The heartwarming anime Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again has come to an end, with its series finale airing June 16. In this episode, Shozo and Ine Saito spend time with their loved ones at their home, and teach Mino and Shouta the basics of caring for the apple orchard.
"Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again" Finale Recap
The whole Saito family gathers for New Years at the grandparents’ home. The family spends time together by building snowmen, playing games, eating, drinking sake, and talking about the children.
Later, Mino and Shouta work in the apple orchard with Shozo and Ine, where Shozo teaches Shouta how to prune trees. Shozo and Ine tease Mino and Shouta about when they’re getting married, and Shozo says he is leaving the orchard in Shouta’s hands.
The grandparents go for a walk and observe the beautiful weather. The couple sit under an apple tree, sleepily thinking about their family and all their accomplishments, and talk about participating in the gateball tournament next week. Shozo and Ine say that if they could have one wish, they wouldn’t need to use it since all their wishes have come true. The two close their eyes for the last time, leaning against each other and holding hands.
Fifty years later, another elderly couple find a golden apple in the same orchard, who are revealed to be Mino and Shouta.
Finale Review
The Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again finale is here, and it did not disappoint. Seeing Shozo and Ine spend time with their whole family for one more New Years, as well as passing the apple orchard torch to Mino and Shouta, was the perfect ending. Shozo and Ine thinking about their family and not seeming to be worried about dying and leaving their family, or each other behind, felt like their lives were ready to come to a close with no loose ends.
Although a sad but anticipated ending, the grandparents’ death was handled beautifully. The couple was surrounded by the apple orchard that they loved and cared for so much, and knew they had no regrets or other wishes in their life. The couple can finally rest after reclaiming their youth.
While it’s a little somber to think that Mino and Shouta found her grandparents dead just minutes after the grandparents were active and moving around in the orchard, the anime doesn’t show Mino and Shouta’s reactions. Shozo left Shouta a clue, saying “Shouta-kun, I’ll leave the rest to you,” and by Shouta’s reaction, I’m sure Shouta knew what was coming. Seeing Mino and Shouta carry on their grandparents’ orchard as a couple is what Shozo and Ine would have wanted, and now Mino and Shouta have their turn to be young again. Finding the golden apple on the tree that Mino and Shouta planted together, just like Shozo and Ine did with the tree they planted after their own wedding, was a nice touch.
Overall Thoughts on the Series
My initial reaction to this series was that it would be nothing revolutionary and an easy watch. I would now disagree with my original thoughts. This anime made me reflect on my own life and relationships within my family, the struggles my parents or grandparents went through to be with each other, and what love can really mean.
Though there were some hiccups in the beginning, such a few incestual comments and the seemingly random scenes every couple of minutes, this series improved quickly after episode one. There was a great mix of fun and serious moments throughout the show, and the anime made me think about my own grandparents’ love stories and what experiences they had together. Mino and Shouta’s love story was a sweet slow burn, and I loved to see Shozo and Ine rooting for them the whole series. I’m sad the grandparents never got to see them officially together. However, I like to think the golden apple was a gift sent from Shozo and Ine.
Even with only 11 episodes, this anime made a big impact on the way I view living life, such as spending time and appreciating my elders, and not living life with regrets. Though there’s no golden apple to turn back time for us in the physical world, Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again is a great reminder to fans to live life while we can, and cherish every moment and opportunity that comes our way.
All 11 episodes of Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again are available to watch in Japanese on Crunchyroll.
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