I now, in 2020, at age 23, have just finished rewatching it to see how it holds up. I was turned off from the very first episode, it immediately tries way too hard to be funny and falls into a lot of anime cliches, but that's to be expected given the time it was created. Honestly, the try-hard, unfunny humor slows down after about the second episode as the serious tones of the show start to surface and you become more invested in that and willing to forgive the poor humor. Also, keep in mind I was viewing the dub, which may have contributed to certain jokes missing with me, delivery of the lines may have been a key element of cringe that may not be found in the subtitled version, but regardless I still chose to watch the dub for nostalgia's sake.
The pros of this series are pretty well known at this point, it's a feel fest and the music is outstanding. Those 2 elements complement each other perfectly.
TLDR, it's a little weeby at the start but try to stick with it, it's a classic and it only gets better the further in you get. Keep a box of tissues on hand, you're bound to cry at least once.
