This anime is my personal favorite, I'll say that up front. Though I can't seem to think of any part of this show that was top notch (Though everything about it was at least good), it is definitely more than the sum of its parts, and it is by and large the most enjoyable anime I have ever seen. I mentioned that I watched it twice, which, for me, is saying something, as I tend to not re-watch series unless I truly loved them, yet I can see myself re-watching this show several more times in the future.
However, before I speak on anything specific about the show, I will say that it is VERY important to be open-minded with this anime. This show is, above all else, loud, goofy, and stupid. If you are someone who cannot "turn their brain off" when it comes to watching anime, this show is likely not for you, as you pretty much need to do so in order to enjoy this show. Explanations for things (Such as Spiral Energy in general) are pretty dumb when taken a closer look at, as are most all of the sci-fi aspects of the show. But if you are able to get past the rather high suspension of disbelief, you'll find a series that has so much heart and embraces its own stupidity so completely that it is simply impossible to not enjoy on some level.
I would actually say that the weakest part of this show is its story, though, as I said, it is still good. Save one significant event early on, which I will refrain from mentioning, it never really throws any curve-balls at you, though I will admit, the ending was surprisingly touching and rather sad. Still, everything in between was decent enough, with no moments story wise that really stood out as being particularly bad in any way. Though there are many moments that may seem rather deus exa machina-ey, they never really stand out as they seem to fit with the silly and over the top theme of the show.
The art is rather consistent throughout, and while nothing stood out to me as all that impressive, it was overall very good. It boasts many varied and memorable character designs and decent use of lighting to accentuate the more serious scenes. However, I will still only rate it "good" for one thing in particular…episode 4. From what I understand, there was a guest director for this episode, Osamu Kobayashi. While he has worked on another one of my favorite anime, Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad, along with others, his style is much…well, I'm not expert in art myself, but the term I would use would be "sketchier", if that makes sense. The point being, it doesn't match the rest of the episodes, though it is still good, the only difference being the art style, not the quality. However, given how he only directed one episode, it messes with the consistency of the shows animation overall.
The sound in this show is rather spectacular. Special shout-out to Kyle Hebert, the voice of the iconic Kamina, for his particularly wonderful voice acting. It takes a special kind of voice actor to make the many idiotic and ridiculously "manly" monologues of Kamina sound sincere and entertaining without being too stupid sounding, and Hebert obviously does a great job of it. The rest of the voice cast all had great performances as well, with no real weak links among them. The music is also equally great, the opening theme getting you sufficiently pumped for the episode to come along with decent background music throughout. Also, I don't care what your stance is on rap music, I defy anyone to not have the line "Row, Row, Fight Da Powah!" stuck in your head for WEEKS after watching this show.
The characters are a big part of what makes this show as great as it is is the characters. From Simon's emotional journey into manhood, the bombastic manliness and stupidity of Kamina, to the badassness and likability of Yoko, and everyone in between, this cast is memorable and lovable from beginning to end. Despite the silliness of what is happening, you find yourself really caring for these characters and wishing them to succeed, enjoying their antics all the while.
In the end, what makes this show great is how wonderfully all of the elements come together. With the over the top story, extremely energetic characters and music, and art that reflects both the silly, serious, and just badass moments equally well, this show is definitely a masterpiece by sheer enjoyability alone. With moments that will tug at your heart strings, characters that never cease to entertain, and lines that will be engrained in your memory for years to come, this show is a blast from beginning to end, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
