Star’s Align is one of the most popular sports anime that is still struggling to secure a second season. The anime was a hit in 2019, as it navigated various issues such as domestic violence, and identity with the broader sports, and drama genre.
Anime is a tricky industry, as there are various factors such as time constraints, studio politics, and more due to which most shows are left unfinished. The same is the case with Stars Align.
Even today, fans are waiting for Stars Align season 2 because originally the show was plotted for 24 episodes, but it was cut down to only 12 episodes at the last minute by the studio.
Because of that, the story of the anime was left incomplete, ending on a cliffhanger. To this day, it is a major blow to the fans of the show. Nonetheless, let’s take a look at Star Align ending in the anime.
Stars Align Ending Explained [Episode 12]
The anime ended with 12 episodes. In the last episode, after falling to the Itsuse brothers in two games, Maki and Toma randomly switch places in the first match of game three. The brothers are caught by surprise by the strategy, and they lose 2 matches to them while tying the game 2-2.
The Itsuse brothers are consistently outmatched by Maki and Toma in the final game, but the brothers eventually regain their groove and triumph. Even though they lost the game, Maki, Toma, and their squad still viewed it as a win in certain ways.
Toma tries to call his brother after the game, but his mother answers. She tells Toma that she is divorcing him and that he will now reside with his father. Ryoma eventually comes, but he is too late to tell his brother the news.
Later, when Maki gets home, he expects to see his mother, but instead, he sees Shou. Shou informs Maki that his father was present and has once more stolen their money. Maki understands that until his father passes away, his family will never be content.
Maki then buys a kitchen knife from a nearby convenience store and goes to his father’s apartment to kill him so they will be “free” at last. The show concludes with a scene of Maki holding the kitchen knife as he stands at his father’s door.
Take a look at all the characters of Stars Align in detail.
Stars Align Ending Review
Stars Align has always liked to deliver a gut punch after the credits, but the last episode’s abrupt shift and one particularly nasty one leave you wondering if anything got lost in translation.
Even though there were numerous sinister hints, nothing—and I mean nothing—ever suggested that Maki would turn up at his father’s house holding a knife and intend to kill him. I don’t mean that literally, but rather as a failure on the part of the creators to adequately depict what they intended in anime form.
We know this is not a regular anime. Stars Align is a lighthearted underdog school sports show that touches on the idea that such upbeat events rarely offer us any hint that anything awful could happen in the world. The team members of the show were experiencing tragedies and traumas in their personal lives.
After the game, they return to their actual lives, where nobody outside of school will care whether they competed against and nearly defeated the local champions. With the ending, Stars Align was trying to tell its audience that perfect sports anime or happy endings are only idealized versions of life.
Even though the message is worthy of consideration, it is not what the viewers were looking for as there is no closure to the story.
There are many popular anime like Toradora, Blue Spring Ride, and Maid Sama that are still awaiting renewals like Stars Align.
Will Stars Align Anime Ever Get a Proper Ending?
To this day, the Stars Align story is incomplete. Maybe if we get a season 2, things will be resolved. The director of the anime, Kazuki Akane said in an interview that he is not satisfied with how the last episode ended.
He even said on Twitter:
“Stars Align ended its television run with its 12th episode today. But the story has a continuation, and the characters’ drama will continue in the future.”
According to Akane, the anime was planned to have 24 episodes, but in the middle of it, the studio decided to cut it to 12 episodes. Since the animation was already in progress, they could not complete the story in 12 episodes, hence the show was cut in half – ending on a cliffhanger.
He said that he is working on the next 12 episodes, and will animate them as soon as he secures a production house willing to take up the project.
Fans’ Reaction to Stars Align Ending
As expected, fans were not happy about how the anime ended. It was going smoothly, but with the ending, it can’t be helped but think how things took a sinister turn.
You can see on Reddit too, fans are sympathizing with the director of the anime on his decision to keep the original story, even if he had to cut the anime in half, instead of stuffing everything in 12 episodes.
