Yes, there are episodes (like 3 out of 8) where the ball gets rolling but then we're always brought to the same stage. Except for episode 1 in fate/zero, every episode was entertaining to some degree; something was always happening whereas in this show the ball rolls but then it reverts back to this. I think these episodes needed to be 45m long because on some episodes hardly anything happens except a clue or something gets found out.
Update: Alright guys things are finally picking up at episode 10 this time around. After the creators of the show sprinkled some story and lore here and there throughout the slow pacing of things, things finally are coming around and we are now getting "dipped" in story instead of just sprinkles since various character are starting to come into light and giving us a glimpse on how they are (character development outside of "slice of life"). I hope this is how it continues now going forward with this series.
Update: The Season finally ended so it's time for my thoughts on it. Overall the season was really slow and slowly paced but it had enough to peak my interest and keep me watching it. I didn't like how the season ended in a cliffhanger though, I like to leave with a satisfying feeling instead of the show popping more questions (their other series F/Z didn't do that). Half of the show was slice of life while the other half was the interesting bit. Coming from F/Z and not liking SoL genre (unless its comedy) at all, the show made me cringe a lot in those SoL moments. Sure F/Z had some moments where they had some SoL but when they did it, they did it well and didn't concentrate too much on it.
Overall the show this season wasn't "IGN 10/10 EPC OMGZ AMAZING" but it was still really good (maybe to Visual Novel fans it might have been). I look forward to watching the rest of the series. I know they aren't going to change their stance on SoL (its like a cash cow and a lot of anime fans that like it) but the interesting bits are still interesting and make me want to watch the series.
