Xam'd Lost Memories is just this. It delivers very well on the aesthetics, but it tries too hard to deliver its plot that it ultimately falls flat on its face. This is disappointing, especially coming from BONES which is one of the production studios I respect(along with Production I.G)that hasn't succumbed to the 'moe' infection in anime today.
Story-wise, Xam'd had a lot of things going for it. Interesting concepts were abound, good settings and solid foundations for a great universe. However, the problem here lies in the execution. It starts off on a high note, but it increasingly becomes dragged down with too much exposition. Too many terms were dropped with hardly any of them getting adequate development. BONES is highly notorious for this. The Xam'd universe then became too convoluted for a 26 episode series and left me with more questions than answers. This inhibits the viewers to empathize clearly with the characters as they are often left confused as to why those characters are even in the story itself. Pacing issues and poor planning greatly hindered this series from achieving what could have been greatness.
Xamd's art is great, though. Backgrounds are detailed, with each place having its own motif. Character design is good. Every character has his own unique look and feel--especially the Xam'd. The many different Xam'd designs are innovative, reflecting the fresh approach the series had. Animation quality is top-notch, which is expected from every BONES series. From the visual department, Xam'd delivers perfectly well. Sound is also good; it delivers the right tracks at the right moments without ever sounding bland and dry. The OP and ED are fantastic--the OP being a very exciting and energy-filled song befitting the action-y feel of the show and the ED a somewhat mellower one to ease the tension, so to speak. Aesthetically, Xam'd is many leagues better than its counterparts.
But the visual and auditory greatness of a show is easily forgotten if the essentials are lacking. Such is the case for Xam'd's characters, who are relatively interesting at first, but are soon engulfed in the dreariness of the plot. The protagonist, for instance, is a copy-paste hero from every action anime. What depth his character had feels tacked on and he doesn't really put out something new. The only good character the show had was Nakiami, who was also shortchanged at the end. Supporting characters felt artificial, they had really no significant part to the plot. Some of them were even put there just to die meaningless deaths. The characters' uselessness is personified in the blonde military secretary who was just there too look hot and say snappy comebacks and one-liners. Haphazard character development definitely damaged this series.
Cookie-cutter characters, meandering plot progression, incessant and unnecessary exposition shouldn't really stop you from enjoying Xam'd though. You can just look at the well-animated fight scenes and the unique fantasy feel of the series or just listen to the OP song all day long on repeat(RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY, anyone?).The aesthetics should be enough for the casual anime watcher. For the more experienced and those looking for substance though, if you can get over the series' major flaws, you can definitely have fun watching the show--albeit with your brain turned off.
Overall, Xam'd Lost Memories isn't a bad watch at all. In fact, it could have been one of the decade's best anime series. It's just too bad that it shot itself in the foot with poor execution, terrible pacing and forgettable characters(I even forgot the doctor's name even though he was semi-important). Just like the beautiful mansion, just looking at it from the outside should be enough satisfaction for anyone. However, if you want substance and would want to look inside,turn away now. Disappointment awaits you just as you walk through the front door.Or even better, just RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY...
