Black Rock Shooter's story revolves around two plot lines. The first revolves around Mato Kuroi and Yomi Takanashi, two high school girls who form a bond that's constantly being jeopardized by the interference of their classmates, and the second revolves around the eponymous Black Rock Shooter, a stoic and pale girl fighting to the death in another world. Unfortunately, the hot-blooded shonen-esque mood you'd expect to find in the latter plot makes its way into the former as an over-the-top, almost laughable melodrama. Nearly every character from the first story is unlikeable, from the yandere who pretended to be crippled for years to keep Yomi to herself, even causing Yomi's equally-as-absurd mental breakdown, to the school nurse to talks students down in order to send them into a depression.
The second plot, on the other hand, on the other hand, is by far the best part of the entire series. Directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi, these CG-animated battles are some of the most well-animated and admittedly underrated fight scenes in the medium, having top-tier choreography and being visually appealing; you could tell that Imaishi took cues from Black Rock Shooter when he was making Kill la Kill, which, amusingly, also stars a scantily-clad girl wielding a massive weapon. Also appealing is the general aesthetic of the "other world" in which these fights take place; the gothic/checkerboard setting and the half-punk, half-mechanical character designs make for a unique visual experience that make the already phenomenal animation all the more memorable. Unfortunately, their hype factor is undermined by the lack of emotion that these fighters express, making it hard to get invested in them. Additionally, this subplot only makes up 40 minutes of this 8-episode series, most of which takes place in the second half, which isn't is worth slogging through the first half.
One final note is the lack of a memorable music track. The whole series was built on one the most iconic Niconico music videos of all time, and nearly every subsequent installment had a kickass soundtrack, including the OVA's Battle of BRS and the game's NO SCARED. The anime, however, has no such iconic track, with the whole OST being rather forgettable.
Overall, not only does Black Rock Shooter fail to stand up to its modern-day contemporaries, but it also fails at delivering the standard magical girl theme of friendship. Being the last work in the Black Rock Shooter franchise, I think it's safe to say that the Black Rock Shooter anime ended up burning out its own star.
