I've rewatched Granblue Fantasy and tried my damndest to like it, I really did. There's something in it that's drew me in. I like the art design. I liked the promise of adventure and seeing new sights, which it fulfilled to some degree. I liked the few moments of action in between the long - and I mean long - transition of exposition between scenes.
And that's where GBF:TA falls flat. In spite of its surface beauty and promise of adventure, it just kind of drags along from point A to point B with no true feeling of tension or gravitas. The characters feel dry and underdeveloped, lacking anything that would make you relate to any of them... although strangely enough, the one character that really truly feels developed is actually an alternate gender-bent version of the main character in the last episode - and that is JARRING.
It has potential, but just lacks tension, substance and character. It's like biting into a really nice looking piece of chocolate and expecting a delicious filling of some kind, only to find out the chocolate is hollow. It was somewhat tasty at first bite, but leaves you yearning for more.
As it stands, GBF:TA is a lesson of how to avoid writing a disengaging script for an anime. And it's such a shame too, because I really did like everything else the series potentially had to offer. Just give me more to bite on next time.
Story: 3
Art: 8
Sound: 7
Character: 3
Enjoyment: 4
Overall: 4
