Let’s Watch is a weekly recap column where I follow an anime for the course of its entire runtime. Expect spoilers!

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Well, here we are, anime fans. Twelve weeks later and takt op.Destiny is over. Does it stick the landing? Eh, yes and no. “Takt -Hope-” is not one of the show’s strongest episodes. It does a lot right too, mind you, but some aspects can’t help but feel a little cheap. But let’s not put the cart before the horse, we’ll start with what it does well.

On one level if no others, takt op‘s final episode stands tall with its best moments. The fights here are absolutely gorgeous, with Destiny’s duel with Orpheus being among the show’s best. The episode cuts to and away from this fight several times, but it reaches its inarguable climax when Destiny ditches her gun-sword and the two fight hand to hand.

^{If you know, you know.}

We also get a (very brief) look at Sagan’s past here. The actual flashback is, we’ll say functional, but its conclusion, where he stands shellshocked at a world ravaged by the D2s only to suddenly step on a toy piano in the ruins of a city is solidly done. Sagan didn’t need a terribly deep motivation and I’m not sure the attempt to give him one here entirely works, but it does add a bit of depth to a villain who’s otherwise been pretty cartoonish. And in one particular way, it notably sharpens his character.

Back in the present, Sagan and Takt’s final confrontation opens with the former “explains” that sacrifice is both necessary and beautiful. His plan, thus, is to gather all of the D2s in New York, and then destroy the entire continent to wipe them out entirely. His failure, as was the case two episodes ago, is to understand that the sacrifices made by Takt’s father or by Lenny (both of whom he cites), are worthy of admiration not because of the death involved, but because of their love for others. Something Sagan clearly does not have, at least not anymore. In the end, Takt gives the man’s pontificating the respect it deserves. Which is to say, none.

So how does this all end? With a beautiful whimper; Takt himself puts Sagan out of his misery. There is no final fight between the Conductors, Sagan is literally impaled on a crystal by the time Takt reaches him, and seems to be dying already. Even if he were able to put up a fight, Takt’s brief, impassioned speech on how the world is worth fighting for on the basis that it contains music alone would’ve knocked the will to out of him. Sagan, in a very real way, is defeated on two separate fronts before Takt even shows up.

The ringer they’ve been through knocks the both of them unconscious, and Destiny vanishes not long after…until the post-credits sequence, of course. Which implies that she somehow lives on within Anna, who has become a Conductor as well.

Right then.

Remember in the first piece I wrote on this series when I said how glad I was that this series didn’t have a harem setup? Turns out it actually kind of did, except it has made the puzzling decision to merge both (or all three, if you count Cosette and Destiny separately) girls who are into our protagonist into one. It is, frankly, a strange and somewhat unwelcome coda to an otherwise pretty excellent series, and I don’t doubt many folks are going to take it harder than I have. It may make more sense going into the mobile game, which serves as a sequel to the series, but as the final act of a self-contained piece of art, it is a slight bit of a letdown.

Mostly I just never really bought that Anna was into Takt that way? For ten of the show’s episodes, she seems to treat him more like a younger brother, and the abrupt swerve into a possible second love interest in its final two feels like course correction, as though someone forgot they were supposed to be writing her that way all along. (And given that Anna seems to be a fair bit older than Takt it’s also a touch skeevy, although that might just be age not coming across well in the character designs.)

But, eh, it doesn’t have a literally perfect finale. Most anime don’t get that lucky. Overall, takt op.Destiny was a lovely little show, and I’m happy to have watched it. My most cherished memories of it will likely remain tied to its earlier episodes and to Lenny’s heroic exit in episode 10, but I do not in any way think this was a bad episode. As an end to the series it’s more functional than stellar, but even that value judgment edges closer to dismissing the excellent animation on display here more than I’d like.

So; takt op.Destiny, an action romance road trip thing filled with color and wonder that doesn’t quite stick the landing. There are far worse things to be. Until your next performance, maestro.

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So, you’ve heard what I think, but I want to hear your thoughts as well. What did you think of the ending, if anything? What are your overall thoughts on the series? Would you watch a second season if one were announced? Do you plan to check out the mobile game that the show serves in part as an advertisement for? (I’m thinking about it, myself.) Feel free to drop me a comment here or over on Twitter, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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