I posted this in the Ping Pong the Animation OT, but got no reply, so I figure I'll repost it here - it's also an opportunity for me to reiterate my appreciation for the show and the gaffers who introduced it to me:
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One question about the final episode: what did people get out of the scene where the older generation reunites outside the match? Koizumi expresses what seems to be the closest thing to outright resentment he's capable of, asking Kazama directly about the Butterfly Jo affair. Kazama reacts completely tactlessly, shrugging it off. Koizumi challenges him, and he continues to be a total sleazeball, offering Tamura one of his wares. None of this appears to be a joke. Then the tone of the scene completely changes. Koizumi says some things that are intentionally obscured and the three seem to reconcile, "returning" to their earlier days. I can't help but feel like I missed something significant here. I'll probably feel like a fool when someone explains it to me.