The script for this special was first performed in 2006 at a Sony Music Festival by the original Japanese voice actors. According to the producers, the special was initially meant to be the original ending of the series, however, due to the positive ratings from fans, the popularity of the love story between Renton and Eureka, and how much the actors got into the series, they decided to change the good, legitimate ending into a happy one around the conclusion of season two. In March of 2012, Studio BONES decided to put existing footage of the series into an audio of the original script of the special and air it for the first time on television. Although the special was positively acclaimed by anime critics, it received mixed reactions from fans, who felt it was a sad and yet touching endin