@Bateszi: I think it may have actually been Miyako who was helping him, but I’m not certain. As is always the case in Nakamura/Konaka efforts, I suspect a rewatch would be a rewarding experience. Getting back to Taro again, his ‘ordinaryness’ may have come across as boring to some (especially when Masa and Makoto were interesting in their own right) but he’s a perfect lens for viewing the series through. ‘Realistic and subtle’ sums up why I warmed to his character in the en too.

Though I expected as much, one thing that remains a bit of mystery to me is who this “person” was that Tarou would occasionally meet during his O.B.Es (not Snark, the other, more mysterious one). In one of the last scenes, he says that his sister “isn’t dead”, but is “alive inside me”. That might suggest that it’s the spirit\soul of his sister that has been guiding him all this time and, in that case, you can understand why Miyako would brake-down into tears.

Just to echo your thoughts on Tarou, I thought he was a really interesting central character. It’s rare to find a story that’s based around such a thoroughly normal boy and his reactions to everything around him were so realistic and subtle. I’ve read a few reviews where people have called him boring or whatever, but I really liked him.

One more part of the three kids’ dynamic that you see in the blurred bit in the OP is that they’re not standing together. They’re not really friends, but learn to trust each other in seeking their goals.

I loved how Taro got to tell the little girl (whose name escapes me): “You’re not anyone else! You’re you!” He turns the tables on his mistake from a few eps ago.

Yeah, that last ep was rushed to say the least. For a moment I wondered if I had accidentally skipped an episode. All of a sudden they have a plan! There’s a typhoon! Huh, what? And I was surprised to see all the characters in one piece at the end, smiling and even posing for pictures!

I wound up loving the show, but I wonder what kept me going at the start, when it was one of dozens of new shows and I get impatient easily. Thinking back I think it was because of Taro. They got me to empathize with him early on, so I kept watching. Then fun weird stuff happened.