The anime is based on a 2011 & 2012 ONA of the same name, but it is not really necessary to watch them first to understand the story, since the anime itself replays some of the scenes on the ONA and makes them make sense afterwards. Still, I recommend to watch them in order to make yourself an idea of what to expect or simple enjoyment.
The story is pretty unpredictable and, even in its "I saw it coming" moments, can pull out a game-changer. Because of its length it is fast-paced in the beginning, pulling out the brakes on the second half, so the viewer can understand what's going on, explaining the world a bit and giving some in-sight on the main characters. Another strong point comes from the broken timeline chronology in which the story is told, jumping from present to past and viceversa in no time. This helps to explain some things that can be confusing at first or make no sense at all if left like it happened just because it happened.
Now, the story may be good and all, but it still left a lot of things unexplained or explained in an unsatisfactory way. The show tends to suffer from this a lot and that wastes a lot of potential that could be used to make a better story, at least in the emotional background.
The characters are good, that's all. They are not memorable and some of them can be really dull. It's a shame since some of them have potential to be better but rather are left unused or left to be comedic relief. The major development is handled by the main characters and their relationship with each other. Still, it sometimes feels like they could be developed a lot more, but the way they're handled to the viewer is good enough to grasp a bit of understandig towards them.
On that account, Koto is shown as a playful kid but once there is some situation that needs a better handling, she plays her part.
That goes the same for the other main characters. I'm talking about Myoue, Inari, Lady Koto, to name a few. Their relationship with each other, and the reason it is like that, plays a big part in the story and on them as characters, although they suffer from the common tropes, such as the loving mother, the carefree guy, the tsundere, etcetera, but that is just common nowadays, and should not be a real problem.
The world in Kyousou Giga could be considered a character itself, especially since the biggest part of the story unfolds in it in a way that shows that the Mirrror Capital (which is based on Kyoto and receives it's name for being a copy of the original. Both exist in the anime) is more important than it really looks at first sight and it is reflected directly in the main characters, who know how important it is the world but maybe not in the way that it really is important.
The art is great and refreshing, not caring to show some exaggerated things in a looney cartooney way and, at the same time, caring to keep accuracy on the city they based the Mirror Capital on. The character designs are good and flow greatly with the world, as if they were meant to be in there and that makes it a special touch.
The sound is good, but it sometimes may be overlooked a bit because it can't be noticed as you're immersed on the story and trying to understand it at the same time. This is good because it is not intrusive nor annoying at any rate. Even like that, I cannot classify it as beautiful, but it is not bad either.
After all, it is a good anime and once you can understand the argument its crazyness makes sense. It feels sometimes that it deserves more attention and is overlooked a lot. In my opinion it is one of the best animes this season and it deserves an opportunity to stand for itself. It has its own weak points and they really wasted a lot of potential that could've been used to make it a masterpiece, but that doesn't render it as a bad show, not even by a bit.
