I wouldn’t say there were any major surprises in the finale episode of Shabake. But then I didn’t expect any, really (as obvious as that sounds). This is the sort of show that establishes a very strong comfort level for the audience, and I pretty much figured the finale would lean heavily into that. Shabake has surprised me before in how dark it will go, but this was the last episode and that didn’t strike me as the direction it was likely to take. And all in all I’m happy that proved to be the case.

Ichitarou ending the ink line for good was about as dark as the series has gotten. Unavoidable and deserved perhaps, but that’s a big weight for a kindly and empathetic kid like him to deal with. Ichitarou unsurprisingly passes out after that, unsure of the fate of Nikichi and Sasuke. But they’re ayakashi, and powerful ones at that – it never seemed likely a little thing that a massive fire would be enough to take them out. Which is good, because someone had to carry Ichi back to the Nagasakiya.

It was the talismans Ichitarou tossed into the conflagration which saved them, Nikichi says,  though that may have been for Ichi’s benefit. Yokichi is fine too (though doubtless still an idiot) but of Matsunosuke there’s currently no trace. That’s on the ayakashi friends to investigate, and soon enough they find Matsunosuke and bring him back to the Nagasakiya. He’s got it tough – his entire part of town is in ashes and it’s not like anyone is looking to hire new apprentices. Ichitarou being who he is it’s pretty clear what his preferred course of action is, but that promises to be a tough sell under the circumstances.

If anything, I would say Shabake kind of undersells the difficulty of this situation. Matsunosuke is a living reminder of a mistake for Ichi’s father – that’s how he’ll see it anyway. For Otae he’s the product of her husband’s dalliance with another woman. An illegitimate son – older at that – coming into a household like this is very complicated. And then there’s Matsunsuke himself. The old man screwed him – wrote him off and abandoned him as a matter of convenience. Is that someone in whose presence he wants to be every day?

But Ichitarou has become very skilled at getting his way. And he is, as he says, the heir – if he lives long enough, which he now says he means to. His doting parents want to make him happy, especially his mother, and it’s clear having Matsunosuke around will help with that. It’s the right thing to do, which is what Ichitarou does pretty much all the time, but it required a fair bit of manipulation and it’s going to take a lot of finesse to make it work.

Finally, Ichitarou decides to have a sweets party to thank all his youkai friends for helping him take down the failed tsukumogami. It’s a very Shinto anime moment to be sure, the sort of development we often see in this sort of series. I have no idea if it’s a feature of the novel or anime-original but it feels like a natural way to bring proceedings to a close. Ichitarou certainly deserves a happy ending, and he knows which side his bread is buttered on. I would be very curious to see things develop with Matsunsuke but Shabake isn’t the sort of anime you expect to run for multiple seasons. That it even got thirteen episodes is a bit of a surprise.

So does Shabake wind up filling “that niche” in the end? I would say yes, more or less, and this ending clinches it. I do love folkloric series – the medium just seems to suit them so well. This won’t rank as one of the best but it was still highly enjoyable, and improved quite a bit over the course of its run. Ichitarou is a very engaging protagonist, and the struggles of his daily existence feel very real. As soon as a show like this ends I find myself wondering where the next one will come from, which is as much a testament to their appeal as anything could be, I suppose.