I thought at first it was a bit sad to remind the viewers at the end of every episode how many days Mahoro has left to live, and unlike western programs I know the Japanese aren't going to find a magic way to save her but in the end it worked for the best.
The story I rated 9 - it was very entertaining, with a lot of humor and sweetness to make you fall in love with Mahoro, but as the story develops it becomes richer with more depth as the back stories come to light. I only wish there were more information on the three struggling powers: Saint, Vesper, and Management. I also wish there were more information on Siguru's ancestry. My advice is to kick back and just enjoy the first season, but as the 2nd season progresses pay more and more attention to what's going on outside of the house.
I also rated the art a 9. I don't rate anime on how well the drawings project the human body, but how well the drawings project the idea of the story. When Mahoro goes into battle mode the art is incredible - the orange/red/black coloring of the artwork is incredible in its ability to project power. Then again the art also projects the tranquility of a Japanese spring morning, or the loneliness of a man without a home or a friend.
The sound was ok, but what can I say, I'm a sucker for cute feminine voices and up tempo closing theme songs. A mambo! Who woulda thunk up that besides the Japanese.
The characters were all well defined and stayed true to themselves through out the entire series. Minewa was the epitome of cute while Mahoro was the embodiment of sweet - even in battle mode. While a couple were a bit annoying their quirks made the more reasonable characters that much more reasonable.
Enjoyment for me was a solid 10. While not Gone With The Wind or War and Peace material, it was a good solid view that left a lasting impression. Along with telling a wonderful story it also shows interesting things that the Japanese take for granted, things we westerners aren't familiar with; The Japanese version of Christmas is more like our version of Valentines, their version of Valentines is backwards compared to ours (the women there give candy) and White Day, where the man repays for the gifts received on Valentines doesn't exist here. The episode that showed the 'typical' New Years celebration was also fantastic. Many fansub groups do a good job explaining these differences but unfortunately the companies that release the DVD's to the US market ignore our need to figure out what they are doing.
I highly recommend this for anyone (over the age of 16) to add to their library.
