The last episode was a worthy climax for the series, though may not have been a worthy finale. Or should I rather say it was a worthy finale, but not the finale we wanted? Here’s the thing: I personally never managed to predict what would happen in the next episode. (And I’m really talking about “next episode” stuff, not stuff like “Shun is Nao’s benefactor” or “Ayumi will die”. A lot of that stuff was easily predicted by the community). It always came as a surprise. So I expected the finale to be the biggest surprise of them all - only to be surprised by the lack or surprises. Everything happened more or less the way Nao explained it in the previous episode. Yuu will have to travel the world stealing all powers (the only thing I partially did manage to predict), he’ll have trouble communicating because he sucks at English, he’ll be overwhelmed by the power he holds and go insane, he’ll become a monster and in best case, he’ll return home after finishing the task.
Considering the shift in tone at episode 6, I really expected Yuu to die in the end. Well, losing your memories and not recognizing your loved ones comes pretty close to death, but it doesn’t feel nearly as tragic - and there’s still some hope for recovery.
Coming back to the “finale we wanted” thing: In that regard, this episode was like pretty much like the rest of Charlotte: It was different from what we had expected. But putting those expectations aside, I think it was a solid and impactful finale. I definitely enjoyed watching it.
I may be adressing the expectations issue at a later point in time.
This episode definitely had a ton of really cool moments.
Yuu stealing the power to heal from a good-natured person - cool.
Yuu deciding not to time leap and save Kumagami - cool.
Yuu losing it and becoming accelerator - cool.
Courage girl trying to protect Yuu even after having her courage plundered - cool.
Hospital scene, Nao’s reaction as Yuu doesn’t recognize her anymore - cool.
Just to name a few examples.
Concerning the next part, I’ll hugely agree with @Velunari:
All of this series was only ever about Yuu.
This episode wasn’t everyone’s battle. It was Yuu vs. World. We have not been shown how Shun holds off foreign attackers as he defends the power users in japan. That’s because it didn’t matter. That wasn’t Yuu’s battle. Everything that ever happened in this story was for Yuu’s sake. Ayumi died, Nao followed Yuu and kept watching over him, which kinda brought them a bit closer together, Yuu got Nao’s brother healed, but then he undid all these things via time travel. And as it turns out, that was completely fine. All that mattered were the effects these events have had on Yuu - their contribution to his character development.
Why did Shun have Time Leap? So that he could create his organization and tell Yuu “leave japan to me”. That way, Yuu had a safe home to return to.
Why did Kumagami die? So that Yuu would realize the gravity of the situation.
Why did Joujirou exist? To be Yuu’s friend and to help Yuu settle in in his new school and the student council.
Why did Yusa and Misa exist? To be his friends and so that Yuu would fully understand what taking away someone’s power means.
Nao’s case is pretty obvious, too. After all, it’s her last present that enabled Yuu to keep a sliver of sanity and press on with his nearly impossible task. She always had his back and she kept him from straying from the right path. She was his reason to come back home.
All these things happened in order to prepare Yuu for this fight. He didn’t lack power or combat-related skills. Plunder is pretty op and as we’ve seen in episode 7, he’s pretty good at winning fights. What he lacked was the inner strength, courage, something worth fighting for, etc. All of these things have been given to him over the course of the previous 12 episodes.
