In conclusion, Hajimari succeeds at being a parallel to the 3rd and a great send off to the 7 games long arc. It takes gambles and they pay off. Falcom managed to make a game of mostly reused assets and barely any new characters and still make it feel very fresh.
For one, I was worried about Rean burn out, he was the MC for 4 other whole games after all. Thankfully the way this game handled his character was very refreshing and something I'm sure everyone who cared about Rean wanted to see.
My thoughts on Hajimari; (Spoiler free)
The core writing in Hajimari is about on par with the rest of the series, but with some interesting spins and curves that make it all around very refreshing. Most importantly the formulaic approach of Cold Steel is gone.
There's nothing more chuuni than this pose, I'm glad they gave it to Rean. That scene with him doing the same pose running through that grassy field is also peak aesthetic. Can't wait to see it in context.