Been watching this show since the start back in 2019, sowhen I heard about the number of chapters they were going to adapt in just 13 episodes, I really thought this would be a trainwreck, where, just like god of High School and Classroom of the Elite, you can tell they rushed through a lot of scenes and events, without even reading the source material. The idea that the end would be ruined pissed me off.
But man, I was wrong. Nothing felt out of place. Obviously, if it had been 24 episodes, we would have had the characters outside of the main cast shine, but all the most important stuff was adapted; that's what matters. All the little things that manga readers were whining about were either rearranged to a later scene (reveal about Haumea and what goes on in her head) or just cut because they're not too important. It's incredible what the team at Studio David managed to achieve: 88 chapters in 13 episodes, and it worked out extremely well. 88 chapters in 13 episodes ffs.
The animation and visuals as the world transformed were stunning, too. A lot of people were semi-joking about them saving it for this part. You hear that so often, but it almost never turns out that way, but it did with this show. It's such a clear jump in quality compared to the last cour (Barring that superb finale). I also think this season's animation is arguably even better than season 1's, given how expansive those crazy scenes were yet how detailed they were animated. Space, the world becoming whacky, the burning flames everywhere, and Shinra recreating the world, etc., were all vividly drawn and animated. When you also add some of the fights, it's really something special. The way the world is being transformed is such a cool, unique premise, especially given the themes the author was exploring. Never seen anything like it.
The themes were very engaging, too. Usually, when Villain props up despair/death, it's to make others understand (Pain), to express a selfish desire for revenge against the world (Shigaraki), or just out of pure malice. Oukobo played it differently, though. Haumea does it all out of pure compassion and complete belief that this is the way because she receives humanity's subconscious desire. She's also framed as actually being the one correct, as A. All of Shinra's arguments don't ever really land; it's purely emotional, B. His little brother repeatedly tells him that bringing the world back doesn't fix it, and C. It's a fact that the weak will continue to suffer, and despair will build again. Rather than having the villain be outright wrong or flawed in their thinking, the author posits that, as a fact of the world, Shinra has to actually tackle the problem itself rather than just bulldoze through with his way of thinking. The hope that he embodies has to be greater than the despair of humanity, for his ideals to be worth realizing. That's what he does by making life seem a bit less precious, so that when it's time to go to the afterlife, it doesn't come with fear and despair. The way Despair and Hope were portrayed in this season was very fresh and novel.
It was also nice for Shinra to realize he could not do anything more on his own and needed his family to achieve his heroics. It shows that the series didn't abandon its theme of togetherness at the end. The entire idea of Bansho Man is super cool, too, lol.
Shinra and Arthur. You have a lot of series with a deuteragonist, but often one of them lags behind and never has quite the same impact on the story as the other. These two are not in that category. Arthur is crucial to the story's outcome and serves as the vehicle for the climax, since he grasps the "Adollafied" world instantly. He has a massive fight against the dragon and again pops up in the end to lift Shinra out of despair
On Shinra, it just puts a massive smile on my face to see what he achieved and how he grew. He wanted to be a Hero this entire series, and he achieved that not just by saving, but by literally remaking it into a better one. It's such an insane feat and incredibly memorable, too. He has his own space in the world of Shonen protagonists thanks to his unique approach to being a hero. I love that he's finally able to smile for real and that he fixed the actual problem rather than bulldozing through with his ideals. Can't really put into words how much I love how and where his character ended up.
Lastly, it's just insane what the author did with the story, how it's all a prequel to a manga he made ages ago, fits seamlessly, and shines all on its own. It's really an incredible feat in writing and very creatively done.
Just so happy that a show that I love ended in such a satisfying and memorable way, it's an ending that I will be thinking about for a long while.
