Story: 6
Art: 8
Sound: 10
Character: 6
Enjoyment: 6
Overall: 8
Obviously, there's a disparity in the scores, as the average probably approaches more of a 7 than an 8. In fact, the overall should be a 7 (rounded down from 36/5, the average of the first 5 individual scores, yielding a raw average overall score of 7.2).
In retrospect, the story was rather disjointed. There wasn't a smooth transition, and stuff happened at a breakneck pace without good connections being made between major plot events. Guilty Crown eventually spirals into a Sword Art Online-esque shitfest. All things considered though, the plot is passable, and it kept me watching.
The art is well done. I'm not one to judge art critically, and for me, an 8 demonstrates a high level of artistic competence--which in all honesty, is the level of a good number of animes for me.
Guilty Crown's two OPs definitely shine. My Dearest did not appeal to me at first, but as time went along and the song sunk in to me, there was a beauty to the melody that I didn't see before. It's a song that has stayed with me even after listening to other excellent OPs from subsequent animes I watched. I find myself humming My Dearest incessantly. I would venture to say that My Dearest is likely one of the best OPs I have listened to.
The Everlasting Guilty Crown, OP2 of Guilty Crown, is also excellent. However, I find it to lack the depth of My Dearest. But as a whole, Guilty Crown gets a 10 in Sound solely from the sheer excellence of its OPs, especially My Dearest.
Guilty Crown unfortunately lacks in characterization. Gai is one character that could have been explored way further, especially his traumatic past, but unfortunately, we get a few flashbacks that are placed rather haphazardly during the narrative. Shu is a sissy during a good part of the first few episodes, something that pissed me off a lot during my time watching the anime. Inori is rather static as well.
When I first finished the anime, I was like, "What the fuck did I just watch?" at first. It felt like I had just seen Sword Art Online again. It's hard to describe, but there's just a certain vibe that surrounds this anime and SAO after finishing each anime. It's annoying to me that I can't place my finger on it, but something just feels... off. There's something lacking, and I can't say what. Anyway, this weird feeling rather soured my enjoyment of the anime, and thus, I feel that a 6 for Enjoyment is justified.
Now, the Overall score is a bit weird for me. I previously said Guilty Crown has an SAO-esque feel about it. Well, both SAO and Guilty Crown share a certain niche in my heart; both animes are disappointing in retrospect, but there's also an aura of greatness that surrounds it that few anime manage to match. Guilty Crown has left an inexplicable emotional mark, and this mark somehow manages to drive me into adding a point onto the overall.
To sum this review up, try watching Guilty Crown. The anime may frustrate you and even leave a slightly annoying taste in your mouth like it did for me, but somehow, when I look back, Guilty Crown... IS JUST SO DAMN GOOD. I really can't say why.
