(Prior to watching Mekakucity Actors, I had exposure to some of the Kagepro franchise: all but one of the songs, and an inconsequential portion of the manga.)
Story: 5
While it has a decent amount of strong episodes, Mekakucity Actors as a whole is inadequate in terms of clean plot execution. Viewers who were not familiar with the franchise likely found themselves confused as to the details of the plot at many points. However, I would say that leaving elements of the plot up to interpretation isn't actually a problem in itself.
Kagepro's alternative storytelling was hindered by poor pacing when adapted to anime. The latter half of the series introduces many significant events that are rushed and messily presented, giving the viewer little time to digest each subsequent plot development.
Art: 7
For the most part the animation is clean, colors are vibrant, and backgrounds are visually impactful. There are moments of stiff animation that come with most shows, but it's not noticeable enough to affect the experience much.
Mekakucity Actors felt very Shaft. So much so that at many points it was perhaps "too" stylish. The extreme stylistic elements are frequently and often inappropriately placed. The (in)famous Shaft head tilt is employed so casually that it loses any drama that it was meant to have. (This would perhaps be the most dangerous anime to play a Shaft-Head-Tilt drinking game with.) It seemed as though Shaft often utilized style for the sake of style, which worked to the detriment of building the mood in many scenes.
Sound: 7
Fans of Jin's work would enjoy the music, including the new OP and ED songs. Most of the vocaloid versions of the original songs were not included. (Whether this is a good thing or not is just a matter of personal preference.) While not exceptional, the BGM was fitting (except for that one dubstep track...that was unexpected).
Character: 7
Given such a large cast of characters, it is inevitable that many of them wouldn't be able to be developed well in the span of 12 episodes. Some characters remain flat and inconsequential throughout the whole show, despite having relatively important roles in the main plot. Mekakucity Actors devotes a significant amount of time introducing other characters' storylines, only to either choppily resolve them or outright drop them. There are conclusions I drew about the resolution of certain subplots that I don't think I would have thought about had I not been familiar with the franchise already.
Given the direction the show ended up taking with the plot, I'd say that certain characters who were essential to understanding the story (Marry, and perhaps Seto due to his role in her life) should have been given more screentime and development while others (Momo) could have afforded to cut back. However, the characters themselves were likable and their interactions were fun to watch.
Enjoyment: 8
Despite its shortcomings, I found myself looking forward to each episode of Mekakucity Actors. The first half or so of the series felt solid to me, with its issues in character screentime and pacing only coming to light upon the realization that half the series had already gone by.
While I wouldn't call myself the most knowledgeable fan out there, at this point I'm familiar enough with the songs that I've formed certain theories about the plot and characters without having any absolute conclusions. That being said, it was just fun to see all of the characters being voiced and animated, and anticipating how the story would play out. Going into Mekakucity Actors with no background whatsoever could get confusing, as certain motifs in the songs are also present in the anime but not really explained. On the flipside, it might be better in some ways to go in without expectations, as certain things could be predictable and/or disappointing for those with preconceived expectations.
Overall: 6
The semi-episodic format, while befitting the original spirit of the story, cripples the show in the way that it chooses to use its time. The main plotline was not resolved in a way that felt natural. Characters who end up being of almost no consequence in the main conflict are given a disproportional amount of screentime given the 12-episode total. It seems that Mekakucity Actors was either indecisive in its goals, or did not get its priorities straight in reaching those goals.
That is not to say that this anime never does it right: many of the subplots are interesting and revealed in a satisfying way, and the characters are fun to watch. The melancholy, fairytale-like presentation of the little monster was charming and presented a mystery to the viewer from the beginning. There are many examples where Mekakucity Actors pulls its pieces together nicely, but as the story neared its conclusion, the flow was ruined and its flaws became painfully apparent. Mekakucity Actors is perhaps adequate if taken as one piece of the Kagepro franchise, but as a standalone anime it is weak.
