The following is a short yet concise review on based on my opinions and general enjoyment of the show. Thank you for reading.
Story: 7/10
The story of DRRR! is honestly not all that complicated. Some gangs, some kids, some hi-jinks, and a dab of the supernatural. I actually figured out who the leader of the Dollars was in the first few episodes. However, while it is not incredibly complex I did enjoy it. The characters have solid interactions with one another that seem genuine and it is this that drives the emotional voyage through the series. On a side note, there are two major story arches that basically split the show in to two 12 episode arches.
Art: 8/10
I rated it an 8/10 (very good) because the art and animation in this anime is above par when compared to the majority of other anime I've seen from the 2010 era. The intro and ending sequences are fully animated with fluid animations, in some cases better looking and more artistic looking than the show itself. The quality of this anime's animation will not disappoint.
Sound: 6/10
Once again, 6/10 (fair) because it is just that, fair. All intro and ending songs are very good and fit the style of the show well, however the OST was forgettable to the point that I can't remember a single song really from the entire show that wasn't the themes. Not saying it was bad, just... forgettable. But hey, maybe its just my taste in music that made me rate it this way. Voice actors for the English dub is superb though! Cast has just about every famous voice actor/actress from that era on the cast so enjoy the sweet soothing voice of Lelouch Vi Britannia (Johnny Yong Bosch).
Characters: 7/10
Characters get a good rating from me because while they are completely unremarkable in any way from the standard set of anime heroes/villains. That being said they do play their parts well in the story and bring it to life. No characters that are just annoying, but then again no characters that I really felt an emotional attachment to either; never had that "Oh no!" moment.
Enjoyment: 7/10
And now the only category that really matters my own personal enjoyment! While I usually see this show touted as one of the greatest anime of 2010 I simply didn't think it was that fantastic, however it was a good anime. Solid story that never made me lose interest, gorgeous artwork, great voice acting, and decent characters all made for an enjoyable anime.
Overall: 7/10
Overall I give DRRR! a score of 7/10 (good). It is a good anime and one that I would recommend to people who have never seen it before. Despite those reasons I listed above in the negative category for this show, they never really get in the way or make the show not enjoyable. The show is good and quite enjoyable, its just not the instant classic people seem to want to make it out to be; at least not in my book.
