The extended ED with reused scenes (and a still image) feels more like a decision to save 3 minutes' worth of animation and less like an artistic choice. Man, I wish the series had better production values. The animation as a whole feels cheap, and the direction is pretty uninspired as well. The fact that, in spite of that, it is still so enjoyable is a testament to how strong the source material is and how good a job the VA cast is doing.