Story 8/10:
The story's biggest issue is it's repetitiveness at moments. The basic function of this series, which i will not spoil, it's repetitive in nature. And they don't do a good enough job at making it feel less repetitive. The MC only starts to really get a clue and have people trust him enough at the end. A lot of the middle and beginning of the series consists of him getting a grip. Which is understandable but goes on for too long. It repeats the same tricks to shock you with a dash of gore and crying, one part in the middle was just the same thing multiple times. The MC was sad, sad things happen, he was even more sad. This repeated until somebody, the best girl of the series, talks some sense into him. Then the great arc begins and the anime ends at the same time leaving quite a few questions and plot points to be answered in the second season.
Art 9/10:
Looks great. Don't have much else to say. It was solid. Nothing to complain about.
Sound 8/10:
I don't remember the sound being especially great but i never heard a sound and questioned it. It all fit well. The music on the other hand is used well with the scenes and it's catchy. It wasn't spectacular, just another feature that was solid and didn't really stick out. Nothing to complain about there either.
Character 8/10:
I would of given this a 7/10 if it weren't for some star examples. The problem in episodes 4 and 5 is their lack of good characters. They slowly develop their characters even though that's the only interesting thing happening. The jokes weren't that funny and the story is simple. The characters should be a shining feature at this moment in the show but they fall short. Throughout the rest of the series, characters are how they are. There's a very friendly and supportive fox warrior who is good at pumping people up and being reliable. There is the main girl who is caring and has more than a little bit of main love interest syndrome in her. And the MC has the whole proving people wrong and special ability thing going on. Now where it shines, is that it isn't exactly trying to avoid being generic, it embraces it and it masters it. The MC is still great, he works great with the other characters in the series and his own character flaws are apparent and his special power isn't overpowered. The first episode really puts him in a great light. He's a generic MC that also makes fun and kind of breaks down the character of the generic MC. The other characters that stuck out to me is somebody who's in a cult, he's like an extremely demented one piece character if that makes sense. He's got some weird quirks that work well and he does more than just be creepy evil dude. He is used well to demonstrate why people fear witches and used well to explain things about other characters. Then there's my personal favorite, Wilhelm. He's a badass butler. He's an old, wise, badass butler. That's it. He has the same last name as me which probably helps. There's just something beautiful about this noble and kind man who isn't overpowered and feels like he's just worked hard to get where he is. He's very strong, but not overpowered. Just seeing him pop up to solve something puts a smile on my face. He's the smart and reliable character the series needed to move faster and do less... well of the repetitive plot point to solve things.
Enjoyment 9/10:
The series isn't complex, but it's still great. Although it's generic, it embraces it and makes it a series that's just fun to watch. The serious tones can be overdone, and the breaking down of characters isn't nearly as good as what you see in Monogatari but it's still very enjoyable... not to mention easier to follow than Monogatari. Much nicer to follow. Just understand that episodes 4-5 will be a bit of a drag for the series and push through. There's a lot of good near the end to watch.
Overall 8/10:
It is generic with great potential. But being generic is used in the story. The MC is always expecting to be the generic "naruto" stereotype, and you're expecting that too, but it shows him in a light that's much better. He can break, he can fail, and he can't use a sword or fight. He can say wrong things and admit he's wrong. He does ballsy things that backfire and don't work. His ambitious nature hurts his love interest's goals at moments. He is the generic MC minus some hardcore plot armor. Hell you could say one of his main features is being almost forced to get by without plot armor. As the best thing he has for plot armor in this series, is exactly what damages him the most.
Give this series a shot, this review was messy but this was an anime i enjoyed and surprised me. Don't expect the next Steins;Gate or Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood out of this. It isn't one of the greats. But it's still great.
