Now then the Story (9)
Psychological genre animes like this often get the viewer thinking and keep it that way to retain their interest in the show---its how they get their viewership. Much like the time-honored formula of fanservice attracting views, a complex and well written plot is the primary hook here. You would think in the first couple of episodes that the anime would very easily and could very easily be just another ecchi involving one male and multiple female co-leads but as the MC interacts with each character and helps to resolve the lingering issues of their troubled pasts the anime really shines with stories associated with each character getting progressively darker/complex. That aspect of the show is quite possibly my favorite one from this series. Now that being said I gave the story a 9. That is because even though I was a huge fan of the almost episodic nature of each girl's story I did have issues at various points with either the time spent or the resolution given to each female character. The first one would be Yumiko's story as I felt it was altogether too short and the resolution was way too easy. This aside I was very much enthralled by the story and genuinely wanted to see the next episode ASAP.
Character (10).
THE CHARACTERS WERE SO WELL DONE AHHHHHHHHHHH
okay excuse that outburst, like I said I'm a big fan of the characterization in this show on a character by character basis only. By this I mean 90% of the characters had unique personalities and histories but it does not mean I think every character was given optimal time. I'm giving this a 10 and not a 9 because for this category i'm judging content and leaving development an issue with the story. That being said I've got a few obvious favorites:
Yuuji: THe MC, the OP male lead who manages to get the job done perfectly despite his means and his obstacles what a guy. Now in most cases I'd not be a fan of this but his character was so damn focused that even the light bits of humor he'd work in were hilarious by comparison. Like if this character was made to be full of himself or present any sort of superiority complex then I'd hate it. Instead we get the cool under pressure driving force that the anime really needed in order to be successful.
JB: This one's a shocker even to me but representing the "middle man" of the series up until the very end is actually a role I think was very hard to fill and do properly. The show could've easily made JB one dimensional and have her stick firmly to one side or the other but in JB we saw someone decidedly set on following rules and orders but at the same time encounter regular and frequent conflict with how those order were to applied to and via Yuuji. I think maybe if the viewer was given the backstory of her association with Yuuji at some point in this series and not later until Meikyuu then the connection would have been better but regardless I really enjoyed her character.
Makina: For as much as her voice makes me wanna bash my head on the table, she's such a great character. The high-pitched young heroine/part time "marine" was very energetic and what the show needed at times. I thought it was altogether stupid of her to leave Yuuji during her episode and get that damn apple plant but she couldn't help it and that's exactly what i'd expect of a character like hers.
Overall if i was asked whether or not I'd recommend this series to a friend then I would say yes if and only if the friend was interested in this GENRE/KIND of show. The show's brief moments of lighter story are juxtaposed very well with the larger moments of horror, confusion, anger, sadness, etc but the show itself maintains a very dark feel about it, especially the backstories. A casual viewer would probably not like the show but to anyone who can stomach the violence and horror they'd love it. 10/10
