This anime reminds me of Gundam Seed, except with less action and more character development. This anime has a pretty big cast of characters and while some didn't get the exploration I think they deserved (come on! George and Tetsuya are the hottest guys in the anime and they're barely in it! I feel ripped off! I need my eye candy! D:), this show just seems to have a way of making you fall in love with characters you never thought you would fall in love with and, in the end, I think that's something about the show that is simply amazing, it makes you love its characters so much.
A lot of people felt that the lore was really esoteric, but I followed it all pretty easily and it's certainly not any more out there than a lot of other animes I've watched. When it's at its worst, this anime is a simple, plain Mecha anime with a mystic twist, not bad, just a little plain, but, when it decides to get its act together, oh, can it ever be good! There are twists which I was amazed at and moments that tugged at my heartstrings. Mizuno, who I really didn't like at first as she seemed annoying and childish, has such an amazing arc that had me amazed when the big twist finally came and, in the end like every other character, I came to love her so much! This anime definitely gets better as it goes, building off of what the earlier episodes work hard to set down and make the audience comfortable with, until it becomes great. This is also an anime that, even though it's protagonist is male, is arguably a female-driven anime with the majority of characters being female and having the most time dedicated to them and their character developments. Overall, it's definitely not an anime for everyone and I think it may be better for some people to watch the movie instead as it works to streamline the story, but, overall, I definitely don't regret watching this anime. It's not good enough for me to consider watching it again, but it's definitely one I'm glad to have watched and to have in my completed collection.
Still, the extra content in the movie is so amazing, especially if you've watched the whole anime. If anything, those few extra minutes gives this anime a huge boost.
This is an anime that I find very hard to grade, there are things I adored, but also things that hold me back so, overall, I have to give it 7.5 cybodies out of 10, maybe a bare 8 with the extra movie content attached one.
And the adventures of life continue on.... :)
