At last, completed Motonobu Hori & Shinichiro Watanabe's musical anime series, Carole & Tuesday, and truly enjoyed most of it. Particularly its world, characters, and overall lighthearted tone regarding the role of the artist, even in the colonized space of Cowboy Bebop. The show's greatest strengths being its appealing leads, and the often incredible soundtrack spinning a tale of a pair of starcrossed musicians who create a unique analog musical bond in a world where pop music tends to be enhanced via technological means. It isn’t hard to see where this affection for popular music through the ages sits within the heart of Watanabe, who’s classic 1998 series was nothing if not in itself a gargantuan solar system spanning poem regarding art’s influence upon our often ephemeral relationships with one another.

Where the show does stumble, is of course toward the final stretch with too many overbearing plot threads introduced far too late, and a finale that feels far too pat for the show's length. In truncating the end, the show never figures out how to properly address some awkwardly inserted timely elements, taking the teeth out of what could have been an emotionally powerful closing. Come episode 21, it had become alarmingly clear that every subplot that had been introduced in the wake of C & T’s overnight success, was about to get the compression treatment, and it wasn’t more evident than in the pacing of their musical rival, the talented and feisty Angela. A choice that only further hurts the more political themes the show was bravely hewing close to as the story pits artists versus the changing, and often manipulated sentiment of a public on the brink of an anti-immigrant platform on the coming election. An election that features a candidate closely related to a member of our duo.

Another reminder of the importance of knowing that your producers have your back to make good on these themes before, and during production. Because from the looks of how the show plays out, it seems like something happened resulting in a season shortened from the classic 26 episode order to 24. What we get, is a sorely missed opportunity for anime to spin a potent allegory for the current moment, and more a sweet-intentioned , and occasionally rousing ode to music set amidst a compelling sci-fi backdrop.

Still, I would have loved to have followed these characters through more adventures, making new friends and allies between planets alike. They are a charming, cheerworthy pair that the show almost forgets to explore further. In a way, C & T, for all their charms fall into the background as the meaty complications around them begin to pile up. Their spirit and music shine for sure, but we really deserved that beautiful seven minute miracle, and everything it purportedly changed.

But in order for that to happen, we probably needed those last two episodes.