After seasons of jokes about five boys forced into frilly magical girl outfits, the OVA stops pretending this is just comedy. It's a graduation story dressed up as fan service, and it hits because you've already loved these characters too long to pretend you're laughing at them instead of with them. The emotional weight lands hardest if you watched from the beginning, but that's the point, this one is built for the people who stayed. By the time the ending theme plays, you're not watching a parody of magical girl romance anymore. You're saying goodbye to friends.
Set after the second season, this single OVA takes place in March, with graduation close at hand for the Earth Defense Club. The older boys are about to leave school, and they look back together on the memories they have shared. Everyone, from the departing third-years to the second- and first-years staying behind, wrestles with complicated feelings that are hard to express. The day after, the club has to protect the graduation ceremony from a Second Button Monster sent by Zundar and Dadacha, but Yumoto has trouble drawing on his love power. The result is a comedic, slice-of-life take on the magical boy formula, sending the club off with a farewell episode.
Streaming Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! legally, as of the last catalog refresh. Availability changes by region.
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