Starting off:
Story
As a story, it has a surprisingly interesting plot with plot points that are well illustrated yet come off like tropes which are used generally in anime. While the characters (somehow) make this anime sustainable, the story itself - in its bare boned form - is mediocre and adequate only because of the reliance of tropes which are common in shonen anime: betrayal and all that.
Also, so far as the main story itself is concerned, it is from ep 1 to 23. 24 was a complete dud, and same goes for 25 and 26. If you can reach AFTER 25 then it is sheer force of will and the anime tradition of "finishing what you started". Nothing more, nothing less.
Art:
I don't have much comments to make on this other than it is good. The mix of chibi with serious moments - and the designs of the ghosts and various wraiths which appear throughout the story - are well drawn, and particularly in terms of the end villian (ep 1 to 23), they had put in a lot of work - she genuinely is a scary mofo if I ever saw one.
Sound:
The acting by the cast was decent, although I personally think that Ushio sounds older than he actually should be. He's 13 or 14 at best, yet he sounds like an old man of 35 (at the very least).
Characters:
Tropes. I liked only Ushio and Tora, although Ushio's Dad, Mai, Mai's brother, the end villain, and probably the biker dude, are definitely strandouts. Ushio and Tora are the only reason I bother watching this anime, or else I found the two female support casts (I don't remember their names, but they're always around with Ushio) annoying and dumb. Furthermore, the kid who appears between ep 20 to 23 is annoying and retarded as hell - almost like a big fat middle finger on the viewer. I say this because he had one dimensional construct and convenient plot device written all over him (even though his back story, and the entire premise on HOW he is used by the end villain, to the plot's credit, is still well handled).
Nevertheless, it wasn't ear grinding unbearable all the time because the interaction between the characters is really well handled. I think that it got a 7 because - unlike Naruto - the characters didn't waste time: kept to the plot, focused on their motivations, and they were into a protagonist who is genuinely likable.
Overall:
Its an okay anime - as a story from ep 1 to 23, I will genuinely admit that I was into it and it certainly used its premise well. But from 23 onwards (24, 25 and 26) it was simply grinding my ears in "character development" which really wasn't needed. Where the anime itself stands strong is the characters of Ushio and Tora - who are decent and make for really good entertainment value in my opinion, and in particular Tora who in himself is funny when he wants to be.
Bottom line, if anyone goes and calls this 3, I tell them to watch Naruto - that show is a 3 and it is a bitch to watch through. This? Its a decent adaptation and I liked the duration I watched it. Comes in the same category as "Akame ga kill" though (which is 7)
