I just want to take a moment to show some appreciation for Miho.
The boys approach her to be their club advisor and she agrees, despite sports having absolutely nothing to do with what she teachers. The sport is for swimming no less, and she clearly states she never wants to wear a swimsuit again. Even though being the supervisor to a swim club would probably bring up situations where she’ll have to deal with swimsuits (i.e. when Nagisa invited her with them to go shopping in episode 4), she still agrees.
She supports the team throughout both seasons. She goes to their practices and all their competitions, cheering them on alongside Gou and the others. She gives them advice in her own way. Both about swimming matters and personal matters. My favorite moment is when she talks to Nagisa about the issue with his parents. Her “yolo” philosophy has encouraged the boys to discover themselves, like in the season 1 finale how she didn’t scold them much for pulling the stunt of having Rin replace Rei, she just said “it’s fine, young people do crazy things.” She’s aware of changes in the team’s relationships, like how she noticed Haru seemed different, which shows she pays attention and truly does care.
And look how happy and proud she is here. Miho is a wonderful teacher and club advisor. She reminds me of a couple teachers I had in high school, who were so supportive of their students both in and outside the classroom, aka the best teachers ever. I hope the team gave her a nice gift after nationals for being their advisor cause she deserves it.
FUCKING IMPORTANT ALL READ PLEASE
I mean if you think about it, sure the team has to deal with Mako and Haru leaving, but so does she. Teachers have to deal with their students leaving, and it has to mean something to her, in this moment, because it’s the last relay she’ll ever see this group in, this group she advised and cared for. While it certainly isn’t the last group of swimmers (as seen in the end, where they have newcomers), this is her first group, the first time she was the team adviser, so she’s losing something right now, too. And she looks so proud of them, you know? Sure they’re separate but they’ve come so far, have worked through some tough things, and are still connected to each other. I’m sure that’s a lesson she hopes they carry with them for all time :)