First of all, who'd think that the cliché "Light vs. Darkness / Black vs. White" Romeo and Juliet-esque" would sell the show? I'd give you a clap if you generally enjoyed this despite the lack of content, but for such a "story", it was squandered of its potentials and squeezed of almost every trope you can think of. Heck, the only thing that I can say was unique is on the side of darkness, something like an underdog story of sorts. That is fine and all, but the rest was a total misfire. The two kingdoms being forced into war is a given, but the sequence of events that conspired and transformed the "forces of nature" was just so dumb a.k.a "the war started because of somebody's ill-fated conflict". Needless to say, this was one of the worst and boring stories I've watched so far, much from a low-expected game adaptation anyways.
Secondly, the characters, much of the weight on their shoulders, playing the "Balance of Power" trope. It's "fantasy fiction" I geddit, but in the right hands, is a power play and crucial plot onto itself (sans One Piece, Beezlebub etc.). But Shironeko Project just managed to have a very lackluster character cast that are nothing more than "support" positions (I don't really care if that character is playing the king/queen, it's one and the same), much less its vibe going for it being "I must uphold the balance between my kingdom and yours, to acquire peace no matter the hardship between the two kingdoms." That just about turns most people off.
But same like the story, I do commend the underdog story of the Prince of Darkness, first a regular commoner and fighting to be in the position that he's in now through thick and thin, a battle against other people that could be in his position that of the one who's to be in the position, will uphold responsibility for peace-sake. But the aftermath of like guides trying to control his every move, that part I didn't really like (which begs the question: if you're gonna be the protagonist, be a man/woman of your word and don't be a parrot to others). Similar to the story, bland and boring characters (which I always miss who's who, so that's a consolation).
And the animation, sorely lackluster as expected of the low-budget standards of Project No. 9. It's not as bad when compared to some other shows that use a mix of 2D and 3DCG for action and such, but it was just eerily missing its punches and kicks the whole time treading around. Generic character designs don't really help much to get invested right off the bat, as to be expected. I never had high expectations for game adaptations to shine, but this did in the worst of levels possible (which after watching so many boring anime based on game adaptations, I've grown completely numb to it).
What's the "silver lining in the clouds", is the music. I've said it before time and time again: if the show flops, the music sells. And this is kinda the best of the bunch though. An alright banger of an OP (by T.M.Revolution Takaniro Nishikawa and ASCA), plus a really good ED by Rei Yasuda, both which are solid songs in my opinion to get through the pumping and emotional feels for the somewhat un-inspiration of the overall narrative of the show. Plus, even with high-profile VAs (such as Yui Horie and KajiKaji), their voice talents lent to this show was decent, or at worse mediocre. Alas, the music is only the highlight and nothing more.
I think I needn't say more if my ranting is to persuade people to stay away from this BS of a "game adaptation", because it is just that and nothing more: a hollow shell with a decrepited plot so bad I just want to completely shut down and finish the show for good (and finish it I did). To the uphill at the start, but to the downhill at the end.
