Story:6
The story is certainly not what I liked best about the series. The story kinda gets the job done and that's about it. Not that I didn't like a lot of moments, but it is overall very obscure and introduces discussions about bunch of vague emotions that just come and go. Also, while the Siam backstory is very interesting, there is not quite enough focus than I would like, compared to Fate/Zero or Elfen Lied, where the main character's backstory is the main focus of a couple of episodes, . There are great standout moments, but the story itself is kind of a mess. Though to its credit, it ties up everything better than fellow 13-parter Angel Beats.
Presentation (Biased Version): 15
Holy crap these action scenes are amazing 15/10 would watch again
Presentation (Sureeus Verzhun): 10
But seriously, the action scenes are very fluid and are very exciting. Even quieter scenes have a decent amount of fluidity to it. While a lot of time is spent in dark military bunkers and the gritty streets of Shanghai, it is actually a pretty gorgeous anime. While some scenes seem a bit jagged, these are merely nitpicks and are overshadowed by the gorgeous action scenes
Sound: 9
While this isn't the usual pairing of a Type/Moon property and Yuki Kajura that was pretty much made in Heaven, the soundtrack is very strong, espescially the themes of Alphard and Siam. The OP is amazing, flashy, and catchy as hell. The ED is meh, and I skipped it a lot of times to see the OP again.
Characters: 8
I had a lot of fun with the characters, the taxi driver, though he only appears in a couple scenes, is freakin' awesome, and makes singing Jpop songs about China cool. Yun Yun was a combination of adorable, yet annoying, she doesn't get too much focus and is more of a comic relief vehicle and does the job adequately well, at least better than Jar Jar. Hakko is probably one of my favorite characters in the entire series, though, at first, she seems a bit off since she rarely speaks, when she does speak, she is very awesome, even if it often ends up bad for her. I'll have a hard time discussing the titular character without spoiling anything, but she is very interesting. One of the biggest problems I have though, is the relationship between her and Maria, it seems that they keep teasing the Yuri audience frequently with what I can only assume is just a strong mutual friendship. Oh I almost forgot The Snake Organization, here's a haiku for you weaboos out there
Alphard bleeds awesome
I could care less 'bout Cummings
Liang is cray-cray
FINAL VERDICT
8/10
Pretty freakin' cool
But the plot kinda sucks
Liang's still cray-cray
RECOMMMENDATION: MEDIUM-HIGH
