[kuromitsu]

Originally Posted by Vena

I don't think any amount of justification can really make this work in a single episode (and the DC is likely not going to add anything worthwhile if the first was any indication. I'd expect that they simply cut out all of the gattai sequences and a few minor details to save time... like maybe whatever happened to the whole of Altair?).

Well, even a few extra scenes or lines here or there would go a long way. Not that it would completely fix the problem, but it would make the transition a tad more natural. That said, I'm not expecting much either (at least not on this front), but hope never dies and whatnot.

Originally Posted by Vena

The ending, and really the last two episodes, were riddled with characters dancing to Okada's (she wrote both) tune.

You mean the entire series. It's just that these two eps had to deal with all the unforeshadowed, poorly handled stuff that accumulated during the show's run.

Originally Posted by Vena

If she had introduced the change to Kagura anywhere between 22-25 (where he's freed from Mykage's control and has regained his memories) it would have probably been easier to swallow but, instead, we go from Kagura's readiness to watch the world explode to, a couple of minutes later, him not caring about Mikono anymore and just handing her over.

I think they just lost their sense of time, which happens pretty often in shows made up of weekly episodes, but for what it's worth that didn't bother me either, specially for this reason. Sure, if we get down to it the last four eps happened pretty much within 24 hours or so, but it sure didn't have that impression. (Btw, I don't think it was undermined with the ~suffering~ thing - they dealt with that in a pretty nice way.)

Originally Posted by Vena

What they may have been trying to accomplish with Kagura and what seems to have gotten lost in the translation ...

Er, I don't think it was lost in translation, I've been saying that this is the case for a good while now, and I think it was made pretty clear earlier... It's just that Kagura actually getting around realizing this was delayed until the last episode with no hint for it whatsoever, so of course his turn of heart (if it can be called that) didn't have a proper foundation.

Originally Posted by Vena

It really does come off as if there was a last minute *keep them alive!* change with Kagura and Zessica.

I don't know. Kagura and Zessica have obviously been designed to be fan favorite characters (Kagura, the sexy wild bad boy who's like the clone of the beloved main character of the previous series; Zessica, the outgoing, genki girl with the barely-there clothes that show off her ahem, assets, that she uses to tease guys...) and as I doubt the happy ending was a last minute decision, I don't think keeping them alive was a last minute decision either. I think that they just screwed up the pacing and development, as with so many other things in this show.