Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo - 23

"Graduation Ceremony"

Goddammit, graduations are way too emotional for me; as sappy and dramatic as this one is, that's how mine was too, and pride be damned, I cried this episode.

I was lucky enough to have a similar experience to Sakurasou when I was in high school, except mine was even more extreme. I attended a small K-12 school (a public one in a poor area, mind you) in which I grew up with all my friends, was incredibly close to all my teachers, and had people I knew in every grade imaginable, from kindergarten to middle school and above. Like Misaki-senpai, I had my fair share of kouhai I left behind, and those kouhai became senpai and graduated the year after that, entrusting the school to the new generations following them. It was an unbelievably sad goodbye, it is every year, but everyone has to graduate someday, as much as we wish it could go on forever. As cliche as the farewell speech is, I'll be damned if it doesn't make me cry every year I go back to see my underclassmen graduate, and it was worse when I gave it the year my days of high school came to a close. That's why I can understand exactly how Misaki-senpai feels up there, and how overwhelming it is to acknowledge the friendships you've treasured, the memories that have become simply memories, and the fact that it will never be the same again. But life goes on, and you have to keep fighting regardless, and the one time it's okay for sappy, convenient things to happen like this is at graduation ceremonies.

It's actually quite interesting to note that this whole speech and the student reaction were calculated, and for once I'm willing to give Jin a tip of the hat for helping to put this together. It's only because graduations are so dramatic in the first place that getting all the student body to support Sakurasou worked, but it was a stroke of genius to realize that this would be the case, creating a situation that didn't feel as forced as it should have. It's okay if it was ridiculous and a bit over the top, because, people getting wrestled to the ground aside, this is what these things really feel like: overly emotional and memorable, but sappy and cliche in retrospect, though with a hint of warm nostalgia. And I wouldn't have it any other way. These moments, the moment at which goodbyes must be said, are just that powerful; no one cares if it was cool or not. It's okay to cry, okay to say what you feel and be as honest as you like. Whether you are like Nanami and start crying before the ceremony even begins, or like Ryuunosuke and fight your tears to the last, goodbyes are hard, but they must be said.

Really though, it's almost as if J.C. Staff specializes in depictions of friendship, because for all the flaws in the individual relationships of this series, the bond at Sakurasou is one of those things that actually feels quite natural, if you've ever belonged to a tight-knit group of this sort. Misaki and the others manipulated their graduation ceremony in their desire to save Sakurasou, but it wasn't a lie or a trick of any kind. They wanted to save their treasured home not only for their memories, but also for the sake of the friends they're leaving behind there. Those same friends answered the call, and all of them were honest about how they felt. It was that sentimentalism that got through to everyone, even if it was done in a moment where the student body would be especially susceptible. At this point, all the romances are just a backdrop to the real focus of this series, which is the friendships built between all these kids while living together. As much as I professed to be angered or unsatisfied with portions of it all, I think it's safe to say I really enjoyed Sakurasou, though there's one episode left before I can say that with absolute certainty.