So I've read the two Compilation novels now, and I have more to say on TKAA than OTWTAS - other than OTWTAS to me is now my new favorite Compilation title, lol, and my fav chapter from that is Case of Nanaki. As Ody said above, he needs everything he can get lol. It was great to have his character expanded and I loved them leaning more into his animal side and making his struggle a balance of his animal side and his intellect.
As for TKAA - there were various elements that were interesting, some that I enjoyed a lot, but some that I had some issues with.
I really enjoyed this take on Kadaj, and I wish it was the version we got in the movie. It also made it a lot clearer what Jenova's powers actually were. Kadaj manipulating people's memories and being described as this unusual person who speaks through people's misperceptions and mysteries really elevated the character to new heights.
However, the parts that I took issue with in this story and with a lot of the Compilation as well is how the Shinra is handled. Some really enjoyed these parts, but I didn't.
The Shinra in the OG were very clearly meant to be parallels to the corruption of runaway corporatism, Rufus was clearly the spoiled rich opportunistic son that inherited the family corporation, and the Turks were obvious representations of Police brutality and corrupt cops. There were some expansions to this idea in the Comp that were interesting, but my main gripes start as soon as this is angled as a "redeeming" of Rufus and the Turks. I'm not saying that can't work, but I don't think it works the way it's written.
Aside from the obvious point of Rufus being heavily implied to be dead at the end of OG, the way he and the Turks go about justifying their continued existence doesn't align well with the way the rest of society has moved on. At the end of Case of Shinra in OTWTAS, it's even stated that the Turks were allowed to continue dealing with protesters "the Turks way" - as in, using force and violence to suppress them. The thing is, after everything the people of Midgar and now Edge went through in the OG, they have every right to protest the Shinra's continued existence, and in TKAA, they especially have the right to protest a monument built and dedicated to the Shinra. Yet Rufus and the Turks resolve this by again, using brute force on the protesters and then forcing them into a labour contract to help Shinra build the monument. Without Rufus or the Turks having any reflection on the morals of this method and barely having any comeuppance given to them about how these tactics are corrupt. The only comeuppance comes at the end when Tseng starts whaling on the lying Doctor and Evan begs him to stop.
The only steps they take toward redemption is seeking and distributing a cure for the Geostigma, but again, that's not enough when you're still using the same corrupt tactics you were always using. If you want to angle this as a sort of "what would happen if the Shinra still operated after Meteorfall", that's one thing, but you can't have it be read as a redemption when there's little reflection on them still using violent and oppressive tactics to achieve their means.
After the ending of OTWTAS I was actually glad that TKAA started with a group of anti-Shinra youth, as I felt this could be a great setup to the conflict of the Shinra's continued existence and actually show steps toward a stronger redemption for them. But I was left disappointed in the end when Evan just ends up completely changing his mind on the Turks willy-nilly just because they helped him out of a few tight spots. Hell, one of his best friends is killed by Rude and left behind a now heartbroken little brother who hates the Shinra. These stories do few favors for the Shinra's "redemption", as they don't do nearly enough reflecting on their actions that they need to in order for a proper redemption to occur.
Maybe the point wasn't that they were "redeemed", but the way some people talk about it gives me that impression, and I disagree.
I still think Rufus' arc in the OG is more satisfying and cohesive than his development in the Comp.
