Anyone have thoughts on the new character or the other changes?
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Also, anyone have thoughts on why Anno chose to use several of the BGM tunes from Kare Kano (His & Her Circumstances) in the lighter scenes? To me it's strange that he would do this, unless it's to obliquely infer that both are series that were never finished properly but still can be.
(Background info*: Anno was in charge of Kare Kano until the manga-ka got upset because she thought he was focusing too much on the comedy and not enough on the romance. She pulled the license, and he walked. If you've ever wondered why the Kare Kano anime took a nosedive in the last 1/3 of the series, now you know.)