Ganbare Doukichan, Episode 12 [END]: When It Matters Most

Doukikun’s feelings connect with Doukichan when it matters most. Kouhaichan and Doukichan make an unforgettable wedding after-party in the season finale.

Episode 12 – “That’s What I’m Talking About, Doukikun”

Hmm.

Throughout the season, Ganbare Doukichan played with the concept of synchronization. The word for “contemporary” in “contemporary coworkers” (会社の同期, kaisha no douki), also means “synchronous, synchronization.” Sync Agency is even the name of the company where they work! In the context of Doukichan’s feelings, she kept wishing for a moment when Doukikun acted on his feelings at the same moment she wanted to see them. Doukichan wanted her fantasy moments with Doukichan synchronized in real-time with real life. Her wish came true when Doukikun rescued her from unwanted attention in the exact way she wished for. That’s what she’s talking about, Doukikun!

Senpai-san gave Ganbare Doukichan another bittersweet moment when she said the same thing after Doukikun quickly responded to her remark on how cute Doukichan was. He synchronized his attention and feelings about Doukichan during his reply. Senpai-san noticed his lack of hesitation. We can feel their shared history, and how the timing of their feelings didn’t mesh, in the sound of her voice. The feelings matter most when they matter most. That’s what she’s talking about, you know, Doukikun.

Heh.

Doukichan needs help! Doukikun to the rescue. Squee! He held her hand and he called her his girlfriend! Kyaa! He said the right thing at the right time. Finally! That’s what Doukichan always wanted. Now, can she do the same thing? Of course not! Kouhaichan is there to jam her up.

The wedding reception is over, so it’s time for the after-party. Ha! Senpai-san shows up one last time to bother Doukichan. She and Kouhaichan hit it off well. Yes. Yes! Ganbare Doukichan didn’t tease us all season with those maid uniforms. Show us what you got, Doukichan! It’s an encore performance from the wedding reception.

Nice. Doukikun agreed with Senpai-san’s observations about Doukichan without hesitation. That’s what she’s talking about, Doukikun. You can feel the regret of missed opportunity coming from Senpai-san. What a wonderful memory. Look who’s next to whom in that group picture. Ganbare, Doukichan!

Yom, the creator of Ganbare Doukichan, drew the three heroines in the end card.

Final Thoughts.

The anime adaptation for Ganbare Doukichan made an excellent choice not to include Intern-chan. For an artbook appealing to an audience’s different choices in types of women, a confident flat justice little sister character makes perfect sense. For a short anime trying to assemble a plot from pinup art pieces, keeping the focus on Doukichan’s rivalry with big boobs kept the writing tighter.

A future season of Ganbare Doukichan could be where it explores Doukikun’s college days with Senpai-san. It would also make sense to add his relationship with a younger sister type at this same time to expand Doukichan’s competition for Doukikun’s attention. Senpai-san and Kouhaichan were more than enough to make Doukichan feel insecure about her small chest and her brief history with Doukikun for a first season.

The adaptation, barring Intern-chan’s exclusion, was a successful endorsement for Yom’s artbook series for Ganbare Doukichan. The anime included many of the sexy full-size pictures from the artbooks. I’ve stitched them in my reviews of the anime episodes in their adapted contexts, but the originals from Yom have no comparison. The advertising sounded like, “Hey, if you want the better version, buy the book!” Okay! Yes, whatever you say! Take my money! J-List has all the volumes in stock at the time of publication of this review.

Binging Ganbare Doukichan series is simple. At only five minutes per episode, where there are only three to four minutes of material excluding the credits, there’s less than an hour’s worth of Doukichan’s frustrating love story. The voice actors brought the story to life. Kouhaichan’s ditzy lilt was quite effective. One of the highlights of each episode was waiting to hear how Doukichan would read the title out loud. Such a treat.

If you’re a fan of Yom’s art with sexy legs inside pantyhose, Ganbare Doukichan is for you. The artbook series continues, along with Yom’s previews of the story on his Twitter timeline. Blu-rays with a special episode will be available on Christmas Eve. We’ll let you know when J-List offers the first season for physical purchase. Meanwhile, we have Miru Tights to tide you over!

Ganbare Doukichan streams in multiple subtitles on Crunchyroll and VRV.