To start off, I don't care for fan service, I can't appreciate non-nonsensical shows that are wacky but have no plot or depth, and fast-paced shows and style only gets you so far before it gets old. KLK ended up defying most of my pre-judgements.
I watched the first 6 episodes and I abandoned the series, writing it off as idiotic and fan service-y, almost like it's trying to compete with Highschool of the Dead with FLCL and Gurren Lagaan elements (which makes sense). I picked it back up because I kept hearing buzz that it was better than that and gave it another shot.
Something that I ended up actually appreciating is that it never stops being what it's trying to be. It doesn't use the lightning-fast pacing, gratuitous fan service, and over-exaggerated styling only in the first half to reel you in then stops. In fact, I got used to it and enjoyed how they implemented it. It knows what kind of show it's going to be from beginning to end and uses those elements to draw you into the characters and story.
Breaking down my ratings-
Story: I would give it a 9 if it had gave a little more to the viewers in the first half to draw you in. The mysteries of Ryuko, her blade, and her Kamui are not well fleshed out enough to keep casual viewers interested until several episodes in. Once you start getting half way in though, the story unravels and takes in several different directions and does a decent job explaining why. You can actually go back and re-watch episodes and you'll catch the subtleties, it's a nice touch. It ends in a way that it wraps up loose ends and doesn't really have you clamoring for a continuation.
Art: I love the over-the-top style, I didn't have problems with rough and sketchy art, but I had a problem with constantly re-using the stock footage of transformation sequences. Then again, I'm also not a huge fan of magical girl shows for that reason. Furthermore, some of the fight scenes were very lazily drawn; if I want to see two people duking it out in what's supposed to be a pretty climactic battle, it shouldn't be animated with a lazy blur of arms and re-used animations. Worse yet, this is done more than a few couples throughout the series. It just seems a lazy.
Sound: Music fit very well, the voice actors were chosen perfectly, and the ambient atmospheric noises were well done too. Not much else there.
Characters: There were very few characters I didn't care for by the end of the show. They made sure most of the characters had more than one appearance and be more than just a ridiculous blip on the radar. The character back stories were fleshed out just enough that you got only what you really needed to know and refrained from showing extra information that didn't serve any purpose. Don't look for a super deep backstory but again this show doesn't waste time by throwing in superficial details.
Enjoyment: It's hard to take your eyes off the show even for a few seconds because you'll miss something. I re-watched the show almost right away to see if I missed anything. I was pleasantly surprised the show could have an ending that I really not only didn't expect but was also satisfying.
Overall: I highly recommend this show and to give it a chance. It dares to do things differently but you need some patience and not get too wrapped up in the silly details (such as the fan service). It's not often that you see many original anime shows that have no manga it's based off of that actually has great talent behind it and also doesn't try obviously milking the audience for what it's worth, whether in merchandising or franchising.
