I’m not sure how to begin this review of the last episode of Qualidea Code. There are so many things that go behind an anime production that every flaw I found has its source somewhere in the creation process. But, to be honest, this was probably the worst series I’ve seen this season. I will try to find a silver lining as I march to my conclusion (I do try to see the best in every anime) but there is a little chance I will succeed. Especially after my worst fear, the only thing I predicted they shouldn’t do, managed to make the cut to the final episode: Canaria sang her song.

Japanese Title: 燦然世界のクオリディア

Plot

The episode starts with a flashback: Asanagi is killed by Airi who then is revive to serve the Unknowns. He compares this encounter with Airi as a meeting with a goddess and he eventually falls for her. My guess is that the reason Asanagi saw Airi as a human has something to do with the main theme of the episode, ‘it’s what’s in your heart that matters.’ This can be further justified through another flashback in which we see Airi telling a young Tenkawa that her wish is to become a mother and die for her child.

Aoi turns rogue against her friends to protect Asanagi and Airi. At first I couldn’t really figure out why she had such a strong sense of loyalty towards them, but by the end of the episode it kind of made sense. I will explain it in the highlights.

Our characters were split into three and a half groups:

• Chigusa and Canaria went after Aoi who blocked their Worlds. Canaria is lost on the way and ends up near the gate pillar.
• Kasumi and Ichiya fought against an Unknown-hybrid Asanagi.
• Tenkawa and Hotaru fought against Airi in her Unknown form, unaware that it was her.

In the end, the pillar is destroyed, Asanagi and Aoi survive and take the blessing of Airi’s ghost, and our protagonists live happily ever after. I really don’t have the strength to delve into more details.

Episode Highlights

The Little Alien: If I understood correctly, Aoi was the child of Asanagi and Airi. I am going to skip all the bitching about how terribly it was brought into play, and focus on the fact. What? How, when, why? But on the other hand, these three questions could be asked on nearly every aspect of the plot. I get it that Airi wanted a child. So, she genetically modified Asanagi so he could mate with her? Is that why Asanagi was a hybrid alien? Probably, since Asanagi was the only person who could see Airi’s beautiful alien heart.

Canaria Sings: I laughed. I really did. It was a laugh born out of despair, because I couldn’t believe that they actually thought it was a good idea to include the song in the last episode. I laughed when Ichiya felt inspired to lecture Asanagi on Canaria’s qualities as a person and when Asanagi was awestruck by his words. It was a great scene for all the wrong reasons.

Airi’s Flashback: Once again, one of the most interesting aspects of the plot, and the most interesting scene of the episode, had to do with Airi. Airi was an alien, yes, but her wishes were very human.

Themes & Trivia

Multimedia Project: I know that I am a very bad person for criticizing the series so much, and I am sure that there are people out there who really enjoyed it. By no means does my opinion serve as an objective criticism of Qualidea Code. In fact, I don’t believe in objective criticisms. We are just otaku fans who express our opinions, in a rather chatty and subjective way. That said, there are so many Qualidea Code products that are probably way better in telling the story than this anime series.

There are four Qualidea Code light novel series written by different authors:

• Kuzu to Kinka no Qualidea (クズと金貨のクオリディア), written by Sō Sagara and Wataru Watari, and illustrated by Saboten.
• Itsuka Sekai o Sukū Tame ni: Qualidea Code (いつか世界を救うために -クオリディア・コード-), written by Kōshi Tachibana and illustrated by Kiyotaka Haimura.
• Sonna Sekai wa Kowashiteshimae: Qualidea Code (そんな世界は壊してしまえ ‐クオリディア・コード‐), written by Sō Sagara and illustrated by Kantoku.
• Dōdemo Ii Sekai Nante: Qualidea Code (どうでもいい 世界なんて ‐クオリディア・コード‐), written by Wataru Watari and illustrated by Saitom.

I was so intrigued by the story that I never got to see in its full glory that I am definitely checking the light novels.

Comments

If you count out the scene where Airi talks to a young Tenkawa about her dreams, the animation of the episode continued the bad tradition of the previous and delivered sub-par drawings and terrible sequences. The facial expressions were stiff, the movements were clunky, and even the backgrounds were mediocre. There was an interesting plot waiting to be discovered, but the combinations of writing and scene selection managed to make even an event as important as Asanagi and Airi being parents to a hybrid-alien (was she a hybrind-alien? I don’t know anymore) seem uninteresting and out of place. Canaria’s comedy bits were not funny, and her singing scene just made matters worse. I get that they tried to bring out the light-heartedness of the light novel, but there was nothing light about a group of children saving the world and killing two mentors they knew for their entire lives. Instead, they went even beyond light, and made the scenes simplistic. If the characters don’t really care about what happened, why should I?

And the rating is…

3/6

I decided to be a little generous with my rating for two things: the story could have been good. But it was massacred by the sub-par animation and the disappointing flow. The writing did nothing to improve the situation and the voice acting was flat. But the story had potential. It hurts me to say it, but in another universe, in an alternate Japan, this anime was probably one of the best of the season. Sadly, this was not that universe, and it was probably one of the worst.

Official Site　http://qualidea.jp/
Twitter　@ QUALIDEACODE

©Speakeasy・マーベラス／クオリディア製作委員会