Gakuen Babysitters Episode 12 (Final) Review: Part 12

Gakuen Babysitters (School Babysitters) has come to an end with such a heartwarming episode. Although we got the occasional feels attack every now and then with the plot saying: ‘Hey, do you remember that these kids are actually orphans? Oh yes, and the tsundere Chairwoman has lost her son and family. Yeah, great stuff’, the episode was lovely. The mellow atmosphere that this anime had is something that I will greatly miss.

Japanese Original Episode Title: その12

Plot

Ryu is invited to go to the movies with his classmates but he is hesitant to say yes because he doesn’t want to leave Kotaro alone. Saikawa then says to him that he can go and he will take care of Kotaro, and so he does, but Ryu still feels weird going out by himself for the first time since they moved into their new house. Saikawa and Kotaro try to have fun while Ryu is away, and as they play, Kotaro finds his way into a small library of the mansion where Saiwaka tells him that this used to be the favorite place for Chairwoman’s son and family to spend time, so they stay there and read books.

Christmas is just around the corner and Kotaro is going crazy with Santa and can’t wait to meet him. Ryu wants to try to get him gifts and dress up as Santa in order for Kotaro to enjoy his Christmas, but unfortunately, he is very low on cash. After managing to prepare everything for Kotaro, he realizes that he won’t have the chance to surprise him since they are always together, but suddenly the doorbell of the mansion rings and when they open the door they see all their friends and families that came to spend Christmas with them.

Episode Highlights

Saikawa the enigmatic person: I have mentioned this so many times but he is my favorite character in Gakuen Babysitters. He is a bro, he is kind, polite, funny, and he can cook. When he was trying to cheer up Kotaro and was treating him like a pet, I was thinking ‘That guy is definitely into cats, yes definitely.’ Couldn’t stop thinking of Sebastian from Kuroshitsuji there for one second, especially since they have the same seiyuu and all. I also love seeing him and Kotaro spending time together, especially when he was reading him the book, it felt like they truly bonded at that moment. And one more thing: he finally smiled! Happy Saikawa is the best Saikawa.

Brother’s complex: I am glad that someone pointed it out to Ryu. For me, they don’t really share this kind of unhealthy attachment to each other. I just think that it’s because of Kotaro’s age and of course because of what they have been through. But it was great to see Ryu having some personal freedom to enjoy a day with friends.

Kirin’s bunny earmuffs: She is so damn cute. When she came in her winter outfit with those bunny earmuffs on, I honestly shared the same reaction as her dad.

Themes & Trivia

The endcard on this episode: is the one and only Saikawa! What better way to end the anime that having a younger serious version of the best butler guy, Saikawa. In case you missed it, this is the endcard.

Pachinko: When Kotaro is staring at the Santa on the flyer, Usaida mentions that it is a Pachinko flyer. Pachinko (パチンコ) is a type of mechanical game in Japan that is used as a gambling device, similar to what a slot machine is in Western culture. It resembles a vertical pinball machine but is different from Western pinball in several ways. First, a pachinko machine uses small steel balls, which are rented to the player by the owner, while pinball games use a larger, captive ball.

Comments

Loved the episode and loved all the messages that they tried to come across with. The fact that everyone tries to carry on with their lives even though they experienced loss and a great deal of sadness and how they find a new family in the faces of people that surround them and care for them was really touching. The whole ending gave off a warm feeling, like Ryu and Kotaro will get through their problems and carry on with their lives and most importantly, they will be happy. I would really like to see some OVA with them a bit older just to see what they managed to do in their lives and what kind of people they have become.

Snack strategy failed.

Personally, that kind of strategy never fails on me, but poor Kotaro was feeling lonely and sad so he wanted no treats. I honestly loved Gakuen Babysitters. It was such a pleasant and nice anime to watch and it never failed to put me in a great mood after every episode. Of course, it had its sad moments but overall it was very cheerful and bubbly. It is definitely a recommendation for anyone who just wants to watch something easy and take his mind off things. I don’t think we will have another season soon or ever, but nevertheless, those cute babies will never stop being adorable.