The Welsper issue definitely has me perplexed. It's odd that they didn't include him in the opening and yet they did include Hild. I wouldn't expect to see Welsper this season except that I can't imagine the Hild arc without him. (him, her, whatever) .
I doubt though that he will be introduced as a cat, though. Establishing the doublet system seems too important. Also, I can't imagine how they would explain a talking demon cat without actually seeing him as the evil child first.
As for continuity of the series with the manga, they have pretty well covered the manga up to around chapter 50; they just skip all over the place. Of the ones they skipped over, I expect to see:
The Date with Belldandy at the Hotel
"Life is Just a Game of Sugoroku Roulette" (one of Urd's best moments)
The Forgotten Promise
The Ninja Masters Arc (leftover from the season 1 intro)
I think Hild will be the season finale, also.
15-May-2006