Thank you for playing!!!
You're the first person I've seen to say the playfield should be bigger lmao... The HUD and playfield elements are positioned like they are so the playfield can be right in the middle of the screen, partly to evoke retro arcade game aesthetics like you mentioned but also for the player to position their eyes easier (they don't have to look to the side too much). The left screen is actually supposed to house the artworks of the characters you were playing at, and their expressions would change depending on how you did in the stage (get hit, bomb, capture an attack, etc.). See CosmoDreamer for a clearer example of this.
Chimata's pre-fight dialogue is indeed meant to evoke an intercom feel! I had Blue Revolver more in mind than MGS but both count, haha. Also thank you so much for appreciating my approach with the Pride theme! The entry was supposed to have more dialogue and story, but since I was running out of time I did what I could do best - and that is incorporate the beauty of Pride inside the danmaku patterns. Glad you liked it, and thanks for playing once again!