>>280508146
I think it's on theme. Takopi swore the bring a smile to Shizuka's face, and promised to somehow save Marina. All he could do in the end was make them talk a little. Perhaps it's weak and unearned to you, but to me it's tragic and bittersweet how little Takopi's ultimate sacrifice amounted to, how little he could do to help these kids despite having all manner of gadgets and a heart of gold. The only small happiness left is that at least the children aren't alone anymore. That's kind of the culmination of the themes in this story I think.

It's a little bit rushed maybe, and Takopi's ability to fix the camera by sacrificing himself is a deus ex machina kind of element. But none of that diminished my enjoyment of the story honestly. I was fully invested through the two or three hours that I took to read this story in one go and I honestly think it's a masterpiece. Maybe you would have enjoyed an ending where Takopi just becomes an alien therapist for the three kids, but I think this kind of ending was poetic in its bittersweetness, even though it loses a few points in believability. The core message of the story really is that some problems are unfixable, and at times you can only talk about your issues.