The story isn't particularly strong. It's been adapted for TV and it appears to have lost a lot of content during the transition. The religion of the empire is referenced several times but never explained. Why is it included if it's not going to become important? What's the deal with the nature spirits? How are they bonded to a person and where do they come from? They seem to be heavily relied upon by the soldiers, but not important enough to flesh out. The main war story line is simple enough with the only twist coming in at the very end of the show. There's too many hints and holes to give a higher score for the story.
Art is done by studio Madhouse and they are very good. I'm not a stickler for animation and visuals so there's not much to say. I don't take issue with or find praise in any of it.
Sound is average. Opening is from the group that did GATE. It's a fair song not, anything to write home about. Voice acting is fine.
The characters are both a high and low point of the show. Ikta and Yatori have a very unique dynamic between them and have a fair amount of development. Haro and Matthew have little to no development despite being part of the main group. Torway had a one time development moment and just occupied space from then on. The princess didn't get any work either. Whiny and childish to the very end. There are a couple of moments where really good characters appear, but this is few and far between.
There was never really a sense of excitement or tension in the show. Despite being in a war most of the characters emerged without injury. No significant losses were taken. The main cast was protected by plot armor. The battle tactics didn't impress me. Taking advantage of terrain seems pretty basic. Killing enemies who can't fight back is nothing special. The only time Ikta was concerned about fighting was at the very end. The rest of the planning was done with an air of triviality. "Go here and shoot them when they make a move". Don't worry about it. I will give Ikta credit for being about to read his opponents and predict their moves. That's cool.
Overall, Alderamin on the Sky neither flew or told how they even got on the sky. This is an average show.
