Art/Music;
I loved the art, that is for sure. I thought that it was one of the best aspects of the series. The entire series is very detailed, and the chibi scenes are cute, but they don't overwhelm the story or take away from the rest of the masterful art. If anything, they manage to support it. The expressions are always varied and fun to watch, and the faces of the characters can give the audience insight to things that aren't spoken.
The opening and ending themes are all very nice. I really like the lyrics -- they give some nice insight to both Misa and Usui. There were two ending themes, but only one opening theme. The atmosphere music throughout the show was nice and helpful, if not a bit confusing at times. Nothing amazing, though. A band shows up later in the show, and I have to say that I really loved their music. I almost wish the band and been introduced to the audience earlier so that I could have heard more of their music.
Story/Characters/Enjoyment;
I always love some good side characters, and "filler" episodes are a nice break a lot of the time, but sometimes I wasn't sure what the main plot of this show was any longer. Even though the side characters (and there were quite a few of them) didn't have a lot of depth, they took up a lot of the screen time during those 24 minutes. I really wish Misa and Usui could have appeared a bit more often in some of the episodes. The plot development in the beginning seemed to hold a lot of promise, and then it seemed as though everyone else in the show was suddenly competing to become the main character. The best things about those side characters were their personalities, which were all unique and interesting and humorous, but they didn't deserve that much...attention. They never really went anywhere. The story basically went as follows: A lot starts. Nothing happens. A lot ends.
Misa and Usui both remain a huge mystery until the end. Certainly they had more depth than the side characters, but I feel that they, being the main characters, should have had a lot more exposed about them and their past. This wouldn't have annoyed me as much if the ending clip didn't show many things hinting towards some episodes dedicated to Usui's past. They show him as a child and a woman walking away while he watched, but that is never, ever explained. Which is, to say the least, extremely frustrating.
I did laugh quite a bit during this series. It was very enjoyable. I liked the interaction between all of the characters, but especially between Misa and Usui. Both are very unique leads for a shoujo, in my point of view. But any romantic progression between them stops for the majority of the show. The beginning and the end seem to focus the most on their relationship. While there are some romantic scenes in the middle, they seemed to be brushed over very quickly, as though they weren't important. I actually felt that there were a lot of really important things that happened throughout the show that deserved at least an entire episode -- if not a couple -- dedicated to them. But those were all rushed through, as well.
The ending of this show was amazing. It held everything I had been waiting so long to see. It really was the saving point of this show. It was far better than I ever would have expected to be. It did come on quite suddenly, though. They could have built up to it more. The lack of build up almost made the characters seem OOC (out of character). I wish that all of that intense romance could have been scattered throughout the show at least once -- if not on several occasions. But, still, that ending was all I could have hoped for and more.
In conclusion;
Overall, I did enjoy this show. I would recommend it to a friend if they were in the mood for something lighthearted with bits of intensity. I /can/ say that there was never a boring moment. Although there were many moments lacking in any substantial romance, those moments were always filled with something else that held my attention well enough to keep me from pressing the 'pause' button and doing something else. It always made me laugh, too, although the ending held all the seriousness I had been denied -- no chibis ruining the mood or anything like that.
Should I watch it?;
If you want some intense, solid romance, with suspense around the corner -- an anime with in-depth, dynamic characters that you can really get attached to, and scenes that will bring you to tears or make your heart race, you may want to come back to this another time. But, if you are looking for some amazing art to look at, some nice music, a lot of laughs, a lot of interesting characters, and some intense, isolated romance, and some lighthearted, cuter scenes in between (that will still manage to make your heart beat a bit faster) then this is totally for you.
