[Story - 5]
There are really two stories at play in the first season, despite one whole narrative being advertised - one is a teenage boy running away after being exposed for a secret he didn't know about himself. The other follows the struggle of Ajins (immortal humans) and the inevitable law enforcement tasked to capture them for research.
While I enjoy these concepts alone and was intrigued to see how they would be interwoven, I'm left a bit disappointed with the execution. I honestly found it really lacking in finesse, with sudden jumps from one story to the other, and very few firm connections established between the two. I'm glad there is a second season to follow up on these connections, but I'm otherwise not impressed.
[Art - 4]
Probably the most universally-loathed aspect of the anime. I'm not necessarily against CGI entirely, as it can be used skillfully. However, this is not the case for this show - the characters' renders look rather incomplete and most of the action is not done in a 'fluid' manner. While I admit that there are successful aspects (character design, Ajin rendering + action, backgrounds/scenery), we are ultimately left with a rather weird-looking anime.
[Sound - 7]
This was probably my favourite aspect LOL. I admit the OP is edgy, but I do believe it suits the show well for creating a tense and dramatic atmosphere. The ED is appropriately less intense and more sorrowful (with surprisingly well-done visuals). The OST isn't uber unique, but it does serve the purpose of creating an atmosphere of dread and desperation.
The SFX aren't /amazing/ in my honest opinion, but I mostly blame that on the editing of these SFX to the awkward animation. If it was for a more smoothly-drawn show, I would be more lenient.
The voice acting is really hit-or-miss for me. Kei, the teenage protagonist, sounds a bit too old for his age, but he conveys the personality perfectly. Sato's seiyuu is deliciously manipulative and confident, and Tosaki has the cold, dedicated demeanour that oozes from the very first scene he is in.
[Character - 6]
Characterization in this show is....intriguing. There are certain stand-outs, of course, but everyone else just seems to be Potential Unrealized.
Kei is an example of the former. He may seem like another Whiny High Schooler who should know better, but quickly reveals himself to be rather cold and calculating (which begs a rather relevant question brought up in the show). It's truly interesting to see just how far he will go to preserve himself, and what type of roadblocks can actually stop him. Sato is another example, but less powerful - while (at the moment) he's just another Extremely Maniacal But Intelligent antagonist hellbent on world domination/destruction, it's undeniably fun to see just what will he do and how it will be done.
However, there's the other side of the coin - Take Tosaki and Izumi for example. Perhaps this is because of the source material dictating which details are revealed when, but they just.....don't quite cut it for me. I do enjoy their scenes and I'm invested in the show partially to see how they become more fleshed out, but it's understandable why they may not appeal to most at first. They have rather bare-bones personalities, with few but intriguing hints to their pasts. It's a shame more details about their motives and pasts weren't revealed in this season, but hopefully the second season will deliver.
[Enjoyment/Overall - 6]
This wasn't as terrible as people said it was, honestly. The artwork /does/ suck, amongst other flaws, but I see why other people like this show (whether or not they read the manga). I would recommend this if you're not too critical of artwork, and just want to see some interesting characters with good plot hooks.
