Oukouchi's feeling, as he expressed it, was that Lelouch was supposed to die, and promised to die, to atone for all he'd done; so, his coming back to life should come at a personal cost for him. He should suffer because otherwise he would have gotten off too easily for what he did in the main series. (And this use of "protagonist" isn't really exclusive; Suzaku and C.C. were also protagonists for the original anime.)

Suzaku and Kallen fighting together, for one; Lelouch's reunion with Suzaku on the rooftop, for another. More that aren't coming to immediate mind.

I haven't watched any of the PDs since the Masked Confessional PD. I just haven't been interested. Friends who know me well and saw it said they didn't think I'd like it, either, haha. I'm inclined to trust them on that.

But I'm glad you liked it! And I hope you and my other readers are pleased by the new manga. Fingers crossed. ♥