This concept sounds entertaining by itself, but it is also one of the problems with this show. There are so many anime where creatures attack, a large portion of the population or world are destroyed, and then the youth need to save the world. It isn't a bad concept, but it's getting old. I want to point out that this anime does have a certain twist to it, which makes things interesting, but the many flaws of the anime eclipse the show's positive elements. The thing that hurt this show so much was the characters.
I need to point out that most- if not all- of the characters had some kind of trope or stereotype with their personality (i.e. Canaria being a klutz). While tropes in themselves aren’t a bad thing, the problem is that these tropes took over the characters’ personalities made them seem very one-dimensional. While some of the characters are great (like Maihime in my opinion), there was one character that more or less ruined the series.
And that would be Suzaku Ichiya, the protagonist. In anime, there are a lot of main characters that start out as an insensitive tool and then slowly develop compassion or other positive character traits. But Suzaku Ichiya was on a whole other level. To put it simply, he was deplorable. He was arrogant, rude, and reckless. Even after he went through some character development and realized he was being too pretentious, he still isn't very likable. At one point, he kind of drifts out of the spotlight and I honestly completely forgot about him for a while. That's how forgettable he is as a character.
As I mentioned earlier, the twist in the story was very interesting, but it was overshadowed by all the series' writing issues. In the first half of the series, the battle scenes were dragged out. Other times the characters had long, pointless conversations that didn't contribute much to the story. Instead of such long battles or unnecessary scenes, I would have focused more on the plot. There were parts that included some background information and character development. However, the emotional scenes sometimes felt over-exaggerated, melodramatic, or prolonged. And even with the backstories, there was lot of information missing from the anime. For example, the backstories of Yuunami Airi and Asanagi Gutoku, two adult military officers, were basically nonexistent.
About half way through the series, the story started to pick up pace and get exciting. However, toward the end things seemed rushed. The interesting twist was never really explained. What would have been a really interesting part of the story wasn't revealed in enough detail. How did the world get into the state it was in? How did the enemy infiltrate and evolve? None of this was really explored. Because of the abruptness and the plot holes, when the series ended, I didn't feel satisfied.
Perhaps if there is a second season, it will all be explained. There are manga and light novel adaptions of the series, and, if I am not mistaken, I think this series is a sequel to Qualidea of Scum and Gold, a light novel. Perhaps these mediums are more detailed and fill in the missing information.
As the series goes on, the animation gets considerably worse and it wasn't the best to begin with. I felt like the audio was off at times too. It's a shame. The creators probably didn't have enough time or money to make the overall quality better. Maybe if they had postponed the release date, they could have improved the animation and sound. They could have also worked on the story, shortening unneeded parts and expanding the plot.
With some changes and improvements, this show could have been really great. However, its flaws overshadow all of the anime's good aspects. Overall, I would give this show a 6 out of 10. I am hoping the anime can redeem itself with another season or with the series' other mediums.
