I too thought the action scenes were just a tad too fast, and maybe there was one too many, and would have preferred more story.

They also needed to address the origin of the SHM a bit more. Plus, while it was available for Japanese fans, the origin and when Geostigma occurred should have been made available for the US fans as well (if you'd like a link to the translated stories, I can do that).

I fully agree with your comment "the chance to catch up with some old friends", I felt the same way. :D