There will be full spoilers. It's one episode, if you've come this far, just watch it.
This is the sort of ending that undermines what comes before it. While I like Kyoko and should be happy that she's alive, I really don't like how they did it. There was virtually zero foreshadowing or buildup to her coming back beyond a few words from Mikan right before Kyoko walks back in frame. It feels like Kyoko's just back so we can get the full happy ending, which makes that happy ending feel really cheap. It almost ruins the episode for me, turning what could've been a nice bittersweet ending like DR2 into an overly "hopeful" ending that gives me nothing but despair.
My other main point of complaint is that the DR2 cast felt kinda off and really one note. They basically show up for the fight, have a few seconds of screen time each where they get to say a line while showing off their combat skills (unless you're Hiyoko, then you don't know how to do that). It was pure fan service, and it did work on me. I am reluctantly, somewhat of a fan of danganronpa, so seeing the dr2 cast in action got my fan brain happy. Although, I felt that their side of the scene where they confront Mitarai was kinda... wooden? idk, but this hajime felt less charismatic then game hajime.
I actually kinda liked the scene where hajime and the 77th class confront Mitarai and talk him down. I've generally liked Mitarai throughout this series, he probably had the strongest individual arc and it ended with him joining the class once more to atone for their actions. All of them were unwilling pawns of Junko and contributed to great horrors, so them coming together felt appropriate.
As for Hope's Peak being restarted, I'm kinda neutral on it. Considering half the point of the despair arc was showing off how bad Hope's Peak was with it's human experimentation and covering up of crimes. I also feel like it kinda goes against the general theme that "talent isn't everything" to reopen the most talent obsessed institution in the universe. I do get why they did it, as it is kinda a nice bookend to the series, to start with Hope's Peak and end with Hope's Peak.
This episode also felt a bit rushed pace wise. I get that they had a lot to do in this episode, but maybe they should've just included less things. For instance, the super highschool level special forces or whatever they were called have zero presence and are just brought in as different looking fodder for the 77th class to show off their skills defeating. I struggle to remember any specific details about them.
Overall, this was a fairly mediocre episode with one plot point I really really don't like. The only reason it isn't rated lower is because it does effectively pull at my inner fan who likes to see characters they know appear and do their thing.
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