I'll admit I'm not super fond of the way this ended, with the series tossing or downplaying most of its thematic questions in the 11th hour in favor of keeping the status quo as relatively unchanged as possible. Especially the way they handled Alan and the heart.
It's still a phenomenal series, but I almost get the impression that they're banking on this getting a second season and as such didn't resolve things in order to dramatize them later.
Edited by KnownUnknown on Sep 25th 2022 at 5:48:03 AM
Hm, I wonder if they had two ways to end it in mind depending on how the series was being received? Obviously, with the LN needing multiple reprints just for preorders and being able to get the spinoff manga greenlit, it seems like things are going well, so 'fundamentally change the setting' would shut down too much sequel.
I don't know about that. The novel was announced at most like two months ago, which isn't no time to retake an episode, but they would have had to redo at least two to change the ending too much.
I just don't think ending DA was ever on the table. Maybe super early on before the director signed on, back when it was apparently more like Gunslinger Girls, but.
It's been fun.It's possible? But there's a lot of pre-work that has to be done to set up work on an episode, as far as I know. Coming up with two possible endings and keeping them as potentials until the series was airing would be nuts. I think the absolute farthest they could get into pre-production would be the storyboards or director's thumbnails?
It's been fun.I think probably the best line for thinking about the ending is Chisato's line that "there are so many things more important to me than the world." The ending suggests that she's embraced that DA isn't her problem to solve, and neither is Japan. What she really wants to do is spend time working in a cafe, enjoying the beach with her girlfriend and family, and that's what she gets.
It may seem selfish (and it is to some extent), but I think wanting her to single-handedly take down DA or most of the other suggestions people came up with on Tumblr and such, actually fall into the same problem as Shinji's beliefs: that she has a responsibility to do those things because she has the ability to. Putting aside the fact that exposing DA would get the Lycorises and Lilybells executed, she just plain has no obligation to do so. And so she didn't.
It's been fun.Both her and Majima agreed that neither one of them were wrong. Wanting to maintain the status quo or uppend the system.
Though its really noticeable to me that Chisato and Mika didn't interact at all in the epilogue. Wonder if that was deliberate since they would have to address the elephant in the room.
And man, Chisato really fell for the bag drop bait last episode lol.
A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.![]()
Chisato’s the type to walk into obvious traps because she’s confident she’ll make it through anyway. And anyway, if she dies, it would be a little sooner than she expected.
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It surprises me that people actually thought Chisato would want to take down DA, when it’s been clear she would prefer to have nothing to do with them.
If this is the end, then omitting it is probably for the best yea to maintain the atmosphere...which is basically what Majima criticized huh...go figure.
Though it does raise an interesting point about Chisato's ideals and I read this on ANN; sure, Chisato is fine with her Thou Shall Not Kill rule, but that doesn't account for what others are willing to do for her sake. Takina was shooting to kill Shinji if it meant saving her and Mika straight up does it himself.
Its the Homura phenomenon. How justified is killing for the sake of someone you love before it becomes a problem.
So many potential questions for a sequel.
I feel like it's because some feel it makes her a hypocrite? She wants her happy life for those around her, but doesn't want to address the actual problems in front of her.
Edited by BlackYakuzu94 on Sep 26th 2022 at 4:20:24 AM
A lazy millennial who's good at what he does.
She did stop Takina from shooting Shinji once, and the times after that, Shinji proved correct - Takina couldn't bring herself to shoot fatally when Chisato had begged her not to. Chisato made it clear to Takina that she didn't want to live if it meant Takina had to kill him.
The fact that Mika DID kill for Chisato's sake is something that will have to come up between them. And honestly, it's not her responsibility to shoulder everyone else's decisions. She's only 17, after all.
Mika clearly made his choice, and it really tore him up inside. I don't know if that will make it easier for Chisato to forgive him, either for killing Shinji or for lying to her, but I think he weighed that guilt against Chisato's affections for him and chose to save her even if she ends up hating him. But she might not; the only person alive who knows now is Himegama, after all.
Edited by RedSavant on Sep 26th 2022 at 1:25:08 AM
It's been fun.Risking a doublepost - I don't think it's Chisato's responsibility to save the world. She's a teenager. The responsibility to end DA lies on the shoulders of DA.
If Majima showed nothing else, it's that DA can cover up almost anything given enough time. I'm curious what people think Chisato ought to do; she can't intercept every DA killsquad or stop every terrorist on her own. She can't publicize the agency without risking the lives of the people she cares about and all the people at DA. Not even direct video footage was enough to break the veil, though people do have lingering questions and doubts at the end of S1.
I mean, why do you think she left?

Letting Chisato play any sort of hand eye coordination related sport would feel like cheating.
"Okay, she can predictively dodge bullets from fully automatic gunfire and shoot you without looking with rubber rounds. I'm sure this will be fine to let into professional sports."