The Quintessential Quintuplets: Chapter 88 Review

Chapter 88 of The Quintessential Quintuplets continued on with the flashback arc.

This chapter, unlike last week’s, had some deeper content to dig into. This chapter continued on with Yotsuba (Rena) and Fuutarou’s first encounter in Kyoto before present events. 

This chapter began innocently enough until it actually became very real. We first got to see them make the promise to study harder to help the people they love. This was a moment brought up many times, and now we get to see the event for ourselves and how and why it happened, so that was cool.

It continued to get even more real after that when Ichika began talking to Fuutarou. This is undoubtedly what lead to the them playing cards together event Ichika brought up a bit ago. But this event spurred on more than just them playing cards. It also caused Yotsuba to spiral into a state that is unlike anything we’ve seen from her now. 

She got mad about Ichika taking attention from Fuutarou and mistaking Ichika for her and wanted to be different from the other quintuplets. So that’s why she put a ribbon in her hair. Itsuki followed suit by putting stars in her hair. Both looks have stuck. 

We also got to see that the quintuplets mom died and the guy we now know as the Nakano dad taking them in (even though he’s not related to any of them). We also got to see Yotsuba think, when they were in middle school, that the quintuplets can’t be together anymore. 

Besides that, we also got to see the origin story for the name “Fuu-kun.” Nino coined it back then when Yotsuba couldn’t remember Fuutarou’s full name when telling Nino about him. So she didn’t just create it randomly. 

But this chapter was interesting to see more of Yotsuba’s story and get a lot more answers to pressing questions that help us understand the present story. And I’m kind of excited to see more. 

It appears as though Yotsuba was going through a rough patch there for awhile that she obviously got out of since we know how she is in the present. I’m intrigued to see what the turning point was for her to make her how she is. Up until now, she was total randomness. This is building her character motivations well, which is good to see. A lot more about her is beginning to make sense and even more will continue to make sense as we go along with this arc. 

This arc is a total mystery as to what will happen next since a flashback arc can time skip to anywhere. With this last chapter ending with them in middle school, I’d assume they pick up there and show more of Yotsuba’s fall and despair to set up the later turning point down the road.

Alternative Endings to The Quintessential Quintuplets?

The big talk about The Quintessential Quintuplets obviously has been who the bride will eventually be. And for good reason since it is promised to us at the beginning of the series and reiterated every so often. 

I have had my theories on this, but I have pinpointed yet another idea that author and illustrator Negi Haruba might just well go for. The idea is for alternate endings to the story. 

I said in the past that picking just one quintuplet to win might make for a very divisive and potentially disappointing ending that only a small portion of fans will like, leading to Game Of Thrones level petitions to remake the ending to satisfy others. With how popular this series has become, an unpopular ending would ruin everything that’s been built up to this point. The ending can really screw up what is a great series, and that happens a lot. 

An alternative for Negi Haruba to satisfy everyone is to get the story to a point where it becomes a pick your own adventure. He can make endings where Fuutarou marries any of the five quints depending on the ending that any individual person wants. 

And there could be hints at this potentially being the case with some symbolism of the series, like multiple wedding dresses being shown in a wedding flash forward and the bride in those flash forwards not resembling either of the quintuplets specifically but rather traits taken from all of them mixed into one. And each quintuplet will get a volume cover with a wedding dress on. And the branching storylines about Rena, bell girl and others (with more storylines to come I’m sure) could be a good way to spilt off the story at the end. 

With an underlying part of this series being that all the quintuplets are separate but combined as one and one isn’t supposed to be greater than another, it might be difficult to just choose one and make that canon. And picking all of them or none of them would be unpopular as well for a harem series. So giving fans a chance to choose and not choosing just one and picking any of the five to be canon might not be as bad as the possible other options. 

I honestly think this could happen as Negi Haruba has been going away from a lot of typical harem tropes with this series. It’s not totally out of the question it’d be done again at the end. 

People might like one definitive ending, but this kind of conclusion could at least pacify enough fans that it might be done this way. 

The Quintessential Quintuplets: Chapter 87 Review

Chapter 87 of The Quintessential Quintuplets began the beginning of a new arc for the manga, and it certainly threw a lot of people off guard. 

A lot of people, including myself, were expecting a transition into an exam arc, but we received something totally different. We got what appears to be a flashback arc. 

With all the hints we have gotten about Rena and the past of both the quintuplets and Fuutarou, a flashback arc was probably necessary. And perhaps looking back, it coming off the Kyoto arc was a good spot (even though I think it might have fit better before the Kyoto arc). 

This chapter has very little to talk about, but this chapter sets up a lot of potential for this arc going forward. I think this arc, while it might not be the best or the one that people want, will answer a lot of questions and will make a lot of things make sense. I think it’ll give us a different glimpse on the events of the present events of the series. I think this arc has potential to change a lot of perspectives for fans. 

This chapter further confirmed that Yotsuba was the original quintuplet to meet Fuutarou in the past. I will be interested, however, to see if she was the only quintuplet to encounter Fuutarou in the trip. My guess is no. 

There was one more thing I wanted to bring up though. In one of the panels, it showed the quintuplets old house before their mom married what is now the Nakano dad (yes, he’s only their stepdad). The house looked oddly similar to the house the quintuplets moved into after they had a falling out with the dad. You can’t help but wonder if that was an intentional hint. We’ll see later on.

As for predictions, this arc is going to be hard to read. This could turn into a full Yotsuba arc or it could evolve into a full story about multiple quintuplets meeting Fuutarou back then. We simply don’t know yet. We don’t even know if this full arc will be a flashback or not yet either. It’s very hard to predict where this arc is going. 

The Quintessential Quintuplets: Chapter 86 Review

Chapter 86 of The Quintessential Quintuplets was one of the most intriguing chapters we’ve had in awhile, and that I’d saying a lot since we’ve had some great ones lately.

This chapter is actually still a part of the Sister’s War arc, which seemingly goes on and on. So I was in fact wrong on that when I said it was over, which I’ve done twice now. Oops.

Nonetheless, this chapter was insane the whole way through with a lot of things coming to light that make for an interesting time to come. 

The first major storyline here was that Miku totally messed up get confession. Yeah, remember that confession from two chapters ago? She totally just fell apart and copped out of it. She just continues to have trouble doing much of anything there. 

The next big thing was involving Ichika and was huge for her redemption. First she apologized to Miku, which was very needed. And then she told Fuutarou she lied about everything after kissing him on the cheek and before walking away. 

To me, all of this is a way to bandage the wounds she caused. She knows what she did was wrong and is trying to clean the slate. Whether she continues to pursue Fuutarou remains to be seen, but I have a sinking suspicion it might be deuces for her because the whole thing from this chapter and last feel almost like a “death” montage, which is a way to cut off a plot line. I’m interested in that down the road. 

Remember that camera stalker plot line that seemed to be forgotten about? Well, it was tied up. Turns out, Fuutarou was in on that, having a friend do it for him (he even took a picture of them sleeping himself) to make up an album to give Rena to share with the other quintuplets. Not the best look for Fuutarou, but he has a kind heart, no matter how awkward he is at times. I wouldn’t have advised doing that, especially putting your buddies up to it, but I guess it worked out alright (we think). 

The last thing does involve Rena. It was revealed at the end that Itsuki appeared to be disguising herself as Rena despite revealing that Yotsuba was the real Rena.

I still don’t take anything definitively on the Rena thing because it’s became very complicated with probably no true answers in sight. Any number of possibilities still exist there. 

I really liked this chapter because of the twist of storylines and the smooth transition between them all. Despite a lot going on, it flowed very well and was easy to follow. Not all chapters do that so easily, especially with so much happening (example: Scrambled Eggs arc). The twists and turns were terrific but not overwhelming because they were easy to follow.

As for predictions, I am more confident now to say the Sister’s War arc is over because they left Kyoto. And Fuutarou might have hinted at it by saying “And now comes the calm after the storm.” This likely hints at a lighter exam arc forthcoming. 

But there are still a lot of things to be answered. Now we approach what could be Yotsuba’s long-awaited arc. We’ve been speculating for awhile when this could happen and I had thought Kyoto could have been the place for it but it was more so an arc based mostly around Miku and Ichika. I’m ready for Yotsuba’s arc and she deserves one by now. The whole possible “Yotsuba is Rena” could be a good starting point for it. Whether it will happen is up to Negi, but her arc is overdue and that time could be now. 

I’m also very intrigued by Ichika moving forward. She has patched things up a bit, but her actions going forward will speak volumes. How will she be in a more normal setting again? Will she still pursue Fuutarou? Or will she totally leave school for acting (an option brought up in the past)? All intriguing things to consider going forward. It’s all on the table for Ichika.

I’m also intrigued to see how studying goes now for them. Things aren’t normal as they used to be. This has become very messy. Separating school from romance will be an interesting thing to follow. Can not just the quints stay focused, but Fuutarou as well. I know I couldn’t focus on school with all these things going on. Let’s see how they handle it.

Is Ichika done going after Fuutarou?

In the recent chapter of The Quintessential Quintuplets, something interesting came up that is at least worth discussion.

The chapter was big for Ichika reinforcing how she feels about Fuutarou but also about how she might have to move on and how she might not think Fuutarou can trust her anymore after after what she pulled. The chapter presents a crossroads for Ichika. Will she move on or will she try even harder to win Fuutarou? 

Ichika has been portrayed as the big sister character that always wants her sisters to be happy, even if she has to be less happy herself as a result. This is seen when they moved out of their house and Ichika took on more work than she could take just to keep up with the bills. So to see her resort to underhanded tactics to get Fuutarou for herself at the expense of her sisters, mainly Miku, was super out of character for her. Experiencing romantic love like that for the first time did that to her, but it appears she is back to trying to be her old self again.

Given her personality, it is possible that she gives up on trying to get with Fuutarou because she thinks it’d make her sisters better off. She might also feel guilt over what she did and will think bowing out is the best solution. She might think she doesn’t deserve Fuutarou after that as well.

However, there’s many reasons to think she won’t give up as well. The main one being because she was one of the Rena’s that met Fuutarou in the past and was the one that played cards with him. He was the first person she liked that way and didn’t realize it was Fuutarou until the camping trip. That’s when she tried almost anything to have him for herself. 

Because of this, it’d be hard to see her bowing out now since she actually might like Fuutarou more than any other quintuplet at this point. 

So here’s where the conflict is, a conflict that has hit the story throughout. Ichika now has to choose whether the love for her sisters or the love for a guy is stronger. She also has to decide whether she wants to focus on her career or a love interest more at this point. These concepts have come up over and over in this series. 

I personally don’t think Ichika is going to bow out of this race for Fuutarou because of her huge love for him. But it wouldn’t be totally out of character for her to for the sake of her sisters. 

The Quintessential Quintuplets: Chapter 85 Review

Chapter 85 of The Quintessential Quintuplets was an interesting one. 

This chapter is basically the other side of chapter 84. This chapter is the events of the last chapter but from the other four quintuplet’s perspective (so my prediction about them all being around despite their groups was right). Though, all they were doing was watching what was transpiring, it was a chapter filled with good stuff. 

This chapter was huge for patching things up, mainly between Nino and Ichika, who were at odds recently over the underhanded tactics Ichika pulled. Nino did something kind of bad earlier in the chapter, but it wasn’t really bad but it did cause trouble. This she admitted to immediately and apologized for what she had said to Ichika earlier.

The quintuplets also had a moment where they cleared the air and said the fighting and getting in each other’s way was pointless and that they weren’t enemies. So there was a lot of nice things happening to reset things.

I do have one major issue here though. Everyone else basically apologized to Ichika, but she hasn’t apologized. She acknowledges she should, but she just hasn’t. I really hope she does or else the moving on might feel incomplete. Without the apology, it’s not easy to trust Ichika. I know actions speak louder than words, but it’d be nice to hear her say she’s sorry and acknowledge her wrongdoings too. Everyone else apologizing to her without her apologizing is strange to me.

The other big part of this is now actually seeing confirmation that Ichika is Rena, or at least one of the Rena’s (there’s a good theory about multiple Rena’s that is very believable). I believe it is true that she is one of them, and I think we’ve seen three different Rena’s so far and each time we’ve seen her it’s been a different quintuplet. 

This chapter overall seemed like a good wrap up to the Sister’s War arc. I don’t know if the next chapter is in this arc too, but this feels like a wrap up chapter if I’ve ever seen one. It’d be strange to prolong it, though it’s possible if another wedding flash forward is coming. 

I predict a school/exam arc is coming up, as is usual. There might be a couple transition chapters before that, but I am intrigued to see the interactions between the quintuplets and Fuutarou in more normal conditions. 

I do also think another romantic development is forthcoming. I think Negi is saving Itsuki for last, so perhaps Yotsuba. Though I still don’t know exactly what to think about her romantic involvement in this story. It’s just so up and down with her. Guess we’ll find out soon. 

Anime I’m watching this season

Every season, deciding what anime to watch is always a test of will and determination. Finding what you like is always important and giving things a chance is imperative to the process. 

For the spring 2019 season, I have picked up five anime that I am enjoying this season. I’m going to go through them and do a short review on them. 

Why The Hell Are You Here, Teacher

This anime will fulfill your requirement for a strange fringe anime that you know you probably shouldn’t be watching but you do anyways. 

This anime follows four different student-teacher romances as they are developing. While not right, this anime uses the concept in a very nice way that doesn’t make it feel super wrong. It gets weird at times but has its cute moments. It does also get over the top a lot though with each episode seemingly more ridiculous than the last. I’m kind of into it though.

Wise Man’s Grandchild

This anime was supposed to fill the gap for people that are missing That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. 

This one is just a typical Isekai. Guy goes to a different world and is totally overpowered and draws attention. I do really enjoy the romance aspect to it though, something Slime didn’t have. I also enjoy the political commentary it provides. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t get stale a lot. It’s missing something or else it’d be wildly successful. For now, it’s just good but not great. 

Ao-Chan Can’t Study

This anime sounded to me like it was going to be fringey perverted at first after seeing the concept for it. Surprisingly, it turns out it’s actually a cute story. 

All the little misunderstandings are awesome to watch as the characters squirm to get through. And the father of Ao in this anime is underrated. He is really funny with how over the top he is and how small of a person he is as he’s supposed to look out of place. Plus, I really love this anime’s OP, probably my favorite OP of the season. 

We Never Learn: Bokuben

Missing The Quintessential Quintuplets anime? Yeah, me too. Bokuben can somewhat fill the void for you.

Bokuben is another tutor harem like QQ, but is has a different focus. This anime is more a typical harem series as opposed to QQ, but it’s not a wishy washy harem still as it is still done well. I love the characters in this series and there are some outrageous moments that keep you laughing for a minute or two. 

Senryu Girl 

I talked about Senryu Girl in a previous post, and my instincts about it were right. This is something special. 

This adorable love story packs a punch on the emotions. The pure adorableness of the whole thing wrapped up in such a chill story that never makes you feel threatened is an amazing change of pace. You can just sit back for 12 minutes a week and know you are getting an episode that is going to make you want to hug something and let the love flow. This anime pulls that emotional impact with how cute it is. This is my favorite anime this season. 

So this is what I’m watching this season. It’s always fun to get into new series that you weren’t into before and give some new things a chance. I always wind up finding some series to enjoy on a weekly basis!