Kakushigoto lays all its cards on the table for a satisfying conclusion
What They Say:
After weeks of suspenseful build up, Kakushigoto unfolds the mystery of Goto-sensei’s disappearance. Episode 12 is full of twists and turns, emotional whiplash and gratifying revelations. The story of the secretive mangaka and his precious daughter comes full-circle for a wholesome grand-finale.
The Review
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
While we may have reached the end of the road, there is still plenty of new information to unpack in the final episode of Kakushigoto. Right off the bat, we’re surprised with the arrival of a new character… apparently Hime has a brother. Well, sort of. The reveal of Goto-sensei’s family tree sheds light on his actions up to this point. Goto-sensei was the lovechild of a Kabuki performer and his mistress, meaning this new character is the son of Goto’s half-sister. Rasuna and Tomaruin discuss Goto’s upbringing in greater detail, connecting the feud between Goto and Hime’s grandfather. As it’s been hinted at, Hime’s grandfather is Kairi Imashigata, a famous traditional Japanese painter. Imashigata’s disapproval of Goto-sensei marrying his daughter was linked to a dispute between the two families. A famous painter and his musically gifted daughter; a Kabuki performer and their manga artist son. Hime was born into a family of varying artistic talents. While we’re meant to believe that Goto was protecting Hime from his dirty manga, it seems to go much deeper than that. More than anything, Goto wanted Hime to live a normal, happy life – free from their family feuds and creative differences.
We transition to Naru – once the wannabe high school pop star, now she was a journalist investigating the mystery behind Goto-sensei’s departure from manga. It was alluded to in an earlier episode that tragic news could kill a mangaka’s career, and that was the case for Goto-sensei. Throughout his time as a mangaka, Goto was paying an investigator to search for his missing wife. When the news got leaked, he stepped away from the manga world believing no one would laugh at his stories anymore. Despite losing almost everything, Goto continued to smile for Hime’s sake. He worked manual labor jobs to get her through school, until the day of his accident. During one of his jobs, Goto was moving large pallets of Jump magazines when one of the shipments tore open and buried him in heavy magazines. In an ironic twist of fate, Goto was roped back into the world of manga.
Goto had been in a coma for the past year. But when he awoke, his memories of the past seven years were gone (Goto couldn’t even escape a classic manga trope!). He still believed he was writing Tights in the Wind and his daughter Hime was still 10 years old. Although his coworkers had all moved on with their lives, they play along for the time being and suddenly Goto’s hospital room becomes an impromptu manga studio. Hime-chan is conflicted. Her dad doesn’t recognize the 18-year-old girl standing before him, but maybe that’s for the best. If his memories are trapped in a time when he was happy, maybe it was alright to leave things as they are. If getting his memories back means he would stop drawing manga again, then Hime was ready to sacrifice everything for his happiness. But that isn’t what would make Goto the happiest. Goto tells her (as he did when she was 10) that nothing would make him happier than seeing Hime grow up big and healthy. With those words, Hime rushes to Goto’s studio to recover his old transcripts as well as his old memories. Looking over the manga he had drawn over the years, Goto’s memories come flooding back – all his time watching Hime grow up and all the fun he had working on his manga.
Now he recognized the girl standing before him was Hime. And after 12 episodes, the cat was out of the bag – Kakushi Goto’s kakushigoto had been revealed!! But that isn’t the end of our tale. Everything comes full circle when we learn that Hime not only inherited her grandfather’s talent for art, but also Goto’s love of manga. As Hime sketches some manga in the school art room, she decides she’ll keep this secret from her father just a bit longer. Goto also makes a valiant comeback, proposing a new manga project to Tomaruin (who was now the editor for Rasuna’s successful manga). With all his coworkers reunited, they spitball an idea for a new manga – one about a manga artist keeping his job a secret from his daughter.
In Summary:
Kakushigoto’s finale was densely packed but managed to tie everything together in a satisfying way. This anime was a real gem and further boosts Kouji Kumeta as a master storyteller. The secret life of Kakushi Goto was very enlightening – full of lessons on parenting, communication, and the struggles of an artist. Through all the tears, from both sorrow and laughter, Goto and Hime were able to reach a happy ending. I hope you enjoyed this show as much as I did – Kakushigoto is easily one of the highlight anime to come out this year.
Grade: A
Streamed By: Funimation
