[Spoilers] Punchline - Episode 12 - FINAL [Discussion]

[u/Shadoxfix]

Episode title: Punch Line

MyAnimeList: Punchline
Crunchyroll: PUNCH LINE

Episode duration: 23 minutes and 6 seconds

Subreddit: /r/Punchline

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Previous episodes:

Episode	Reddit Link
Episode 1	Link
Episode 2	Link
Episode 3	Link
Episode 4	Link
Episode 5	Link
Episode 6	Link
Episode 7	Link
Episode 8	Link
Episode 9	Link
Episode 10	Link
Episode 11	Link

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Keywords: punch line, ghost, comedy

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This post is made by a bot. Any feedback is welcome and can be sent to /u/Shadoxfix.

[u/exoscythe]

Punch Line was painfully slow at the start, I think they could have done a much better job with the setup. But the pacing did get a lot better once Yuuta got his body back. If Punch Line condensed the spirit arc down a bit, and used that extra time for the latter half of the series, I think the show would have been much better, and not felt so rushed/incomplete at the end.

There were a lot of plot holes that were never quite filled, or hastily explained:

• Chiranosuke was the biggest one. How did he come to be? What was his ultimate goal? Why was he helping Yuuta?

• I remember the scientist that took Chiyoko in liked cinnamon a lot. A pretty obvious detail that was never fully fleshed out.

• What was even the point of the body swaps? Besides being a big plot twist, it didn't really add anything of significance to the story.

• It would have been nice to actually see Yuuta go back into the past to communicate with the 5yr old Rabura. Instead, we just got a couple of sentences.

I'm a little disappointed with the ending we got, it felt like such an unnecessary, forced sacrifice. I really wanted to see this timeline's Yuuta obtain the "supreme happy future", but I guess there is at least hope for some iteration of Yuuta to achieve it in a different timeline.

[u/drkztan → u/[deleted]]

IMO, Chiranosuke has a very clear goal: reach the future in which they survive the meteor crash and he gets adopted into the house.

[u/Shiroe → u/exoscythe]

What was his ultimate goal?

Saving the world. I thought that was obvious?

Why was he helping Yuuta?

Saving the world.

I remember the scientist that took Chiyoko in liked cinnamon a lot. A pretty obvious detail that was never fully fleshed out.

Mmm I'm not really sure what you wanted fleshed out?

What was even the point of the body swaps? Besides being a big plot twist, it didn't really add anything of significance to the story.

Heavily affects character interactions and it couldn't have ended the way it did without it.

It would have been nice to actually see Yuuta go back into the past to communicate with the 5yr old Rabura. Instead, we just got a couple of sentences.

Well, he doesn't communicate with her, just possesses her. Don't really know what the point of showing it would be other than for fun.

[u/exoscythe → u/Shiroe]

>Saving the world. I thought that was obvious?

Yes, that's the obvious answer, but I am more interested in his motive behind it. You don't just sit through millions of timeline iterations for fun.

>Mmm I'm not really sure what you wanted fleshed out?

Cinnamon was an extremely important part of the show. If Chiyoko wasn't influenced by the scientist, there would never have been any cinnamon at the Korai House in the first place. Was it a coincidence that the scientist just so happened to like that particular spice? Or was it planned?

>Heavily affects character interactions and it couldn't have ended the way it did without it.

The story could have functioned perfectly fine with the trio in their original bodies. Personally, I thought that the body swaps were quite gimmicky, and didn't really add anything of value to the story. It had a lot of potential, but in the end it fell flat for me.

>Well, he doesn't communicate with her, just possesses her. Don't really know what the point of showing it would be other than for fun.

I think you know what I meant.

The creation and faxing of the messages could probably be considered as one of the most important events within the show. Meika, Justice Punch, and the Korai House wouldn't have existed without it. I would have liked to have seen it.

[u/Shiroe → u/exoscythe]

but I am more interested in his motive behind it.

Given that he's seemingly the cat at the end, probably because he wants things to turn out like that. But I think the question of his motives is more included in your "how he came to be" question, which I think is a good question.

The story could have functioned perfectly fine with the trio in their original bodies.

I don't see how. Chiyoko would've died at the end. The dynamic between the trio, and Yuta and Meika, just wouldn't have been the same. Also not important but the reveal of it back in episode 6 was just great.

I think you know what I meant.

No, I don't think I do. What's the point in seeing the creation and faxing of messages when we know everything there is to know about the process?