@Matrim: cheers. Yeah, it’s part review, part editorial. I try to blur the line between the two, or just write without trying to make it one or the other. As for the show itself, “Realism is nothing, inherent logic within a show is everything.” is a great way of putting it actually. I’m dying to see Planetes too, but I can’t afford it right now, sadly.

@Baka-Raptor: there are flaws, but they’re kinda minor so I thought I’d mention them but highlight how the good aspects are much more important. If you want flawless, check out Mushishi!

@ka: I’m not sure if there will be a second season - not without making large changes to the novel’s storyline or similar…or so I’ve heard. I’d still like to see how Shin and Murasaki get on in life a few years down the line.

@Hanners: I wasn’t sure how Benika survived that injury either. But then, her driving skills are superhuman too…still, when it does everything else so well I still can’t dwell on trivialities like that.

@Absolutely Steve: you have a pretty good grasp on the ending as far as I can tell - the characters really are the most important thing, and the action serves as a secondary thing. If Shinkuro whisked Murasaki away again, I’m not sure there would be that feeling of resolution.

@Peter S: I couldn’t agree more! It’s not often when I’m impatiently checking the listings almost daily, just to grab the next ep and see what happens next. I’d love to see it on DVD (as Red Garden is, quite recently) but we’ll have to wait and see.

@TheBigN: Definitely - twelve episodes weren’t enough!

On the other hand, I LIKED how she kicked butt in the last ep. So I put that incongruity (like the others) to the side and just enjoyed.

The characters were developed so well that I was almost afraid to watch the last couple episodes because I was afraid of what might happen to them. Which is a credit to the show.

Despite being pretty hectic there was still time for some more great dialogue (and Benika’s “No parking at the Inner Sanctum?” quip was a classic), and the actual answer to whether Murasaki would be saved or not was refreshing by not being black or white, as life so rarely is. Given all that, I was really pretty disappointed by the cop-out regarding Benika (how did she not die after that?!), but I can forgive that one flaw considering how many great things this series has provided me with during its run.

In short then, I think you’ve summed it all up pretty well.

And yes, despite all the other worthy stuff, the characters are the most memorable thing in Kurenai indeed.

P.S. xdotx, I really hope your comment was nothing but irony. If not, I would like to hear about the political messages in Kurenai since i failed to notice any.