Glad it reached its conclusion before it got completely worn out. I don't think it was axed at all. Also like that the childhood friend actually won. Well, I say "won" but she had no real competition in the first place. The girls were all swords and he clearly saw them all that way.
He didn't get with her in the end. She was showing off her edge, the last thing that allowed him to finish his sword. There's a lot of innuendo, but their relationship was never romantic from the get go. The new sword calls her "mama" because she's the basis for the new sword.