I'll leave the story summaries and the general praise of the series up to other reviewers. In my opinion, it really doesn't deserve perfect 10s all the way. There are more than a few plotholes throughout, the characters can be bland at times, and I personally couldn't stand the opening song. It started out well, but slowed down in the middle. In truth, I give it an overall of about 7.5.
Let me say this, though: the series is VERY GOOD in its entirety. Whether you're thinking of watching it or only partially through, realize that the middle of the series gets dull, and it may kill your desire to continue. But keep watching! Skim past the four recap episodes if you have to, just watch it! The end makes up for the dullness.
The final advice I give is this: regardless of what anyone has told you, watch the OVAs as if they were part of the series! These are the final episodes... 27-30. Though better than most anime, the original "ending" of episode 26 is slightly disappointing and doesn't provide much closure. The scores I have given here do not reflect the OVAs, but if they did, they would definitely have to be higher!
In short, I found the bulk of the anime far from perfect, but keep watching, and I promise you will NOT be disappointed.
