As the story unfolds at the start of the series, the story moves slowly and perhaps a little predictably, with the HiME being revealed and gathered, but there is always an air of uncertainty beneath it that piques your curiosity and makes you want to watch further.
And as the series progresses, you begin to see why you watched further, as the plot begins its rapid spiral into almost uncontrolled despair, with such a level of emotional anguish and turmoil that can only be described as painfully beautiful. At its roots the story is actually very simple: there is much pain in the world, but love is good. But the incredibly vivid way in which the series does it makes the sentiment far more tangible than mere words, and you experience a small glimpse of the many and varied emotions and sufferings of the characters, who are themselves very easy to relate to.
The cast is well-rounded and very secure in that all of the characters fulfill there own specific role without becoming irritating - even those characters that could be described as "the bad guys" always give you some small way in which to empathise with them. And with such a large cast (noteably one that never becomes overcrowded, despite the large number of important characters) there is always someone that you can see a bit of yourself it, be it in a friendship or a mannerism or a belief. The characters are, in this way, very real and very endearing.
As has already been mentioned, there is a focus throughout on emotions, and the score by Kajiura Yuki assists with the portrayal outstandingly, from the depths of the sorrows; to the terrifying angers; to the gentle power of the friendships and the loves; even to the quiet excitement of the battles. The heart-rending cello cues in particular are played with such passion and sensitivity as to induce tears in even the driest of eyes. (I got quite choked up over this anime, and I'm not ashamed to admit it ;)
Overall, there is so much to recommend this series. There are moments of light-hearted friendship that contrast perfectly with the overwhelming gravity of the fate of the HiME. It is a very well-rounded and complete series that deserves all the adulation it receives.
