[Switchblade]

A strong ending for a show that really pulled itself up to recover from its early problems. Never would've thought this way back at the halfway mark, but I'm really going to miss this show and its characters. I feel like we got a good conclusion, though. The final battle itself wasn't very special, but the last encounter with Heart was really moving - easily the most emotional death in the series for me, including Chase's. The Ghost cameo was surprising and kinda random, but a nice touch; it reminded me of when the Core Medals were teased at the end of W (plus it allowed for a second action scene in a very combat-light episode). Didn't expect to see the Drive gear sealed away, but it makes sense and should make for a cool reunion scene in the next Movie War. All the character wrap-ups were nicely done and I appreciated the little Animal House style descriptions of what happened next during the credits. And that last scene with Shinnosuke and Kiriko driving off together was pretty much the perfect capstone on the series.

I know there's still the crossover episode next week, but it really won't count as a main part of the story. This is the end and I think the best thing to say here is just:

Nice Drive!

(car honks)