In a lot of ways REC fits in line with a history of short, excerpted anime series adopting from manga and other mediums to present us with something heart-warming. The historic example of it is Android Ana Maico 2010. I think because how close this (and amusingly, it’s really not close to the original manga at all) adaptation has to do with the entertainment industry, I bet the creators felt it had to be somewhat uplifting.
And it is uplifting. Long story short REC is drama between a man and a woman, both with their drastic failing and reconciliations. The focus is the definition of their relationship; the hook is being a seiyuu, the setup, cuteness, and Audrey Hepburn; but ultimately it is warm, fuzzy fun. The drama is a little serious sometimes, and to its benefit despite the surreal fantasy that it kicks off from, there’s a lot of appeal to realism within the subsequent struggle between the main characters.
It’s good to know that nine episodes and 9*12 minutes later, we get our satisfactory ending. It’s probably no better than Cosprayer the Movie, but it really makes you want to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s or something (which probably has a longer runtime).