Story [3/10]: As stated above, the plot is predictable and, since with so much stuffed in the short span of one season, it is winnowed down to the bare minimum. I deducted points for how reliant it is on clichés no matter how forced they are, simply to draw out an emotional response from the audience.
Pacing [4/10]: The pace of Akatsuki feels jerky. A lot has to happen within the relatively low episode count, yet the show still tries to work in comedy, tragic backstories, and random supporting characters. This ambition backfires, making the main plot lurch along while we get monologues and filler material.
Art [4/10]: Considering it is an action-adventure series, the artwork in Akatsuki was a disappointment. I was looking forward to intensely animated fight scenes, but what we get are: single-frame drawings of enemies flying through the air, the hero doing poses, and mid-fight monologues. Most of the humor is accentuated with some comedic effect (e.g. "glare" with lightening between two characters).
Sound [6/10]: While the music was nice, the sound effects were somewhat offputting. I found the humor decidedly awkward because they kept emphasizing lame jokes with these effects - especially when the music and tone right before was serious.
Character [4/10]: A major driving force in this anime is the fact that the heroine Princess Yona blithely attracts everyone to her (through a combination of personality and magic). She is surrounded by her harem of loyal fighters without any thought of caution or betrayal, even though they are literally strangers. Akatsuki constantly builds sexual tension between her and the men, but in classic anime style ruins every moment with some random coincidence and Yona's complete obliviousness. The resulting relationships are feeble.
Besides Yona, the main characters remain more or less caricatures defined by their primary attribute. True, the show is careful to provide tragic backstories - but this is not enough to give a character a full personality.
Enjoyment [3/10]: Akatsuki takes a workable plot and makes a heap of mistakes in execution. From its still-life fight scenes and endless monologues to awkward humor and underdeveloped characters, the show is a letdown.
Overall: [3/10]
