©Kenjiro Hata, Shogakukan/ Tonikawa Committee
Many people are fortunate enough to come across another human being that they want to share a significant portion of their life. Marriage is sometimes seen as an elevated level of relationship status compared to just dating, and there are a lot of religious and cultural implications for that. When a couple makes their vows, many people equate that to somewhat of an eternal promise in the face of each other and in the face of whatever deity you’re getting married to. Marriage is often seen as this peak of happiness, and a preservation of that peak for the rest of your lives. Not everyone believes in that, and you could argue that faith in the concept of marriage now isn’t nearly as strong as it used to be for a handful of reasons, but TONIKAWA is not interested in any of those things.
Every relationship is different, so instead of looking at marriage in the grander context of what it means for everybody else, this episode is all about the main couple themselves. What does marriage mean for them, and how will they preserve that eternal vow? I like the fact that Tokiko introduces that idea to Nasa to start that conversation with Tsukasa. I was expecting this to be the moment where we finally answer the mystery that has been dangled in front of our faces like every other episode, especially when everything Tsukasa is saying is so clearly layered with double meanings about the kind of life she probably lived before meeting Nasa. I genuinely felt like the author is straight-up trolling us sometimes, which is one hundred percent something that they would do, so I can’t be a little salty about that. But I won’t lie; I liked the conversation itself.
It’s an extension of the conversation these two had in the last episode about why Tsukasa agreed to marry Nasa when they didn’t know much about each other at the beginning. To Tsukasa, she sees marriage as that vow to preserve a sense of eternal happiness and love between two people. I like the way she explains this as if she is giving her wedding vows to Nasa when she couldn’t give them before during the very sweet reception their friends threw for them. Shoutout to Kaname for probably being the best friend Nasa could ever ask for. If she is not his best man at their actual wedding in the future, then I will be very upset.
In a very cynical world that is constantly tearing itself apart, sometimes it’s nice to embrace something pure. There’s also nothing wrong with having faith and confidence that what you have with somebody will be eternal. After watching this couple have probably one of the most wholesome PG-13 relationships I think I’ve seen in an anime, I believe the show earns that belief that these two will overcome seemingly anything together. I know there is another episode after this and a side story that will air sometime soon as well, but for all intents and purposes, this feels like a solid end to the season. Were all of our questions answered? No, and I can’t tell you why they weren’t, but as our happy couple goes to bed in their exclusive tent, enjoying a reception that they never thought they would have, I don’t have the heart to say that I’m dissatisfied, even if the show didn’t give me as much to chew on as I would’ve hoped.
P.S. I always knew Nasa was a little freak with some pent-up sexual desires, but I appreciate that the show just straight-up screamed it in our faces in the eleventh hour.
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TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You is currently streaming on
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