Just got through rewatching the series/movie myself. Sincerely hoping this pachinko thing leads to S3 eventually since I rather enjoy the series,
re: Endless 8
I think the concept is neat, and for those who can't handle all 8 in a row, I devised a better way to watch them.
Watch the first one, pick any random one between 2 and 7, then watch the last one. Gives the idea the plotline there was meant to do, but doesn't drag it on for two-thirds of an anime season.
I personally didn't mind it TOO much, though I don't know if I could sit through the whole thing more than the once I did when I first got S2's collection.