The biggest reason I'm writing this review is just to tell people to go to Reddit after each episode so that they can read the comments to understand important details in each of the episodes.
I hear that it is all slow until episode 6, but it's definitely all worth it if you're looking forward to the story and if you like the poetry behind the thinking experiments.
I personally did not mind the pacing at all, and was just a very curious individual that really couldn't wait to see the story unfold. It also made me feel somewhat smart for keeping up with the episodes, but at the same time dumb, since I can't understand everything they're talking about on my own. But again, that's what Reddit's for.
So I write this review as an individual who feels this is in the best interest of normal people who just want a good thinking anime. Think of it like those book gatherings: After reading a book, you meet up with friends that read the book and converse among yourselves about all the things the book had to give, and end up appreciating the book more.
Story: 10
I've never seen an anime made this way. It feels like every episode was necessary in completing the story it was trying to tell. I would like to think the main catch of the anime is the thinking experiments, as they tell you how they work, then they get involved in the story in some way at some point. I'm not sure what else I can tell without ending up summarizing the story tbh so I leave it at that.
Art: 7
I heard the anime was a budget anime, but for a budget anime, the artwork is pretty well-done. Imo it's like a polished version of Diomedea's recent anime Fuuka in terms of character design and animation. The animation is very smooth, probably because there's no super crazy fight scenes to animate. The camera angles are just right as well. I do feel this anime would get a lot more praise if it was made by SHAFT or Kyo Ani. SHAFT would be using a lot of crazy transitions while Kyo Ani could make it the way they made Hyouka.
Sound: 7
For the most part, the music is very simple. Everything about the anime is watered down, actually. The only things that aren't watered down are those OPs and EDs. Those have so much emotion put into them. As long as the music is fitting, I don't see a problem. But they aren't astounding either. They do their part and it does help with the atmosphere.
Character: 9
There's a reason Kei is the way he is. Haruki was just born the way she was. And there's a reason Souma is the way she is as well. But of course, they're not normal people either. People complain about how they're not relatable, but that's exactly what the story needs to be the story that it is. Kei doesn't want to solve things with violence, but how is a person supposed to be able to do that? Kei is a character that shows you how to be someone so intelligent, they can solve problems without violence. We have OP characters all the time, and I've seen people love the MC of Aldnoah Zero, so there's no real complaint to be made here. At the very least, Kei has more reason to be who he is than that kid. Souma is easy to take in, that's why people love her. Haruki though, not as many will like her, simply because she's like a robot. But her being born that way is definitely a human reason. There can be people like that in the world. Not impossible at all when there's over 6 billion people in the world. All the side characters get their bit of shine too. The antagonist is also pretty well done, imo. Although it's not to the death, you can think of this as a watered down version of Light and L's mind battles. But watered down means less hostile and more civil, which is a closer means to a better world.
Enjoyment: 9
Now this is the part where this is completely my own enjoyment. Whether you enjoy it or not is really up to you as a person. If, even after the reddit suggestion, you do not like the anime after 3 or so episodes, it's simply not for you. The enjoyment of the anime will usually be very low or very high. I cannot say if there is an inbetween, but that is what I've seen of people. Perhaps because I feel most people won't like it, the enjoyment should objectively be around 4.
Overall: 8
Pros:
-Great Characters
-Great Story
-Poetic
-Thinking Experiments
-Solutions to conflicts without violence
-Life Lessons
-Great understanding of how people work (Very vocal about it)
-Like reading a book
-If you get through all of it and enjoy it, you're definitely an intelligent person! And I bet you're quite positive in general as well! :)
-Very few, if any at all, plot holes.
-Almost everything, if not everything, gets explained.
Cons:
-Too much talking (Of course, that's what this show is about. Keep in mind I'm basing this on audience opinion and not my own. This is ironic and that's the point. btw this is exactly how they are in the show.)
-Not enough visuals to help with explanations and conversations.
-It's like reading a book. People who watch anime don't usually read books as a hobby. (Though I have to say this is my perfect book)
-Characters can be uninteresting to most people.
-Even if the story is one of the best out there, it still has a very slow start-up
As I've somewhat mentioned before, this anime would garner much more people if it were made by Kyo Ani or SHAFT. The writing, planning, and execution of the anime were excellent in my opinion, but under objective views, the execution could've been much better. People cannot get past around 6 episodes because there's not much visual spark. I also heard the translation wasn't all too well done, but even then, it'd still be confusing for most people. Again, that is why I recommend going to Reddit after each episode to understand them better.
As well, because this is such a confusing premise for a first watch, it's obvious that once you finish the show, you can rewatch it to then be able to completely understand everything. Indeed it is one of those shows you'd have to have the time for. I cannot recommend this to people with busy lives, unfortunately.
This is my unbiased review of the anime. In my heart though, it is a 10/10. Please give it a watch if you'd like to see a peaceful anime that's very real in its own way, have the time on your hands, like feeling smart (you'll definitely be more enlightened by the end of it, I assure you), like to think, like poetry, and like a good story.
If everybody in the world liked the anime more than not, I feel we'd definitely be living in a better world. In that sense, it's a very romantic anime. And just maybe, that is why I love the anime so much.
