REVIEW: ‘Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii’ Episode 12 — “When She’s Upset the Rain Falls and the Dark Night Descends”

The season finale of Yakuza Fiancé, Yakuza Fiancé episode 12 picks up from the last episode and maintains its calm and simple structure but with much less excitement. The episode does a great job of highlighting its two leads and developing their relationship, but it wraps up in a rather mundane way.

The episode begins with Yoshino (Hitomi Ueda) and Kirishima (Akira Ishida) arriving in Tokyo. Yoshino asks Kirishima what time it is, and after he responds, she thanks him and proclaims that it’s the perfect time to start something without elaborating further, which confuses Kirishima. After the opening credits, we see Kirishima learning that Yoshino has been avoiding him and is now giving him the silent treatment. He tries to think of why but discovers that it could’ve been because of any of his past misdeeds.

Kirishima then gets on a call with Tsubaki (Reina Ueda) to ask for advice on his situation. She tells him he’s getting the silent treatment likely because of his fight with Shoma (Kôji Yusa) and to just hold out for twenty-four hours, as that’s how long it usually lasts when she does it to Shoma. We also learn she was on a date with Renji at the time of the call, who she famously has a crush on.

The next few scenes show Kirishima trying to win back Yoshino’s favour with the baked goods he makes himself. Of course, this doesn’t work, and he proceeds to voice his worries and problems to his yakuza colleagues, all of whom don’t seem to care much for his plight. This scene provides some good laughs in the episode, and the goofy background music makes it even more funny and engaging.

Yakuza Fiance Episode 12 moves Yoshino and Kirishima’s relationship forward.

Three days later, Yoshino finally shows herself to a crestfallen Kirishima on a rainy night, wearing an outfit he bought her. The two quickly reconcile after Yoshino demands that Kirishima never involve Shoma or anyone else in his crazy antics again.

She tells Kirishima that she wore the outfit to break the ice and appease him, but she prefers more modern clothing as gifts. She also says she keeps presents just in case she has to sell them to bail him out of jail one day. Their conversation then moves to how Shoma is much more mature than Kirishima and is more beloved. They also talk about their past, their shared lack of friends, and their backgrounds.

The conversation then leads to their new relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend, and Yoshino reveals she has no idea what that entails. Kirishima proposes they hold hands. This then leads to Yoshino pointing out Kirishima’s rough hands and giving him some hand cream.

Kirishima gets a freaky and mischievous glimmer in his eyes, puts some cream on Yoshino’s hands, and starts licking it. This unsurprisingly mortifies Yoshino, who lets out a burst of physical anger on him, and Kirishima is forced to apologize for his degenerate behavior.

The scene does a fantastic job of showing how the two leads are getting even closer slowly but surely. It is obvious that despite her frustrations toward Kirishima, Yoshino cares about him and his well-being. This is chiefly seen from simple actions like her cleaning him off in the rain and wearing an outfit he likes to asking him questions about himself. All these actions and intricacies are portrayed excellently in these scenes through Studio DEEN‘s great animation. Additionally, the background music elevates the scene even more and makes it surprisingly calming and engaging at the same time.

Yakuza Fiance Episode 12 is more build-up than pay-off.

The next scene reveals that a truck was rammed into a Kirigaya-gumi affiliated office. Yoshino calls Shoma to find out if he’s okay and what happened. Shoma states that it is nothing to worry about, that it is a result of an internal dispute, and that the culprits will be punished. It also revealed that the last Kirigaya-gumi leader was arrested, and this will likely cause an internal power struggle between the Yakuza leaders. The leaders, including Renji, are called in after the incident to resolve it.

Afterward, we see two of the leaders conspiring to do something, but these plans are still a mystery. Yakuza Fiancé episode 12 ends with a scene showing Azami and the redhead again, and the redhead hands Azami a flyer for third-year mock exams, which may or may not be used to target Yoshino again.

The last scenes of the episode do more to build up the long-anticipated yakuza war or conflict that this season has been hinting at. Unfortunately, these scenes do little to excite viewers about such an event as they are done very quickly and without impact through overly simple dialogue, which is disappointing for the final episode.

Overall, Yakuza Fiancé episode 12 is a mixed bag of an episode and a simple conclusion to the season. While the episode doesn’t feature high-octane moments or a satisfying conclusion, it still manages to entertain viewers with the great dynamic between its protagonists.

Yakuza Fiancé Episode 12 is available now on Crunchyroll.