Full disclosure, I never played the original game, and without knowing the show is actually a sequel to the game's events and it fully expecting you to understand the plot of the first game, I didn't have a good time the first time through. After reading and watching a quick synopsis though, I began to appreciate the show more. The animation is lousy, and unlike Sonny Boy it doesn't have much of a cinematic flair to it to compensate for it. But perhaps because of that, I ended up appreciating the plot and characters a lot more.
The show does feel quite aimless in the first half, up until the 10th or so episode I wasn't actively engaged; but come the second half, the show starts becoming a lot more focused in the story it's trying to tell, and by then I was hooked until the very end. Up to the point where I'm even seriously considering to get Tie to see where it all continues. Hiori and Ruka are really cute as leads and I do like the charm their social awkwardness adds to the show. I will say that the show does have one of my personal pet peeves, with abuse victims being main antagonists. It's not depicted that well here too, with it basically giving a lousy justification to Shino's actions. But aside from that, the core cast is still likable enough through and through.
It is a shame the Blu Rays were cancelled for this. I think maybe giving the show more polish can help in its presentation, but hey at the very least, the show did its job in convincing at least one other person out there in the world to give the series a proper shot.
6/10
