WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 12 of Ikebukuro West Gate Park, "Sunshine Street Civil War, Part 2," now streaming on Funimation.
The finale of Ikebukuro West Gate Park Season 1 is a bit of a doozy, as Episode 12 tries to wrap everything up. And it does... to an extent. The conflict between the G-Boys and the Red Angels is finally resolved and Makoto gets his name cleared. But overall, the episode still feels like it tries to cram in as much as it can to tie up loose ends, which instead just opens up more questions.
The Ikebukuro Civil War Erupts
Without Takashi holding the G-Boys back, the fights between the G-Boys and the Red Angels have grown in frequency and intensity, resulting in ordinary civilians getting injured for even wearing the wrong color. Meanwhile, Makoto is keeping his head low, avoiding surveillance cameras and using payphones to get help. Saru tells him that a Kansai yakuza called Kyougokukai supplied the Red Angels and the G-Boys with guns.
Lin tells Makoto that his mother is awake and confirms Makoto's suspicions that Kyougokukai, who deals with drugs and firearms, is the organization making their move into Ikebukuro. The Red Angels are merely a means for the yakuza to get rid of the G-Boys and Hidaka Group, making space for them to seize control. That night, an all-out war is planned to take place at West Gate Park.
Isogai's Motive Is Revealed
Makoto calls Isogai, telling him that Takashi woke up, and asks if he can provide him another smartphone. The two meet in the park where Isogai pleads Makoto to let him accompany him to see Takashi but Makoto says he knows everything. Still smiling, Isogai Tases him.
Isogai used to live in Ikebukuro but was bullied at school by a few of the Red Angels. He had to stop going to school and moved to Kansai, joining Kyougokukai as a result. But he wasn't one to forget grudges: he planted the idea of taking control of Ikebukuro in Kyougokukai's head.
Although he had orders to get rid of Makoto, Isogai confesses that he didn't really want to: He liked him -- more than Kyouichi and Takashi. Because of this, Isogai extends an offer to join him at Kyougokukai. Angry that he resorted to such horrid methods, Makoto moves forward but Isogai shoots him several times. At that exact moment, Takashi wakes up in the hospital.
Takashi Vs. Kyouichi
The two gangs and their respective leaders meet at the Global Ring where Kyouichi says he isn't going to fight an injured Takashi, but it doesn't stop King from punching him, signaling both gangs to start fighting. But before they even lay a fist on each other, the theater lights up with a recording: Isogai's confession. Everyone is shocked to see it as well as Makoto, unscathed.
Isogai shoots Makoto but it's loaded with fake blood. He tries to run away but is stopped by Kyouichi who, infuriated, lands a kick at his mouth. But the gangs don't look any closer to backing down and to make matters worse, the cops are coming.
Makoto's Message: Life Must On In West Gate Park
Ultimately, Makoto tells everyone that although they've hurt each other, they're the ones who have the power to forgive each other. A little girl, whose brother went to the hospital because of the gangs' violence, charges at Takashi with a knife, and Takashi, arms open, lets her stab him. Takashi seizes Makoto's collar and demands, melodramatically, that he becomes the G-Boys leader if he somehow doesn't make it.
They find Mitsuki and Isogai gets arrested. The Red Angels disband and Kyouichi decides to go back to the home his parents left him, entrusting the Red Angels to Makoto. Unsurprisingly, Takashi survives. The episode ends with the words "Life Goes On" as Makoto is approached by someone needing his troubleshooting services.
The climactic fight between the G-Boys and Red Angels falls short in the Season 1 finale of Ikebukuro West Gate Park, not because we never saw a full-out brawl but because it didn't emotionally pay off. We never see the two gangs reconcile. We don't know why the Red Angels disbanded nor why Kyouichi decided to leave -- essentially his found family -- in favor of a home his parents left for him. The stabbing by the little girl may be a symbol of Ikebukuro's peace and innocence falling apart; Takashi allowing her to hurt him is his apology to her for allowing this to happen on his watch. But it was so random that it lost whatever impact that it was aiming for.
Ikebukuro suffered from trying to be two things at once: a slice-of-life show about a troubleshooter and a story about gang wars. While there were hints that this format would work, this final episode was not the strongest. If the heart of the show was about Ikebukuro being a place where unlikely people find a community together, the ending should have focused more on that.
