Story: 9/10
Concrete Revolutio's unconventional narrative style is probably what initially scared many people away from the show. You see, the storyline is not linear. The date that episodes take place in will be shown at the start of the episode, but at first episodes do not seem to be connected at all. But the further you get, the more you begin to understand that all of these seemingly unconnected episodes are actually very tied in. By the end of the season, a very deep and engaging story has been woven.
I don't want to go into too much detail about the actual events of Concrete Revolutio's story (it's much better experienced yourself), but I'll go over the themes. Taking place in an alternate world in which superhumans coexist with the rest of the world, Concrete focuses on the Superhuman Bureau, a mysterious organization whose job seems to be to protect superhumans. Political intrigue, protests for rights and peace, and many more concepts ensue. The premise is great, and while it isn't immediately delivered on, it's very satisfying by the end.
Art: 9/10
In a world of Tokyo Ghouls and Akame Ga Kills, it's nice to see some anime that remembers that you're allowed to use colors. Exceedingly. Concrete's artwork is colorful and vibrant, a unique breath of fresh air. Additionally, the backgrounds are often shaded with Ben-Day dots (that's when you see shading made up of a whole bunch of tiny dots in comics), which is a very cool throwback to the comics that inspired Concrete. Character designs are pretty good too, and the animation as a whole is solid. 3DCG is minimal and looks pretty good when it is used.
Sound: 9/10
The opening of Concrete Revolutio is probably in my top 10 openings of any show I've watched. I mean, I'd have to actually make that list first, but I'm sure it would make it on somewhere. It does a great job of hyping you up and I never skipped it. On the flipside, the ending is full of distorted slow guitars and trippy visuals - a totally different vibe but still a great one. The background music checks out, and I especially liked how the ending theme serves as a character's theme later on in the show.
Character: 8/10
Of course, Concrete has a central cast of main characters. There's the protagonist Jiro, the ghost kid Furota, and the witch girl Kikko. However, there's also the other 5 or so members of the Superhuman bureau. There's also multiple groups of young kids, two bands, and members of vague yet menacing advertising agencies and militaries. The point is, there's a ton of characters, and most of them actually get a suprising amount of screen time, with most members of the Bureau and groups of kids getting their own episodes. Of course, this division leaves some of the main characters without too much backstory - we still don't really know the story of Emi - but all in all, the large cast doesn't get stale. Everyone's motives are different, every action is justifiable, and every character is likable.
Enjoyment: 8/10
Although not a drag to get through, the early episodes of Concrete Revolutio can come off as confusing, as they often open plot threads that aren't mentioned and resolved again until much later episodes. However, the farther one gets through the show, the more everything makes sense, and the more enjoyable it is. Besides, with a show as heavy on symbolism as Concrete, there's a lot of people willing to discuss speculation and theory and try to figure out the timeline. I myself tried to map out a time-traveling character's multiple timelines and how they converged and diverged, and it ended up being a lot of fun.
Overall: 9/10
If I had to describe Concrete Revolutio in one word, it would be emergent. The story slowly rolls out over the course of the show until everything becomes connected by the end. While that's a really cool feeling to experience, it didn't bode well with viewers who watched the first few episodes and were disappointed that the show wasn't explaining everything right away. Because of these early droppers and disenfranchised viewers, Concrete doesn't have a very good rating on MAL. But don't let those ratings deceive you. Concrete Revolutio is one of the best shows of this year, and the great experiences I had watching this show were unlike anything any other anime has offered to me.
