24 minSeason 2 • Episode 13
LatestHaving another attack of narcolepsy, Riki realizes that he always falls asleep at the sight of unpleasant situations, since he saw his parents' dead bodies in a car accident when he was a child, and determined to overcome this weakness, he awakens with Rin's help. Knowing that the bus will explode, Riki and Rin start rescuing the other students from the wreckage only to discover that Kyousuke is using his own body to prevent the gas from leaking further.
Riki was a child when his parents died, leaving him hopeless and depressed. What saved him was a group of four kids calling themselves the Little Busters. They took Riki out and played with him during his time of need. He really enjoyed being together with them, and his grief gradually faded away. Now in his second year of high school they still hang out, fight and live together, and enjoy their school life.
Writing
Jun Maeda's signature tonal whiplash from stupid gags to soul destruction.
Score
Lia's opening still slaps; insert songs weaponized for maximum tears.
Acting
Tomoe Tamiyasu's Rin carries the entire emotional weight somehow.
Yui Horie
Riki Naoe (voice)
Tomoe Tamiyasu
Rin Natsume (voice)
Hikaru Midorikawa
Kyousuke Natsume (voice)
Nobutoshi Canna
Masato Inohara (voice)
Yusei Oda
Kengo Miyazawa (voice)
Natsumi Yanase
Komari Kamikita (voice)
Hikaru Isshiki
Yuiko Kurugaya (voice)
Keiko Suzuki
Haruka Saigusa (voice)
Naomi Wakabayashi
Kudryavka Noumi (voice)
Shiho Kawaragi
Mio Nishizono (voice)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The VN's Rin route was so divisive that the anime significantly rewrote her arc for Refrain, angering purists.
Little Busters represents the last pre-Angel Beats! Maeda work before his style pivoted toward multimedia projects.
JP
