The story is presented in a manner which involves a lot of flashbacks, dream sequences which are not clearly distinguished from reality, surreal imagery, explicated metaphor... in short, it is overwhelmingly confusing.
Even after watching the entire series, all I can say about the plot is that it is designed to mess with my head... anything else is questionable, so even if I wasn't wary of spoilers, I can't really give you any details (I mean, I could, but, not really).
If you've watched Serial Experiments Lain, or Memento, then this probably belongs in a similar category in terms of the way the story is presented as a plot.
Sound, Art:both Great! (9/10)
The sound and art have very high production values... but I would put the Art one step below perfect because, although somewhat intentional, they are so many time-jumps that not only the story, but even the action is at times difficult to follow.
The characters... (8/10)
well, they are somewhat well developed but I really had to think about that for a bit. For certain, it is an interesting way of presenting common themes by changing various details... so I will just say that the characters are very well thought out, but are overshadowed a bit by the non-linear presentation and even the "flashiness" of the art style.
They are few "slice of life" moments in this series, so it is hard to connect to even the main characters... even when background history is being given, it is usually in the midst of a battle or tense situation.
Enjoyment... (7/10)
Ouch, my head hurts!
I appreciate that the production values were high, and the plot was well thought out and spans a vary long time... but at the same time, I had to just stop the series and go to watch something else, whilst my brain adjusted to "normal time flow", least I start walking backwards or something.
In that sense, I enjoyed it less than the more linear (in terms of time presentation, but perhaps, more incomplete in terms of story details) Serial Experiments Lain... and there was so much going on, involving several major "players", that I actually found Memento easier to follow.
Overall... (8/10)
I would say this series is very good, but its presentation pace will overwhelm even people who like non-linear story presentation (anyone who claims different, just shut off their brain or something and is lying to themselves), and the ambiguous ending sparks more questions... unlike Serial Experiments Lain, which I have re-watched several times, I am deeply hesitant to even glance at Kurozuka again... it does something to stretch the mind, but perhaps in ways that it would be best not to attempt too often.
If "Ringu" and Serial Experiments Lain are mindfucks, then this is a hardcore mind-gang-rape... but by a very beautiful flock of fangirls.
Or something.
