Hokkaido Gals, Ep 12 [END]: Sad Farewells & Happy Endings

Tsubasa missed his chance to show Minami how he felt. Would he miss his chance to say goodbye to her?

Episode 12 — “Life Without You Feels Super Off”

Hmm.

Eh?! Two weeks?! I almost dragged out the Megami no Café Terrace Bathos meter. Then I remembered how malleable our memories are. I shared the heartfelt desperation Tsubasa felt to avoid the regret of not saying goodbye to Minami. But it instantly changed after she admitted she would only be gone for two weeks. Six months to a year after a near-miss love connection is a radically different situation than a half-month pause on puppy love. Give back my tears, Hokkaido Gals!

Because I have bifurcated emotions on Tsubasa’s clichéd rush to an airport parting scene, I am of two minds about Minami leaving her hairclip with Tsubasa. When I thought the Hokkaido gal would be gone for several months, I thought she had tried to manipulate Tsubasa into convincing her not to leave. But after we saw she would only be gone for two weeks, I thought she left her hairclip as a surprise memento and apology for leaving their hotel room in the middle of the night. One is a gesture of a cutesy charm to hold on to while she’s gone. The other is a sneaky maneuver to force a love confession. Darn you, Hokkaido Gals, for making me doubt the purity of Minami’s heart!

All that aside, the anime plausibly showed how dumb Tsubasa can be when he receives jarring news. At least he got it together long enough to show us how super-cool his dad can be. Grow up to be like that, a decisive and take-charge man, Tsubasa. Mr. Shiki shows you the way.

Hokkaido Gals Makes Me Go Heh.

Suddenly, hotel room. How did Minami and Tsubasa end up here? Whoops! The pair had already missed the last bus! Learn to read those weekend and holiday schedules, people. Will Hokkaido Gals turn Minami into a Hokkaido Woman? Tsubasa’s dad is a total bro! The son thinks the father thought he was with a guy friend, but you know he didn’t. Mr. Shiki knows dudes don’t go to shibazakura parks together. Yay! Minami gets her sleepover. Mama Fuyuki is not ready for a grown-up daughter.

Tsubasa’s dad has good connections. Gourmet hotel cuisine for a couple’s first romantic weekend getaway. But now. Nocturnal activities! Shower time in Tsubasa’s head is a healthy fantasy, but he needs to trust that others can share those feelings. See? Minami needs to mentally prepare herself. Oh, boo. All that emotional buildup exhausted Tsubasa. And my patience! Wake him up, Minami! Don’t kiss him goodbye!

Hokkaido Gals Has Rainy Days, Too

Ha! Sayuri is cyberstalking Tsubasa’s gamer activity. The poor dude is so depressed he hasn’t logged in to play their Monster Climbing game together. Tsubasa also hasn’t returned her texts. She misses him! Ooh! Two more Hokkaido gals. The next generation! We needed more tan gyaru in this show, but don’t put Asuka in the last episode! Rena already filled the pale, quiet beauty slot. No offense, Hina. Oho. Hina asks about prospects for boyfriends right away. Sayuri is too easy to read. What? Why would Minami and her mom walk into a family restaurant with their luggage if they were driving to the airport? Wouldn’t they leave the carry-on bags in the car?

Ah. Rena is the vehicle leading to Tsubasa’s descent into depression. She brought mochi for his dad! Kashiwa mochi is the traditional food for Children’s Day, May 5th, usually toward the end of Golden Week. Now you know what day it is for Hokkaido Gals! Will Tsubasa grow up and stop acting like a child? Another girl worries about not seeing Tsubasa over spring break. The boy needs to get it together! Ah. Minami wanted to study makeup abroad because she desired to be cool like her friends. It wasn’t fair that Minami had no future goals like the others. Being “cool” in Hokkaido is working hard for self-improvement, apparently.

Cliché Actually, Hokkaido Gals

It’s time for the cliché chase to the airport. Did Minami leave her hair clip in Tsubasa’s bag to make him call her? That doesn’t work if he never opens his bag again. Mr. Shiki is the decisive man Tsubasa should emulate. Shiki men, suit up!

Where is Minami going, exactly? Mama Fuyuki is happy to go with her. Their flight is to Haneda Airport, but to where after that? Yup, it’s totally a cliché, Tsubasa. He’ll wait for her, no matter how long she’s gone. Two weeks. TWO WEEKS! All this for two weeks, Hokkaido Gals? That’s what happens for not talking about Minami’s plans and schedule. But two weeks is super long for Minami to be away from home. It’s her first time leaving Hokkaido, let alone leaving Japan. Tsubasa’s dad is super-cool. He doesn’t seem to be the type to have sheltered his son. But Tsubasa’s mom?

Epilogue time. Minami returns from abroad in time for homeroom and one more commercial about fried chicken from Seicomart. It’s the taste of Hokkaido convenience, didn’t you know? And one more time, just date already!

Final Thoughts on Hokkaido Gals.

What a fun commercial for fans of Hokkaido and gyarus! The lead character, Tsubasa Shiki, arrived in the dead of winter. So, we didn’t see as much bare gyaru skin as we’re used to in other media. Tsubasa’s imagination and Minami’s teasing and fashion choices made up for that. But I want to watch a second season so it can show those gyaru highlights in spring and summer. Sayuri’s younger friends sell us on tomboy and mousy gyarus for those hot and sweaty days and nights of Hokkaido.

Hokkaido Gals doubled as a tourism board and chamber of commerce infomercial using real-life businesses and locations. I appreciate the cultural education only anime can show us Westerners, and it’s even better when we see brand names and logos without the filter of Japanese copyright protection inside jokes. How many ways have you seen Pocari Sweat or Sapporo Beer creatively spelled? Hokkaido Gals avoided that except for one instance of Hokkaido dairy products when it labeled them with a three-leaf clover instead of the brand name’s four-leaf version.

Hokkaido Is Also Hot with Hotter Gyarus

Tsubasa’s eyes are our agents in the wondrous land of gyarus and Hokkaido culture. His sheltered upbringing in Tokyo never exposed him to gyaru slang, playing video games with girls, or spending time with friends at karaoke or outdoor parks. One year of Hokkaido’s changing seasons and feeling the warmth of Hokkaido gals’ hearts should turn him into a native. That translates into three anime seasons of Hokkaido Gals. At least, that’s how I would structure it. We went through winter and the transition into spring. Next comes spring into summer, and finally, summer into fall to complete Tsubasa’s journey. That’s plenty of time to experience Hokkaido’s cultural and seasonal traditions, plus gyaru fanservice on the way.

Oh, and Tsubasa might grow into the absolute Chad his father is, too, as his relationships progress with Minami and his side pieces, Sayuri and Rena. Let’s make it happen!

Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! (道産子ギャルはなまらめんこい, Dosanko Gal wa Namaramenkoi) streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio and English subtitles.

Did you enjoy the wintry adventures with warmhearted Hokkaido gyarus? Or would you prefer those Hokkaido summers? Minami in a sundress or a bikini sounds like perfection to me! Or one of the other girls? Let us know in the comments below.

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