Otaku USA Magazine
The Quintessential Quintuplets: Why We’ll Miss the Brides

The Quintessential Quintuplets conquered the worlds of manga and anime with its surprisingly wholesome rom-com vibes. The story of Fuutarou, a high schooler charged with tutoring five identical-but-different sisters, revealed its ending right from the start. Eventually, he would marry one of the girls. We even see their wedding day… but that whole “identical” thing meant the bride’s identity was still a mystery. Until now. (Or, if you read the manga, until February 2020.)

With the story now at an end, here’s what we’ll miss as we say goodbye to Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki:

 

One Show, Five Best Girls

It’s not often you get so many Best Girl contenders in one small space. But The Quintessential Quintuplets has… well, five. Every viewer found a favorite among the girls’ distinct, unique personalities. And yes, that includes Fuutarou himself. But more on that later.

With plenty of time devoted to each sister, fans have time to find and root for their fave? Is it mature Ichika? Shy Miku? Frankly, deep down, we love them all. But we’ll miss rooting for our favorite quint.

 

Meaningful Messages

Much of The Quintessential Quintuplets is devoted to developing the characters of the girls. And we don’t just mean in terms of who ends up being the bride. Fuutarou has enough insight to note that the girls are similar, but different. Each of them excels in one specific class. Each has a strength they developed under their own steam. They all have their own merits and priorities.

That storyline definitely benefits the romantic subplot. But it’s also a fantastic message. The sisters spend much of their lives believing they’re five parts of a whole. But throughout the series, they learn they’re complete in and of themselves.

 

The Mystery

The Quintessential Quintuplets manga readers learned the big answer of the series a couple years ago. For anime-onlies, the reveal arrives in the film. And while we’re happy to reach the end of the journey, we’re a little sad to see it come to an end. With the satisfaction of an ending comes the sadness that the theory phase is over.

If somehow you’ve made it this long without finding out who Fuutarou marries… well, you’ll find out when you see the movie. The reveal is as sweet as the rest of the series, and brings with it further revelations about the girls’ lives. In the end, like so many stories, it really is about the journey. And a part of us will miss the mystery.

For more positive anime messages, check out these times Love Live! encouraged us to be ourselves.

Kara Dennison

Kara Dennison is a writer, editor, and presenter with bylines at Crunchyroll, Sci-Fi Magazine, Sartorial Geek, and many others. Beyond the world of anime, she's a writer for Doctor Who expanded universe series including Iris Wildthyme and the City of the Saved, as well as an editor for the critically-acclaimed Black Archive series.

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