Episode 12 marked the end of the slice-of-life anime Skip and Loafer.
The anime ended happily, leaving the viewers with many things to discuss.
The popularity of the anime and the appreciation it received within the first few episodes were spectacular.
It is undoubtedly a very comforting anime and has become a significant hit among viewers.
It is quite disheartening when we realise there will be no more Skip and Loafer on Tuesdays. No matter how upsetting it is, to be honest, it makes us more eager for the next season.
Skip and Loafer Episode 12 Recap: How did Episode 12 tie up the loose ends of Skip and Loafer’s Episode 11?
Episode 11 of the season left us at a point of extreme anticipation when Ririka came across Sousuke’s mother in his high school.
The cliffhanger gets dissolved in episode 12.
It opens up with Ririka being her true self and not losing the opportunity to berate Sousuke’s mother.
With her narcissistic attitude and abrasive and insolent behaviour, Ririka was mean to Sousuke’s mother in the middle of the school corridor.
They met with Sousuke in front of his class when he was surrounded by his friends from middle school who came to watch him act.
Seeing Ririka and his mother together was a rare and uncomfortable sight for him.
Soon their attention shifted from Sousuke to Ririka, for she was the face of the popular magazine Highteen.
The moment Ririki arrives, she is swarmed by his school friends, who recognise her from the showbiz she was in together with Sousuke.
This piece of information was news to the present-day school friends of Sousuke. He did not let anyone know about his child actor days because that would put him in the limelight, which he did not want.
Also, he wanted to prevent any trouble that would dig up the past and harm his life and Ririkia’s.
To avoid any further scandal, he kept his past a secret from his school friends.
The secret was spilt that day, which made him extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed.
The thing he was running from chased him and caught him off guard.
His mother didn’t stay for long, and we know the reason behind it, or, should I say, the person at fault.
When his mother left, Sousuke asked her if she had said anything to his mother.
Otherwise, why would his mother come to his school and leave without watching him enact the play?
Everything was happening in the presence of Mitsumi. She was observing the whole thing and realised that Ririka had deliberately made his mother leave soon. It was clear from the grin on her face when his mother left.
She intentionally created a scenario where both Sousuke and his Mother would feel uncomfortable, and ultimately she would leave him alone.
To not let matters get out of hand and to calm down the tension in the air, our ‘anteater’ Mitsumi interrupts Ririka and Sousuke, thus putting a stop to the conversation that had the potential of turning into a heated argument.
Ririka went ahead to line up for the show. Chris apologised on her behalf and told him how she accused his mother of his comeback into acting.
Chris and Ririka are poles apart. He is always considerate and tries to calm down the storm between Sousuke and Ririka, and he manages it perfectly.
Chris has always been by their side through thick and thin. This is what defined their friendship. Despite the past, he is still a dear friend to them.
The bonding shared between them reminded Mitsumi of her best friend, Fumi, when she pondered upon the significance of childhood friendships.
Sousuke’s The Journey of Self-Discovery: How does Sousuke’s self-realisation and decision to confront his feelings contribute to his personal growth and the development of the story?
The last show of the festival is about to begin, and henceforth we get the highlight of the episode, the soliloquy of Sousuke.
The play begins, and this is when Sousuke undergoes deep self-realisation.
Sousuke has always run from his true feelings when it comes to his passion for acting and happiness.
He felt that he enjoyed acting just because his mother loved it when he used to act.
He has been in this constant dilemma of whether he could enjoy acting if it was not for his mother’s happiness but for his own.
He does not understand what makes him happy or what things would give him satisfaction, but he knows what others expect from him.
It appears that he is not living his life on his own but leading a life designed by others where he just satisfies everyone.
When he gives them what they want, it makes them happy. And by doing this for a long time, it has come naturally to him. His happiness lies in the happiness of others.
Being friends with Mitsumi has had a great deal of impact on his life. Especially when it comes to prioritising self-satisfaction and self-happiness. Using Mitsumi as an idol, he compares his life to Mitsuri’s.
He wonders how different they are from each other.
Recalling his earlier conversations with Mitsumi, he figures out that she also experiences her fair share of struggles as a teenage school student in an unknown setting where she does not know many people, just like he is going through a rough patch in his life.
Mitsumi struggles with problems, suffers from them, and faces failures and a range of unfavourable feelings. She mulls over the thought of quitting or walking away, just as he did. But Mitsumi is not a quitter.
Her indomitable spirit, passion, determination, and willpower to do things for her happiness and also for the betterment of others make her so different from him. He realises how incredible Mitsumi is and how immensely he idolises her.
After deeply introspecting, he concludes that what matters most is what he wants in his life.
The turbulence of emotions, dilemmas and the inability to work on his happiness: in sooth, he does not know the source of them.
He wonders why he feels so anxious when he sees someone with a passion for something and why he feels so uncomfortable when he is approached and liked by girls his age. It is as if he is an alien to himself, unaware of his desires and wants.
His tendency to avoid people, like the way he avoided Kanechika senpai the other day after the immense success of their drama, finally helped him realise the anonymous feeling.
Envy. The feeling that made him coop up more into himself was none other than envy.
He was envious of the accomplishments of others. It was this feeling that prevented him from exploring himself, facing the bitter truths, and avoiding them altogether.
After diving into the depths of his thoughts, Sousuke fundamentally alters the ending of the play by changing the course of his character and no longer escaping from it as it was originally scripted.
His decision to not run away from the problems and face them reflected on his character as well.
Ultimately, Sousuke lets himself loose from the constraints and decides to face Ririka and talk to her about his latest realisation.
Sousuke works up his courage and approaches Ririka to overcome the last obstacle in the way of his freedom.
He finally vocalises his feelings and admits, “I am enjoying school life.” This infuriates her, as it is the last thing she wanted to hear from Sousuke.
Skip and Loafer Episode 12 RecapUnveiling Ririka’s Past and Emotional Turmoil: how did the past impact the dynamics between Ririka and Sousuke?
In this episode, the past that Sousuke kept buried is revealed when Ririka cries her eyes out after this sudden confession from Sousuke.
From the crumbs of Ririka’s past shown to us, we can infer that Ririka and Shima were co-actors. One day Ririka was caught underage drinking and partying after she followed Sousuke, despite him telling her not to do so.
Ririka was scandalised and lost her job.
She knew that it was not entirely Sousuke’s fault, but for her, it was easier to blame him. It hampered her life in many aspects. She was so busy rebuilding her career that she could not focus on her academics.
Seeing Sousuke attend the top school and enjoy a normal life as a teenage school student made her jealous. She immediately went on a guilt trip.
However, Chris reminded him of the true nature of Sousuke by telling her that he cared about her more than anything else.
Considering the scandal did not affect Sousuke that much as compared to Ririka, his life was smoother than hers. He did not have to hide himself or go anywhere else to escape the scandal. In truth, he never planned to leave Ririka all alone amidst the crisis.
Kazakami and Takamine’s Surprising Interaction
The annual festival ended without any issues. It was a successful event, with the award ceremony at the closing of the festival.
This episode is crammed with surprises. Well, the surprise I am talking about is the genuine interaction between Kazakami and Takamine.
When he finds Takamine crying alone, he asks about it and sits down with her for a proper conversation.
Takamine is a self-centred guy, undoubtedly, and the fact that, despite all her efforts and hard work, it was Kazakami who was chosen as the School Council President just because of his popularity still bothered her until today.
Kazakami opened up to her, talking about how his childhood was not a normal one like the other kids his age and how his family expects him to attend Tokyo University and establish himself as a successful person. He tries to sympathise with her and hands her the bouquet. What a sweet gesture! But it leaves us on a cliffhanger. It leaves us pondering upon the new turn in their relationship.
Skip and Loafer Episode 12 Ending Explained: How did the season conclude?
It is very appreciated how the conversation with Mitsumi’s friends develops in the next scene and how they emphasise the value and power of their friendship as a way to release the past and progress towards brighter futures.
It’s fantastic to perceive how their mutual knowledge of one another strengthens with time.
The friends are observed through Mitsumi’s eyes in this episode. It looks like she is simply learning from her friends’ strengths, thus creating an invaluable moment.
It’s almost as priceless as the way this episode and the season as a whole conclude with the character development of Sousuke, the reformed version of him that has surfaced now, or Mitsumi’s growing awareness of Sousuke and several callbacks to the difficulties the two of them have faced and the changes that have occurred for them throughout the narrative.
The season wraps up on a whimsical and vivid Autumn day. It’s the ideal way to wrap up the season.
Skip and Loafer is an anime that has deeply resonated with us since its premiere.
The ocean of emotions and the personal development they underwent captivated us, evoking the right amount of connection.
We were able to experience happiness, passion, realisations, self-discovery, and freedom, which made the anime extremely relatable and engaging.
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