NOTICE: This review was updated week by week and now that the show is finished, has ended with my comprehensive review.
Now let's get into the final review.
Story: 2 (last week: 3)
Literally this story has fallen so far off I have no words. I had very high expectations for this show but, it seems as if I was wildly off. The story went from a fun, teenage-ish drama with some intriguing concepts (yes, I know they have been done before) and lovable characters to an explosion of the cluster fuck that had been building up. From episode 19-24, I was so lost. The story doesn't stay at all consistent and way too much gets introduced for anyone to make any sense of what the hell is going on. It literally makes me gag because of everything being forced down my throat at once. Not only this, but the story lacks any consistency. By sending Hiro and Zero Two, our protagonists, into space, the importance of the other parasites now becomes literally zero because they cannot affect the outcome of the story anymore. They are simply characters that could've been wiped out in the beginning and it really wouldn't have changed the ending that much since Hiro and Zero Two basically do everything themselves. Not only this, but APE's presence it basically useless and I think that the only thing that was got right in the last six episodes was the killing off of them once they became useless. Also, the focus of the story switching to the earth was stupid since it never was really about the good of the earth but instead about the parasites but whatever.
ART: 9 (last week: 9)
I love the art in this show. This is done by A-1 and Trigger. What more could you ask for art wise? I love this style although they do nothing special. If you look at the FranXX, they each are done very well and with a solid color palettes that show their personalities. But also, if you look at this environments and background arts, no space is wasted. The fact that the FranXX's resemble the female pilots is also a pretty cool concept, while it may just be so the audience knows which is which without needing to memorize each pair and their FranXX. The OP's and ED's are very well done and I actually really like both.
SOUND: 9 (last week: 9)
The sound in this show is nothing special by any means but it isn't bad. They are careful to not use the same sound twice for different types of characters, which is often done in A-1 productions. The sounds of ambience and chaos are balanced fairly well but can be a bit abrupt at times. I think the sound is the same but the sounds of fighting and dialogue are balanced well. The fighting noises aren't way down, and the dialogue isn't extremely loud during fight scenes and the same goes for it vice versa. Plus, the voice actors are paired with characters very skillfully. I prefer the sub VA’s and just based on how well they fit each role. I raised my score in this category by one because I really do love each VA and their roles. They each are paired incredibly well.
Characters: 1 (last week: 3)
Ok so we have lovable and enjoyable go to complete shit in literally like three episodes. By the end of the anime, no one besides Hiro and Zero Two matter, which is fine but the transition is way too sudden and we are just basically strobed with things like, "GORO AND ICHIGO ARE FINALLY TOGETHER, LOOK," "WOW LOOK AT MITSURU AND KOKORO HAD A BABY AND STUFF," and "ZOROME ISN'T COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT," like it really has anything to do with the story at this point. I think it would have been much more effective to just focus on Zero Two and Hiro in space and their relationship during this time then try to switch between them and the other parasites because the people back home really didn't matter in the slightest to the story.
Enjoyment: 1 (last week: 2)
I went from, "I freaking love watching this show every week and waiting for each episode is excruciating," to, "Just end it here."
Overall: 2 (last week: 3)
I recommend this show because of the fun characters, interesting story, and especially Zero Two. You won't regret your decision unless you have a very specific taste and hate these types of shows in general.
