Stranger Than (Fan) Fiction

This is a short promo reel designed to pitch the never-aired Buffy: The Animated Series. For all of its positives-- the carry-over most of the show's cast (Sarah Michelle Gellar excepted), the involvement of the many of the live-action show's writers, and the shiny anime-like look of it all-- I can't say I'm sorry this never aired. Despite the writers' involvement, the scenes here feel like high-level fanfic, a regurgitation of the tropes and jokes that the original Buffy explored with such grace and richness. Plus, Buffy's high school years were perfect-- elegant, closed-off and complete, like a 34-episode miniseries. Is there really any reason to go backwards, especially when the one constant across all of Joss Whedon's programs is the necessity of change (with both its terrifying loss and its endless possibility)?