From episode one this show sets itself apart from it's spiritual predecessors. The cast of characters are afraid of their environment but are also incompetent in fending for themselves. They fail at killing a low-class goblin multiple times! This works insofar as character deaths are logically believable because the protagonist and his group of friends have no idea what they are doing.
To be honest, I usually wouldn't watch a show like this of my own volition. I was sold on the series when I heard it was "gritty". If I had to describe this series, gritty, is the last word I would use. I will not hold it against the series just because it did not hold true to my expectations. What I can hold against it, is that the conflict of this series is incredibly repetitive. The characters level up, fight stronger monsters, and surprise surprise find themselves in a dangerous situation where they may or may not live.
As far as the characters... flat anime tropes done a million times before( and probably better). The show tries to flesh out all of these characters, so an A for effort I guess. There is one character worth noting. That character is Ranta, the hotheaded side character who comes across as cynical and confrontational. I wish the series went farther with his character, he is so confrontational it borders on psychopathic and I wanted the show to explore him in detail. Nope! Turns out he is just passionate with a heart of gold... Sigh
I did enjoy this show. It serves as a solid action adventure. The only problem is that it also wants to pack an emotional wallop and has way too much cliche drama. The music sounded similar to Kozue Takada( sadly it was not). Although it was not it still sounded easy on the ears. This anime is fine, but nothing worth remembering.
