What makes this anime so good? Firstly its the mood. It keeps this eerie surreal mood all the way through with an amazing soundtrack and stunning surreal imagery. This anime moves through a variety of emotions, it is heart wrenching, sometimes genuinely scary and it even has its own kind of warmth but through it all it all is this beautiful ethereal quality that kept me watching and made me truly glad to have stumbled upon this series.
Secondly its the story. This isn't some written by the week manga (even though I like those); this story has been planned right down to the last episode, which I found to be immensely satisfying. The first episode will whet your appetite with hints at whats to come in the but don't be fooled, this anime becomes more complex and beautiful as the series goes on. It's one of those stories that just keeps surprising you and getting better.
It's not a happy story, not for those moments when you want to feel good about the human condition but it neither is it indulgently sad; it has a hopeful tone about it.
But I do feel I have to warn potential watchers about something. There was a point where I was concerned it might become an excuse for paedophillic fanservice, its NOT! It's definitely not that kind of show. It has a fairly awkward stage around about the time the characters are going through puberty, but just like puberty it is fleeting and well worth sticking out. You may even enjoy these few episodes as I read many comments of people who did.
All in all this is one of the best anime I have watched in a while. If you feel like you are in the mood for the kind of anime with a mature and carefully written story that challenges you, or if you appreciate stylised imagery and a bit of subtlety in your anime then this would be a good anime to watch, I highly recommend it.
