Hey, you know that feeling when you've spent some days at your friend's crib, and you have to leave early in the morning, so you just sit there silently waiting to leave because you can't find any more good conversational topics, and don't want to phone in some milquetoast talk? That's what this is, only your dumbass can't shut up.
By the time of the third season, I already felt this inclination creeping in, it's just way more apparent now; what's had to be said has been said, but the author either doesn't want to leave the fans disappointed, is afraid of the response if he does, or him and/or the studio wants to cash in on the series' success even further. And that's fine - I came in with almost zero expectations, and therefore I was not disappointed.
It seems that I can even still somewhat appreciate the humor, like the brief moment where Hachiman, in his typical dry demeanor, wonders which utensils he's supposed to use at a fancy restaurant. It's almost like I'm watching a moment from the first or second season again - only now, no one really wants to be there, which is to be expected of Hachiman, but not of everyone else too.
I think if you're going to do something like this, it should come in the form of a time-skip, so that you can allow for new situations to arise. It's very hard to write about the same topic for seasons on end, not just because it becomes boring (for the writer), but also because there are only so many ideas one person can produce about a stoic and asocial, but otherwise entirely normal highschooler. Hachiman is not a magic-user, an alien or anything else of the sort, he's just some dude, and his story has for all practical purposes been finished.
If there's anything that really bothered me, it's the fact that Hachiman doesn't thoroughly reject Yui. The writer even jokingly points it out when she criticizes him, saying, "I hate when you only do things halfway." But it's not funny, and it's not clever! It's just sad. Whatever you might feel about her, I think that Digibro described this sort of subversion best in her video "Anime Is Getting Lazy With Its Meta" as follows, "That's why there is nothing subversive about this guy trying not to grab this girl's boobs, because his face still ends up in her panties anyway. They didn't change the basic meaning of the scene, they just called attention to the fact that they're doing it. It's like if someone was pissing in the middle of the street, and everyone was staring at him, and then he yelled out "I'm pissing in the middle of the street!" and "calling attention to the fact that you've put a bunch of stupid bullshit in your anime series, doesn't stop it from being stupid bullshit."
It's also apparent how much has been cut from the light novel. The pacing is fast, and scenes that feel like they're supposed to be important come and go at a moments notice. The change of emotional tones between scenes are also jarring. Right after Yui's emotional exchange with Hachiman, that I was just making fun of, they're back to the nonchalant, clubroom tea sipping, after eight chocolate eating state of affairs that has been a staple of the series. There's no build up to anything important. It just ends because it can't commit to any of the paths it has dug, so it just lies down, conceding all ambition. Just like you viewer! You also lack commitment, right? Isn't this relatable?
Okay, I admit it. Maybe I was a little bit dissapointed :/
Edit: I should preface that I know that studio feel wasn't entirely faithful to the source material, and I know that a confession happens in the 6th volume of the light novel, but it in no way changes my opinion on this ending. I'm still dissatisfied with the writer's approach.
