Either way it was like a bad M Night Shyamalan twist, I really think better writing could have brought the conflict to a similar place without that. I haven't seen it since it aired, but I remember thinking it was a nearly perfect anime up to that point.

I know it's a hot take in the weeb community: many years ago I left a review with similar thoughts on an anime site, still called it good, but it wasn't a popular review.