I decided to watch this anime since I remember reading the first couple of chapters of the manga a few years ago. While I have no idea how the manga progressed, considering this anime was only 12 episodes while the manga is still publishing, it's obviously not going to follow the manga to a tee; that being said, that doesn't mean it can't be great on its own. Unfortunately, while I find myself wanting to read the manga, it's because I want to know just how badly the anime screwed things up.
Story: 5
The story premise is decent enough, but the progression in the anime was awful. There was one episode towards the end where a good chunk was the backstory of a character that did practically nothing for the plot; what was covered could have easily been summarized into two minutes of brief flashbacks (as opposed to the long ones) so the viewer could understand a few of the dynamics between this character and a few of the others. On the other hand, some of the most anticipated battles get...well, no screen time. And the ending of the series was pretty much the default ending for a few of the episodes, since apparently, the writers couldn't be bothered to create a special final line for the last episode.
Art: 6
The art was interesting at times, but ultimately, nothing special.
Sound: 5
The opening is heavy metal, so I'll admit I was biased towards it, not being a fan of that genre. I tried to listen the whole way through the first time but just couldn't bring myself to. The closing is pretty random for the series and a total contrast to the opening. While there is music throughout much of the series (courtesy of one of the characters), the music played often feels misplaced, making it even annoying. The sound of one of the characters (hint, the one who says "happy birthday") I felt was well done.
Character: 4
The main character Mahiru was made annoying; by that, I don't mean his character type (which is also annoying), but I mean he was literally made to be especially annoying even for his type. How many times do we have to be reminded about how he likes things "simple" (his definition of simple isn't the average)? Turns out quite often. Kuro, the other main character, is actually the only character I cared for in the whole anime by the end; kitty Kuro and his silly moments are actually some of the few highlights of the show for me.
Besides those two, we have the tsundere friend; the two extra friends who have almost no screen time outside of the first episode; the snobby rich kid; the "hot" guy who appears to be a lolicon (which none of the characters even comment on...); and featuring the villain who is psycho but with some "sad" backstory...actually, make that villains. That's not even all of them, but you get the idea. Granted, stereotypical character types can still be done well to where the characters don't feel recycled, but in this anime they aren't.
Enjoyment: 5
The best way to watch this is probably to binge-watch and finish it in a day or two; it retains some entertainment value at least since you keep anticipating those revelations and epic battle scenes, while not giving yourself enough time to get frustrated that they still haven't showed up, just to let all the disappointment and frustration sink in after you finished. I personally binge-watched, finished the series in two days, and looking back I don't want to think about how I would be feeling if I had watched this weekly as it was airing.
Overall: 5
To be honest, I'm probably being generous, but there's a lot worse out there in my opinion. I can't compare this to the source of material (the manga), as much as I wish I could. I can only assume that they crammed as much as they could, based on what was published, to try to create a full series while making an alternative ending; an ending which, quite frankly, sucked. If you have free time, and have nothing better to watch, go ahead and watch Servamp. Otherwise, go ahead and watch the next series on your to-watch list.
