its musical bonafides repeatedly about to enter a -Music Festival- arc, it would be unforgivable to stop now.
Phenomenal end to the season though, Iruma poured that whole bag of sugar from last week (and surely some onions) into his declaration to Clara and Azz, just a perfect moment.