The three main genre for this anime are Action, Shounen, and Romance (even though MAL doesn't even list it as a romance). These will be analyzed at the end. Now for the other stuff.
Story (9/10):
A lot of people might think it is your typical shounen anime. Main character has a rough past, hates his power, girl comes, changes his mind, now he's a total badass. Well this both is and is not exactly what I described. Are those the main components of the story? Well...yeah. But the anime just pulls of this typical shounen story so well.
Rokuro had a legitimate reason to never want to fight again. He was scarred at such a young age, and I honestly felt for him. Then this girl comes along, who is not like our typical strong female in a shounen anime who is basically like "Go main hero! Fight! Save the day! You are amazing!" Nah, Benio-sama don't play that shit. Benio-sama gonna fuck shit up and if you wanna join just do not get in her way.
Anyway, the story is pulled of really well so far, and there have been some plot twists that I shamefully did not see coming. Lumping this in with all other shounen anime would be a mistake, 9/10.
Art (8/10):
Unless something about art or sound really stands out, do not expect anything other than an 8 out of me. I do not give a flying shit about art or sound. Doesn't make my eyes hurt, 8/10.
Sound (8/10):
Same concept. Good voice actors/actresses for what it matters. The little rat dude that Benio has can get annoying, but he shuts up pretty quick. But seriously if you care so much about sound go watch the Sound of Music or something. Bleh, 8/10.
Characters (10/10):
Oooohhhh boyyyy, probably a really controversial rating. But I honestly love the characters in this anime. Rokuro and Benio fulfill there teenage pseudo-lovestruck roles extremely well and make the anime extremely funny at times.
The head exorcist guy (although super sketchy, like seriously he's up to something) is interesting and moves their relationship further which is always good.
Rokuro's other friend with the bountiful feast of melons is your typical osananaj-Fuck it-childhood friend, who is cute and sweet and cares about Rokuro so much, she's adorable and a great addition to the love triangle.
Honestly the only slight flaw so far is that the anime has introduced some characters then just kind of not done anything with them. But with more episodes that would change, sooooooo I can't fault them for that yet.
Overall the characters are entertaining and fun to watch, 10/10.
Enjoyment (10/10):
Every week I cannot wait to watch TSE. It's one of those anime that makes you want to write a review about it when shithea-oops, I mean respectable MAL reviewers who are allowed to have their own opinions- don't give it the credit it deserves. It's funny, serious at times, and the romance has been good so far.
Overall (9/10):
Time to break it down by genre:
Romance:
The kids are supposed to be in like 9th grade, so obviously they are inexperienced and shy and adorable. The love triangle between Rokuro, Benio, and Melons is actually pretty legit. Benio is clearly the favorite so far and I think Melons sees her as a legitimate threat to her being with Rokuro, which makes her act even more adorable and ah, it's just so good. And the blushes from Rokuro and Benio, staples of every romance anime, just amazing.
Score: 9/10
Composition: 40% (meaning I think the anime is about 40% romance(
Shounen:
Yeah...it's pretty damn shounen. But in a really good way. Rokuro is not so overpowered right away that he can one-punch everything (though he can one-punch a lot). And Benio is clearly needed for him to be a totally effective fighter, a trait that not most shounen anime have. I honestly think it is a big upgrade over typical shounen anime like Hundred.
Score: 10/10
Composition: 25%
Action:
I was actually surprised at how little action there is in the series since th first few episodes have quite a bit. However, the middle and later parts focus more on plot development leaving less time for fights. There are still plenty though, don't get me wrong, but the ones that are there are not quite as good as I would have liked and are typically very predictable (as with most shounen anime). But overall the fights keep the anime interesting and are starting to segue nicely into the romance parts...I like romance anime.
Score: 8/10
Composition: 35%
Total:
(8)(.35)+(9)(.4)+(10)(.25)= 8.85/10, rounded up=9/10
Hope this review helped. I am trying to review more anime that I do not think get enough credit, and this certainly fits the bill.
